Next week, the MTA will start issuing fines to drivers caught on bus-mounted cameras double parking or stopping their cars at bus stops — expanding the capabilities of its Automated Camera Enforcement Program (ACE).
ACE, an expansion of a similar program only for those parked in bus lanes, has been in effect since June — but until now, the cameras mounted on more than 600 buses across 14 routes have only issued warnings to scofflaw drivers. Starting on Aug. 19, however, those cameras will be issuing fines, aiming to deter the behavior.
On Aug. 15, Frank Annicaro, senior vice president of the buses division of MTA New York City Transit, issued a blunt warning to drivers hoping to avoid getting a ticket.
“Stay out of the way of our buses. Stay out of our bus lanes, do not block our bus stops, do not double-park,” said Annicaro. “When in doubt, you best be sure you’re not blocking a bus route.”
Fines start at $50 for a first violation and escalate up to $250 for repeat offenders. The MTA says only 9% of drivers ever commit another violation after receiving a single fine.
By year’s end, the MTA says ACE will be activated on more than 1,000 buses across 33 routes in all five boroughs.
Rampant illegal parking blocking traffic has helped make MTA buses the slowest of any major city in the nation, averaging a paltry 8.1 mile per hour speed across the network. The MTA says that bus speeds have increased by about 5% when a line is equipped with camera enforcement, while collisions and emissions also see a drop.
But slow speeds are not the only knock-on effect of parking misconduct. Parking at a bus stop can force riders to walk into traffic, while blocking a bike lane can cause cyclists to swerve into traffic.
“We’re forcing our bus riders to step out into traffic to get on the bus, causing an unsafe condition,” said Annicaro. “Now all these people blocking, they’re receiving warnings, but they’re gonna be getting tickets effective Monday.”
The point of the program is not to haul in revenue, but to change driver behavior, said Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez.
“The message is, in order to change the driver behavior, for those people not to get a ticket, they have to be part of the solution,” said Rodriguez. “Not blocking any bus lane.”
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