Slow down! Central Park speed limit dropping to 15 mph for all vehicles and bicycles

Evan Simko-Bednarski, New York Daily News on Dec 15, 2025

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NEW YORK — The City of New York plans to lower the speed limit on Central Park Drive to 15 mph, Transportation Department officials told the Daily News.

The speed limit — part of a broader redesign of the roadways in Central Park — will apply to all vehicles in the park, including official city motor vehicles and pedal-powered bicycles.

Private car traffic has been banned on Central Park Drive since 2018, and a city-wide 15mph speed limit on e-bikes has been in effect since October.

The park drive has long been a popular destination for road cyclists, whose lightweight machines can cruise at or near 20 mph — the current posted speed limit in the park.

“This new 15 mph speed limit for vehicles and cyclists in Central Park moves us closer to our vision of a more people-centered park, making the Lungs of New York City more welcoming and establishing clear rules of the road that enhance quality of life,” Mayor Eric Adams said in a statement.

To achieve the new, slower pace, the city will be using its powers under “Sammy’s Law” — named for 12-year-old Sammy Cohen Eckstein, who was killed by a driver near his home in Brooklyn. The law lets the DOT set speed limits on individual streets as low as 10 mph, depending on the street design.

The law requires a 60-day notification period, meaning the changes won’t take effect until late February.

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