LONG BEACH, CA — Long Beach officials have released the locations of 18 automated speed safety cameras planned for installation across the city as part of a new five-year pilot program aimed at reducing speeding and preventing serious crashes.
The locations are detailed in the city's Speed Safety System Impact Report, which outlines where the cameras are expected to be installed and why each site was selected. The program is authorized under California Assembly Bill 645, which allows six jurisdictions statewide to use automated speed enforcement in school zones and on high-injury streets.
The planned camera locations include portions of Long Beach Boulevard, Ocean Boulevard, Seventh Street, Anaheim Street, Artesia Boulevard, Pacific Avenue, Atlantic Avenue, Bellflower Boulevard, Cherry Avenue, Shoreline Drive, Santa Fe Avenue, Second Street and Willow Street.
Under state law, the cameras may only be placed on designated safety corridors, in school zones or at locations with documented histories of street racing or speed exhibitions. Public Works said the sites were selected using those criteria while also ensuring geographic and socioeconomic diversity throughout the city.
The report highlights the safety concerns behind several of the selected corridors. The Pacific Avenue segment between Willow Street and Pacific Coast Highway recorded seven fatal and 11 severe-injury crashes during the study period, while Long Beach Boulevard between Artesia Boulevard and 70th Street was associated with 41 reported street racing or speed exhibition incidents in 2022 and 2023.
Drivers will not receive tickets immediately. The program will begin with a 60-day warning period during which motorists detected traveling at least 11 mph over the posted speed limit will receive warning notices instead of fines. After the warning period ends, drivers cited for a first violation of 11 to 15 mph over the speed limit will also receive a warning rather than a financial penalty.
Once citation enforcement begins, civil penalties will range from $50 for driving 11 to 15 mph over the speed limit to $500 for vehicles traveling 100 mph or faster. Because the violations are civil, they will not add points to a driver's record.
The Department of Public Works is responsible for administering the program. According to the report, the automated system photographs only the rear of a vehicle and its license plate, not the driver or passengers, and citation information will not be shared with the Long Beach Police Department or other law enforcement agencies except as required by law.
Public Works estimates the Speed Safety System will cost about $1.77 million a year to operate, with an additional $110,000 in one-time startup costs. Citation revenue must first be used to cover the program's operating costs, with any remaining funds dedicated to traffic-calming and roadway safety improvements.
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