Proposed State Assembly Bill Would Deploy Speed Safety Cameras On Bay Area Streets

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- A bill introduced in the State Assembly would create a five-year pilot program authorizing San Francisco, San Jose and Oakland to deploy remote cameras to enforce speed limits on their highest injury streets.

Assemblymembers Phil Ting (D-San Francisco) and Laura Friedman (D-Glendale) introduced the bill Thursday in the hopes of making city streets safer.

"Managing vehicle speeds is matter of urgency for San Francisco—especially in our low- income communities of color, whose streets experience most of the severe and fatal traffic crashes in San Francisco," said San Francisco Mayor London Breed.

Ting echoed those sentiments.

"My city of San Francisco is committed to reducing traffic fatalities to zero," Ting said in a news release. "More than 70% of our city's fatalities occur on just 12% of our streets. AB 2336 will provide San Francisco with a proven tool to reduce fatalities and ensure there are no further lives lost due to reckless driving."

The need for additional measures have been underscored by the recent surge in fatal traffic incidents in San Jose. So far this year, San Jose has had 14 fatal accidents.

"Over the past year in San José, we've seen an alarming rise in traffic fatalities - with speeding often being the cause," said San Jose mayor Sam Liccardo. "The staggering loss of life we see on our streets is a preventable tragedy."

Unlike a traditional speeding ticket, which carries a minimum fine of $238, fines in AB 2336 start at $50 for going 11 mph over the speed limit.

For those living under the poverty line, there would be an 80% reduction in the fine or community service as well as a payment plan capped at $25 a month.

The cameras can only take pictures of a person's license plate, and the pictures have to be destroyed 60 days after the final disposition of the violation.

Under the five-year pilot program, if the cameras are not reducing speeding violations by 25% within the first 18 months, a speed feedback sign has to be installed and a city has to start planning construction of traffic calming measures to slow cars down.

Revenues generated by the tickets have to be used to administer the program and pay for traffic calming measures across the city to make streets safer.