The Department of Transportation is responding to a call to raise the speed limit along Ocean Parkway. 

As News 12 reported last week, local leaders claim that reducing the limit from 30 mph to 25 mph is actually doing more harm than good on the busy roadway. They say it causes traffic jams and redirects cars onto neighborhood streets. 

A spokesperson for the DOT says the agency understands the concerns, but strongly defends its decision to lower the limit. 

"Ocean Parkway is a challenging roadway. It serves as a major automobile route through Brooklyn, but also as a linear park, bike and pedestrian path used by many," the DOT said in part in a statement. "A pedestrian struck at 25 mph is twice as likely to survive a crash as one struck at 30 mph."