New York City’s buses are the slowest in the United States and the city, the state, as well as the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) are working to fix that. As part of the New York State budget, the use of automated cameras that can ticket bad drivers from buses will be expanded.
The MTA started installing cameras on the front of its buses in 2019, as part of the Automated Bus Lane Enforcement (ABLE) campaign. Initially, the cameras were used to take photos of vehicles parked in, or otherwise blocking, bus lanes, which would eventually lead to tickets being sent out through the mail.
And the measure has been a success. New York City Transit President Richard Davey says that customer surveys showed that wait times and reliability were rising since the introduction of ABLE cameras.
“With more cameras on our bus lanes, the better our message gets across—bus lanes are for buses,” said Davey. “Bus customers have been asking for better speeds and shorter wait times and bus lane enforcement cameras have repeatedly proven an effective tool in improving bus service, a fundamental initiative of our Faster, Cleaner, Safer plan.”
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Better still, the MTA reports that 80 percent of drivers who get one ticket, never get another. That suggests that the simple act of enforcing the rules is convincing New Yorkers to follow them, freeing up bus lanes for buses.
Now, New York wants to expand the use of the ABLE cameras even further. First, MTA wants the number of cameras to rise from 450 today to 1,000 by 2024. The organization also wants to make buses enforce more rules, reports Hell Gate NYC.
Since the cameras are there anyway, they will start handing out tickets to drivers who block a bus stop, a bike lane, or a crosswalk. Fines start at $50, but they can go up to $250 for drivers who get multiple tickets in a single 12-month period.
The move aims to improve bus service in the city, and to thereby encourage more people to use public transit, taking more cars off New York’s busy streets, and helping everyone get to their destination faster.