San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie launched the city’s new automated speed camera enforcement program on March 20.
The program will activate traffic speed cameras in 33 locations. These locations are part of San Francisco’s High Injury Network, an area covering 12 percent of the city’s streets, which officials have recognized as having the highest concentration of severe injuries and fatal traffic accidents.
Fees will range from $50 for driving 11–15 mph over the speed limit to up to $500 for driving 100 mph or more. The money from citations will help fund additional traffic-calming improvements in the city.
There will be a 60-day warning period before drivers start receiving citations.
“No matter how you get around our city, you should be able to do it without fearing for your life,” Mayor Lurie said in a statement. “Speeding is the number one cause of traffic injuries and fatalities in this city. It is my job as mayor to protect our residents and visitors, and that is what we are doing today.”
Cameras are accompanied by signs that say speed is photo-enforced. Over the past year, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency has reportedly put signs and ads throughout the city to inform drivers about this change.
The agency administers the program, which is a result of Assembly Bill 645, which was passed in 2023.
“Prevention is the name of the game here—we know that merely seeing the speed cameras reduces the likelihood that a driver will speed. These cameras will save lives, and I’m proud to see them piloted in San Francisco,” California state Sen. Scott Wiener said in the statement.
San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu said California loses more than 1,000 lives in speed-related collisions each year.
“San Francisco cannot wait any longer to use this tool proven to save lives,” he said in the statement.
In February, Lurie launched the San Francisco Police Department Hospitality Task Force, which will increase police presence in certain areas to improve public safety and revitalize important commercial districts.
The statement said automated enforcement tools can be critical for San Francisco’s short-staffed police department.
