Council-Backed Safety Camera Pilot Advances in SF 

The SF Municipal Transportation Agency last week approved installation of 33 automatic speed cameras in key areas around the city, including on high-injury corridors and in sensitive areas such as surrounding schools and hospitals. This important step forward in road and community safety is one of several similar pilot programs moving forward in California, including in Oakland and San Jose, that was made possible by legislation (AB 645, Friedman) the Bay Area Council successfully advocated for last year.  

Automated speed cameras are a critically important tool to improve safety in our communities and are proven to reduce drivers’ speed and save lives in 150 cities across the United States. Data shows unsafe driving in San Francisco resulted in 25 fatalities last year and 39 in 2022, with severe injury crashes approaching or exceeding 200. Once the pilot program clears another vote at the Board of Supervisors, steps will begin to be taken for the cameras to become operational by January 2025, including an important public information campaign preceding the launch. 

Leveraging technology as a tool to promote public safety is one of the Bay Area Council Public Safety Committee’s top four goals in its plan to make the Bay Area safer for all who live, work, and visit. The Council’s next Public Safety Committee meeting slated for this summer will examine several case studies of how Bay Area cities and companies are using safety cameras and other technology as a tool to improve safety in our region. For more information and to RSVP, please contact Policy Director Laura Hill.