Koreatown, Pico Union and Westlake — some of the densest neighborhoods in Los Angeles — will get several speed cameras this fall as part of a new city pilot program aimed at slowing drivers down.
The program, approved by the Los Angeles City Council last month, is part of a larger rollout of 125 cameras across the city, according to the Los Angeles Department of Transportation. Cameras could start operating as soon as July, but drivers won’t be ticketed right away. Instead, the city will run a 60-day warning period, with fines expected to begin in September.
Officials say the goal is to reduce speeding and improve traffic safety, while also meeting a 2023 state law requiring Los Angeles and several other cities to install automated speed enforcement systems by 2032.
The move comes as traffic safety continues to be a major issue for the city. LA recorded 290 traffic deaths in 2025, down slightly from the year before, according to data from the Los Angeles Police Department.
Where will the speed cameras be installed in Koreatown, Pico Union and Westlake?
In Koreatown, cameras will be located on:
- Wilshire Boulevard between South La Fayette Park Place and South Park View Street, which extends into Westlake
- West 6th Street between South Berendo Street and South Vermont Avenue
- West Olympic Boulevard between Irolo Street and Fedora Street
In Pico Union, cameras will be located on:
- Venice Boulevard between South Normandie Avenue and South Catalina Street
- West Washington Boulevard between South New Hampshire Avenue and South Vermont Avenue
In Westlake, cameras will be located on:
- West 8th Street between South Westmoreland Avenue and South Hoover Street
- West Olympic Boulevard between Elden Avenue and South Hoover Street, near the border of Koreatown
How will the cameras work?
Cameras will snap the back of speeding cars and capture the license plate along with the vehicle’s make and model. Each violation will be recorded with the time, date, and speed. LADOT will then mail a ticket to the car’s registered owner, according to LADOT’s plan.
Fines will depend on how fast someone is driving over the speed limit:
- $50 for 11-15 mph over the limit
- $100 for 16-25 mph over
- $200 for 26 mph over
- Up to $500 for extreme speeding (100+ mph over)
The city says the cameras won’t capture drivers’ faces or rear windshields, and state law bans facial recognition technology.
Before any tickets go out, the system still has to be installed — a process expected to take about three months, from April through July. After that, there will be a 60-day warning period where drivers who speed will only get warnings, not fines. Actual ticketing starts after that window closes.
There’s also a payment alternative for some drivers. The city plans to expand its Community Assistance Parking program so unhoused and low-income residents can do community service instead of paying fines.
How did the city choose where the cameras go?
City transportation officials say the locations were picked using crash data and patterns of speeding across LA, with a focus on streets where serious collisions are more likely. Areas near schools and senior centers were also prioritized.
To avoid concentrating cameras in just a few neighborhoods, LADOT spread them across all 15 city council districts, with each district getting at least eight and no more than nine locations, according to a March memo.
Some residents raised concerns the program could disproportionately impact communities of color. In response, the department said it aimed to distribute cameras more evenly across the city.
State law requires LA to keep track of how the program impacts traffic and residents, including their civil rights.
