The MTA is hoping buses themselves will catch people driving into their lanes.
The transit agency announced a pilot program Tuesday to install cameras on New York City buses in an attempt to capture people driving into bus lanes in real-time, looking to keep traffic moving on congested city streets.
Transit workers are slated to install cameras, which will capture drivers' license plates and issue tickets, this year on 123 buses on three routes in Manhattan and Brooklyn:
- The B44 Select Bus Service (SBS) on Nostrand Avenue
- The M15 SBS on First and Second Avenues
- The future M14 SBS on 14th Street
Implementing the camera system will cost $6.2 million. The MTA had previously tested bus lane enforcement cameras.
This comes just months after Mayor Bill de Blasio said the city police department would begin cracking down on vehicles illegally parked in bus lanes.
Back in 2012, the NYPD issued 7,756 summonses for bus lane violations. But enforcement plummeted, and in 2017 there were only 2,020 tickets written.
The mayor said he would try to turn things around by having seven new police tow truck teams fan out across the city to ensure bus lanes are kept clear for buses.
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