Here's what SF will do with the millions of dollars it could generate with speed camera citations

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- San Francisco is getting closer to turning on all the 56 high speed safety cameras at its 33 locations. Right now, only 18 of those locations have cameras that are on. We asked Mayor Daniel Lurie for an update.

"We hope and plan to have them all up and running by early June. We have talked to PG&E. We have talked to SFMTA. The delays in my mind are unacceptable. We're working hard to address it and to move with speed on that," said Mayor Lurie.

During Tuesday's SFMTA board meeting, the agency's director confirmed a resolution to the power issue that was holding them back.

"We got some great news this morning from PG&E. They have given us preliminary approvals for the speed cameras that haven't yet being activated," said Julie Kirschbaum, SFMTA director.

Supervisor Myrna Melgar is the chair of the San Francisco County Transportation Authority.

RELATED: Here's why SF's new speed cameras are still not fully operational

Luz Pena: "How were these issues resolved with PG&E?"
Supervisor Melgar: "Well, it is like any other bureaucracy just an issue of permitting. Because this is a new thing, there isn't already a process that is set in place. We in San Francisco are in the forefront at some of the new tools, so we are paving the way."

Since the installation of the cameras back in March, SFMTA has been collecting data and giving out warning notices.

"We issued more than 30,000 warnings in April. Warnings are issued for speeds 11 miles per hour above the posted speed limits. The intersections with the most warnings were Fulton Street between Arguello Street and 2nd Street where we've had more than 900 warnings a day," said Kirschbaum.

The warning violations are categorized as non-moving infractions which will not be added to people's driving records.

"The idea behind this isn't to collect money from people or to punish them with tickets. It's to ask people to change their behaviors," said Viktoriya Wise, streets director for SFMTA.

RELATED: SF speed cameras now in use; warnings to be given out for 2 months before citations

But SFMTA will gain revenue from these cameras.

Let's break it down: if 31,000 warnings turn into speeding citations, that could potentially translate to around $1.5 million of citations issued each month, and around $18 million a year.

SFMTA is facing a $320 million budget deficit for 2026-2027 fiscal year.

Luz Pena: "What is that revenue going to be used for?"
Viktoriya Wise: "That is a great question. We are focused on slowing folks down. We have a number of tools in our pocket that we used for speed management."

SFMTA said that the state requires all revenue the city generates with these cameras to be reinvested into safety improvements on city streets.

SFMTA also confirmed all the cameras will be on by June and by August citations will begin.