On Wednesday, July 29 at 11 a.m. Pacific Time, SafeTREC research lead Matthew Raifman and postdoctoral researcher Sujin Lee will be presenting in a Center for Pedestrian and Bicyclist Safety (CPBS) webinar on the effectiveness of California's first speed camera installation in San Francisco. SafeTREC is proud to be one of multiple research centers affiliated with the CPBS, a Tier-1 University Transportation Center (UTC) supported by the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) and led by the University of New Mexico (UNM).
San Francisco became the first of six cities in California to pilot speed cameras in 2025 following the passage of State Assembly Bill 645, and the performance of its program has policy implications for the potential broader rollout of speed cameras across the state. The San Francisco pilot program involved installing 56 speed cameras at 33 high-risk locations.
Using a quasi-experimental design that leveraged data from SFMTA citations and INRIX data on vehicle speed and volume, the study team found that the cameras successfully reduced speeding compared to selected control locations after adjusting for fixed effects. The preliminary findings indicate that most speed-related behavior change occurred during the initial warning period, with evidence of sustained change throughout the citation period. In addition, the cameras appear to be more effective on higher speed roads. Notably, speeding reduced at both the treatment and control sites, indicating a potential citywide impact from a limited application of automated enforcement.
Visit the CPBS website to learn more about the study and register for the webinar.
Learn more about UC Berkeley's participation in the Center for Pedestrian and Bicyclist Safety (CPBS).