Buses on three more Manhattan and Bronx routes are now equipped with cameras to catch drivers improperly using bus lanes, according to the MTA.
As of July 26, the M100 and M42 bus routes in Manhattan, and the Bx5 bus in the Bronx, are now outfitted with automated camera enforcement (ACE) technology. Vehicles that improperly use the bus lanes, block bus stops or double park on these routes will receive summonses.
Fines start at $50 but can be as much as $250 for repeat offenders.
The three routes are in addition to the 39 routes now enforced. The MTA said more than 1,200 buses are now ACE equipped, covering 510 miles of streets within the city.
At least in part, the cameras are being used to speed up buses in a city where they move an average of 8 mph. Routes that use ACE have bus speeds increased by 5% with some corridors seeing travel time jump as high as 30%, according to the MTA.
The agency touts fewer collisions and a reduction in emissions on ACE routes.
The ACE program is administered in partnership with the NYC Department of Transportation (DOT) and the NYC Department of Finance. Once automatically captured by cameras on multiple buses, the resulting video, images, license plate information, location, and time stamp details are sent to DOT for review by city employees and processed thereafter, the MTA explained.
Corridors that use ACE are marked with signs indicating that the bus routes use the camera technology. More information is at mta.info/ace.
