(Portland, OR) -- A new state law going into effect in the New Year allows cities and counties to set their own speed limits. Currently, the Oregon Department of Transportation has the authority. Portland was a major proponent of the change after more than 65 people were killed in city streets this year - the highest number of traffic fatalities in decades. The Portland Bureau of Transportation argues that lowering the speed limit along some of the city's more high profile thoroughfares would help the problem.