NEW YORK, NEW YORK, United States, March 16, 2026: New York City Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani announces a major expansion of 15 MPH School Slow Zones at eligible schools across the five boroughs during a press event outlining the citys largest implementation of Sammys Law to date. The initiative will add more than 800 locations in 2026, bringing the total to nearly 1,300 schools with reduced speed limits aimed at improving pedestrian safety for students and families. (Photo: Luiz Rampelotto/EuropaNewswire)
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QUEENS, NEW YORK, United States — “Sammy’s Law” New York City Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani announced a major expansion of 15 MPH School Slow Zones across the five boroughs, marking the largest use so far of Sammy’s Law to reduce traffic speeds near schools. City officials said the plan will lower speed limits at hundreds of school locations in 2026 as part of a broader effort to improve street safety for students, parents, and local communities. This expansion of Sammy’s Law is a significant step towards enhancing safety measures in alignment with the objectives of Sammy’s Law.
The announcement was made alongside New York City Department of Transportation Commissioner Mike Flynn, who said the initiative will add more than 800 additional school slow zones during the year. By the end of the calendar year, the total number of school locations with a 15 mile per hour speed limit is expected to reach nearly 1,300 across New York City.
City officials said the long term goal is to implement reduced speed limits at all eligible school locations during the mayor’s first term. According to the administration, approximately 2,300 school sites across the five boroughs will eventually qualify for the program. Those locations represent roughly 3,200 individual schools, as several campuses house multiple schools in the same building.
Understanding the Impact of Sammy’s Law on School Safety
The announcement took place at Flushing International High School in Queens, which shares a campus with J.H.S. 189 Daniel Carter Beard. Transportation crews are installing a new 15 MPH School Slow Zone along 147th Street between Barclay Avenue and Sanford Avenue near the school campus.
Mayor Mamdani said the program is designed to reduce traffic speeds in areas where large numbers of children walk to school each day.
“Lower speeds save lives, and we will use every tool available to make our streets safer for New Yorkers,” Mamdani said during the announcement.
The program expands the city’s use of Sammy’s Law, legislation passed in 2024 that gives New York City the authority to lower speed limits below the citywide default of 25 miles per hour. The law was named after Sammy Cohen Eckstein, a 12 year old Brooklyn boy who was killed by a speeding driver in 2013. Since then, his family and traffic safety advocates have pushed for lower speed limits and stronger pedestrian protections across the city.
Transportation officials say the new school slow zones will be implemented using a data driven approach. The Department of Transportation plans to prioritize locations based on crash history, traffic safety data, and existing street conditions near schools.
According to DOT officials, approximately 700 school locations that currently have 20 MPH slow zones will see their limits reduced to 15 MPH under the plan. In addition, about 100 new school slow zones will be created at locations where the current speed limit is 25 MPH.
Safety advocates say the change could have a significant impact on pedestrian safety. Studies cited by the Department of Transportation indicate that a pedestrian struck by a vehicle traveling at 25 miles per hour is more than three times as likely to be seriously injured as someone struck at 15 miles per hour.
City officials also said the program will include a community notification process before each new speed reduction takes effect. Local community boards will receive a 60 day notice period during which residents and local leaders can review and comment on the proposed changes.
At locations identified as particularly dangerous, transportation officials said the city will also continue implementing physical street safety improvements. These measures may include speed humps, redesigned intersections, improved pedestrian visibility, and other traffic calming tools intended to slow vehicles naturally.
Advocates for safer streets welcomed the announcement, calling the expansion an important step in improving safety for children walking to school across New York City.
City transportation officials said additional expansions of lower speed limits may be considered in other parts of the city in the future as the administration continues to evaluate street safety data and traffic patterns.
The rollout of new 15 MPH school slow zones is expected to continue throughout 2026.
Source: EuropaNewswire
