LA's new speed cameras: What to know

This morning, L.A. is turning to technology to make streets safer. The city's new automated speed camera system goes online this morning. Gigi Gracietta is live in Van Nuys with more on what drivers need to know. Good morning, Gigi. Good morning. There will be a total of 125 speed check cameras installed all over the city of L.A., including right here in Van Nuys on Victory between Kester and Cedros. We've been watching this light and we just saw it flash. There's no traffic coming right now, but we did see it go off a couple of times, although it appears as unactivated on the map. Not all of them will be working today. So I guess it's just safer to assume that they're all working and not think that maybe one isn't and you're speeding right by. Take a look. The citywide system scheduled to be up and running by the end of the year with the first cameras going online today, as you mentioned. officials saying that speeding remains one of the biggest factors in deadly crashes in the city of Los Angeles. In 2024 alone, about one in five fatal crashes involved speeding. Now, the pilot program is designed to curb dangerous driving on streets identified by the city with the highest rate of speeding and speed-related crashes. The analysis also considered locations near schools, senior centers and unmarked crosswalks with the city saying the program has worked well in other cities like San Francisco, for example. Now we spoke to folks and they have mixed feelings. Some are really concerned about their privacy being invaded while others say they support the idea. See? Yeah, I know like when I pass by here every day to go to gym, it's flashing every few minutes. It is a great idea, honestly. Yeah, I mean, it's safer. I think it's very disturbing to have another high tech surveillance device on the street. They said it's just for speeders. Yes, they do. But of course, that was the thing with the Flock. Suddenly the data is there to be accessed by all sorts of people. Now there is a 60 day warning period when enforcement starts on a particular camera. And during that window, drivers going 11 miles per hour or more over the speed limit will get a warning notice. But then, after the 60-day warning period, fines will range from $50 to $500. It just depends on how many miles over the speed limit the camera clocks you at. Bringing it back here live, victory in Van Nuys between Cedros and Kester. We found one of the cameras. We've seen it flashing a couple of times, but on the map, it appears as unactivated yet. So So it's really hard to tell which ones are working, which ones are just being tested, and which ones are completely up and running. But when all is said and done, 125 of them all over the city of Los Angeles in this five-year trial period at a cost to the city of over $38 million. Reporting live, I'm Gigi Graciette. Back to you. Really quickly, Gigi, curious to know, because the point of all this is to get people to slow down. as they're approaching these speed zones, is it well marked so people can see that this is going to be a speed enforcement zone and they know to slow it down? Otherwise, you'll get caught on one of these cameras. We haven't seen the markings here, but to, whoa, there goes that guy. Whoa, I heard that one. You know, here in the San Fernando Valley, the east-west streets are particularly notorious for speeding, for racing, for street takeovers, And sadly, for fatal crashes, we have covered a multitude on Van Owen, on Victory, on Sherman Way, on Burbank Boulevard. They're just wide open boulevards, even that truck's going too fast, probably faster than 35 mile an hour. We haven't seen the markings just yet. We don't know. Since these cameras, I don't think they're completely activated yet. We don't see any street sign that warns there's a speed camera up ahead. And it's interesting because remember the red light cameras, obviously they were at the red lights on the corner at the intersection. These are in the middle. I'm gonna step out and just leave you with this live look. These are in the middle of the block. So you might not be expecting a speed camera in the middle of a block. That's right. Yeah, that's right. Good point. All right. Thank you, Gigi. Thanks.