Speed cameras coming to 3 Bay Area cities after years-long effort
Speed cameras are coming to San Jose, Oakland and San Francisco after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed AB 645 into law last Friday, allowing for their use in six California cities as soon as next year.
On Monday night in San Francisco's Mission District, city leaders, advocacy groups, and families celebrated a win following years of failed efforts to authorize speed cameras that can automatically issue a speeding ticket. There will be 33 cameras placed in areas of the city with the highest crash rates as well as school zones. The specific locations are yet to be determined.
Fines would be imposed on drivers exceeding the speed limit by 11 miles an hour or more, beginning at $50 and increasing depending on the speed, but there could be fee reductions or community service for those who qualify based on financial need.
Aside from the three Bay Area cities, speed cameras will also be deployed in Los Angeles, Glendale and Long Beach. The rollout is a pilot program that will be reassessed after five years. The cameras are already in use in 21 other states.
According to a report by the Governors Highway Safety Association, U.S. pedestrian deaths are at the highest level in 41 years, while data from the National Transportation Safety Board shows that speeding accounted for nearly one-third of all traffic fatalities in 2021.
The organization Walk San Francisco sponsored the bill. Families who have been directly impacted by drivers speeding were behind it.
Aileen Quiroz was just 5 years old when she was hit and killed by a driver in San Jose near Parkview Elementary School.
"She was a very sweet, innocent little girl who loved playing soccer," said Elizabeth Chávez, Aileen's mom. "She always carried a small little bible with her. She liked hearing a lot of gospel music."
Aileen died in May of 2013. She was walking with her sister - who was 2 at the time - and her aunt. Her sister and aunt suffered injuries.
Chavez said Aileen was full of life; she and her husband Jorge Quiroz think about her every day.
"We're just so glad that the life of my daughter was not just a number out there," Quiroz said.
He added that the bill can help save lives.
"It means the world to us," he said.
Mayor London Breed stopped by to celebrate the bill in San Francisco.
"We are so excited to begin the process of implementation," Breed said.
The couple is hoping this helps other families.
"You have to learn to live with it. Each and every day is a remembrance of her," Elizabeth Chavez said.
Quiroz and Chávez had a son two years after Aileen died. He was born on the same day of the month Aileen was born.
He likes to play soccer just like Aileen did.
"I'm coaching him right now," Quiroz said. "As I'm coaching, she's always on our mind."