Broad Channel to See 20 MPH Speed Limits

New York City Department of Transportation (NYC DOT) Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez announced on Wednesday, March 19, that the city will implement Regional Slow Zones in the Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn, and Staten Island, after launching the first Regional Slow Zone in Manhattan late last year. Broad Channel, from East Sixth Road to West 22nd Road, has been designated as one of these zones which will see speed limits reduced to 20 mph.

According to a NYC DOT press release, the 0.16 square-mile area in Broad Channel was designated as a Regional Slow Zone after the area had one traffic fatality and six severe injuries in the last five years. NYC DOT will begin publicly notifying community boards on its proposals this month, with a 60-day comment period to follow before implementation.

The speed limit reductions are targeted to improve traffic safety. In addition to the Regional Slow Zones, NYC DOT has also reduced speed limits at 70 locations since last fall. The speed limit reductions follow the passage of Sammy’s Law, a state law granting the city greater authority to reduce speed limits.

“Lowering vehicle speed limits by even a few miles per hour could be the difference between life or death in a traffic crash,” Commissioner Rodriguez said. “Our newest Regional Slow Zones will save lives and protect our most vulnerable New Yorkers in some of our busiest pedestrian communities. I want to thank the herculean efforts of Families for Safe Streets and Amy Cohen, who has tirelessly advocated in honor of her son Sammy Cohen Eckstein for the city to have greater control over our speed limits.”

The new Regional Slow Zones will be located in DUMBO, Brooklyn; Broad Channel, Queens; St. George, Staten Island; and on City Island, in the Bronx. By the end of 2025, NYC DOT will lower speed limits in 250 locations, prioritizing areas such as schools, Open Streets, and Shared Streets. Each Regional Slow Zone was chosen based on the location having well-defined geographic boundaries to avoid driver confusion; and higher pedestrian volumes compared to surrounding areas.

Passed in the 2024 legislative session in Albany, Sammy’s Law grants New York City the authority to reduce speed limits to 20 MPH with proper signage on individual streets. For roads undergoing safety-related redesigns, speed limits may be further reduced to 10 MPH.

Last October, when the law first took effect, speeds were lowered along Prospect Park West, where 12-year-old Sammy Cohen Eckstein, the namesake of the legislation, was struck and killed in 2013.

“It is proven that slowing vehicular speeds saves lives, prevents injuries, and reduces the severity of the injuries that do occur during crashes,” said Queens Borough President Donovan Richards. “The implementation of a Regional Slow Zone in Broad Channel is fitting and appropriate and is certain to improve safety in the neighborhood. I thank Commissioner Rodriguez and his team at DOT for continuing to make safety a top priority for all who use our city’s streets, as we look forward to the further implementation of Sammy’s Law on additional streets in Queens.”

“Lowering speed limits in key areas across the city is a crucial step toward making our streets safer for everyone,” Senator James Sanders Jr. said. “I commend NYC DOT for expanding the Regional Slow Zones, prioritizing pedestrian safety, and taking meaningful action to reduce traffic injuries and fatalities. A safer New York is a stronger New York.”