The MTA started handing out warnings to drivers on Monday along several bus routes with Automated Camera Enforcement (ACE), which is designed to combat illegal parking or blocking of bus stops.
The 60-day warning period began on Sept. 16 for the Q43 Floral Park—Jamaica in Queens and the Bx28, Bx35, Bx38, B35, B41, B42, M101, S46 and S79-SBS in other boroughs. Buses on these routes are equipped with ACE cameras that automatically detect illegally parked or illegally standing vehicles in bus lanes, capture the license plate numbers, and issue warnings to drivers via mail.
The MTA noted that after the warning period expires 60 days from now, drivers caught illegally parking or obstructing bus stops along the routes will be subjected to costly summonses, starting at $50 for the first offense and increasing to $250 for repeat violators.
ACE is now in effect along 14 bus routes across the city. Buses along these routes actively generate summonses for drivers who are caught blocking or double-parking in bus lanes or bus stops. By the end of September, the MTA indicated that 1,000 buses in its fleet will be equipped with ACE technology.
The MTA says the program, in partnership with the city’s Department of Transportation and the Department of Finance, is already proving effective in improving both bus performance and street safety along the lines where ACE is active. Bus lane speeds have increased by 5% along ACE route, while collisions are down 20%. Moreover, only 9% of drivers caught and fined via ACE have committed a second bus lane violation.
In two weeks, on Sept. 30, the MTA will add ACE technology to 10 more bus routes across the city, and launch another 60-day warning period on that date.
Six of these routes are Select Bus Service (SBS) routes, including the Q53 Woodside – Rockaway in Queens, the B82 in Brooklyn, the Bx6 in the Bronx, and the M60, M79, and M86 in Manhattan. The other routes with a warning period starting on Sept. 30 are the Q5 Rosedale or Green Acres Mall – Jamaica and Q69 Long Island City – Astoria in Queens and B25 and B26 in Brooklyn.
