Drivers in Oakland are racking up speeding tickets at a staggering pace after the city rolled out its controversial speed camera program just 40 days ago.
The traffic measures, which began issuing citations on March 15 after a warning-only grace period, have already handed out a jaw-dropping 82,000 speeding tickets and 69,000 warnings, according to figures presented at Oakland City Hall earlier this month.
That breaks down to over 2,000 speeding tickets a day across the city, reported The Oaklandside.
Craig Raphael, Oakland Department of Transportation’s speed safety camera program manager, noted that the 35 cameras across 18 locations averaged about 60 citations and 50 warnings per camera daily between March 15 and April 25.
The city’s cameras first went live on Jan. 15, but initially only issued warnings through March 14. Under the state pilot program authorizing the cameras, first-time offenders caught driving between 11 and 15 mph over the speed limit still receive warnings only.
But drivers clocked at 16 mph or more above the limit get slapped with a citation immediately, even on a first offense.
“If a driver travels 16 miles per hour or more over the speed limit, then it will be issued as a citation,” OakDOT information officer Kent Bravo told the outlet.
City officials did not provide exact revenue figures, but the tickets could bring in about $4 million if every citation carried the minimum $50 fine.
All of the cameras were installed along Oakland’s so-called High-Injury Network — streets responsible for the majority of severe crashes in the city.
One location in particular appears to have become a hotspot for ticketed drivers.
A southbound camera at 2345 73rd Avenue topped the city’s enforcement list with 8,127 citations and 5,500 warnings in the first 40 days alone. Drivers there averaged nearly 45 mph in a 30 mph zone.
Coming in second was Hegenberger Road and Spencer Street, where southbound drivers were hit with 6,902 tickets and 3,793 warnings while averaging more than 55 mph in a 40 mph zone.
Another camera on 73rd Avenue generated 6,147 citations and 3,422 warnings, while a northbound camera at 2710 Broadway issued 6,118 tickets and 6,100 warnings.
According to Bravo, OakDOT plans to release a more detailed report this summer that will include a “deeper analysis” and before-and-after speed comparisons.
The city recently updated reports on the program’s surveillance and privacy practices, revealing that Oakland is currently spending about $2.5 million annually to operate the speed camera system.
Meanwhile, after nearly two years, the Los Angeles City Council has finally signed off on a sweeping speed camera program, clearing the way for a citywide crackdown.
In a 14-0 vote, officials gave the green light for the Los Angeles Department of Transportation to roll out up to 125 speed cameras across nearly every corner of the city, making LA the last major California city to jump into the program.