The city and county of San Francisco Board of Supervisors has approved an ordinance allowing its transportation agency to deploy automated traffic surveillance systems.
Supervisors approved an ordinance this week allowing the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) to move ahead with the deployment of automated speed enforcement systems — the cameras that identify and ticket speeding drivers within designated areas.
The final approval as part of the Board’s consent calendar was months in the making. The ordinance was first introduced in March. Before a city/county agency can acquire or deploy surveillance technology in the jurisdiction, administrative code requires Board approval, which also requires impact reports and public meetings.
SFMTA was seeking approval to deploy the vendor-owned systems on city-owned streetlight poles at up to 33 locations that make up the 12 percent of streets that account for nearly 70 percent of serious and fatal injuries, also known as the “high-injury network.”
“Enforcing speed limits using speed safety systems on streets where speeding drivers create dangerous roadway environments is a reliable and cost-effective means to prevent further fatalities and injuries,” the surveillance impact report reads.
In addition to anticipated traffic safety improvements, staff noted the automated system would also save staff time; remove bias associated with citizen-police interactions while increasing staff safety; and improve data on speed violations.
In late May, a request for qualifications was issued for the project, and a pre-proposal conference has already been held. The deadline to submit questions is 10 a.m. June 18, and final proposals are due by 10 a.m. July 2. The point of contact for this RFQ is Shawnee Tang.
The 33 sites identified for the automated ticketing technology are as follows:
1. 3rd Street from Key Avenue to Jamestown Avenue
2. 7th Street from Harrison Street to Folsom Street
3. 9th Street from Bryant Street to Harrison Street
4. 10th Street from Harrison Street to Folsom Street
5. 16th Street from Bryant Street to Potrero Avenue
6. Alemany Boulevard from Farragut Avenue to Naglee Avenue
7. Bay Street from Octavia Street to Gough Street
8. Bayshore Boulevard from 101 off-ramp to Tunnel Avenue
9. Broadway from Powell Street to Stockton Street
10. Bryant Street from 2nd Street to 3rd Street
11. Cesar Chavez Street from Folsom Street to Harrison Street
12. Cesar Chavez Street from Indiana Street to Tennessee Street
13. Columbus Avenue from Lombard Street to Greenwich Street
14. Embarcadero from Green Street to Battery Street
15. Franklin Street from Union Street to Green Street
16. Fulton Street from Arguello Boulevard to 2nd Avenue
17. Fulton Street from 42nd Avenue to 43rd Avenue
18. Geary Boulevard from 7th Avenue to 8th Avenue
19. Geary Boulevard from Webster Street to Buchanan Street
20. Geneva Avenue from Prague Street to Brookdale Avenue
21. Guerrero Street from 19th Street to 20th Street
22. Harrison Street from 4th Street to 5th Street
23. King Street (NB only) from 4th Street to 5th Street
24. Lincoln Way from 27th Avenue to 28th Avenue
25. Market Street from Danvers Street to Douglass Street
26. Mission Street from 8th Street to 9th Street
27. Mission Street from Ottawa Avenue to Allison Street
28. Monterey Boulevard from Edna Street to Congo Street
29. Ocean Avenue from Friday Kahlo Way to Howth Street
30. San Jose Avenue from 29th Street to 30th Street
31. San Jose Avenue from Santa Ynez Avenue to Ocean Avenue
32. Sloat Boulevard from 41st Avenue to Skyline Boulevard
33. Turk Street from Van Ness Avenue to Polk Street
