NYC speed limit lowering to 15 mph near hundreds of schools

New York City will lower the speed limit to 15 miles per hour at 800 more locations near schools by the end of 2026, Mayor Zohran Mamdani said on Monday.

That will bring the total number of school zones with the lower speed limit to 1,300.

The new limits, set for locations to be determined by the city's Department of Transportation, are possible because of a 2024 state law that authorizes the city to set lower speed limits in certain areas.

"No longer will the lives of pedestrians and children playing outside be treated as an afterthought," Mamdani said at a news conference  in Flushing, Queens, with families of those who have been killed in traffic crashes.

The reduced speed limits will be place even when school is not in session, said the city’s transportation commissioner, Mike Flynn. He said that department traffic engineers would scrutinize the streets around schools to identify where the 15 mph limits would be imposed.

"We really have to look at each school in its own context," Flynn said.

New York City’s speed limit is 25 mph unless otherwise posted.

The limits are enforced via speed cameras and police stops. Speeding tickets can range from $50 if issued by an automatic camera to hundreds of dollars and a license revocation if issued by a police officer.

Jumaane Williams, the city's public advocate, at Mamdani’s news conference described himself as a reformed speeder who has seen the errors of his ways.

Lower limits, Williams said, protect children.

"As a parent, I worry about sending my kid to school," he said. "I don't want to worry about my 4-year-old every time she gets a little aggity around the sidewalk. I get nervous that she's gonna jet into the street."

Williams acknowledged that some drivers will be upset by the new limit.

"This is not about ‘gotcha,’" he said.

By Matthew Chayes

matthew.chayes@newsday.comchayesmatthew

Matthew Chayes, a Newsday reporter since 2007, covers New York City.