On November 9, I wrote a post entitled NYC Bus Lane Cameras Coming discussing how the MTA was going to install surveillance cameras on NYC bus lanes, record license plates of cars that illegally cross into them, and issue tickets to violators. These tickets will be a whopping $115 (much more than the $50 fine for tickets issued by red light cameras).
Well these cameras are now installed and will be operational this week on the East Side of Manhattan. Bus lanes on First and Second Avenue will be the first to be enforced with cameras. You can bet that many more bus lane cameras will be coming soon.
Motorists are allowed to use a bus lane only for permitted right turns and expeditious passenger pick ups or drop offs.
A bus lane camera ticket is like a parking ticket (i.e., no points and no driving record consequences). If a police officer issues a bus lane ticket, it also carries no points but will appear on your driver ‘s license (occasionally, police officers issue these tickets under VTL 1110a – disobey a traffic control device – which carries 2 points).
I hope the cameras are catching the slew of arrrogant yellow cab and private limo black Lincoln Towncar drivers who still blatantly cruise in the bus lanes in an attempt to outrun traffic in the other lanes. I’ve personally witnessed this on numerous occasions on 5th Ave and the general attitude of these drivers simply shows their lack of obeying traffic laws. If the city starts cracking down on these crazy and arrogant cab drivers, it will generate a lot of revenue.
Roger,
These cameras will catch anyone. I am sure the livery drivers will learn quickly about them and start to obey them.
This is an unfinished thought, but,
what reason would a bus have to EVER leave those lanes?
Because if there isn’t any, then they could’ve just put up those skinny, flimsy plastic ‘bollards’ that would prevent the vast majority of people from using that lane in the first place.
People make right turns from the ‘next-to-rightmost’ lane all the time; in fact, I think many car drivers and most commercial drivers prefer to do so.
Plastic bollards would be enough to prevent almost any vehicle – that isn’t a bus – from using that lane.
On the other hand, cameras only penalize legally registered vehicles and their drivers.
In other words, I suspect there will be a small demographic who might even feel safer to use the ‘bus lane’ with even greater frequency and audacity than they do now.
Putting a camera in the kitchen doesn’t actually stop a kid from stealing the cookies. Childproofing the cabinets is a better idea, unless you’re hoping to catch the kid red-handed and penalize his allowance.
A Very Quick NYC,
This is actually a really good idea. As long as there were openings for motorists who need to turn at approaching intersections, I think this would work very well. NYC DOT already uses them at various toll plazas to keep motorists from lane jumping so it makes a lot of sense. Of course, it won’t generate any revenue for the City so I am not optimistic that we’ll see the City adopting this solution soon.
Thanks for the idea. Nicely done!