Fines start at $50 and rise to $250 for repeat offenders
623 buses on 14 routes have automated camera surveillance
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) today began issuing fines to vehicles blocking bus stops or double parking. Fines start at $50 and rise to as much as $250 for repeat offenders. This is in addition to existing measures against vehicles blocking bus lanes on 14 bus routes equipped with automatic camera surveillance (ACE) systems that capture vehicles violating bus lane and bus stop rules, as well as real-time double parking in four boroughs, with Staten Island to be added later this year.
Frank Annicaro, senior vice president of buses for New York City Transit, rode the M34 Select Bus Service (SBS) from 11th to 5th Avenues today and, in one case, got off the bus to personally tell a driver who was blocking the bus to move on.
When surveillance cameras are activated, speeds in bus lanes increase by an average of 5%, accidents are 20% fewer and emissions are reduced by an estimated 5-10%. Only 9% of drivers commit another bus lane violation after being fined. All 623 buses on the 14 routes currently equipped with bus lane monitoring technology now have an enhanced ability to monitor bus stops and double parking.
Monitoring vehicles parked at bus stops helps ensure buses can pull up to the curb so all passengers can safely board and disembark, including those using wheelchairs or walkers and strollers or carts. ACE builds on the many accessibility improvements New York City Transit has made to its bus fleet since 1993, when it became the first major public transit agency with a 100% wheelchair accessible fleet.
The ACE program is managed in partnership with the New York City Department of Transportation (NYCDOT) and the New York City Department of Finance (NYCDOF). Once the cameras capture the data, it is transmitted to the NYCDOT, where it is reviewed and processed. Since 2019, the NYCDOT has issued 438,660 notices of violations. By the end of 2024, 1,023 ACE-equipped buses will be on the road on 33 routes.
Each corridor with active ACE camera surveillance is marked with signs indicating that these routes are monitored by cameras.
