Drivers on Saratoga Avenue in San Jose are among the first to pass the city's new automated speed cameras. Of the first four cameras San Jose has put in, three line that street, CBS News Bay Area reported Wednesday, part of a citywide rollout of 33 cameras.
One stands at Saratoga Avenue and Williams Road, near a preschool. Another is close to where a woman was killed in a motorcycle crash several weeks ago, according to KGO-TV, which reported that two cameras were already in place on the avenue as of Tuesday.
When tickets start
Cameras will issue warnings starting Dec. 6, and drivers will begin receiving fines on Feb. 4, according to CBS. KGO reported that fines will start at $50 and can reach $500, depending on how fast a driver was going. Money from citations is to pay for running the program, and anything left over can only go to traffic safety improvements.
San Jose's five-year pilot runs under AB 645, the state law that lets a limited number of California cities use automated speed enforcement. San Jose is placing cameras in every City Council district, choosing locations by crash history and where pedestrians most need protection. The city has recorded 41 traffic deaths so far this year.
Oakland and San Francisco already run similar programs. San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie's office says dangerous speeding fell 84% at camera locations in the first 18 months of enforcement, KGO reported.