DOT rolls out additional ‘Regional Slow Zones’

Several months after lowering the speed limit to 20 mph in a stretch of lower Manhattan, the New York City Department of Transportation is announcing four more “Regional Slow Zones” as promised under a recently-implemented state law giving the city greater power to regulate its own speed limits.

These new neighborhood-wide slow zones of 20 mph will encompass 0.18 square miles in Dumbo, Brooklyn, the entirety of City Island in the Bronx, 0.16 square miles  in Broad Channel, Queens and 0.25 square miles in St. George, Staten Island – the community closest to the Staten Island Ferry Terminal. The four pedestrian-heavy locations, shared exclusively with City & State ahead of a Wednesday announcement, were specifically selected by DOT in hopes of improving street safety within their boundaries. All have had at least a handful of serious traffic injuries or (to a lesser extent) fatalities. Manhattan’s regional slow zone was rolled out last year, covering everything south of Canal Street. The locations for the other four boroughs have been highly anticipated by street safety advocates who’ve long fought for lower speed limits, pointing to research that says doing so gives drivers more time to react and increases the chance of pedestrian survival. 

“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. “Our newest Regional Slow Zones will save lives and protect our most vulnerable New Yorkers in some of our busiest pedestrian communities.”

Sammy’s Law, passed by state lawmakers during the 2024 legislative session, gave the city the authority to set and reduce its own speed limits from the default 25 mph to 20 mph on individual streets and 10 mph on streets currently undergoing safety-related redesigns. Named for 12-year-old Sammy Cohen Eckstein who was killed by a speeding driver near Prospect Park in 2013, the law took effect in October. Since then, DOT has reduced the speed limit at 70 locations outside of the lower Manhattan Regional Slow Zone. By the end of 2025, the agency previously pledged, that number will grow to 250 with areas near schools, with shared streets and open streets being given priority. 

The next step for DOT to take after announcing the new regional slow zones in the Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn and Staten Island will be to publicly notify the local community boards. Following a 60-day comment period, the agency will begin implementation.