Gov. Hochul Moves to Lower Speed Limits to Provide Street Safety

By Yehudit Garmaise

Gov. Kathy Hochul wants to provide more safety on the streets by changing a NY state law that keeps the city’s speed limits from going under 25 mph throughout the city and 15 mph in school zones, she announced in her State of the State speech in Albany yesterday.

“Giving New York City the autonomy to change its speed limit can help the city determine how best to safeguard its streets,” Hochul’s office wrote in a briefing.

Gov. Hochul’s proposal seems inspired by state Sen. Brad Hoylman’s 2020 bill that would give the city more control over its speed limits, Gothamist reported.

Hoylman’s named his bill, “Sammy’s Law,” after a Prospect Park West reckless driver killed 12-year-old Samuel Cohen Eckstein in 2013.

Many street safety advocates have long pointed to many studies that prove how lower speed limits dramatically reduce deadly car crashes.

“Lower speed limits save lives,” said Elizabeth Adams of the advocacy group Transportation Alternatives.