19-06-2025
- Automotive
- San Francisco Chronicle
Oakland plans to install speed cameras in these locations
Drivers in Oakland could soon receive warnings — and eventually tickets — from speed cameras in up to 18 locations.
The Oakland City Council approved a $4,865,000 program Tuesday to install automated speed cameras across the city before the end of 2025, a report to the council from the Oakland Department of Transportation shows.
The program comes after 33 speed cameras in San Francisco have been installed and gone live, issuing warnings to drivers before beginning citations — ranging from $50 for those driving 11 to 15 miles above the limit to up to $500 for those reaching 100 miles per hour — on Aug. 5.
Oakland expects cameras to be installed in the fall and winter, with the goal of reducing speeding and traffic injuries and deaths, the city said. The report from the city transportation department said two Oakland residents on average are killed or seriously injured in traffic collisions per week, which 'disproportionally impact people of color, seniors and people with disabilities.'
The report also said pedestrians are 'especially vulnerable' to consequences of speeding cars. It states that a pedestrian hit by a car going 20 miles per hour has a 90% chance of surviving, but a pedestrian hit by a car going 40 miles per hour has only a 10% chance of surviving the crash.
Both Oakland and San Francisco, along with San Jose, Los Angeles, Long Beach and Glendale, received approval for automated speed safety camera installations under California Assembly Bill 645, which was passed in October 2023.
The state law allows the cities to run five-year pilot programs and mandates a 60-day warning period, where drivers are warned about their speeding before being cited. Oakland said their speed cameras will be overseen by the city transportation department, rather than the police department, and citations will be issued to vehicle owners, not drivers.
Under the state law, any 'excess revenue' collected beyond the cost of the program will be 'reinvested into traffic calming,' city council documents said, and spent within three years.
Those found to be speeding 1 to 10 miles per hour over the speed limit will not receive tickets from the automated speed cameras, while those cited as speeding between 11 and 15 miles per hour over the limit will be charged $50 in citations mailed to car owners.
The fines will increase to $100 for cars going 16 to 25 miles per hour over the speed limit, $200 for 26 miles per hour over or more and $500 for those driving at a speed of 100 miles per hour or more.
The fees are cut in half for those with an income of 200% of the federal poverty level or less, and are only 20% of the original fines for those deemed 'indigent,' the report said.
The report said that automated speed cameras will only be authorized to collect images of rear license plates, with facial recognition software and video prohibited.
Oakland officials said 18 locations for speed cameras had been chosen from narrowing down a list of locations based on data from the 2024 High Injury Network, a map showing where most severe and deadly traffic collisions in the city took place.
Only 8% of the city's streets account for 60% of severe and fatal collisions, Oakland officials found. Officials said they also prioritized locations that were near schools, senior centers and commercial districts.
The cameras will all be on city-owned streets — not on freeways or areas run by Caltrans — and there will be at least one camera in each city council district, the report said. The cameras will be run through a contract with Verra Mobility and could cost up to $1.75 million annually, the report said, with funds from citations being put toward covering the costs.
Here are the proposed locations:
