The Metropolitan Transportation Authority on Thursday said two more Brooklyn bus routes will be equipped with Automated Camera Enforcement, allowing the city to ticket the owners of vehicles illegally parked in a bus lanes.
The B11 and B63 will now be ACE equipped, targeting vehicles improperly using busways and bus lanes, blocking bus stops, or illegally double parked. Vehicle owners will receive warning notices in the mail for an initial period of 60 days followed by summonses thereafter. Summonses start at $50 and escalate to $250 for repeat violators.
More than 1,400 buses are now ACE equipped covering 545 miles of routes and benefiting over 840,000 daily customers. Currently, the B25, B26, B35, B41, B42, B44-SBS, B46-SBS, B62, B82-SBS lines are ACE equipped.
Bus routes equipped with automated enforcement on average have increased speeds by 5% with some corridors seeing gains as high as 30%. These routes have also experienced a 20% reduction in collisions; and 5% to 10% estimated reduction in emissions. There has also been a 40% reduction in bus stops being blocked by vehicles on ACE routes. Only 12% of drivers commit more than two bus lane violations after being fined.
The ACE program is administered in partnership with the city Department of Transportation and the city Department of Finance. Once violations are captured by cameras on multiple buses, the resulting video, images, license plate information, location, and time stamp details are then securely transmitted to DOT for review by city employees and processing thereafter.
The 60-day warning period will begin on Monday, Nov. 10.
