- SF’s new fixed cameras issued 31,000 speeding warnings in just one month.
- A total of 33 cameras will be up and running when the rollout is complete.
- Starting in August, drivers will be fined for going 11 mph or more over the limit.
San Francisco’s latest traffic experiment is anything but subtle, and it’s already making an impact. In March, over a dozen fixed-speed cameras in locations across San Francisco were switched on, and the impacts are already being felt.
Read: SF Launches California’s First Fixed Speed Cameras, Fines Scaled By Income
In April alone, these new cameras flagged 31,000 drivers for breaking the speed limits. While the cameras have sparked some frustration among locals, they’re still in warning mode for now. But once the citations start rolling in, expect the volume on the public debate to rise.
One Street, Lots of Speed
The cameras are being rolled out at 33 sites across San Francisco, though only 21 were operational as of this week. Even so, the active units were busy, churning out an average of 1,000 warnings per day last month. And drivers seem especially heavy-footed on one stretch of road in particular.
Fulton Street, specifically the section between Arguello Boulevard and 2nd Avenue, accounted for 44 percent of all daily violations recorded in the city. In response to the high volume of speeders, city officials are planning to install more prominent speed limit signs along this corridor. Additional pavement markings are also in the works, according to the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA).
Fines Aplenty
The single highest speed recorded through April was 65 mph (105 km/h) in a 30 mph (48 km/h) zone. Of the warnings issued, 77 percent were for going 11 to 15 mph over the limit (18 to 24 km/h), 19 percent were for driving 16 to 20 mph over (26 to 32 km/h), and 4 percent of drivers were warned for exceeding the speed limit by 21 mph or more (34+ km/h).
The cameras also found that most speeding violations happened between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m., right in the middle of the morning commute.
Warnings will only be issued until early August. After that, drivers caught speeding will start receiving fines in the mail. The penalty for going 11 to 15 mph over the limit (18 to 24 km/h) is $50. That jumps to $100 for speeds between 16 and 25 mph over (26 to 40 km/h).
Drivers clocked at 26 mph or more above the limit (42+ km/h) face a $200 fine, and anyone pushing past 100 mph (161 km/h) through city streets can expect a $500 ticket. If it’s any consolation, low-income drivers will be eligible for a 50 percent discount.
