'Sammy's Law' For NYC Speed Limit Power Hits Legislative Traffic Jam

NEW YORK CITY — A long-awaited bill that would allow New York City to set its own speed limits may have hit an unpassable roadblock in the state Legislature.

Democratic Majority Leader Carl Heastie won't bring "Sammy's Law" up for a vote in the State Assembly, said City Council Member Jen Gutierrez in an incredulous tweet Wednesday.

Gutierrez noted the law — which was named for a Park Slope teen slain in traffic — received wide support both in a critical recent vote by the City Council and from Mayor Eric Adams.

"Unbelievable," she wrote.

Unbelievable.

I'm incredibly disappointed that the State Assembly (@NYSA_Majority) is refusing to bring #SammysLaw up for a vote after the @NYCCouncil *and* @NYCMayor showed our support for the law through a super majority.

Families across the city deserve this vote. https://t.co/h7v3m6NLUf
— CM Jen Gutiérrez (@CMJenGutierrez) May 31, 2023

Sammy's Law would allow New York City officials to set speed limits down to 20 mph, rather than the state-minimum of 25 mph.

Advocates and many city lawmakers have long pushed for this speed limit power, which they argue will help avert traffic deaths.

The bill itself is named after Sammy Cohen Eckstein, a 12-year-old Park Slope boy who was killed by a motorist when he ran after a soccer ball on Prospect Park West in 2013.

Sammy's Law failed to gain momentum for several years until last week when City Council members passed a so-called "home rule" message that effectively put the bill on the state Legislature's plate before its session ends June 8.

Supporters appeared close to victory until Heastie's reported decision to pump the brakes in the State Assembly.

The decision rankled Sara Lind, co-executive director at Open Plans, a group that advocates for livability reforms.

She noted state lawmakers last year urged City Council members and advocates to pass the "home rule" message, with the implication they'd then approve Sammy's Law.

"It’s incredibly disappointing," she told Patch.

"It feels like a real abdication of responsibility, a failure on their part."

Lind said Sammy's Law has gained the support of the City Council, Adams, the city's Department of Transportation, Gov. Kathy Hochul and the state Senate.

All that's left is the Heastie and the state Assembly, but it appears some representatives appear unwilling to upset people who use cars, she said. Such opposition, she maintains, is short-sighted: not only do drivers account for many traffic deaths, but the law's passage is not a guarantee that speed limits would be lowered.

"This just gives us the ability to set our own speed limits," she said.

Lind said state lawmakers should go on record whether they support the bill or not.

Several prominent New York City lawmakers and officials pushed opponents to reconsider.

"NYC should control their own streets," tweeted Assembly Member Robert Carroll. "No reason not to pass Sammy’s Law before the end of session.

"Sammy Cohen Eckstein was a constituent and should be alive today. Better laws and better design of our roads will save lives. Let’s get this done."

Comptroller Brad Lander, who previously represented Park Slope on the City Council, called the development "deeply disappointing."

"Allowing New York City to set own speed limits—so we can save lives and make our streets safer—is just common sense," he tweeted.