Oakland to install speed cameras in bid to curb dangerous driving
Oakland drivers who speed may soon find tickets in their mailboxes. City officials this week approved a new program to install automated speed cameras at 18 high-traffic locations across the city, aimed at catching drivers who exceed the speed limit by more than 10 miles per hour.
The program, modeled after a similar effort already in place in San Francisco, will target areas near schools, senior centers, and commercial corridors where speeding is most prevalent. According to Oakland transportation officials, the cameras will be distributed across every city district.
Among the areas identified, Hegenberger Road near Spencer Street has the highest rates of speeding, with 43 percent of daily traffic exceeding the 40 mph limit by at least 10 mph.
"It's real busy," said longtime resident David Quintero Nieves. "It's really dangerous."
Quintero Nieves and his wife have lived at the corner of Hegenberger Road and Spencer Street for more than 30 years. He said many drivers treat the road like a freeway, with speeds reaching as high as 70 to 80 mph. The couple constantly worries that a car might one day lose control and crash into their home.
"We've got used to seeing this kind of speeding around here and there's no one doing anything much about it," said Quintero Nieves.
The city is hoping to change that. New legislation passed by the state now allows Oakland and five other California cities to install automated speed enforcement systems.
Jamie Parks, Assistant Director of the Oakland Department of Transportation, explained how the program will work. "If it's a stolen vehicle, obviously we can waive that citation. But if you let somebody borrow your vehicle and they exceed the speed limits, you are responsible for their behavior," he said.
Tickets will start at $50 for drivers caught going 11 miles per hour or more over the posted speed limit. Higher speeds will result in higher fines, though Parks noted that the violations will not add points to a driver's record.
"On average, over 30 Oaklanders die every year in traffic crashes and hundreds are injured. And we know that speed is the number one factor in those crashes," said Parks.
However, the program has raised concerns among privacy advocates. Mike Katz-Lacabe, Research Director for the non-profit Oakland Privacy, warned about the broader implications of automated surveillance.
"We're moving into more of a surveillance state, where there are more cameras, they're watching us, they're doing things on an automated fashion. And the question becomes 'how will those cameras be used in the future?'" said Katz-Lacabe. "If you get the ticket, the responsibility is on you to contest it and to prove that you're innocent, which is kind of a perversion of our current justice system where you're innocent until proven guilty."
Still, city leaders who voted in favor of the initiative argue that law-abiding drivers have nothing to fear.
"If you're speeding on a public street, you have no privacy," said East Oakland Councilman Ken Houston. "This is the first stage of bringing back law and order, law and order."
Quintero Nieves, now 85, said he supports the move and hopes it brings lasting change.
"Gonna be less accidents," said Quintero Nieves.
City officials plan to have the cameras fully operational by this fall. A 60-day warning period will precede the issuance of official citations.
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