Only Half of SF’s Speed Cameras Are Operational Amid Delays

San Francisco’s speed camera rollout is stalled due to permitting issues with PG&E and an inflexible bureaucracy waiting for the perfect moment.

The Facts

As of mid-May, only 18 of 33 speed cameras are operational, nearly two months after the program's launch. The delay comes down to bureaucratic minutiae: the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) believes it should be able to get electricity at wholesale rates, rather than retail rates (what you and I pay). Typically, PG&E only provides wholesale rates to large connections, not to dozens of small connections like the speed cameras. That has led to PG&E negotiating a new permitting process with SFPUC, which is taking a long time.

But in the meantime, the 18 functional cameras are still only issuing warnings because the SFMTA wants to enable all of them at once, regardless of how long that takes.

The Context

San Francisco initiated a five-year speed camera pilot program under Assembly Bill 645, aiming to reduce traffic fatalities by automatically ticketing drivers exceeding speed limits by 11 mph or more. The program mandates a 60-day warning period before issuing fines. However, the city plans to start issuing citations only after all 33 cameras are operational and have completed their respective warning periods. There is no technical or legal reason that the existing operational cameras cannot start issuing speeding tickets now.

Delays stem from the need to establish a new permitting process with PG&E, as this is the first time such a system is being implemented in California. PG&E has agreed to provide exceptions to existing rules to move this project forward, but they are moving slowly because they hope to design a process to make future installations faster.

As of May 15, 2025, six people have been killed in traffic incidents this year, including a recent hit-and-run in the Bayview that killed a 47-year-old man. Speeding is the number one cause of traffic deaths in San Francisco.

The GrowSF Take

This bureaucratic delay is ridiculous and unacceptable. While we understand that PG&E needs to negotiate new rules for a new connection type, that shouldn't hamper the installation of these cameras as a one-time exception. After all, they've done it for the first 18, why not the next 15?

And the SFMTA's decision to wait for all cameras to be fully operational before issuing citations is misguided. Instead of adapting their operational policy to fit with reality, they're sticking with their original, outdated, and overly optimistic plan. Let's get the operational cameras issuing speeding tickets now, rather than waiting for the perfect moment that may never come.