Mayor Mamdani Announces 15 MPH Slow Zones at All Eligible NYC Schools by End of First Term in Largest Sammy’s Law Expansion Mamdani Administration Fills More Than 7,000[...]

NEW YORK - New York City Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani and New York City Department of Transportation Commissioner (NYC DOT) Mike Flynn today announced that NYC DOT will reduce the speed limit to 15 MPH at every eligible school location across the five boroughs by the end of Mayor Mamdani's first term. The move is designed to protect children and their families on city streets and represents the largest increase to date in the city's use of Sammy's Law to reduce speed limits across the city.

More than 800 additional school locations will see speed limits reduced to 15 MPH this year, bringing the total school locations with 15 MPH speed limits to 1,300 by the end of the calendar year. The administration plans to expand 15 MPH School Slow Zones where eligible at all 2,300 school locations across the five boroughs by the end of Mayor Mamdani's first term. These 2,300 school locations house 3,200 schools citywide, with some schools co-located. Implementation will be prioritized based on available safety data and other planned street safety improvements. Mayor Mamdani announced the news at Flushing International High School, which is co-located with J.H.S. 189 Daniel Carter Beard, where NYC DOT will today install a new 15 MPH speed limit for its School Slow Zone on 147th Street between Barclay Avenue and Sanford Avenue.

"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," said Mayor Mamdani. "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."

"Our school children and their families should feel safe and comfortable as they travel to and from class. Speeding is the leading cause of traffic deaths, and even a small speed reduction can mean the difference between life and death in a crash," said NYC DOT Commissioner Mike Flynn. "These speed limit reductions will follow our data-driven Vision Zero approach to deliver the greatest safety impact."

This year, NYC DOT will implement 15 MPH speed limits at the roughly 700 school locations with existing 20 MPH School Slow Zones and establish about 100 new 15 MPH School Slow Zones at school locations with 25 MPH speed limits. NYC DOT will prioritize locations based on safety data. A pedestrian struck at 25 MPH is more than three times as likely to be seriously injured than a pedestrian struck at 15 MPH.

At each school, the agency will provide the mandatory 60-day notice and comment opportunity to the local community board before implementation of the new speed limit. At the most dangerous locations near schools, the agency will continue to focus on upgrading street and intersection designs to help naturally slow vehicles and improve safety, including elements like speed humps, hardened daylighting and other safety upgrades.

The City has so far lowered speed limits at just over 100 locations since the passage of Sammy's Law in the spring of 2024, including a regional slow zone in each borough. In addition to today's School Slow Zone expansion, NYC DOT will continue to explore additional opportunities to roll out lower speed limits across the city in the months ahead.

"Sammy's Law will save lives wherever it is implemented," said Amy Cohen, Founder & President of Families for Safe Streets. "In 2013, my 12-year-old son Sammy was struck and killed by a speeding driver in Brooklyn, and ever since, I've been fighting for safer speeds on our streets. Thank you to every member of Families for Safe Streets that fought for this, every elected official that stood with us, and every coalition partner that joined us through a long battle - today would not have happened without each and every one of you. We're excited that the Mamdani administration is beginning to implement Sammy's Law, and we eagerly await their plan for an even wider implementation."

"I was proud to lead the fight in Albany alongside Assembly Member Rosenthal to pass Sammy's Law because every New Yorker deserves streets that prioritize safety over speed," said Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal. "Lowering speed limits around our schools is one of the most effective ways to protect children and families. In Manhattan, where so many students walk, bike, and take transit to school every day, this step will make a real difference. I'm grateful to Mayor Mamdani and Commissioner Flynn for fully using the authority Sammy's Law provides to slow traffic and save lives."

"Sammy's Law will save lives, and I'm grateful to Mayor Mamdani and DOT Commissioner Flynn for using it to lower speeds around schools. I was proud to sponsor the home rule that enabled this legislation, and it is a relief to see the law deployed to protect our communities. This is the kind of step the Council envisioned when we passed it to protect pedestrians citywide. I look forward to seeing the impact," said City CouncilMajority Leader Shaun Abreu.

"Sammy's Law is an incredibly effective tool for making the streets near our schools safer for our children and their families," said Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. "I am thrilled we will be using Sammy's Law to reduce speed limits to 15 MPH at so many locations across Queens and the rest of the city. We need to do everything we can to make our schools and the streets around them a safe environment for everyone."

"Expanding Sammy's Law is a historic step toward making our streets safer for children and families," said City CouncilDeputy Leader Sandra Ung. "Around schools, we see students walking, parents pushing strollers, and families crossing busy streets during the most hectic times of the day. Lowering speed limits to 15 miles per hour will help ensure that the streets surrounding our schools reflect that reality and create an environment where parents can feel confident that their children can get to and from school safely. I commend Mayor Mamdani for taking this important step to protect students and families in communities across the five boroughs."

"Lowering speed limits is a tool proven to save lives, and I commend Mayor Mamdani and Commissioner Flynn for taking action to keep our communities safe," said Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal. "The passage of Sammy's Law, my legislation granting New York City the authority to lower its speed limits, was in honor of Sammy Cohen Eckstein, who died tragically at just 12 years old in a crash that could have been prevented if there had been lower speed limits. With the expanded implementation of Sammy's Law around New York City's schools, we will make our streets safer and drastically reduce the chances of vehicle crashes turning fatal."

"After years of hard work, Sammy's Law will be implemented directly in front of schools in New York City," said Ben Furnas, Executive Director of Transportation Alternatives. "Slower speeds save lives, and Sammy's Law can save countless lives across the five boroughs. This is a critical first step towards safety, and we'll keep fighting for the safe streets all New Yorkers deserve. As always, we are proud and humbled to have fought alongside some of the strongest New Yorkers, members of Families for Safe Streets - New York City will be safer today and every day after that because of you. Sammy's Law only works where it's implemented, and we will join communities across the city fighting for full neighborhood and slow zone implementations to keep New Yorkers safe."

"We're thrilled that New York City intends to use the authority granted by Sammy's Law to lower the speed limit around all eligible New York City schools to 15 miles per hour," said Eric McClure, Executive Director of StreetsPAC. "It's impossible to know precisely how many lives this will save, but we're certain that the safety benefits will be enormous. It's a fitting way to commemorate Sammy Cohen Eckstein, for whom the law is named, and to honor the tireless efforts of his mother, Amy Cohen, and her Families for Safe Streets colleagues. We're grateful to Mayor Mamdani and Commissioner Flynn for moving quickly to make up for the previous administration's foot-dragging."

"Speed is the single biggest factor in whether a crash is survivable. Children should never have to navigate dangerous traffic just to get to school. By lowering speed limits to 15 miles per hour near schools, New York City is using Sammy's Law exactly as intended: giving the city the flexibility to protect people where safety matters most. We commend Mayor Mamdani and Commissioner Flynn for taking this important step to protect students, parents, and school staff across the five boroughs. We hope it's just the beginning of broader efforts to pair safer speeds with street designs that improve visibility at corners and create more people-first blocks around schools," said Sara Lind, Co-Executive Director of Open Plans.

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