Transit Lane Enforcement

[daveklepper]

Third Activation of 2023, 19th Overall

 

NYCDOT to Issue Warning Notices to Violators for First 60 Days of Implementation

 

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) today announced the activation

 

of automated bus lane enforcement (ABLE) cameras on the Q58 bus route in Queens,

 

the second busiest bus route in the city last year. ABLE cameras capture drivers

 

violating bus lane rules in real-time and is aimed at deterring motorists from blocking

 

these lanes to improve bus service and reduce crashes. Average daily ridership on

 

 the Q58 is 28,700, as the route carried 6.7 million riders

 

by the end of 2022.

 

 

Based on May 2023 data, the average speed on the Q58 is 7.6 mph, 10 percent slower

 

than the average Queens Local or Limited route. ABLE enforced routes have seen

 

 improvement of speeds of approximately 5 percent, with an average 20 percent

 

decrease in collisions, and most motorists who receive a notice or violation are unlikely

 

to become repeat offenders. Based on previous data collected, only 7 percent of

 

drivers receive more than two summonses for violating the rules of a bus lane.

 

This is indicative of ABLE cameras’ effectiveness in influencing driver behavior”

 

Additionally, since implementation in October 2019, New York City Department of

 

Transportation (NYC DOT) has issued 269,000 violations. As the program expanded to

 

more routes, 84,000 violations have been issued between January and May 2023,

 

making up for about a third of the total in just five months. With the activation on this

 

 route, the MTA will have 555 buses equipped with ABLE cameras on 19 routes across

 

Brooklyn, Manhattan, the Bronx, Staten Island and Queens. Locations were determined

 

to maximize the length of bus lanes covered, balance distribution between boroughs,

 

 address some of the newer bus lanes, and incorporate input from the MTA and NYCDOT

 

on known locations with issues.

 

Upon implementation of ABLE cameras on the Q58, NYCDOT will issue warning notices

 

 to motorists for the first 60 days, in accordance with State law, to ensure drivers are

 

informed about the program before any fines are levied. Each bus lane corridor with

 

ABLE camera coverage has signage indicating the hours that the bus lanes are operable

 

and advises drivers that the lanes are camera-enforced. Drivers who violate these rules

 

during enforcement periods are subject to a summons, with fines beginning at $50

and escalating, for repeat offenders, up to $250.