Speeding crackdown: LA to install 125 speed cameras

Drivers in Los Angeles could soon receive speeding tickets in the mail, even if they were never pulled over, as the city prepares to roll out a network of speed-tracking cameras aimed at reducing traffic deaths.

The cameras are intended to crack down on drivers going over the limit on city streets and speeding through intersections. 

City officials say the cameras are meant to get drivers to slow down and ultimately save lives, though some residents say they are worried about the new enforcement system.

Earlier this week, the Los Angeles City Council approved a pilot program to install 125 speed cameras on streets across the city. Officials said neighborhoods were chosen using data from the Los Angeles Department of Transportation showing where the highest rates of speeding and crashes occur.

“The fact is that for the last three years in a row, there have been more traffic fatalities homicides in the city of Los Angeles,” said Damian Kevitt, executive director of the advocacy group Streets Are For Everyone.

According to LADOT, the cameras will scan for vehicles traveling at least 11 miles per hour over the posted speed limit.

For the first 60 days after the program begins, drivers caught by the cameras will receive a warning. After that period, a citation will be mailed to the registered owner of the vehicle captured on camera, starting at $50.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath Yaroslavsky said the program could also help generate revenue for traffic safety efforts.

“It’ll make our streets safer, it’s going to bring in tens, if not more, of millions of dollars a year for the very things that right now we can’t afford to fund,” Yaroslavsky said.

Legal experts say drivers can still be held responsible for citations issued through automated enforcement.

“The legality of a citation where you weren’t actually stopped by a human officer, it’s up in the air, but increasingly judges are saying okay, we get it,” said legal analyst Royal Oakes.

Some residents living near streets expected to receive cameras say they are skeptical about whether the program will actually slow drivers down.

“I think it’ll get people the first time, and then we’ll all know what streets not to go on,” said Nicholas Cordeniz of North Hollywood.

Maria Valverde Guzman, also of North Hollywood, said the cameras could discourage people from traveling through the neighborhood.

“Perhaps it will harm us, because afterwards people will be afraid to pass through here because they will say that they are being fined,” Guzman said.

Others have raised privacy concerns. One local business owner said she worries customers may avoid the area if they believe they are being recorded.

Supporters point to results in other cities. 

Since installing speed cameras, San Francisco has reported a 72% drop in speeding on targeted streets and a 42% drop in traffic deaths last year.

Backers of the program also say Los Angeles’ system includes privacy protections and cannot be accessed by police.

“They’re not allowed to take a picture of the person’s face, they’re not allowed to record who’s inside the car, they can only record the license plate of that vehicle,” Kevitt said.

The speed camera network is expected to go online by the fall. 

City officials have not yet said whether signs will be posted to alert drivers that cameras are monitoring their speed. Officials with the Los Angeles Department of Transportation did not immediately respond to requests for comment.