Lower Speed Limits Coming To Upper West Side Under New Law

UPPER WEST SIDE, NY — The rules of the road are changing on the Upper West Side.

Following the passage of Sammy’s Law, the Department of Transportation has released its initial list of streets where speed limits could be changed, with an Upper West Side street among the first batch.

Sammy's Law, signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul earlier this year, gives the City of New York authority to reduce speed limits to 20 mph on individual streets and to 10 mph on select streets undergoing safety-related redesigns.

The passage came more than a decade after the law's namesake—Sammy Cohen Eckstein, 12—was struck by a motorist in Park Slope.

Eckstein's death prompted his mother, Amy Cohen, to become an activist advocating for lower speed limits aimed at preventing similar tragedies.

After nearly 2,500 traffic deaths and years of advocacy, Cohen stood alongside Governor Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams at her son's former school for a rally celebrating the law's signing back in April.

“New Yorkers deserve safe streets, no matter how they travel,” said Deputy Mayor for Operations Meera Joshi. “Whether it’s via car, bus, bike, or walking, Sammy’s Law provided a tool to make sure everyone arrives safely to their destination. I thank the Department of Transportation for putting this tool to use and using a data-driven and targeted approach as we continue to make our streets safer.”

Starting in September, after a 60-day public comment period, NYC DOT will begin lowering speed limits in 250 locations by the end of 2025, prioritizing areas such as schools.

One of those locations is West 64th Street between West End Avenue and Amsterdam Avenue.

The Upper West Side block was among 10 streets proposed in this initial batch for reduced speed limits in Manhattan.

In Manhattan, the first streets slated for 20-mph speed limits are:

• W 138 St., Amsterdam Ave. to Broadway
• W 64 Street, West End Ave., and Amsterdam Ave.
• E 120 St., Lexington Ave. to Third Ave.
• E 128 St., Lexington Ave. to Third Ave.
• Morningside Ave., W 126 St. to W 127 St.
• Audubon Ave., West 165th Street to Fort George Ave.
• 112 St., Second Ave. to Third Ave.
• E 120 St., Second Ave. to Third Ave.
• E 120 St., Madison Ave. to Park Ave.
• E 128 St., Madison Ave. to Park Ave.

"These changes will prevent more injuries and death so no one will have to go through what I am going through, what Sammy’s mother is going through, and what countless other New Yorkers who have experienced injury or lost a loved one due to traffic violence are going through," said Juliane Williams, a member of Families for Safe Streets.

In addition to reducing speed limits to 20 mph on specific blocks, the DOT will establish "Regional Slow Zones" in each borough, encompassing multiple streets with lowered speed limits to 20 mph.

The initial area under consideration will be lower Manhattan south of Canal Street, with implementation planned by the end of this year or early next year, officials said.

The current default speed limit across the city is 25 mph.

“Speeding ruins lives, and reducing vehicle speeds by even a few miles per hour could be the difference between life or death in a traffic crash,” said NYC DOT Commissioner Rodriguez. “The new Regional Slow Zones and other speed limit reductions announced today will save lives and keep people safe.”