The warning period has ended for drivers caught by any of the automated speed enforcement cameras in San Francisco. Drivers caught speeding 11 mph or more by one of the cameras will now receive a citation in the mail.
Tuesday marked the first day that cameras at all 33 locations began issuing fines, as the 60-day warning period came to an end, according to the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA).
The city activated the first 13 of 33 camera locations in March and started by issuing warnings. SFMTA officials stated that they waited until all cameras were operational before initiating the 60-day warning period, which began on June 6.
The cameras are part of the city’s effort to prevent deaths related to traffic collisions in the city. A state law, Assembly Bill 645, permits the city to pilot the cameras for five years.
“I want to say that the program is about transparency and really about education, SFMTA’s Director of Streets Viktoryia Wise said last week. “It’s not about catching people speeding and a gotcha kind of attitude.”
During the warning period, when all the cameras were turned on, transit officials said last week that they are already seeing promising data, including a 31 percent decrease in speeding.
Over 70 percent of vehicles that received a warning did not speed again past the cameras.
Wise said that locations where there was initially a high volume of drivers speeding caught by the cameras, specifically at Fulton Street between Arguello Boulevard and Second Avenue, saw a 63 percent decline in speeding during 13 weeks while the cameras were in operation.
During the warning period, Wise added that 50 percent of warnings sent out were to city residents, and over 70 percent of vehicles that received a warning did not speed again past the cameras.
Revenue generated from the pilot program will help pay for the program, and any additional revenue thereafter will go towards traffic calming and roadway improvements in the city, Wise said.
Fines start at $50 for driving 11–15 mph over the posted speed limit and $100 for driving 16–25 mph over the posted speed limit. Vehicles caught speeding 26 mph or more will receive a $200 citation. Vehicles driving 100 mph over the posted speed limit will receive a $500 citation. Wise said a notice of violation will only be issued once reviewed by several staffers. Drivers will be able to appeal the citation.
Vision Zero: What’s next
The city has been confronted with uncertainty regarding its next steps following the expiration of the Vision Zero policy in 2024. The policy, adopted in 2014 by the city, aimed to achieve zero traffic deaths by 2024 through several methods, including traffic enforcement, engineering, and having an educational component. However, last year, there were 42 traffic fatalities, with 24 of those involving pedestrians.
For months, advocacy groups such as Walk San Francisco and Bay Area Families for Safe Streets have urged city leaders, including Mayor Daniel Lurie, to implement a new city policy. That policy has now been introduced.
“Despite our longstanding commitment to Vision Zero, the rate of traffic fatalities has remained largely unchanged….No one should fear for their life for simply crossing the street.”
— District 7 Supervisor Myrna Melgar
A week before the Board of Supervisors took its summer recess, District 7 Supervisor Myrna Melgar introduced a resolution called the San Francisco Streets Safety Act, which reaffirms the city’s recommitment to Vision Zero.
“Despite our longstanding commitment to Vision Zero, the rate of traffic fatalities has remained largely unchanged,” Melgar said last Tuesday at the board meeting. “We cannot afford to keep doing the same thing and expecting different results.”
The resolution has several actions for several city departments, including the SFMTA, Police Department, the Department of Public Health, the Department of Public Works, and the school district, related to traffic safety.
One of the actions calls for the SFMTA to develop a timeline and implementation plan to daylight the entire city by December of next year. The agency has already completed daylighting intersections near schools, and work is underway to daylight intersections in District 5.
“No one should fear for their life for simply crossing the street,” Melgar said.
Another action in the resolution is for the SFMTA to release a plan by December of next year on how the agency plans to bring back its popular Traffic Calming Program, which ended on July 1.
The city’s failed Vision Zero policy was also the main topic of a Civil Grand Jury report, which cited three reasons why the policy failed, including the lack of traffic enforcement from police, the SFMTA’s “piecemeal” method of implementing traffic safety changes, and a lack of an education strategy on traffic safety.