San Francisco, CA — The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) Board of Directors today approved a citywide program to lower speed limits on more school streets across San Francisco, helping create safer journeys for children, families and everyone traveling to and from school. While lower school speed limits will become a statewide standard by 2031, San Francisco is implementing them now so school communities can benefit sooner.
Made possible by Assembly Bill 382 (Berman, 2025), the SFMTA has established a new 20 miles per hour (mph) default school speed limit and expanded where 15 mph and 20 mph speed limits can be used, adding another proven tool to the agency's long-term efforts to reduce speeds and improve safety around schools. Currently, all school zones are either 15mph or 25mph.
"Every parent should have the peace of mind that they can get their child to school safely. And we are taking a simple, proven step to help prevent crashes and save lives,” said Mayor Daniel Lurie. “As families get ready for the new school year, they deserve to know that they’ll be sending their kids out to safer streets so they can get to class and back home, every day, without fear.”
“Nothing matters more than helping children get to school safely," said Julie Kirschbaum, SFMTA Director of Transportation. "Every day, thousands of families walk, bike, roll, take Muni and drive to schools across San Francisco, and every one of those journeys should feel safe. We're moving quickly to implement this new state law so more families can benefit from calmer streets and safer trips to and from school.”
The first lowered speed limits will be installed before the start of the new school year at Dr. William L. Cobb Elementary School, Leonard R. Flynn Elementary School, St. Anthony-Immaculate Conception School, Jefferson Elementary School, Roosevelt Middle School and Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts.
“When we make it safer for kids to get to school, we are educating them before they enter the classroom,” said D7 Supervisor Myrna Melgar. “Lowering speed limits near schools will not only help children and students get to school more safely but will also teach them the importance of safe streets and help them gain the confidence needed to navigate the world on their own as they age and develop. I’d like to thank the SFMTA for taking advantage of this new law and making it safer for kids and families to get to school every day.”
"The safety of our students is our highest priority, and that commitment extends beyond the classroom,” said Dr. Maria Su, Superintendent of SFUSD. “By reducing speed limits around school zones, the city is taking an important step towards protecting our students, supporting our families, and creating safer streets for everyone. We're grateful to our partners at SFMTA for prioritizing safer streets around school communities."
The new school speed limit program is the latest addition to the SFMTA's agency-wide effort to give more children and families safe, convenient and reliable options for getting to and from school. Alongside lower speed limits, the agency continues to invest in traffic calming, daylighting, quick-build safety projects, School Tripper buses, community-focused Walk Audits, Crossing Guards and Safe Routes to School programs that help more students travel safely and confidently.
“Lowering speeds in school zones is one of the most effective ways to make streets safe enough for kids to walk and bike to school,” said Robin Pam, Executive Director, Streets For All. “We applaud SFMTA's progress on protecting families around schools with these lower speed limits, alongside the daylighting, speed cameras, and protected bike lanes that help keep kids safe on the streets.”
This work includes:
- The Mission Bay Quick Build Project which will be completed before the new school year, delivering traffic calming, protected bike lanes, lower speed limits and high-visibility crossings as the new Mission Bay Elementary School opens.
- Launching outreach to shape the new Safe School Connections program this fall, a priority from the Biking and Rolling Plan that brings together school safety efforts across SFMTA to improve safe walking, biking and rolling routes to school.
- More than 40 school zone crossing improvements completed this summer to upgrade road markings and high-visibility cross walks.
- More than 2300 school intersections have red-curb daylighting to keep crosswalks clear of parked vehicles, with 65% of citywide intersections now completed.
- Lower speed limits on more than 100 miles of safety corridors and neighborhood commercial streets under previous state legislation.
- Speed safety cameras that have reduced dangerous speeding by up to 90% at camera locations within school zones compared with pre-installation conditions.
“This is exactly the kind of move we want to see San Francisco making,” said Emily de Ayora, Spokesperson for SF Parents Coalition. “We're excited to see the city taking another step to make it safer for kids and families.”
“This new law means the SFMTA can finally bring lower speed limits to all school zones in San Francisco, plus expand these to bring greater safety to kids and school communities,” said Jodie Medeiros, Executive Director, Walk San Francisco. “We’re glad that the SFMTA is acting quickly to harness this new law and we urge them to max out their authority.”
Lower speeds are one of the most effective ways to reduce both the likelihood and severity of traffic crashes. A pedestrian struck by a vehicle traveling at 20 mph has about a 90% chance of surviving. At 40 mph, that falls to about 20%. San Francisco has been a statewide leader in speed management. In 2011, the SFMTA became the first large California city to lower school speed limits to 15 mph at approximately 200 public and private schools following changes to state law.
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