Fresno has lowered the speed limit to 20 mph in school zones, becoming the first city in California to adopt a new state mandate aimed at increasing student safety.

“Today we are reducing the speed to 20 miles per hour in every school zone in the City of Fresno,” Mayor Jerry Dyer said at a news conference Wednesday. “It’s an investment in the lives of our students, an investment in the lives of our community.”

Fresno’s public works department began replacing street signs in June and plans to finish installing all 800 signs by the beginning of the school year.

The $400,000 project was spearheaded by City Council President Nelson Esparza, who expedited Assembly Bill 382. The bill, approved in 2025, directed the state to change school zone speed limits by Jan. 1, 2031.

“I decided this year that Fresno should not wait five years to protect children when we can protect them today.” Esparza said. “The difference between 25 miles per hour and 20 miles per hour may not sound like much. It costs a driver a few seconds, but to a child it can mean everything.”

Council Unanimously Backed Lower Limit

The Fresno City Council unanimously voted to move forward with lowering speed limits in late February, hoping to reduce traffic accidents.

Additionally, Fresno is increasing the number of traffic officers around school sites to ensure student safety and enforce the new limit.

“This is part of a bigger challenge to change the culture on Fresno’s roads,” Esparza said. “We’ve grown way too accustomed to the dangerous driving that occurs throughout the city.”

Fresno School Districts Welcome Change

Local school districts and students welcomed the speed limit change, hoping it will improve overall safety.

“I find myself always looking at cars passing by quick, not even looking at the kids,” said Alekxy Gonzalez, a 10th-grader at Career Technical Education High School, 1320 N. Mariposa St. “So I definitely think this will be a lot safer for us kids and the drivers.”

Fresno Unified School District, which has been attempting to tackle road safety through walk audits, welcomed the news.

“We support anything that improves safety around our schools, so we’re pleased to see speeds reduced from 25 to 20 miles per hour and are proud it’s being done proactively ahead of the state’s deadline,” spokesperson AJ Kato said.

“With the start of school right around the corner, this is also a good opportunity to remind the community to be extra alert as more of our students and families will be driving, biking and walking to and from school.”

The district recorded five vehicles hitting pedestrians around its schools last year.  

Clovis Unified School District is always interested in seeing drivers behave safely and is working to let families know about the altered speed limit, spokesperson Kelly Avants said.

“We look forward to see how lowering the speed limit impacts the greater safety of the city,” she said.

Kennedy Ronero, a 10th-grader at CTEC had a first-hand experience with the dangers of speeding. Last year, she and her family were in a crash due to a driver speeding in a school zone, she told reporters Wednesday.

Increase in E-Bike and E-Scooters Bring New Issues

The push for lower speed limits and increased road safety in school zones comes during a surge in electric bike and scooter related incidents.

Dyer made a plea to parents, asking them to talk to their children about road safety and proper use of e-bikes and scooters.

“Far too often we see kids that think they’re invincible and they’re riding in the street or sidewalk… doing things they shouldn’t be doing,” Dyer said. “Things that render them to be unsafe or come darting out into the street in front of oncoming traffic without paying regard for their own safety.”

E-bicycle injuries doubled every year from 2017 to 2022, while e-scooter injuries rose by 45% each year, according to a UC San Francisco report. In response, there has been a widespread push for more regulations around vehicles.

Recently, Fresno State banned motorized scooters and bikes, citing safety concerns. No similar mandate has been made by local school districts.