25 Saves Lives

Did you know that a vehicle traveling at 30 mph is about 70% more likely to kill a pedestrian than one driven at 25 mph? With passage of the 25 MPH Statewide Speed Limit bill, communities can now adopt this safer speed limit. So why do so many neighborhood streets across New York State have 30 mph speed limits? 

Thanks to the work of the New York State Safe Streets Coalition, since 2022 cities and villages and certain towns have the authority to drop area speed limits for municipally managed streets to 25 mph.  Unfortunately, there has been some confusion about what it takes to implement a local 25 mph law. 

The New York Safe Streets Coalition is working to help NY municipalities make this change - it’s inexpensive and it saves lives!  With the most recent update to the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) in January 2024, there is no longer a requirement to rely exclusively on historic speed limit data. This was known as the 85th percentile rule, because it required that speed limits be set at or below the speed which 85% of the drivers travel on a road segment.

The new MUTCD and the guidance from NYSDOT now instead encourages communities to look at existing conditions and engineering judgment when setting speed limits.  It's actually quite easy and inexpensive for Cities, Villages, Towns with a population over 50,000, and "Suburban" Towns to now lower their speed limit to 25 mph. Some communities are spending nothing at all while others are investing well under $10,000 on engineering investigations.

If your community is still at 30 mph, please use our resources below including our detailed FAQ, list of NYS Communities already at 25 mph, and a recorded panel discussion highlighting the 25 mph transition in the Village of Mamaroneck and the City of Albany.

You can also contact us at info@nyssstreets.org. We’d be happy to help you get started on making this change if your community has local control of your area speed limit, and talk with you about the options if your community does not.

localities with 25 mph

Since passage of the law, many communities — including Albany, Hudson, Kingston, Scarsdale, White Plains and many more — have lowered their area speed limits under the new law and others have committed to doing so. The NYS Safe Streets Coalition has compiled a list of all communities across New York State who have lowered their area speed limit to 25 mph, whether they completed a detailed engineering report, and when the change went into effect. Keep in mind that some engineering reports shown below were completed prior to the new MUTCD being adopted.

Video: Strive for 25:
Lessons from the Front Lines of the 25 mph Transition

This one-hour panel discussion, recorded at the NY Bike Summit in October 2024, features brief presentations from each panelist, sharing insights and experiences from the transition to 25 mph speed limits. The session concludes with a dynamic Q&A segment that addresses key audience questions.

Panelists

  • Moderator: Daniel Flanzig, esq, Board Member New York Bicycling, Coalition

  • (starts at 3:16) Leilani Yizar-Reid, Trustee, Village of Mamaroneck

  • (starts at 18:30) Matthew Carmody, Vice President AKRF, Inc.

  • (starts at 30:02) Marisa Franchini, Corporation Counsel, City of Albany

  • (starts at 39:45) Matthew Roe, Stantec, Inc.

  • (starts at 54:06) Q&A

Webinar:
Implementing 25 mph in your community
Tuesday February 4, 2025 4:00 pm

Join us on Tuesday Feb 4, 2025 at 4:00 pm to learn more about how your local community can join the increasing number of New York communities who are saving lives by reducing their speed limit to 25 mph. Our panel of experts - featuring engineering, legal, and political leaders - will share firsthand insights on how your community make this life-saving change.