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The City of Oakland is taking a major leadership role in improving road safety and preventing traffic-related injuries and deaths by partnering with Verra Mobility on a new speed safety program, the second of its kind in the state of California.
The Dangers of Speeding
Oakland has experienced an average of more than 33 traffic fatalities each year since 2020. Two residents are killed or severely injured in traffic crashes every week, with speeding being a contributing factor to traffic fatalities. This program, which is funded in part by a grant from the Alameda County Transportation Commission (Alameda CTC), will address this significant road safety issue.
Automated Photo Enforcement Improves Unsafe Driving Behaviors
Under the city’s pilot program, Verra Mobility will deliver, operate, and maintain a speed safety systems at 18 high-risk locations with a total of 36 cameras. Each site will monitor traffic in both directions for anyone speeding more than 11 mph over the posted limit.
The speed cameras, authorized under Assembly Bill 645 (AB 645) in October 2023, will be installed along Oakland's High-Injury Network—the 8% of streets that account for 60% of severe and fatal collisions in the city. Similar large-city speed safety programs across the country have experienced up to a 94% reduction in speeding at locations with this technology.
Verra Mobility is also partnering with local firm Marinship Development, LLC to install and maintain the infrastructure.
Verra Mobility is also partnering with the City of San Francisco to operate a similar speed safety program.
Leaders Champion the new Road Safety Program
“Verra Mobility is honored to partner with the City of Oakland to bring this critical safety technology to the community,” said Will Barnow, vice president, Verra Mobility. “Our experience implementing the largest programs across the country has demonstrated that automated speed enforcement is one of the most effective tools available to create safer streets. With more than 400 children injured every day across our nation in traffic crashes, Oakland is taking action to stop dangerous speeding and to save lives.”
“The new speed camera safety program marks a much-needed shift for the streets of Oakland, where too many lives have been lost due to reckless speeding,” said Josh Rowan, Director of the City of Oakland Department of Transportation (OakDOT). “We are eager to work with Verra Mobility to implement this proven and effective tool as a crucial step toward making our streets safer and saving lives. Traffic safety requires all the tools in the toolbox, including infrastructure and enforcement. The City of Oakland is working aggressively on both fronts.”
