Long Beach has activated 18 speed cameras in an effort to curb dangerous driving, beginning a 60-day warning period before civil fines are introduced.
The automated speed enforcement system went live on Wednesday, October 7, with warnings being issued to drivers recorded travelling at least 11mph above the posted limit. Fines are due to begin on December 8.
The rollout follows a particularly deadly year on the roads. Long Beach recorded 53 fatal traffic collisions in 2025, the highest total in more than a decade, according to city officials.
Mayor Rex Richardson said the programme was intended to alter driving habits and reduce serious and fatal crashes.
“We want to slow down. Every small reduction in speeds significantly lowers risks,” Mr Richardson said. He added that the city ultimately wanted to see “zero violations and ultimately zero traffic deaths”.
How Long Beach speed cameras will work
The devices will activate when a vehicle is travelling 11mph or more above the speed limit and will capture an image of the vehicle’s rear number plate. The system does not use continuous video, photograph drivers’ faces or employ facial-recognition technology.
Long Beach’s Department of Public Works will oversee the programme, with the equipment supplied and operated by Verra Mobility. The city says the cameras are not automated number plate recognition systems and that information will not be shared with the police or other law-enforcement agencies for unrelated purposes.
Images that do not lead to a citation must be destroyed within five working days, under the city’s published data policy. Locations will also be marked with warning signs and speed-feedback signs to alert motorists before they reach a device.
Once the warning period ends, the civil penalties will range from $50 for driving 11 to 15mph over the limit to $500 for speeds of 100mph or more. Other fines will be $100 for 16 to 25mph over and $200 for 26mph or more.
The penalties will not add points to a driving licence or affect a motorist’s driving record. Drivers who did not receive a warning during the initial 60 days may also receive a warning for their first offence at between 11 and 15mph over the limit.
The city estimates the programme could generate about $5 million a year in citation revenue. Roughly half is expected to cover administration, while remaining funds must be directed towards traffic-calming and other road-safety improvements.
The scheme has attracted both support and criticism from residents. Supporters say speeding has made some streets feel like motorways and that stronger measures are needed after the number of deaths, while opponents have questioned whether the cameras could become a revenue-raising exercise and raised concerns about privacy.
Mr Richardson said the purpose of the system was to reduce speeding rather than increase income, with the city hoping the number of citations would fall as motorists changed their behaviour.
Long Beach has also been authorised to install two further devices along Pacific Coast Highway from January 1, 2027. The additional cameras will operate separately from the 18-device rollout and under the same civil-penalty and privacy rules.
