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3d ago

NYC to Cut Speed Limits to 15 MPH at 800 More School Zones This Year Under Sammy’s Law

Officials will phase in the changes using safety data and a 60-day community review process.

NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 07: Cars are viewed on a Manhattan Street on November 7, 2014 in New York City. A new 25 miles-per-hour speed limit went into effect city-wide today, down from 30. The new speed limit, which was signed into law by Mayor de Blasio, is the centerpiece of his Vision Zero plan which looks to drastically reduce New York City traffic deaths. Last year 291 people were killed in traffic deaths in New York City. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
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A School Slow Zone sign is seen outside PS 45 in West Brighton in this XXX photo. The city is set to change XXX of the city's 20 mph slow zones to 15 mph zones by the end of the calendar
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Overview

  • Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced the expansion on March 16, with initial signage installed outside Flushing International High School and a target of roughly 1,300 school locations at 15 mph by year’s end.
  • City Hall says all approximately 2,300 eligible school locations will be reduced to 15 mph by 2029, converting most existing 20 mph school zones and adding new zones where limits are now 25 mph.
  • The authority comes from the 2024 state Sammy’s Law, which lets the DOT set lower limits on specified local streets—15 mph in school zones—without City Council approval of each location.
  • DOT and NYPD cite data showing pedestrians struck at 25 mph are more than three times as likely to be seriously injured as at 15 mph, and that speeding contributes to about a quarter of traffic deaths.
  • The rollout includes 24-hour posting of the 15 mph limit at affected locations, existing speed-camera and police enforcement, and potential traffic-calming upgrades, alongside an active dispute over broader citywide speed-limit authority and criticism that expanded enforcement could raise revenue.