City Council Overwhelmingly Passes Bill to Lower Default Speed Limit to 25

The City Council passed legislation today to lower the citywide default speed limit to 25 miles per hour.

The 25 mph speed limit takes effect on November 7. DOT is preparing to launch a campaign alerting drivers to the new law next week.

In a written statement from executive director Paul Steely White, Transportation Alternatives called on Mayor de Blasio, NYPD, and DOT to see that drivers follow the new speed limit, which will be essential to preventing injuries and saving lives.

We now urge Mayor de Blasio to sign the bill without delay. We also call on the NYPD and the Department of Transportation to send a stronger message about the dangers of speeding by continuing to improve traffic enforcement and public information initiatives. Unsafe driver speed is the number one cause of traffic deaths in the city, killing more New Yorkers than drunk driving and cell phone use at the wheel combined.

Today’s vote was 44 to 4, with dissenting votes from Paul Vallone, veteran safe streets foes Eric Ulrich and Vincent Ignizio, and Steven Matteo, an up-and-comer from Staten Island.

White pointed out on Twitter that the city speed limit was raised from 25 to 30 mph 50 years ago this week, a factoid noted by Transportation Commissioner Polly Trottenberg at a recent City Council hearing.

In the statement, White urged de Blasio to move ahead with plans to redesign major “arterial” streets, which according to TA are the site of more than half of pedestrian and cyclist fatalities despite accounting for just 15 percent of city streets.

The council also passed a bill requiring all companies with a full-time staff of 20 or more to make the federal transit tax benefit available to employees. The bill is expected to save more than 600,000 New Yorkers up to $443 per year.