NYC Could Finally Lower Speed Limit To 20 MPH Under Budget Deal

NEW YORK CITY — New York City will finally be behind the wheel when it comes to setting speed limits.

"Sammy's Law" — a long-awaited piece of legislation allowing city officials to lower speed limits to 20 mph — is part of a final state budget deal, advocates said Thursday.

The bill is named after Sammy Cohen Eckstein, a 12-year-old Park Slope boy who was killed by a motorist in 2013.

Eckstein's mother Amy Cohen called law's apparent imminent passage a "victory" for street safety.

"Lower speed limits save lives, and I am overjoyed that Sammy’s Law will finally pass in the state budget," she said in a statement.

"This means so much to not only my family, but countless families across New York who’ve been fighting for this for years."

Details on the final budget still remained unclear Thursday afternoon.

The version of Sammy's Law included in the budget would allow City Council members to pass legislation to lower the city's current 25 mph speed limit, Gothamist reported.

But it does not apply to all streets, the report states. The speed limit cannot be lowered, at least by the City Council, on roads with three or more lanes of traffic heading in one direction, according to the Gothamist report.