New York City will lower the speed limit to 15 miles per hour at 800 school zones this year, with plans for so-called slow zones at all 2,300 school locations by 2029. Mayor Zohran Mamdani and the city’s Department of Transportation (DOT) announced on Monday plans to use Sammy’s Law, state legislation that allows the city to lower speed limits, to expand slow zones for schools.
“Families spoke up after unimaginable loss to fight for Sammy’s Law and deliver our city the power to make our streets safer for New Yorkers,” Mamdani said in a statement.
“Today’s expansion of Slow Zones for schools across all five boroughs is just the beginning. Lower speeds save lives, and we will use every tool at our disposal to protect our neighbors as they move about our city.”
Most of the schools slated for additional speed reductions have 20 mph limits, while the majority of the remaining roughly 2,300 school zones across the city currently have 25 mph limits. DOT data show that in areas where speeds were lowered to 20 mph, vehicle crashes fell 14 percent and car-related injuries dropped 31 percent.
Implementation will be prioritized based on available safety data and planned street improvements. The 800 new school zones will likely be equipped with signage and other traffic-calming measures.
City officials said a pedestrian struck by a car traveling 25 mph is three times more likely to suffer critical injuries than one hit by a vehicle going 15 mph.
According to Streetsblog, streets near schools experience far higher rates of crashes and injuries than other city roadways, particularly during drop-off and pickup times. The problem is even more pronounced at schools where most students are poor or children of color.
The executive order builds on Sammy’s Law, a 2024 legislation signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul and named for 12-year-old Sammy Cohen Eckstein, who was struck and killed by a car in 2013. The law allows the city’s DOT to reduce speed limits on certain streets without City Council approval, which governs the citywide speed limit, according to Chalkbeat.
Since its passage, the city has lowered speed limits at just over 100 locations, including establishing a regional slow zone in every borough under former Mayor Eric Adams. Building on Monday’s announcement, the DOT will continue exploring additional ways to expand lower speed limits across the city in the coming months.
Mamdani also said the DOT is actively improving vehicle and pedestrian safety in the most dangerous areas near schools, including intersection redesigns and speed bumps.
While changing the citywide speed limit would require a “local administrative change” to the city administrative code, beyond City Hall’s authority, Mamdani said the administration can use Sammy’s Law to adjust limits in school zones.
The DOT will provide each local community board with a 60-day notice and comment period before the new speed limit takes effect in its school zone.
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