Oakland has picked Verra Mobility to deliver a speed safety programme across the city. The company’s speed safety technology will be deployed along 18 high-risk corridors

This will be the second speed safety programme in the state of California that employs such automated technology to help curb speeding issues.

Authorised under California Assembly Bill 645 (AB 645) in October 2023, the legislation allows the city’s pilot programme to deploy speed safety systems at 18 high-risk locations throughout Oakland (a total of 36 cameras) to help reduce speeding and prevent traffic-related injuries and fatalities.

The cameras will be installed at locations selected by the Oakland Department of Transportation (OakDOT) from Oakland’s High-Injury Network, prioritising areas with documented speeding near schools, senior centres, and commercial districts.

OakDOT collected data on vehicle speeds at over 40 locations before narrowing the list down to 18 candidate sites, which are distributed throughout the City of Oakland as required by AB 645. Each site will monitor both directions of traffic for anyone speeding more than 11 mph over the posted limit.

The speed cameras will be installed along Oakland’s High-Injury Network—the 8% of streets that account for 60% of severe and fatal collisions in the city. The speed camera systems will operate 24/7 and issue citations starting at $50 for vehicles travelling 11–15 mph over the speed limit; the most egregious speeders could see fines up to $500. As required by AB 645, reduced fees will be available for low-income residents, with only warnings issued for the first 60 days of the programme. Privacy and security are also addressed as part of the legislation, where only rear license plates will be captured, and strict data policies will be implemented.

Under the contract, Verra Mobility will provide and operate the speed camera systems and will partner with local firm Marinship Development, LLC to install and maintain the infrastructure.

“The new speed camera safety programme marks a much-needed shift for the streets of Oakland, where too many lives have been lost due to reckless speeding,” said Josh Rowan, Director of the City of Oakland Department of Transportation (OakDOT). “We are eager to work with Verra Mobility to implement this proven and effective tool as a crucial step toward making our streets safer and saving lives. Traffic safety requires all the tools in the toolbox, including infrastructure and enforcement. The City of Oakland is working aggressively on both fronts.”

“Our experience implementing the largest programs across the country has demonstrated that automated speed enforcement is one of the most effective tools available to create safer streets,” said Will Barnow, vice president, Verra Mobility. “With more than 400 children injured every day across our nation in traffic crashes, Oakland is taking action to stop dangerous speeding and to save lives.”