New state bill AB 2336 would allow speed safety cameras in SF – call in to support on March 28
Speed kills – and we need more tools to prevent deadly speeds
Speed continues to be the #1 cause of severe and fatal traffic crashes in San Francisco and statewide.
And Walk San Francisco and San Francisco Bay Area Families for Safe Streets continue to see speed safety detection systems as an essential life-saving tool.
Last year, Walk SF cosponsored state legislation – AB 550 – in hopes that California cities would be able to use this tool. Other cities in the United States have already embraced speed safety cameras, such as New York City’s program around all public schools. Speed safety cameras dramatically shift driver behavior, and can reduce the number of severe and fatal crashes by as much as 58%.
After being introduced last March, AB 550 did not make it out of the Assembly. But Assemblymember Friedman of Southern California recently introduced a new version of the life-saving legislation: AB 2336. (San Francisco’s own Assemblymember Ting is co-sponsoring!) Read the official bill text.
The bill in its current form would allow San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose, Los Angeles and two unspecified cities to do a five-year pilot on a limited number of dangerous streets and in school zones.
The bill includes important equity and privacy considerations. AB 2336 fines start at $50 for going 11 mph over the speed limit. Those living under the poverty line must be offered either an 80% reduction in that fine or community service, as well as a payment plan capped at $25 a month. Cities are required to work with advocacy groups representing disadvantaged communities on the placement of the cameras.
Cameras can only take pictures of a person’s license plate, and the pictures have to be destroyed 60 days after the final disposition of the violation. And importantly, revenue from fines would have to be spent on street safety improvements that prevent speeding (like narrowing lanes, adding speed humps, or left turn calming). Read more in the San Francisco Chronicle.
How you can help the #PassAB2336 campaign succeed
The first way you can help #PassAB2336 is on Monday, March 28 at 2:30PM. The bill will have its first hearing at the Assembly Transportation Committee. Calling in for state hearings is surprisingly quick and easy – you’re only allowed a couple sentences, and public comment goes fast!
We learned from the AB 550 campaign last year that state campaigns take a lot of resources. Your donation now means we’re that much more likely to #PassAB2336.
Questions about the March 28 hearing? Contact Aly Geller, Vision Zero Engagement Manager, at aly@walksf.org.
