TO: HONORABLE MAYOR
AND CITY COUNCIL
FROM: John Ristow
SUBJECT: See Below DATE: October 24, 2024
Approved
Date:
10/25/24
COUNCIL DISTRICT: Citywide
SUPPLEMENTAL
SUBJECT: Speed Safety System Use Policy and Speed Safety System Pilot Program Impact Report Adoption
REASON FOR SUPPLEMENTAL
The primary memorandum provides a recommendation to the City Council to adopt the Speed Safety System Use Policy and the Speed Safety System Pilot Program Impact Report in accordance with requirements set forth in Assembly Bill 645. The purpose of this supplemental memorandum is to seek a delegation of authority approval for the City Manager or her designee to award and execute an agreement as set forth in the Request for Proposal process to ensure that the City of San José can efficiently deploy and begin piloting this new system as quickly as possible.
RECOMMENDATION
(a) Adopt the Speed Safety System Pilot Use Policy and the Speed Safety System Impact Report in accordance with requirements set forth in Assembly Bill 645.
(b) Adopt a resolution authorizing the City Manager or her designee to award, negotiate, and execute an agreement for speed safety camera systems to be deployed citywide to a responsive, responsible bidder in an amount not to exceed $16,000,000, subject to the appropriation of funds.
COUNCIL AGENDA: 10/29/24
FILE: 24-2125
ITEM: 5.1
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
October 24, 2024
Subject: Speed Safety System Use Policy and Speed Safety System Pilot Program Impact Report Adoption
BACKGROUND
In October 2023, the California State Legislature passed Assembly Bill 645, granting the City of San José the authority to pilot an automated speed safety system. As one of only six cities selected for this pilot, San José is authorized to establish and operate a Speed Safety System Pilot Program under specific conditions and guidelines outlined in the bill. The pilot program is authorized to operate for a maximum of five years and must sunset by January 1, 2032. The introduction of speed cameras through the pilot program will play a crucial role in addressing traffic safety issues by automatically detecting and issuing citations for speeding vehicles, thereby promoting safer driving behaviors and protecting the lives of all who use City roadways.
ANALYSIS
Since the passage of Assembly Bill 645, the San José Department of Transportation (DOT) has been laying the groundwork for establishing and deploying the pilot program.
Two new positions dedicated to the program were approved and the department is recruiting for these roles. In the meantime, existing staff have been managing the program in addition to their traditional responsibilities. This work has included analyzing over 1,500 traffic studies to extract speed and volume data, drafting the Speed Safety System Use Policy and Speed Safety System Pilot Program Impact Report, and engaging with pilot cities and other municipalities within the United States to discuss implementation strategies and learn from their experiences. Staff also collaborated with the City Attorney's Office to ensure a thorough understanding of the bill’s legal requirements and conducted early rounds of stakeholder engagement.
Most notably, DOT devoted significant staff time to apply for a federal Safe Streets for All grant, resulting in the award of $8.5 million which will fund most of the initiative but adds certain provisions and requirements to the procurement process. Staff is currently working on a speed camera safety system equipment and related services request for proposal and will release it shortly after the adoption of the Speed Safety System Use Policy and Speed Safety System Pilot Program Impact Report which is to be adopted in the preceding City Council action. Table 1 below is the preliminary estimated timeline identifying the typical procurement process and milestones.
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
October 24, 2024
Subject: Speed Safety System Use Policy and Speed Safety System Pilot Program Impact Report Adoption
Table 1 – Speed Safety System Pilot Program Project Initial Timeline Milestones Timeline
Request for proposal (4-6 weeks posting, includes holidays) Nov/Dec 2024 Select vendor, Notice of Intent to Award, and 10-day protest period March 2025 Negotiate contract April 2025
Award contract May 2025
Execute contract June 2025*
Kick off and finalize locations July 2025*
Install / 30-day public information campaign period Fall 2025*
A typical City Council award process adds approximately six weeks to the procurement timeline due to the staff work required to finalize accepted bids, draft required memos, and meet Brown Act posting timelines. DOT may seek delegated authority from the City Council to allow the City Manager or her designee to award projects that would typically come to City Council for approval/adoption.
For the Speed Safety System Pilot, delegated authority to the City Manager could reduce the implementation timeline by six to eight weeks resulting in the revised timeline shown below in Table 2, which also includes shortening the Request for Proposal timeline.
Table 2 – Speed Safety System Pilot Program Project Revised Timeline Milestones Timeline
Request for proposal (4-6 weeks posting, includes holidays) Nov/Dec 2024 Select vendor, Notice of Intent to Award, and 10-day protest period January 2025 Award Contract February 2025
Execute contract March 2025
Kick off and finalize locations April 2025
Install / 30-day public information campaign period Spring 2025
DOT will work to further maximize opportunities to expedite the process within the confines of Assembly Bill 645 and federal grant requirements, which will most likely occur in the proposal evaluation, award, and execution phases of the request for proposal sequence. It should be noted that in the event something unexpected occurs in the Request for Proposal process, such as a protest, these timelines will be extended.
In addition, cameras will be installed as they are ready, which could be earlier than anticipated.
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
October 24, 2024
Subject: Speed Safety System Use Policy and Speed Safety System Pilot Program Impact Report Adoption
COST SUMMARY/IMPLICATIONS
DOT estimates that one-time and ongoing costs for a five-year Speed Safety System Pilot Program will range from approximately $15-$18 million, subject to the appropriation of funds, to cover the implementation of the program and staff to manage the program. It is anticipated that a portion of program costs may be recovered through citation revenues; however, the percentage of cost recovery will depend on a variety of factors, including overall citation fine amounts and issuance, citation payment rates, and eligibility/participation in fine reduction and diversion programs. Estimated cost breakdown for a full scope five-year pilot program for 33 speed safety systems includes the following listed below.
• $3.15 million for staffing.
• $10-12.5 million for equipment, installation, and operations. • $1.25 million for citation processing, appeal, and review process. • $1 million for signage, web services, community engagement, etc.
In May 2024, DOT was awarded $8.5 million from the Safe Streets for All federal grant program. The funding will be used for speed camera implementation, public outreach and community engagement activities, data collection and analysis, and racial and socioeconomic equity studies. Additionally, $2.4 million of Capital Improvement has been programmed to cover local match grant requirements and $415,000 of General Fund money has been programmed to support program staffing needs. Future costs outside of the Adopted 2025-2029 Capital Improvement Program needed to fund the speed camera software, hardware, maintenance, and support will be identified and included in future Capital Improvement Program development.
COORDINATION
This supplemental memorandum was coordinated with the City Attorney’s Office and the City Manager’s Budget Office.
CEQA
Categorically Exempt, File No. ER23-009, CEQA Guideline Section 15301 Existing Facilities.
/s/
JOHN RISTOW
Director, Department of Transportation
For questions, please contact Heather Hoshii, Deputy Director, with the DOT, at [email protected]
.