San Francisco, CA – San Francisco will soon have speed cameras after Governor Newsom signed Assembly Bill 645, which allows six cities in California to pilot life-saving speed camera technology. Higher speeds increase the likelihood of serious injury or death in a collision. Speed safety cameras have been proven to reduce speeding, collisions and fatalities, and are exactly the tools we need to make our roads safer.
This legislation will take effect on 1 January 2024 and will allow the SFMTA to install 33 speed safety cameras in San Francisco for five years. The Mayor’s Office will work closely with the SFMTA to implement this pilot programme as soon as possible. The law establishes a number of processes that must be followed before a pilot city can begin using speed safety cameras to ensure transparency, privacy and equity.
“I am thrilled that the Governor has signed Assembly Bill 645, giving us another important tool to make our streets safer and save lives,” said Mayor London Breed. “Enforcement must be part of our work to make our streets safer, and speed cameras can be an important part of that work. I want to thank Assemblymember Laura Friedman, who authored this legislation, as well as the SFMTA and advocates like WalkSF and Families for Safe Streets who fought to get it passed.”
Over the course of 2024, the SFMTA will evaluate potential locations based on the law’s requirements, which only allow them on the city’s High Injury Network, in school zones, or on streets with a history of side streets. The SFMTA will also consider traffic collision data and input from traffic safety, privacy and equity organisations to determine where the cameras will be installed.
The camera addresses will be included in a report to be approved at a public meeting. Once the locations have been determined, the SFMTA will post the location information on its website and run a public information campaign 30 days before the cameras are turned on to let people know where they are and when they are on. If you get a citation in the first 60 days, it will be a warning. There will also be signs to warn drivers when they are approaching a camera. The SFMTA will also develop a Speed Safety System Use Policy, which will outline the rules and procedures that will govern the use of the system.
“AB 645 legalises one of the most effective tools for promoting road safety – reducing fatalities by up to 50% in cities around the world,” said Jeffrey Tumlin, SFMTA Director of Transportation. “We are eager and ready to use this tool in San Francisco, and transparency will be at the forefront of our implementation.”
Equity considerations are central to the pilot program, including requirements for community stakeholder engagement, ensuring that the type and amount of the citation serves as a deterrent without being overly burdensome for low-income drivers, and a requirement to analyse the racial equity and financial impact of the pilot program.
The new law ensures that privacy protections are in place to protect both drivers and residents of communities where cameras are located. Robust notification, signage and warning requirements will ensure drivers are not caught off guard when entering a corridor with a speed camera, noting that the goal of this program is to change dangerous driver behaviour, not generate revenue.
“While traffic safety is a citywide issue, we know that our low-income communities are hardest hit by dangerous driving and serious collisions,” said Mayor Breed. “Only one-third of our city’s streets run through historically disadvantaged communities, yet streets in these neighbourhoods are almost twice as likely to be on the High Injury Network, where the vast majority of serious injuries occur. This speed camera pilot will help keep people safe, while doing so in a way that addresses community concerns about fairness and privacy.