Below are a number of questions that the Committee has heard in regards to the proposal to reduce the City’s default speed limit to 25 miles per hour (mph). If you have a question that you don’t see answered, please reach out to committee staff via email at committeeonpedestrianandtrafficsafety@cityofchicago.org.

Why does Chicago need a lower speed limit?
Too many Chicagoans are dying in traffic crashes resulting from speeding. From 2018 to 2023, the city averaged 146 traffic fatalities per year, and in 2023 alone, speeding was a factor in 68% of fatal crashes. Reducing the speed limit by just 5 mph can significantly improve safety. For example, a pedestrian struck by a car going 25 mph is half as likely to die as one hit at 30 mph.

Higher speeds also reduce a driver’s field of vision and increase the distance required to stop safely. By lowering the speed limit to 25 mph, drivers can react more quickly, potentially avoiding crashes altogether, and reducing the severity of those that do occur. A lower speed limit makes the streets safer for everyone.

Aren’t there more important issues in Chicago?
Traffic safety is a major issue in Chicago. So is gun violence, the budget deficit, affordable housing, and the number of other issues facing our city. Addressing traffic safety does not—and should not—detract from efforts to tackle these other important causes. In fact, improving traffic safety can complement broader public safety goals by fostering safer, more livable communities.

When would the new speed limit go into effect?
The 25 mph speed limit would go into effect on January 1, 2026. This gives the City ample time to replace signs and notify drivers of the new speed limit. The speed limit is only enforceable on a street once signs are posted.

What streets would the lower speed limit apply to?
The 25 mph speed limit would apply to all streets under city jurisdiction–about 90 percent of streets in Chicago. The new speed limit would not apply to the roughly 10 percent of streets under state jurisdiction. You can find a map of roadway jurisdiction here.

Will this 5 mph reduction impact all streets?
Streets that have a posted speed limit of 30 mph and streets that do not have a posted speed limit will be impacted by this change. Streets that already have a speed limit of 25 mph or less will not be subjected to another 5 mph decrease. For example, if a street has a posted speed limit of 20 mph, it will not drop to 15 mph due to this legislation, it will remain 20 mph.

Is lowering the speed limit legal?
The City is authorized to lower the speed limit on streets where it has determined it is necessary by way of a traffic study. Ald. La Spata has conferred with the Department of Law and CDOT many times on this process.

How much will it cost for the City to replace signs?
According to CDOT, it will cost ~$3 million to replace around 10,000 speed limit signs citywide. However, if the Illinois General Assembly passes legislation reducing the statewide speed limit to 25 mph, that cost becomes negligible as the City no longer has to install those 10,000 signs.

Why don’t we just wait for the state to take action?
As discussed above, traffic safety is a critical issue in Chicago and the City has a responsibility to protect its residents without waiting on state lawmakers to take action. Traffic fatalities are preventable, and it is unacceptable to remain passive in the hope that the state will intervene. Chicago already lags behind several other major U.S. cities that have implemented similar changes, and the longer we delay, more Chicagoans will lose their lives on our streets. 

What cities have reduced their speed limits to 25 mph?
New York City (2014), Boston (2017), Minneapolis (2020), San Francisco (2022), Seattle (2019), Washington DC (2022), and Portland (2018) have all reduced their speed limits.

Won’t this harm Black, Brown, and working class Chicagoans?
Traffic violence is already harming Black and Brown Chicagoans disproportionately. According to the Department of Transportation (CDOT), Black Chicagoans are killed in traffic crashes at 3.8 times the rate of non-Black Chicagoans. Additionally, severe traffic crashes in 2023 impacted West and South side community areas such as Austin, West Garfield Park, North Lawndale, and Greater Grand Crossing at a rate comparable to the Central Business District despite less concentration of street activity and density land use. Lastly, communities with the most mobility and economic hardship experience a greater share of serious traffic crashes.

How will you make sure Black and Brown drivers aren’t disproportionately ticketed under the new speed limit? 
To address concerns of inequitable or biased traffic enforcement practices, Ald. La Spata introduced a resolution calling for an intergovernmental Working Group to examine the City’s current ticketing structure and implement reforms to create a more equitable system. The resolution calls for the Working Group to convene within 60 days of its passage by the full City Council and report out its recommendations by August 1, 2025 (five months before the speed limit would go into effect). 

Possible reforms suggested by the Committee on Pedestrian and Traffic Safety are: 

• Instituting a longer warning period for automated speed cameras–for example, increasing the current 30 day warning period to 60 or 90 days to assist drivers with the transition to the lowered speed limit

• Establishing a free driver's education program that replaces or supplements smaller fines 

• Instituting ability-to-pay determinations whereby qualifying low-income persons are able to apply for reduced fine amounts for tickets

• Using revenue generated from the most active speed cameras (e.g., top five cameras citywide) to implement infrastructure changes that support slower speeds at that location

People don’t follow the speed limit now, why would they follow a lower speed limit?
Studies in multiple cities where the speed limit has been lowered from 30 to 25 mph suggest that just by posting signage alone, speeding and crashes decrease even with no changes in the roadway or enforcement. For example, in Boston, researchers found that the odds of a vehicle speeding reduced with the largest decline in odds of a vehicle exceeding 35 mph.

Isn’t this just a way for the City to generate revenue?
No. This policy is rooted in public safety with the aim of changing driver behavior. The data is clear that lowering speeds can save lives. The ideal outcome is that everyone drives the speed limit, generating $0 for the City while eliminating traffic deaths.

Will this make traffic and vehicle emissions worse?
Lowering the speed limit can actually improve the flow of traffic. Research has shown that cars moving at slower speeds create more uniformity across lanes which reduces the incentive for drivers to change lanes to go faster. Keeping cars moving also reduces the amount of time spent idling. Additionally, the safer our roads are, the more likely people are to walk or bike.

This page is maintained by the Committee on Pedestrian and Traffic Safety staff.