Boston hopes to lower speed limit to 25 miles per hour

City officials are likely to drop Boston’s speed limit from 30 to 25 miles per hour as fast as they can.

Mayor Marty Walsh said Thursday that he’ll work with city council and other officials to lower the speed limit to 25 miles per hour.

The move comes after Gov. Charlie Baker signed a bill into law that, among other changes, empowers local governments to make the shift themselves in certain circumstances. Previously, municipalities needed to seek approval from the legislature and other state agencies to adopt such a change

“I am pleased that H. 4565 will give municipalities the authority to lower default speed limits,” Walsh said in a statement. “Commissioner [Gina] Fiandaca and I look forward to working with the Boston City Council once this law goes into effect to lower the default speed limit in Boston from 30 mph to 25mph.”

The move is aimed at reducing pedestrian deaths in the city, a number the mayor wants reduced to zero by 2030.

According to a study from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, the risk of death for a pedestrian struck by a car traveling 30 miles per hour is 50 percent. At 20 miles per hour, the number drops to 18 percent.

“We know that lower speed limits are an important tool in reducing fatal and serious crashes and creating safer streets for people of all ages and abilities who are walking, driving and bicycling,” Walsh said.