San Francisco set to activate ‘life-saving’ speed cameras in February 2025
The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency took its last step before it could begin installing and using automated speed enforcement cameras at 33 locations in the city as part of a pilot program. Cameras are expected to turn on in February of next year.
Directors on the SFMTA board Tuesday approved a six-year, $7.4 million contract $7.4 million contract with Verra Mobility which will implement and operate the speed enforcement camera program for the city. Camera systems will be installed at 33 sites where there are a high number of severe or fatal traffic crashes.
Shannon Hake with the SFMTA said at Tuesday’s board meeting that Verra Mobility has run speed camera programs around the world and currently manages the five largest programs in the country.
“San Francisco will be the first city in California to launch this life-saving technology and make our streets safer.”
Over the next several months, the agency will move to the design and construction phase of the project. Hake said the agency anticipates installing the cameras at the 33 sites in December followed by testing and calibrating the system in January.
Before turning the cameras on, the SFMTA will need to embark on a month-long educational campaign about the new speed enforcement cameras a month before turning them on. Hake said they will include billboards, digital ads and ads in several languages, including Chinese, Spanish and Tagalog.
While the cameras are turned on in February, drivers triggering the cameras by driving 11 mph over the posted speed limit will only get warning notices for the first 60 days of operation before receiving fines.
After the warning period ends, the fine will start at $50 for driving 11 to 15 mph over the posted speed limit with fines reaching up to $500 for driving 100 mph over the posted speed limit. Citations will be mailed to the registered owner of the speeding vehicle within two weeks of the violation.
The camera will only take a photo of the vehicle’s rear license plate and stored for SFMTA use only and will not be shared with any other city agencies. The data will be stored on the SFMTA servers for up to 120 days.
The city was able to install speed safety cameras after the state legislature approved Assembly Bill 645 signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom last year. The bill, authored by Assemblymember Laura Friedman (D-Glendale), allows San Francisco and five other cities — Los Angeles, San Jose, Oakland, Glendale and Long Beach — to use the cameras through Jan. 1, 2032.
City officials and traffic safety advocates have waited for years to add the technology to prevent fatal traffic crashes as the city failed to meet its Vision Zero goal of eliminating traffic fatalities by this year.
Previous attempts by City Attorney David Chiu were stalled when he served in the state assembly.
Ahead of approving the contract, Amanda Eaken, chair of the SFMTA board, said ahead of the vote that this was “a moment of hope that I have not felt for a very long time in our Vision Zero efforts.”
