Motorists in Los Angeles may soon have to ease up on the gas near hundreds of schools as city officials move to slow traffic during drop-off and pick-up hours at schools.

The Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday, May 7, unanimously approved a proposal to reduce the speed limits from 25 miles per hour to 15 mph on 343 streets near 201 schools. The lower speed will apply only when children are arriving at or leaving school.

Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez, who represents District 1 and serves on the City Council’s Transportation Committee, said the plan to place new speed limit signs on hundreds of streets is long overdue.

“This is an urgent and necessary step,” she said. “Traffic collisions are the leading cause of death for youth ages two to 14, and nearly 56% of fatal and serious injury crashes happen within a quarter mile of a school.”

“Let’s direct LADOT (Los Angeles Department of Transportation) to move forward and help make our streets safer for our young people in a more cost effective way with these school safety zones,” Hernandez said.

City officials estimate the project will take six to 10 weeks to complete, at a cost of $750,000 from the city’s 24-25 fiscal year adopted budget. It will cover the speed limit signs, the new posts that hold the signs and overtime costs.

To decide which campuses would get the new signs, the Department of Transportation used a ranking system that considers factors such as number of nearby collisions, how many students live within a quarter mile of the school, the lack of infrastructure funding and the percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price meals.

Among the 201 schools selected, those in the San Fernando Valley include schools in Chatsworth, North Hollywood, Sun Valley, Winnetka, Reseda, and Granada Hills, located along busy corridors such as Sherman Way, Van Nuys Boulevard, and Vanowen Street, among others.

Some educators say the change is a welcome step, especially in neighborhoods where fast-moving traffic is a daily concern.

“You have too many people speeding through, is what it comes down to,” said Malcolm Thomas, a science teacher at Valley Oaks Center for Enriched Studies in Sun Valley. “And I think it’s a good idea, because even if it’s 15 (mph), people are going to drive 20 (mph) — that’s the reality.”

He added, “People don’t pay attention, and at least if we make them slow down a little bit, maybe they can stop before something really bad happens.”

Los Angeles Unified School District Board President Scott Schmerelson said the City Council’s decision is a positive step for student safety.

“By approving the resolution to lower the speed limit to 15 miles per hour in school zones, the Los Angeles CIty Council not only saved lives, but also made the path to school a safer and enjoyable experience,” Schmerelson said in a statement. “We thank you, from every corner of our school communities.”

A district spokesperson echoed the support, calling the reduced speed limits in school zones “a critical measure to enhance student safety.”

“Every child deserves to travel to and from school without fear of traffic-related dangers,” the spokesperson said. “This initiative reflects our shared commitment to putting student well-being first and creating safer streets for our families, staff, and surrounding communities.”

The policy builds on more than a decade of efforts to make school zones safer. But Hernandez noted that funding to create speed humps was recently cut from $1.9 million in past years to $715,000 this fiscal year limiting the number of speed humps to about 120 citywide this year.

In 2012, the LADOT launched its Safe Routes to School Strategic Plan in partnership with LAUSD. The program used a data-driven system to prioritize safety improvements near schools, factoring in the number of nearby pedestrian and bicycle collisions, how many students lived within a quarter mile, socioeconomic need and a lack of infrastructure funding.

Initial efforts focused on the top 50 high-need schools, where LADOT implemented measures such as speed humps and signage. In the years since, the City Council has expanded the program in phases, most recently in 2023, when speed limits were reduced on 98 streets near 44 school campuses.

The issue took on renewed urgency after a fatal crash in 2023 outside Hancock Park Elementary School, where a mother was killed and her six-year-old daughter was left in critical condition after they were hit by a car.

The tragedy prompted renewed calls from school board members and community advocates for stronger protections around schools, including lower speed limits and more speed humps.

In January, the City Council approved an updated plan to prioritize where speed humps and speed tables — raised sections of the road that help to slow cars down — should be installed near schools. LADOT, working with LAUSD, revised its evaluation process to include stronger equity considerations and produced a ranked list of 1,164 school sites, according to city documents. That list will guide future installations, depending on available funding in the next budget cycle.