{"id":85512,"date":"2025-12-31T14:38:07","date_gmt":"2025-12-31T14:38:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/85512\/"},"modified":"2025-12-31T14:38:07","modified_gmt":"2025-12-31T14:38:07","slug":"speed-limits-slashed-20-for-millions-changes-complete-by-midnight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/85512\/","title":{"rendered":"Speed Limits Slashed 20% for Millions\u2014Changes Complete by Midnight"},"content":{"rendered":"

New York City is reducing speed limits from 25\u202fmph to 20\u202fmph across 250 local areas, with the changes set to be fully implemented by the end of 2025, to make the streets safer for pedestrians and reduce traffic fatalities.<\/p>\n

Why It Matters<\/p>\n

This move follows the passing of Sammy\u2019s Law, a measure named in honor of 12-year-old Sammy Cohen Eckstein, who was killed by a vehicle in Brooklyn in 2013 and is designed to try to prevent accidents.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

What To Know\"\"<\/p>\n

The New York City Department of Transportation (NYC DOT) first announced in October 2024 that it would implement 20 mph speed limits in 250 designated slow zones after state lawmakers passed Sammy\u2019s Law, which allows local officials to lower speed limits below the former citywide minimum of 25 mph. As of midnight on December 31, signage for these new speed limits will be in place, according to the Brooklyn Eagle.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The new law focuses on high-pedestrian corridors, school zones, open streets, and residential areas. In addition to the 20 mph standard for slow zones, school slow zones will see limits reduced to 15 mph, while shared and certain open streets will feature 10 mph limits.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Prospect Park West in Brooklyn\u2014the site where 12\u2011year\u2011old Sammy Cohen Eckstein was killed\u2014was the first street to receive the new 20\u202fmph speed limit in October 2024 under Sammy\u2019s Law.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The NYC DOT confirmed earlier this year that all of City Island in the Bronx, along with neighborhoods such as Dumbo, Broad Channel, Queens, and Staten Island, are also included in the regional slow zones.\u00a0<\/p>\n

What People Are Saying<\/p>\n

NYC DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez said: “Lowering vehicle speed limits by even a few miles per hour could be the difference between life or death in a traffic crash. Our newest Regional Slow Zones will save lives and protect our most vulnerable New Yorkers in some of our busiest pedestrian communities.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso said: \u201cNew Yorkers fought for and won Sammy’s Law because it benefits everyone. Whether you’re walking, biking, or driving, slower speeds keep us safe.\u201d<\/p>\n

Democratic State Senator Nathalia Fernandez said: “Slowing down in neighborhoods like City Island means safer streets, fewer crashes, and a city that puts people first. This is how we honor Sammy’s memory\u2014by making every borough safer for kids, seniors, and everyone in between.”<\/p>\n

What Happens Next<\/p>\n

New York City expects to complete the rollout of 20\u202fmph speed limits in 250 zones by the end of 2025, and officials will monitor the impact of these changes to determine whether the program should expand to additional locations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"New York City is reducing speed limits from 25\u202fmph to 20\u202fmph across 250 local areas, with the changes…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":85513,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[9,24,55,54,56,63,10973,10485],"class_list":["post-85512","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-york-city","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-new-york-city-headlines","tag-new-york-city-news","tag-ny","tag-nyc","tag-speed-limit","tag-speeding"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85512","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=85512"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85512\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/85513"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=85512"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=85512"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=85512"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}