City leaders in Oakland have approved a program to install automated speed cameras in over a dozen locations, in an effort to improve traffic safety.

Officials announced Wednesday that a total of 35 cameras will be installed at , the 8% of city streets that account for 60% of the city's severe and fatal collisions. Since 2020, the city has experienced an average of more than 33 traffic fatalities each year.

"Too many Oaklanders are being hurt or killed because of dangerous speeding," Mayor Barbara Lee said in a statement. "This program is a smart, life-saving step forward and brings us closer to streets where everyone can travel safely."

Oakland becomes the second city in the state to implement automated speed cameras, after San Francisco, following the passage of Assembly Bill 645 in the state legislature.

"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 Oakland Department of Transportation or OakDOT.

Officials said similar programs in other large cities have led up to a 94% reduction in speeding in locations with the technology.

List of proposed speed camera locations:

1. Martin Luther King Junior Way (between 42nd and 43rd streets)
2. Claremont Avenue (Between Hillegass Avenue and College Avenue)
3. Foothill Boulevard (Between Irving Street and 24th Avenue)
4. Foothill Boulevard (Between 19th and 20th avenues)
5. 7th Street (Between Adeline and Linden streets)
6. West Grand (Between Chestnut and Linden streets)
7. Broadway (Between 26th and 27th streets)
8. San Pablo Avenue (Between Athens and Sycamore streets)
9. 7th Street (Between Broadway and Franklin Street)
10. Macarthur Boulevard (Between Green Acre Road and Enos Avenue)
11. Fruitvale Avenue (Between Galindo Street and Logan Street)
12. International Boulevard (Between 40th and 41st avenues)
13. Hegenberger Road (Between Spencer and Hawley)
14. 73rd Avenue (Between Fresno and Krause)
15. Bancroft Avenue (Between 86th Avenue and Auseon Avenue)
16. 98th Avenue (Between Blake Drive and Gould Street)
17. 98th Avenue (Between Cherry and Birch)
18. Bancroft Avenue (Between 65th and 66th avenues)

Following a 60-day period where drivers will only receive warnings, the cameras will issue citations starting at $50 for drivers caught traveling 11 to 15 mph over the speed limit. Fines up to $500 may be assessed for the most egregious speeders.

Under AB645, low-income drivers can receive reduced fees. The legislation also requires that only the rear license plate of speeding vehicles will be captured along with strict data policies.

Officials said the speed cameras are expected to be installed before the end of 2025. A public education campaign about the cameras is expected to start by late summer.

• Oakland