School Speed Reduction Zone

Question: 

In a Town, how is a school speed reduction zone established?  Who has the authority? We have a High School that straddles the Town and City line. The City has established a school zone that overlaps into the Town. 

Answer: School speed limits are allowed if some of the students walk or bike to the school. The school board and the town board would both need to provide documentation of support. This would be the city or county rather than the town for a city or county road. The owner of the road sets the speed limit. It would be the town board in your case.

• The speed should be about 10 mph lower than the typical speed driven at the site (85th percentile) and cannot be set lower than 15 mph. 
• Note that the signs need to either have flashing lights when the school speed limit is in force or need to list the time the speed limit is lowered. 
• The total length of the school speed zone cannot exceed 1,320 feet including the city portion. 

More details can be found on pages 67 and 68 of the Traffic Sign Handbook. 

Resources 

• Who sets the speed limits Quick Answer
• NYSDOT, Traffic Engineering Directive OS 03-002 - Traffic Control Program: Speed Limits
• Traffic Sign Handbook