"Like at the Embarcadero, the posted speed limit is 30 miles an hour. If a car is traveling at 41 miles an hour or more over the speed limit, the owner of that vehicle will receive a citation," said Shannon Hake, Speed Camera Program Manager for the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency.
Cameras will be installed by February or early March 2025 at 33 locations that have had the most reported accidents related to speeding.
Here's a breakdown of the fines:
- 11-15 mph over posted speed limit: $50
- 16-25 mph over posted speed limit: $100
- 26+ mph over posted speed limit: $200
- Any vehicle traveling 100 mph or more: $500
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The SFMTA found that the worst location for speeding was the section of Geary between 7th and 8th Avenue.
They calculated that 4,440 cars were driving at 11 miles or more over the speed limit in a single day.
You may be asking how do they know that this section has so many cars driving at least 11 miles over the speed limit if no cameras have been installed yet. We were wondering the same.
Here's how they did it. Several months ago pneumatic tubes were placed at that location to count the number of cars that drove through, as well as how fast they were going.
If you multiply 4,400 cars on Geary between 7th and 8th going at least 11 miles over the speed limit by $50, that's $220,000 at one intersection alone in one day. That's a lot of money.
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SFMTA agreed and told us how they would use that money.
"All of the money first it will go to cover program expenses, the cost of running this program," Hake said. "After that it's all going to traffic calming in the city."
Traffic calming devices include improving crosswalks, no turn on red signs, adding delineators, speed humps, staggered traffic lights and the most recent addition of 'daylighting' which means you can't park within 20 feet of a cross walk.
This allows the driver to see the pedestrian before they get to the intersection.
Arizona-based Verra Mobility will install the cameras with several privacy protections.
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"For privacy and security we make sure that what is only captured is the plate, no other vehicles, the back of the vehicle, no faces, it only captures that plate," said Melba Rivera-Irizarry of Verra Mobility.
The other 32 locations are expected to also bring in a lot of citations.
But that's not the end game according to the advocacy group Walk SF.
There's a 25% chance of someone dying if hit by a car traveling 25 mph, but that number increases dramatically to 75% if struck by a car driving at 40 mph.
"We are thinking that this is going to be a game changer, absolutely," said Jodie Medeiros of Walk SF. "It is, year after year, speed is the number one cause of all the crashes that we're having and therefore we need to do something that is going to curb speed and make sure that drivers realize whether you live here or you are coming from out of town that San Francisco is a safe-speed city."