The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) announced on August 15th that starting next Monday, August 19th, fines will be imposed on vehicles illegally parked in bus lanes and double-parked vehicles. The fines for repeat offenders will start at $50 and can go up to $250.
Prior to this, within the first 60 days of the launch of the Automated Camera Enforcement (ACE) program installed on buses, drivers would receive warning notices. However, MTA announced on Thursday that starting next Monday (the 19th), drivers will no longer receive warnings and will instead receive mailed summonses. In addition, cameras enforcing bus lane violations on 14 bus routes can now capture violations of bus lane and bus stop rules, as well as double-parked vehicles in real-time across four boroughs.
The cameras on buses capture the license plate numbers of the offending vehicles, record the location and time of the violation, and send the footage to the Department of Transportation for review, followed by the issuance of fines to the vehicle owners by the New York City Department of Finance.
In a statement, MTA officials said that with the activation of the enforcement cameras, bus lane speeds increase by an average of 5%, collisions decrease by 20%, and emissions are expected to decrease by 5% to 10%; the vast majority of drivers do not repeat violations after being fined, with only 9% of drivers reoccupying bus lanes after being fined. Currently, all 623 buses on the 14 bus lines are equipped with this lane enforcement technology, enhancing their ability to enforce bus lane and double-parking violations.
Officials hope that fines will deter drivers from breaking the rules and improve customer commuting times.
“New Yorkers should have buses that can keep up with the hustle and bustle of this city’s center,” said Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez. “We know that automated enforcement changes driver behavior, (but) over 80% of bus lane blockers had never received a ticket before. The warning period has ended, and now is the time to establish faster, safer bus routes in all five boroughs.”
MTA stated that the 14 bus routes covered by the Automated Camera Enforcement program span Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, and the Bronx, with each route clearly marked indicating the presence of cameras for enforcement and their enforcement times. These routes include B44 SBS, B46 SBS, Bx12 SBS, Bx19, B62, Bx41 SBS, Bx36, M14 SBS, M15 SBS, M23 SBS, M34 SBS, Q44 SBS, Q54, and Q58.