Double Fine Zones May Become Permanent On SF's 19th Avenue, Van Ness
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- State Sen. Leland Yee on Friday introduced legislation permanently extending double fine zones for dangerous stretches of 19th Avenue and Van Ness Avenue in San Francisco.
Yee, D-San Francisco, first introduced and passed legislation in 2008 creating double fine zones for a period of five years on the busy thoroughfares, which have a history of pedestrian fatalities.
Between 2003 and 2007, 19th Avenue had 10 pedestrian deaths and Van Ness had five, Yee said.
In the first two years of the double-fine zones, there were no pedestrian fatalities on either street. Statistics have not yet been released for 2011 and 2012.
With the double fine zones set to expire in 2013, Yee moved Friday to make them permanent.
"While we continue to make improvements along these corridors, there is no doubt that the double fine has helped improve these dangerous streets, especially for pedestrians and bicyclists," Yee said in a statement.
Base fines for moving violations normally range from $50 to $500. The double fine zone doubles those base fines, and with state and local assessments tickets can instead range from $181 to $2,400.
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