Speed Cameras Get Green Light From Privacy Committee

It was a small step for legislation, a huge win for roadway safety. Yesterday, the Privacy and Consumer Protection Committee of the California State Assembly passed AB 342: the Safe Streets Act of 2017. As previously discussed on this blog, the legislation, authored by David Chiu, would enact a five-year pilot program allowing the cities of San Francisco and San Jose to use speed safety cameras in select areas. This is a crucial tool in our fight against the rising tide of bicyclist and pedestrian fatalities.Silicon Valley legislators were vital in moving the bill forward. Many thanks to Assemblymembers Ash Kalra and Marc Berman, who were both yes votes. We also appreciate the amazing effort put in by Assemblymember Chiu & his staff, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, and the San Jose Department of Transportation. A special thanks goes to the members of San Francisco Bay Area Families for Safe Streets, many of whom travelled to Sacramento recently to share their personal stories of loss with policy makers – an incredibly difficult task, but one that was necessary to convey the importance of this legislation. And we could not have gotten to this point without those of you who wrote and called your state legislators in support of this game-changing policy. Thank you!The next fight is the Assembly Transportation Committee, which will vote on AB 342 next Monday, 4/24. You can help us with this campaign! Assemblymember Berman (District 24) is also on the Transportation Committee. Contact him to thank him for his previous vote and encourage him to continue his support:Assemblymember Marc Berman(916) 319-2024Assemblymember.Berman@assembly.ca.govSilicon Valley Assemblymember Kansen Chu (District 25) also serves on the transportation committee. Contact him and let him know that you support AB 342 (Chiu) and would like him to vote in favor of safer streets:Assemblymember Kansen Chu(916) 319-2025Assemblymember.Chu@assembly.ca.gov