DDozens of traffic enforcement cameras will be placed on San Jose’s most dangerous streets after city leaders approved a multimillion-dollar pilot program.

City transportation officials reviewed priority security corridors where 30% of deaths and serious injuries are caused by high speed vehiclesand identified 63 potential locations for “speed cameras”. Councilwoman Pam Foley, who chaired the Vision Zero The task force, which ends in December, said the goal was to eliminate traffic deaths. She is happy to know that all 10 neighborhoods in the city will receive at least one radar.

“When I hear about an accident and a deceased pedestrian, it breaks my heart, especially when I know that person is a child… someone who was loved by their family members,” Foley said during the San Jose City Council meeting Tuesday. “These deaths are life-changing and we must put an end to them. »

Assembly Bill 645 legalizes the state’s use of surveillance cameras in school zones and “safety corridors” to detect speeding drivers as part of a five-year pilot program. Six cities will participate in the pilot, including San Jose, San Francisco and Oakland. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the bill last year.

The streets of San José have become increasingly dangerous. Over the past decade, traffic deaths have more than doubled, from 29 in 2010 to 60 in 2021. The majority of deaths have occurred on what the city calls its 17 most dangerous streets: is mainly found on the east side.

Drivers caught by cameras exceeding the speed limit will receive an initial warning. After that, tickets start at $50 for drivers going 10 mph over the speed limit. This increases to $100 if you travel more than 16 mph over the limit, $200 if you go more than 26 mph over the limit, and $500 if you go 100 mph over the limit.

Mayor Matt Mahan said the city will contract with a company in the spring of next year to install 33 speed cameras by the fall. The first 60 days following the installation of the cameras will be considered a grace period.

“Automatic speed cameras have been used effectively around the world for years, and today we are on the verge of integrating them into our streets. But we need to move much faster toward implementation, because lives depend on it – because they do,” Mahan said. “I commend our Department of Transportation for laying the foundation to make our pilot program a model for future statewide deployment.”

The majority of the pilot program’s estimated $16 million budget came from a federal grant.

Under AB 645, city officials are required to launch a public awareness and community engagement effort to inform residents about speed cameras.

Deadly roads considered prime locations in San Jose for speed cameras include Monterey Road and Curtner Avenuewith Berryessa Road and King Road. District 1 will have the lowest number, with only three cameras, while District 7 will have the highest number with 17 locations.

“Speed ​​kills,” District 7 council member Bien Doan said during the meeting. “If it’s predictable, it’s avoidable.”

Impacts on communities of color

But nonprofit leaders REAL Coalition and the Santa Clara Valley Chapter of ACLU of Northern California have raised privacy concerns about potential video surveillance and costly speeding tickets disproportionately issued in communities of color. Spokesman Victor Sin said the city’s own data shows the proposed locations for the cameras are in communities with low-income residents and residents of color.

“We are deeply concerned that this program will disproportionately result in wealth extraction and extraction from diverse residents,” Sin said.

Lam Cruz, manager of the city’s traffic division, said the pilot program does not capture video and the information captured will not be used for law enforcement or immigration purposes. Additionally, Heather Hoshii, deputy transportation director, said the system does not have access to any DMV information aside from the parking ticket itself.

“We will follow all data policies and procedures outlined by the city, and these will be included in the (request for proposal) to ensure that vendors are accountable and meet these requirements,” Hoshii said.

Kathleen Gallagher, a representative for rapid security technology company Blueline Solutions, told San Jose officials her company was interested in partnering with the city.

“We’re really happy to see how quickly the city of San Jose is moving toward (the RFP), because it shows that you really see the value in these pilot programs,” she said. “You will be amazed, when these programs are executed correctly, to see a significant reduction in speeding in a short time.”

Contact Vicente Vera at [email protected] or follow @VicenteJVera on X, formerly known as Twitter.

This story was originally published in San José Spotlight.