Legislation to give Illinois municipalities more flexibility to lower speed limits in high-risk areas without waiting for costly engineering studies is headed to the governor’s desk.
House Bill 5081, sponsored in the Senate by State Sen. Mike Porfirio (D-Lyons Township), introduces a “target speed” standard that allows communities to set lower limits based on roadway conditions and safety data rather than requiring a full traffic engineering study before implementation.
The bill passed both houses on May 31. The bill now awaits action from Gov. J.B. Pritzker.
“We need to prioritize legislation that empowers our communities to make road safety changes where they need it most urgently,” said Porfirio, vice chair of the Illinois Senate Transportation Committee, in a statement. “We must also be fair to drivers by ensuring that any revenue collected through traffic infractions are reinvested into initiatives that keep our community safe.”
Under current Illinois law, speed limits in urban districts default to 30 miles per hour, unless otherwise posted.
The bill would allow municipalities to reduce those limits in specific areas if certain safety criteria are met — a change that could accelerate safety improvements in school zones, residential neighborhoods, and other high-risk corridors.
Chicago Alderman Marty Quinn (13th) said the issue of decreasing speed limits in the city had been taken up last year by the City Council’s Pedestrian Traffic Committee with Chair Alderman Daniel La Spata (1st) seeking to reduce speed limits across the city.
The proposal ultimately failed, he said.
“When you reduce the speed limit city-wide, you’re also reducing speed limits around [speed enforcement] cameras,” he said. “A counter argument to that is you’re creating deeper speed traps on city residents.”
Introducing cameras into the 13th Ward has to grow “organically,” from residents, school principals and neighbors for example, Quinn said.
“There’s been a lot of negative connotations around cameras with good reason,” he said. “They should never be used as a trap; they should be utilized to change behavior. I’m very cognizant of that balance and don’t make those decisions in a vacuum.”
The alderman prefers to “lean in” to his relationships with the ward’s principals, local school councils and residents, he said. Quinn believes the conversation will continue to evolve.
State Rep. Matt Hanson, whose 83rd House District includes communities in the Fox River Valley, emphasized that the bill gives local governments a choice rather than a mandate.
Hanson is the sponsor for the House version of the bill.
“This is not a mandate,” Hanson said. “We gave municipalities the ability to make changes without forcing them to make any changes.”
The legislation allows municipalities to lower speed limits from 30 to 25 miles per hour in urban districts, from 25 to 20 in safety zones, and from 10 in alleys — all without conducting expensive speed studies. Previously, communities had to spend money and complete a full engineering study to make even minor speed reductions.
Hanson said the bill addresses a practical problem facing many suburbs and towns: inconsistent speed limits that confuse drivers and waste resources.
“If you want to make the speed limit throughout your community or your neighborhoods more homogenous and simpler to follow, this is an easy way to do that without having to spend the money on a speed study,” Hanson said.
The legislation also imposes strict requirements on how communities use revenue from speed enforcement cameras. Any money collected must be spent on public safety, infrastructure improvements, or community programs — preventing municipalities from using traffic fines as a general revenue source.
The bill takes effect January 1, 2027, giving municipalities time to prepare.
Hanson noted that the bill’s “target speed” definition considers multiple factors: pedestrian traffic, bicycle and scooter activity, and vehicular traffic. This approach, he said, could be particularly useful in dense urban areas like Chicago and Cook County.
“Target speed means the highest desired operating speed based on the context of the lay of the land,” Hanson explained. “It’s about what kind of multimodal activity you have — bikes, scooters, pedestrian traffic, and vehicular traffic.”
Porfirio said the measure balances two concerns: giving local governments the tools to respond quickly to safety problems without requiring expensive studies, while protecting drivers from arbitrary enforcement that simply generates revenue.