Bus Cameras Focus On Drivers Blocking Brooklyn Lanes, MTA Says

BROOKLYN, NEW YORK — The MTA says car-zapping bus cameras will speed up two Brooklyn bus routes as it expands a new program caught more than 1,500 vehicles blocking bus lanes in just 10 days.

New bus-mounted cameras on the B44 Select Bus Service route will begin snapping photos of cars in dedicated bus lanes used by the B44 and B49 bus routes on Wednesday, the MTA announced.

“For the first time in our history we can help NYCDOT and the NYPD enforce traffic laws that directly affect our service,” said Acting MTA Bus Company President Craig Cipriano.

“We now have an unprecedented level of focus and enforcement efforts to make transit priority such as dedicated bus lanes even more effective, which means faster rides for everyone.”

The new Automated Bus Lane Enforcement systems on 33 B44 Select Bus Service buses will monitor cars in the dedicated bus lanes on Bedford, Rogers and Nostrand avenues, which are also used by the B44 and B49 local routes, officials said.

The bus route — which connects Williamsburg to Sheepshead Bay through Bed-Stuy, Crown Heights, Flatbush and Midwood —is used by about 37,000 riders making it Brooklyn's second busiest bus route.

ABLE cameras capture evidence — license plate information, photos and videos — of vehicles obstructing bus lanes which will be sent to the city's Department of Transportation for review and a possible ticket for the driver.

Drivers breaking the rules — remaining in a bus lane without turning right or blocking the bus lane for at least two buses — will receive a warning without a fine during a 60-day grace period beginning Wednesday.

When the grace period ends, drivers will face $50 fines for a first offense, $100 for a second, $150 for a third and $200 for a fourth, the MTA said.

The bus camera program will expand to Manhattan's M14 SBS by the end of November and the MTA's proposed 2020-2024 Capital Plan includes $85 million for further expansion.

"The B44 SBS is Brooklyn’s second-busiest bus route — but one that can and should move even faster,” said DOT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg. “[Cameras will] help ensure that drivers do not stop in the bus lanes along this critical corridor for anything other than expedited pick-ups and drop-offs."