Speed Safety Cameras Background

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Speed safety cameras are a proven tool to address excessive speeding and reduce severe and fatal injury traffic collisions. With the passage of AB 645, San Francisco can now utilize this life-saving technology to slow down speeding vehicles on our streets.

Why is San Francisco installing speed safety cameras?

In San Francisco, unsafe speed is one of the most common primary collision factors in crashes that result in injuries. Speeding is dangerous for myriad reasons: a driver's field of vision is narrowed, reducing the likelihood that potential hazards can be seen and avoided, and drivers have less time to react and maneuver out of dangerous situations when travelling at higher speeds. Safely negotiating curves is also compromised.

It takes a vehicle a longer distance to stop for a hazard in the road the faster it is travelling. In the event of a collision between a vehicle and a pedestrian or bicyclist, the vehicle's speed will largely determine the survivability of the crash. A person hit by a car traveling 20 mph has a 9 in 10 chance of surviving while a person hit by a car traveling at 40 mph only has a 2 in 10 chance of surviving.
 

Speed Graphic

How many speed cameras are coming to San Francisco?

The state law allows a proportional number of cameras to the city’s population. For San Francisco, there will be 33 locations with speed safety camera systems.

Where will the speed cameras be located?

The law states that speed cameras can be placed on high-injury streets, in school zones, or on streets with a documented history of sideshows. In San Francisco, the cameras will all be located on the High Injury Network, the 12% of San Francisco streets that account for more than 68% of traffic-related severe injuries or fatalities. The cameras will be geographically dispersed among all 11 districts, in areas with a ride range of socioeconomic characteristics. The approved list of speed safety safety camera locations includes:

  1. 3rd Street from Key Avenue to Jamestown Avenue
  2. 7th Street from Harrison to Folsom
  3. 9th Street from Bryant to Harrison
  4. 10th Street from Harrison to Folsom
  5. 16th Street from Bryant to Potrero
  6. Alemany from Farragut to Naglee
  7. Bay Street from Octavia to Gough
  8. Bayshore Boulevard from 101 off-ramp to Tunnel Avenue
  9. Broadway from Powell to Stockton
  10. Bryant from 2nd to 3rd Street
  11. Cesar Chavez from Folsom to Harrison
  12. Cesar Chavez from Indiana to Tennessee
  13. Columbus Avenue from Lombard to Greenwich
  14. Embarcadero from Green to Battery
  15. Franklin Street from Union to Green
  16. Fulton from Arguello to 2nd Avenue
  17. Fulton from 42nd Avenue to 43rd Avenue
  18. Geary from 7th Avenue to 8th Avenue
  19. Geary from Webster to Buchanan
  20. Geneva from Prague to Brookdale
  21. Guerrero from 19th Street to 20th Street
  22. Harrison from 4th Street to 5th Street
  23. King Street (NB only) from 4th Street to 5th Street
  24. Lincoln from 27th Avenue to 28th Avenue
  25. Market Street from Danvers to Douglass
  26. Mission Street from 8th Street to 9th Street
  27. Mission Street from Ottawa to Allison
  28. Monterey Boulevard from Edna to Congo
  29. Ocean Avenue from Friday Kahlo to Howth
  30. San Jose Avenue from 29th Street to 30th Street
  31. San Jose Avenue from Santa Ynez to Ocean Avenue
  32. Sloat Boulevard from 41st Avenue to Skyline
  33. Turk from Van Ness to Polk

What speed will trigger a notification of violation?

The state law specifies this; any speeding 11 miles per hour or over the posted speed limit would trigger a violation. Notifications of violations will be mailed to the registered owner of the speeding vehicle within two weeks of the violation.

When will the cameras be turned on?

The cameras will begin issuing violations in early 2025. A timeline of the Speed Safety Camera program is shown below. 

  • Late 2023: Finalized data collection on the High-Injury Network to determine camera locations. 
  • Early 2024: Secured multiple project approvals through the SFMTA Board of Directors and the Board of Supervisors, including:
    • Project-specific legislation: In order to select a single vendor for the design, construction, and operation of a camera system, the Board of Supervisors must approve an exception to the Administrative Code. This project-specific legislation enabled the project to pursue a DBOM (design/build/operate/maintain) contract.
    • Surveillance authorization: In order to add a new type of surveillance technology in San Francisco, a System Use Policy and a System Impact Report must be approved by the Committee on Information Technology (COIT) and the Board of Supervisors. 
    • Approved Camera Locations: The MTA Board of Directors approved the 33 camera locations in March 2024. 
  • Summer 2024: SFMTA issued an RFQ/RFP in May 2024. SFMTA completed the procurement process and successfully negotiated a contract with the highest ranking proposer in September 2024. The SFMTA will bring the contract approval to the MTA Board of Directors in October 2024, subsequently kicking on the design and construction phase of the program. 
  • Early 2025: Construction concludes. A month-long public education campaign kicks off. Cameras are calibrated and tested.
  • 2025: Once cameras are activated, the first two months of system operations will issue warning notices to speeding vehicles. After 60 days, cameras will begin issuing fines to speeding vehicles.