Speed Cameras Stall in LA as Safety Advocates Sound Alarm

Los Angeles’s rollout of speed cameras has been sluggish, leaving the city trailing behind other California cities like San Francisco and Oakland. While these cities have implemented automated enforcement systems quickly, Los Angeles remains stuck in neutral, with speed cameras stalled on the starting line.

Speeding continues to plague California roads, with over 24,000 speed-related crashes occurring statewide in 2022. Nearly 10,000 of those crashes resulted in injuries, a sobering reminder that speed cameras are not just about enforcement but also about saving lives. The data is clear: speed cameras can make a significant difference in reducing speeding and preventing tragedies on our roads.

Traffic safety advocates like Damian Kevitt of Streets Are for Everyone (SAFE) have been vocal in their criticism of Los Angeles’s slow rollout. “The city has spent too much time studying the program instead of implementing it,” he said, raising questions about the city’s priorities. Is bureaucratic inertia to blame, or is there something more at play?

San Francisco and Oakland have shown what can be achieved with speed cameras. In areas where San Francisco’s 56 cameras are active, speeding has dropped by nearly 80% in just one year. Similarly, Oakland reported a significant reduction in speeding within weeks of deploying their own cameras. These results demonstrate that automated enforcement systems work – they’re not some untested gimmick.

The delay in Los Angeles has serious public safety consequences. Speeding remains the leading cause of serious traffic injuries and deaths in the city, with more traffic fatalities recorded over the past three years than homicides. This is a stark reminder that speed cameras are not just about ticketing drivers but also about preventing tragedies.

In recent weeks, Los Angeles’s Department of Transportation has claimed to have made significant progress on implementing the speed camera program. However, it’s hard to see how the city can justify its delay given the urgency of the issue. The fact that Los Angeles is only now at the same stage of implementation as other participating cities like Glendale and San Jose raises questions about the city’s ability to manage complex projects.

The public education campaign launched by LADOT in response to criticism from SAFE may be too little, too late. While billboards and social media outreach are useful tools, they don’t address the underlying issue: Los Angeles’s slow rollout of speed cameras. Until the city takes concrete steps to implement these systems, it will continue to fall behind its peers.

In an era where traffic safety politics is high-stakes, cities like Los Angeles must take a proactive approach to reducing speeding. Speed cameras are not a panacea but an effective tool in preventing tragedies on our roads. By studying the success of other cities and learning from their experiences, Los Angeles can avoid making costly mistakes.

The clock is ticking for Los Angeles to get its act together. With the state’s pilot program set to launch this fall, it’s time for the city to show that it means business when it comes to traffic safety. Anything less would be a betrayal of the public trust – and a recipe for disaster on our roads.