School Slow Zones: Safer Environments for NYC Students

New York City has installed 15 mph “School Slow Zones” at more than 200 school locations as officials move toward lowering speed limits around every eligible school across the five boroughs.

The New York City Department of Transportation (NCYDOT) expects to install roughly 800 of the School Slow Zones by the end December, according to a Sept. 9 announcement from Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s office. The work represents the first year of the administration’s commitment to expand the zones under Sammy’s Law.

The city announced in March 800 additional school locations with 15 mph speed limit postings this year, increasing the citywide total to approximately 1,300. The long-term plan calls for establishing the lower limits at all 2,300 eligible school locations by the end of Mamdani’s first term, or Jan. 1, 2030. Those locations house about 3,200 public, private, parochial and charter schools, including schools that share campuses.

“Every student deserves to feel safe when they make their way to school, and every parent deserves the same peace of mind,” Mamdani said in the statement.

NYCDOT officials said about 700 locations with existing 20 mph School Slow Zones will be reduced to 15 mph, while approximately 100 new zones will be established at schools where the current limit is 25 mph. The agency is prioritizing locations using safety data and coordinating the work with other planned street improvements.

Each proposed speed limit change requires a 60-day notice and comment period for the local community board. The city may also add speed humps, intersection treatments and other design features intended to slow vehicles at locations considered particularly dangerous.

City officials said a pedestrian struck at 25 mph is more than three times as likely to suffer a serious injury as someone struck at 15 mph. DOT Commissioner Mike Flynn said even a small speed reduction can affect whether a crash becomes fatal.

Legislation Created School Slow Zones

The initiative follows the passage of Sammy’s Law in 2024, which granted New York City authority to establish speed limits below 25 mph. The law is named for Sammy Cohen Eckstein, a 12-year-old who was fatally struck by a driver in Brooklyn in 2013.

The city is also preparing to install its first gated Open Street outside a school. The swing-arm gate will be placed this month on Clarkson Street between Hudson and Varick streets in Tribeca. It will allow the block to close temporarily to vehicles for recess, outdoor learning, student pickup, and drop-off.

The Clarkson Street redesign will add public seating, expand pedestrian space, improve crossings and visibility, and encourage drivers to reduce their speed. The city is completing the project with City-As-School High School, M.S. 721, and Open Plans.

Clarkson Street is one of 77 Open Streets at schools launching for the 2026-2027 academic year. The program allows participating schools to temporarily close streets to vehicle traffic.

Flynn said Open Streets can provide children with outdoor areas for learning and playing while creating calmer pickup and drop-off periods for families.

The gated street is among safety redesigns planned for near more than 300 schools this year. Other projects include pedestrian and bicycle improvements benefiting more than 10 Bronx schools and permanent upgrades to school Open Streets on Beaumont Avenue in the Bronx and Avenue B in Manhattan.

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