New 25 mph speed limit now in effect for Albany

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Beginning in 2025, drivers in the city of Albany will no longer be subject to following the 30 mph speed limit within the city. On Jan. 1, the speed limit was reduced by 5 mph to 25 mph for most roads in Albany. The changes were passed in July of 2024; Mayor Kathy Sheehan signed Local Law M and Local Law H into law.

The Mayor's office said that the reduction in the speed limit will be coupled with other traffic initiatives implemented in the past year throughout the city, such as the Albany Police Department patrol division enforcement, red light cameras, speed humps, traffic calming infrastructure, and soon-to-be-installed school zone speed cameras.

The change in the speed limit is aimed at increasing public safety and improving access for all modes of transportation. The City of Albany has invested more than $100 million in transportation corridor safety improvements. The school zone speed limit to 20 miles per hour, as by law school zones must be at least 5 mph slower than the citywide limit. 

Edward Brennan, the president of the Albany Bicycle Coalition and a staunch advocate for a lower city speed limit, said it was necessary to make streets safer.

"We have been fighting for it for a number of years because we have a slate of legislation that we've been working on that was one that was successful," Brennan said. "We originally wanted to lower the speed limit to 20 MPH, but we didn't see that happening, and we thought 25 mph was a compromise."

Brennan said there has been evidence to prove that laws that reduce speed limits work to keep drivers and pedestrians safer.

"In New York City, when they lowered their speed limit back in 2014 down to 25 mph from 30, it reduced the number of collisions by over a third, and it reduced the number of casualties by a third," Brennan said.

Most streets in the city of Albany will be under the law with the following exceptions, unless otherwise posted:

• Old State Road
• Washington Avenue from the intersection of Exit 2 of Interstate 90 to Jermain Street
• Central Avenue from the intersection of the City of Albany/Town of Colonie line to Everett Road
• Everett Road
• South Pearl Street from the intersection of the City of Albany/Town of Bethlehem line to Binghamton Street
• All roads within the Port of Albany