NY MTA to install cameras on buses for bus lane traffic enforcement

MTA New York City Transit announced plans to purchase an automated mobile camera system on buses to capture real-time bus lane violations as the agency and New York City’s Department of Transportation step up combined enforcement efforts to increase bus speeds and keep traffic moving on congested city streets.

As part of NYC Transit’s plans to modernize the bus fleet and speed up bus rides, NYC Transit will install an Automated Bus Lane Enforcement (ABLE) system on 123 buses serving some Select Bus Service routes in Manhattan and Brooklyn. The ABLE system will be used for a pilot program to evaluate the efficacy of automated enforcement of bus lanes and its effect on bus speeds and travel times.

The ABLE system captures the license plate information, photos and videos, as well location and timestamp information, of vehicles obstructing bus lanes to document clear cases of bus lane violation. The system collects multiple pieces of evidence to ensure that vehicles making permitted turns from bus lanes are not ticketed. This information is transmitted to NYCDOT for review and processing.

NYC Transit is working with NYCDOT and NYPD to increase bus lane enforcement in highly congested areas, with results so far yielding faster bus speeds by as much as 17% on a portion of Fifth Avenue and 30% near the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel’s Manhattan approach.

Other strategies include:

• Redesigning the entire bus network borough by borough to better meet customer needs,
• Installing traffic signal priority technology,
• Implementing enhanced street designs such as bus lanes and boarding areas for faster bus pull-outs, and
• Deploying new modern buses with better reliability and customer amenities.