San Francisco's automated speed cameras have cut excessive speeding, 10 mph or more over the limit, by 84% at camera locations, according to an 18-month report the SFMTA released Thursday, Oct. 15. That's an estimated 42,000 fewer speeding instances every day.
Why it matters: San Francisco was the first California city to turn on speed cameras, in March 2025. Other cities are now using its data to design their own programs.
The numbers
- 56 cameras at 33 locations, many on the High Injury Network, the 13% of streets where 74% of serious injuries happen.
- Near schools, dangerous speeding is down up to 94%.
- 63% of drivers who got one citation have not gotten a second; about 80% got two or fewer.
- All 33 sites met at least one performance target set by state law AB 645, so none need to be moved or shut off.
- More than $2 million in net citation revenue is funding pedestrian safety work such as flashing crosswalk beacons.
Independent check
A preliminary UC Berkeley SafeTREC study found speeding dropped at camera sites even during the warning period, before fines began, and also fell on comparable streets without cameras.
The SFMTA pointed to Geary Boulevard at Fillmore Street and Fulton Street at Arguello Boulevard, where speeding fell by more than 50%.
"Speeding kills, and speed cameras save lives," said Richard Zieman, whose son Andrew was killed by a speeding driver outside Sherman Elementary in 2021.
Related: El Cerrito's e-moto crackdown near Fairmount Elementary.