MAYOR MAMDANI ANNOUNCES 15 MPH SLOW ZONES AT ALL ELIGIBLE NYC SCHOOLS BY END OF FIRST TERM IN LARGEST SAMMY’S LAW EXPANSION

 

City will implement 15 MPH School Slow Zones at an additional 800 school locations in 2026, bringing the citywide total to nearly 1,300 by the end of this calendar year

  

Every eligible public, private, parochial and charter K-12 school will see 15 MPH speed limits by end of first term 

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.