New law would give NYC officials authority to change speed limit

NEW YORK (PIX11) -- There is a renewed push to lower the speed limit in New York City. Transportation Alternatives and Families for Safe Streets held a rally at City Hall Park Wednesday to push for Sammy's Law. It would give city officials the authority to change the speed limit from 25 mph to 20 mph. Currently, only the state can approve that.

Sammy's Law is named for 12-year-old Samuel Cohen Eckstein, who was struck and killed by a van in 2013 in Park Slope, Brooklyn. His mother, Amy Cohen, co-founded Families for Safe Streets.

"Everybody deserves to have their child grow up. Sammy would have graduated from college already, and he never even got to go to 9th grade." Cohen told PIX11 News. "20 miles per hour can be the difference between life and death, just a few miles per hour."

Gov. Kathy Hochul's Executive Budget includes Sammy's Law and the State Senate one-house budget accepted the Executive Proposal. The State Assembly has not. Sammy's Law has been proposed before and failed to pass.

Cohen told PIX11 News, "I really cannot give you any rational reason why this bill has not passed years ago, why the Assembly is not acting right now."

Jacob deCastro with Transportation Alternatives attended the rally Wednesday in City Hall Park.

"The fact is, lower speed limits save lives," deCastro told PIX11 News. "When New York City lowered the speed limit to 25 miles per hour many years ago, fatal pedestrian crashes fell by 25% in the first year and fatal crashes overall fell 22%."