Council approves 15 mph speed limit authority for newly designated school safety zones

The Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously Wednesday to authorize the Los Angeles Department of Transportation to implement 15‑mile‑per‑hour speed limits in newly designated school safety zones.

Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez, speaking as a member of the Transportation Committee, urged colleagues to support the motion as an "urgent and necessary step" to reduce child injuries and deaths on city streets. Hernandez cited department data that traffic collisions are a leading cause of death for children and noted a LADOT matrix identifying 201 city schools using safety criteria including safety need and equity.

Hernandez told the council that the proposed policy is intended as a cost‑effective complement to speed humps and other physical calming measures, which have seen budget cuts. She said the LA DOT matrix assigns weight to safety, infrastructure deficits, mode share and equity when prioritizing sites.

The measure directs LADOT to move forward with implementation in newly designated school safety zones. The council recorded a 15‑0 vote in favor.

The action does not appropriate new funds; implementation will use LADOT resources and existing processes for establishing school zones. Councilmembers said the approach allows quicker designation of zones than installing speed humps and will target locations within roughly a quarter mile of school sites where serious collisions are more likely.

Speakers during the item praised the move as a near‑term, lower‑cost intervention for pedestrian safety around schools.