NYC to lower speed limits to 20 mph in 4 outer-borough neighborhoods

Drivers will soon face lower speed limits in four New York City neighborhoods as officials implement new “regional slow zones” meant to reduce traffic crashes, transportation officials said.

The city Department of Transportation said speed limits will drop to 20 mph in Dumbo, Brooklyn; Broad Channel, Queens; St. George, Staten Island; and across all of City Island in the Bronx.

The reductions follow the passage of Sammy’s Law, a state law granting the city greater authority to lower speed limits, which took effect in October. The legislation is named after Sammy Cohen Eckstein, a 12-year-old who was struck and killed by a driver on Prospect Park West in 2013.

Where speed limits are dropping

The city launched the first regional slow zone in Lower Manhattan last year. The new zones will be the first implemented in the outer boroughs.

• City Island: The transportation department said the new zone will cover the entire island (0.42 square miles), where there have been five severe traffic injuries over the past five years.
• Dumbo: The Brooklyn zone (0.18 square miles) extends from Furman Street to the west; Water Street, Plymouth Street and John Street to the north; Navy Street and Hudson Avenue to the east, and Sands Street and the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway to the south. The area has recorded one traffic fatality and 10 severe injuries in the last five years, officials said.
• Broad Channel: The Queens zone (0.16 square miles) spans from East Sixth Road to West 22nd Road. The area has seen one traffic fatality and six severe injuries in the past five years, according to officials.
• St. George: The Staten Island zone (0.25 square miles) covers the area closest to the Staten Island Ferry Terminal, bordered by Tysen Street and Clinton Avenue to the west, Prospect Avenue to the south, Jersey Street to the east and Richmond Terrace to the north. Speeds will be reduced throughout St. George, except for Richmond Terrace, which will remain 30 mph. The area has seen zero traffic fatalities but 12 cases of severe injuries over the last five years, the city said.

The transportation department said it will begin publicly notifying community boards this month, with a 60-day comment period before final implementation.

Mixed reactions from residents

Residents in affected areas expressed a range of opinions on the new speed limits.

“I absolutely agree with it dropping down to 20 miles per hour, especially in the school zones. And not just in New York City, [but] the entire country. Safety first,” said Matt Kasicki, who has lived in St. George since 2012.

Kasicki, who works as a contractor, said he hopes the measure will reduce accidents, especially at pedestrian crossings. He said reckless driving is a citywide issue.

“The younger fellas, when the sun goes down, they definitely like to press on the pedal," he said. "But it depends, y’know? Sometimes people are in a rush or just fooling around. Regardless, I’d ask them to slow down a little bit.”

But Karen Thaisz, who commutes to St. George from Westerleigh to drop off her kids at Curtis High School, said she was skeptical.

“I think it’ll just be a little more of a nuisance," she said. "It’s already pretty slow and drivers get aggravated even if you’re even going what you should be going now.”

She said she had just encountered an angry driver upset over her following the speed limit.

NYC’s broader plan to lower speed limits

In addition to the regional slow zones, transportation officials said they have already lowered speed limits at 70 locations since the fall. By the end of 2025, the city said it plans to implement speed-limit reductions in 250 locations, prioritizing areas near schools as well as official Open and Shared Streets.

Sammy’s Law allows the city to reduce speed limits to 10 mph in areas undergoing safety-related redesigns, according to officials. That applies to streets within the Shared Streets program and specific Open Streets locations.

“Lowering vehicle speed limits by even a few miles per hour could be the difference between life or death in a traffic crash,” DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez said in a statement.

Critics say enforcement, not lower speeds, is the solution

Some New Yorkers said the measure won’t deter speeding and could create unnecessary frustration for drivers.

Paul King, a Rockaway resident and president of the Belle Harbor Property Owners Association, said the change would be an “unnecessary drain” on commuters’ time. Many Rockaway residents drive through Broad Channel on Cross Bay Boulevard to get to and from the peninsula.

King said he supports the sentiment behind Sammy’s Law but doubts it will prevent reckless driving.

“People have to commute by car. It’s going to add time to people’s commute without really making any difference for safety," he said.

John Cori, another Rockaway resident, said he frequently drives around the city for work and to visit relatives. He said stronger enforcement would be more effective than lower speed limits.

“To reduce the speed limit for so many commuters? In my opinion it’s too slow," he said. "Better enforcement is the remedy."