The City of Los Angeles is revving up its efforts to hold drivers more accountable for speeding. As of Oct. 26, the city has installed its first automated speed cameras throughout Los Angeles to monitor motorists driving at least 11 miles per hour over the speed limit.
Assembly Bill 65 has set a new standard for drivers; motorists who exceed the speed limit and are tracked by the cameras will receive a warning during the first 60 days after the cameras are installed. Tickets will then be issued after the warning.
Councilwoman Katy Yaroslavsky represents District 5. LADOT released a statement earlier this year and said the following: “As outlined in its report to the Los Angeles City Council, LADOT prioritized locations on the City’s 2024 Priority Safety Corridors and used a safety scoring to identify the final 125 locations in collaboration with Council offices. Speed limit and ‘photo-enforced’ signs will be installed at all locations.”
The statement continued, “Speed safety systems are proven to reduce speeding and fatal crashes. Assembly Bill 645, signed into law in 2024, authorizes the City of Los Angeles and five other cities to pilot this technology at 125 locations.”
As part of a five-year pilot program, this past Monday marked the first day of roughly 20 of 25 cameras added to streets with high rates of traffic-related crashes and near schools.
A total of 125 cameras are expected to be added by the end of this year, as eight cameras have been placed in District 5 of Los Angeles, which incorporates the neighborhoods of Bel Air, Century City, Palms, Pico-Robertson, Westwood, and Holmby Hills, Beverlywood, Miracle Mile, Beverly Crest, Cheviot Hills, and more.
Eight speed cameras will be installed in each Los Angeles City Council district, making this a citywide measure that will change how Angelenos are monitored.
Assemblymember Laura Friedman (D-Glendale) authored Assembly Bill 645, and Assemblymembers Philip Ting (D-San Francisco), Miguel Santiago, Mia Bonta, Mike Gipson (D-Southern California), and State Senator Scott Wiener co-authored it.
Earlier this month, Mayor Karen Bass said in a news release, “The safety of every Angeleno is my number one priority, and along with our State partners we’re investing in a comprehensive approach to street safety that holds reckless drivers accountable.”
She continued: “These speed safety cameras are bolstering our ability to protect L.A. families so they can get to school, work, and home safely. I look forward to working with Angelenos to ensure this program is fair, transparent and meets the needs of every community.”
Friedman spoke at a press conference on Oct. 1, urging that the safety of Angelenos is a major concern and further explaining why the speed cameras are being deployed. The cameras will capture only the driver’s license plate, not their face.
“The first violation is just a warning sent to the car because our intention is to tell people to slow down and they are speeding. And then you have to be going at least 11 miles per hour over the speed limit,” she said. “So, these are not gotcha tickets. And I’m sorry, but if you are going more than 11 miles over the speed limit in a school zone and you have done it more than once, shame on you. You should be getting a fine. “
More information about the speed cameras, including their exact locations, can be found at https://ladot.lacity.gov/speed-safety-system.
