More Evidence San Francisco’s Enforcement Cameras Reduce Speeding

The SFMTA released its 18-month study on the efficacy of its 33 speed camera locations spread throughout the city, late last week. The message is clear: speed cameras deter speeding at locations where they’re installed.

From the SFMTA report:

• Where cameras are installed near senior centers and schools, excessive speeding has dropped by as much as 94% compared to pre-installation levels, removing close calls for kids and families walking or biking to school.
• Approximately 63% of vehicle owners who receive a notice do not receive a second, and 80% of recipients receive two or fewer notices, suggesting that a single notice is sufficient to change behavior for most drivers.
• The percentage of drivers receiving citations for the most egregious speeds has decreased and remains at lower levels.

“Speed cameras are proving all we hoped they would be for getting drivers to slow down,” said Walk San Francisco’s Jodie Medeiros in a statement. “We must now pass state legislation so San Francisco can expand the speed camera pilot and make it permanent, plus allow additional California cities access to this lifesaving solution.”

SFMTA map of the camera locations.

“The driver who killed Andrew was going about 40 miles per hour,” said advocate Richard Zieman, who lost his son on Franklin Street in 2021. “If a pedestrian is hit by a vehicle going 40 MPH, they’re unlikely to survive. That’s why speed cameras are needed: to prevent tragedies like what happened with our son. Speeding kills and speed cameras save lives, it’s that simple.”

“We’re looking to our leaders to act on the commitments they have made to further embrace automated safety technology,” said Medeiros. “There is no time to waste in fully harnessing this proven technology to save lives and also make our streets calmer and more inviting for all.”

San Francisco started issuing fines for violations caught by its speed cameras a little over a year ago. The speed camera pilot was enabled by 2023’s Assembly Bill 645, co-authored by Glendale Assemblymember Laura Friedman, Assemblymember Phil Ting and Senator Scott Wiener, as well as Assemblymembers Marc Berman, Matt Haney, Alex Lee, and Buffy Wicks.

The ability of speed cameras to deter speeding has long been known in other cities, such as Portland, which has had them since 2016. The California pilot is following a similar pattern. Oakland, for example, found a 70 percent reduction in speed at locations with cameras. However, as the speed-camera program showed in New York, it creates another problem: super speeders who don’t pay their fines and continue speeding. Legislation is in progress to try and tackle that problem too.

Advocates, meanwhile, hope to see speed cameras used as part of a large toolkit of safety features that are known to work, including physical barriers to prevent speeding, lower speed limits, and street narrowing.