NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani unveiled a plan to reduce speed limits to 15 mph around all school zones across New York City by 2029, with enforcement expected to apply at all hours of the day, according to sources familiar with the rollout.

The initiative will be carried out through an executive action invoking Sammy’s Law, a 2024 measure that allows the city to set speed limits below the state’s standard minimum. The move fulfills a long-standing demand from street safety advocates.

In addition to the school zone changes, Mamdani said he would like to see the citywide speed limit reduced to 20 mph. However, he stated that such a move would require approval from the City Council, a position that quickly drew criticism from Council Speaker Julie Menin.

Republican members of the City Council also raised objections, particularly over the plan to enforce the lower school zone limits around the clock.

“If this were really about protecting the children, why would it be 24 hours a day?” said Councilwoman Joann Ariola (R-Queens).

“This is just another attempt at picking the pockets of middle- and working-class residents of the outer boroughs, while making it even more difficult to own a car than it already is. Shame on the mayor for using the safety of our children as a front to cover for yet another money grab.”

Currently, the default speed limit across New York City is 25 mph unless otherwise posted.

Sammy’s Law—named after 12-year-old Sammy Cohen Eckstein, who was killed by a vehicle near Prospect Park in 2013—grants city officials the authority to impose lower speed limits in designated areas.

Mamdani noted that the law has already been used to reduce speeds in certain school zones.

Under the new plan, approximately 700 school zones will see limits reduced to 20 mph, while 100 additional zones will be set at 15 mph by the end of this year.

By the close of 2026, officials expect 800 more school zones to adopt the 15 mph limit, bringing the total to about 1,300 citywide.

The changes will take effect following a 60-day public comment period, according to city officials.

Looking ahead, the Department of Transportation will expand the reduced speed limits to all 2,300 public and private school locations in the city by the end of Mamdani’s current term, the mayor said.

“I would say that today is a significant step forward in us ensuring that we are extending this safety to far more school children across our city, and that we will extend it to every single eligible school zone by the end of 2029,” he said during an event in Flushing International High School.

Not discussed publicly at the event was that enforcement of the new speed limits is expected to continue 24 hours a day, even when schools are not in session, according to sources.

Mamdani was joined by safety advocates, elected officials, and parents who have long pushed for stricter traffic safety measures aimed at reducing fatalities.

Advocates and officials pointed to data showing that pedestrians hit by vehicles traveling at 25 mph are more than three times as likely to suffer serious injuries compared to those struck at 15 mph. The city recorded 205 traffic deaths last year, the lowest number since records began in 1905.

Families for Safe Streets, an advocacy group founded by the mother of Sammy Cohen Eckstein, also attended the event. During the gathering, Mamdani was pressed on whether he would support lowering the citywide speed limit to 20 mph.

He reiterated his support for that goal but maintained that additional legislative action would be required.

“That’s why we would support the council taking this action,” he said.

City Council representatives responded quickly, suggesting that the administration already has tools at its disposal to act.

“Street safety is a priority for Speaker Menin and the Council,” a City Council spokesperson said.

“While a bill to lower the citywide speed limit has yet not been introduced, under Sammy’s Law, the NYC Department of Transportation already has the authority to lower the speed limit in specific locations.”

Efforts to reduce speed limits are not new. Officials from both parties have backed similar measures for decades, including former Mayor Rudy Giuliani in 1999.

Still, opposition has grown in recent years as drivers face additional restrictions such as expanded bike lanes and new tolls, including congestion pricing fees for entering parts of Manhattan.

“Almost everywhere you drive is now in a school zone, so this is essentially lowering the speed limit citywide,” said Councilman David Carr (R-Staten Island).

“This is yet another proposal to punish Outer Borough residents who rely on cars to get around and would make living in New York City even more unbearable and more unaffordable.”

Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, who has acknowledged receiving multiple speeding tickets, argued that reducing speeds near schools should be a broadly accepted goal.

“I think inconvenience is better than death,” he said, before arguing the speed limits weren’t about punishing drivers with tickets.

“This is not about ‘gotcha,’ this is about the folks that we have lost.”

{Matzav.com}