Speeding in San Francisco? 'Say cheese' for cameras at 33 intersections activating soon
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- San Francisco is one step closer to automatically sending drivers speeding tickets.
Speed safety cameras are being installed at 33 intersections around the city and are expected to be turned on in March.
One is already installed is at the intersection of Geary Boulevard and 7th Avenue in the Richmond District.
That's where members of Walk San Francisco gathered Wednesday morning to celebrate the cameras.
"Geary Street has statistically a lot of fatalities," said Jenny Yu, whose mother was struck by a speeding SUV 14 years ago at Park Presidio and Anza and suffered a traumatic brain injury. "This is personal for me, and for so many others who have lost loved ones to traffic violence."
The group worked for six years to help pass legislation allowing speed cameras to be made legal in California.
The installation of speed cameras follows legislation passed in 2023 allowing six California cities, including San Francisco, to implement automated speed enforcement. The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) approved plans last spring for the 33-camera rollout, identifying Geary Boulevard as one of the most dangerous corridors for speeding.
RELATED: San Francisco moves forward with speed cameras: Here's where you will see one
"If people were driving at the rate they were before, the cameras would be issuing about 4,000 tickets per day just on Geary," said Jodie Medeiros, executive director of Walk San Francisco.
"We need drivers to slow down everywhere," said Marta Lindsey, of Walk San Francisco. "We need all of our streets to be designed and enforced to keep us all safe. And so, that's what we're all about. That's what the movement is about. Step by step, we're going to get there. We're going to get to those safe streets that we all deserve and we'll have the kind of city that we want to live in, where everybody -- kids, seniors, people with disabilities -- we're all getting out and living our lives without being scared to cross the street."
The locations where the cameras will be located were chosen because they are high-injury streets, in school zones, or on streets with a history of sideshows.
Verra Mobility, the company contracted to operate the cameras, said that once all 33 cameras are installed, there will be a 60-day warning period before citations are issued. SFMTA expects the installation to be complete sometime in March, according to signs posted on buses and around the city.
Fines start at $50 for lower-level speeding violations. But for speeds exceeding 11 to 15 mph over the limit, penalties increase significantly. Under the current legislation, fines can exceed $500 for the most severe offenses.
RELATED: Here's how much money SF's 33 new speed cameras are expected to generate in fines
Drivers who receive a citation can contest it under provisions in the legislation.
Similar programs, according to Verra Mobility--in cities like Philadelphia and New York--have reported dramatic reductions in speeding incidents, with a decrease of 70% to 90% in violations and up to a 50% reduction in pedestrian crashes.
Earlier this year, Verra Mobility sought to address privacy concerns by clarifying that the cameras will only capture license plates.
"They do not capture images of the vehicle, the back of the vehicle, or faces," said spokesperson Melba Rivera.
After six years of advocacy for speed cameras in California, Walk San Francisco sees their installation as a hopeful step toward reducing traffic-related deaths.
"By having these cameras up, less families will be impacted," Yu said at Wednesday's event. "Less lives will be ruined so no one has to go through what my siblings and my mother have been going through the past 14 years."
Find more info on the cameras here.
