MAX
COURIER L M BR B G IFE, APRIL 5–11, 2019 25
ON CAMERA: The MTA awarded a $6.2 million contract to a
company that will launch camera enforcement of bus lanes
to ticket drivers who they say slow bus lanes to a crawl.
Photo via Wikimedia Commons
MTA awards $6.2M
contract for bus lane
camera enforcement
BY MARK HALLUM
The Metropolitan
Transportation Authority
has awarded a
$6.2 million contract
to a company that will
launch camera enforcement
of bus lanes to
ticket drivers who they
say slow bus lanes to a
crawl and add to the declining
ridership experienced
by the agency
in recent years.
The crackdown on
drivers is part of the
New York City Transit
President Andy Byford’s
Fast Forward
plan to not only reinvigorate
subway infrastructure,
but make
buses a reliable option
for commuters who may
have lost faith over the
infamously slow pace.
The buses themselves
will be equipped with
the technology to capture
violations in realtime,
the MTA said, and
fi ts Mayor de Blasio’s
initiative to speed up
buses by 25 percent in
two years.
“This advanced automated
camera technology
will make a
real difference toward
clearing the way for our
buses as they navigate
some of the most congested
roadways in the
nation,” MTA Bus Company
President Darryl
Irick said. “Together
with our city partners,
we are prioritizing public
transit on city streets
so that our buses and
our customers spend
less time sitting in traffi
c. We look forward to
putting these cameras
on the road and dedicating
additional capital
funds from congestion
pricing and other
means so we can expand
the program even
further.”
Starting in Manhattan
and Brooklyn,
the MTA will be piloting
the program on 123
vehicles servicing Select
Bus Service routes
in 2019 and 2020. The
technology will collect
enough data to ensure
that drivers making
permitted turns from
bus lanes are not ticketed,
the MTA said. The
data is then transmitted
to city Department
of Transportation for
review and processing.
“We are excited that
the MTA is undertaking
this critical effort
to help keep bus lanes
clear,” city DOT Commissioner
Polly Trottenberg
said. “Earlier
this year, Mayor de Blasio
announced a plan to
speed buses by 25 percent
over the next two
years, and automated
enforcement — where
we hope to see every bus
on every route equipped
— will be one more step
to reach that ambitious
goal.”
Better bus lane enforcement
in congested
areas of Manhattan
have seen increased
speeds of 17 to 30 percent,
according to the
MTA, and de Blasio
announced in January
that cars parked in
bus lanes will be towed
by a special NYPD
task force.