Speed cameras in San Francisco expected to generate big money in fines

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — It’s simple: Drive at least 11 miles over the speed limit in San Francisco and get a ticket worth $50 or more in the mail. The sooner you are caught driving, the more you will have to pay.

“Like the Embarcadero, the posted speed limit is 30 mph. If a vehicle is traveling 41 mph or more over the speed limit, the owner of that vehicle will receive a ticket,” said Shannon Hake, speed camera. Program Manager for the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency.

The cameras will be installed by February or early March 2025 at: 33 locations This is where the majority of accidents involving speeding occurred.

Here’s a breakdown of the fines:

Exceeding the posted speed limit by 11 to 15 mph: 50 US dollars
Exceeding the posted speed limit by 16 to 25 mph: 100 dollars
Exceeding the posted speed limit by 26+ mph: 200 US dollars
Any vehicle traveling at 100 mph or more: 500 US dollars

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San Francisco has signed a new agreement to install speed cameras in 33 locations across the city. They can catch drivers, which will lead to large fines.

The SFMTA found that the worst place for speeding is the Geary section between 7th and 8th Avenues.

They calculated that in one day, 4,440 vehicles drove 11 miles or more over the speed limit.

You might ask how they know there are so many cars on that stretch at least 11 miles over the speed limit if cameras aren’t already installed. We asked ourselves the same question.

Here’s how they did it. A few months ago, pneumatic tubes were installed here to count the number of cars passing and their speed.

If you multiply the 4,400 cars on Geary between 7th and 8th going at least 11 miles over the speed limit by $50, that’s $220,000 at just one intersection in one day. That’s a lot of money.

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A new state law in effect called Daylighting requires cities around California to improve visibility at intersections to protect pedestrians.

SFMTA agreed and told us how they would use the money.

“All the money will first go towards covering the costs of the program, the costs of implementing it,” Hake said. “After this, traffic in the city will calm down.”

Traffic calming features include improved crosswalks, no-turn on red signs, added speed bumps, speed bumps, staggered traffic lights, and the most recent addition ‘daylight’ this means you cannot park within 20 feet of a crosswalk.

This allows the driver to see the pedestrian before he reaches the intersection.

Arizona-based Verra Mobility will install cameras with multiple privacy features.

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“For privacy and security, we make sure that only the license plate is captured, no other vehicles, the back of the vehicle, no faces, only that license plate is captured,” said Melba Rivera-Irizarry with Verra Mobility.

The remaining 32 locations are also expected to generate many citations.

But according to advocacy group Walk SF, it’s not the end of the game.

The chance that someone will die if they are hit by a car going 25 mph is 25%, but that number jumps to 75% if they are hit by a car going 40 mph.

“We think this is an absolute game changer,” said Jodi Medeiros of Walk SF. “Year after year, speed is the number one cause of all the accidents we have, and so we need to do something to limit speeds and make sure drivers understand whether you live here or are visiting.” from out of town that San Francisco is a safe speed city.”