The Facts

The SFMTA Board approved citywide school zones of 15 or 20 mph on July 21, replacing remaining 25 mph zones with a 20 mph default while retaining 15 mph limits on qualifying two-lane residential streets.

SFMTA will replace speed-limit signs around six school campuses before the new school year, then install the new signs citywide over two years, according to Rachel Swan at the San Francisco Chronicle.

The Context

California’s AB 382, signed October 10, 2025, lets cities establish 20 mph limits within 500-foot school zones before a statewide framework takes effect in 2031. It also allows 15 mph limits on qualifying residential roads with no more than two traffic lanes.

Lower limits work best with enforcement. After one year, San Francisco’s 33-camera network recorded a 79% reduction in vehicles traveling at least 10 mph over the limit, from 11% of drivers to 2%, or roughly 40,000 fewer speeding incidents daily.

The GrowSF Take

We're glad to see it! But taking two years to swap out speed-limit signs is unacceptably slow. SFMTA should finish this straightforward safety upgrade in weeks, not years. And it'd be great to throw in some automated speeding cameras to punish drivers putting kids at risk.