In an effort to enhance safety on the roads, New York City has implemented its first road with a speed limit of 20 miles per hour, in accordance with “Sammy’s Law.” The unveiling ceremony took place on October 9 in Park Slope, Prospect Park West, the same road where Sammy Cohen Eckstein tragically lost his life in a car accident 11 years ago.
This law, named after Sammy, will soon expand to Canal Street in Manhattan’s Chinatown, with the goal of establishing speed limits at 250 locations across the city by the end of 2025.
“Speed can mean life or death in traffic accidents, which is why reducing speed limits will help protect everyone who shares our bustling streets,” stated DOT Commissioner Rodriguez during a press conference. He expressed gratitude to Sammy’s family for their relentless advocacy, as their efforts provided the legal framework necessary for implementing lower speed limits in the city.
Over a decade ago, on a day in October, 12-year-old Sammy was struck and killed by a truck driver while chasing a soccer ball in Park Slope.
Earlier this year, the state legislature passed Sammy’s Law, signed into effect by Governor Hochu. The law empowers New York City to reduce the speed limit on city streets from 25 miles per hour to 20 miles per hour in order to decrease the risk of pedestrian fatalities in traffic accidents.
“On the 11th anniversary of my 12-year-old son’s death on Prospect Park West, we hope that by driving slower, Sammy and the truck driver would have had more time to see each other and avoid the collision… We look forward to seeing the Department of Transportation roll out 20 mph speed limits on more streets and communities across the city to save more lives,” said Gary Eckstein, Sammy’s father and member of the organization “Families for Safe Streets.”
Philip Rivera, Chief of Traffic at the NYPD, highlighted that a quarter of this year’s traffic fatalities were due to speeding, with 77% occurring on city streets rather than highways. It is crucial to reduce speed limits, and the NYPD will work to enforce the new law by cracking down on speeding violations.
In addition to installing new speed limit signs along 19 blocks of Prospect Park West, the Department of Transportation will also enforce 20 mph speed limits on a 1.4-mile section of Audubon Avenue in Washington Heights, Manhattan. They are establishing neighborhood slow zones in each borough, where the speed limit will be set at 20 mph. The first slow zone in Manhattan, south of Canal Street, is expected to take effect in October.
By the end of this year, speed limits will be lowered at 60 more locations, with 47 school slow zones lowering speed limits to 15 mph and “open” or “shared” streets reducing speed limits to 10 mph to ensure the safety of pedestrians and cyclists. By the end of 2025, speed limits will be reduced at a total of 250 locations throughout the city.