L.A. Metro to launch phase one of its bus lane enforcement pilot program
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (L.A. Metro), in partnership with Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT), has launched phase one of its bus lane enforcement pilot program with an initial 60-day warning and outreach period to capture images with cameras of vehicles illegally parked in bus lanes and at bus stops in real time. Following the initial 60-day warning and outreach period, citations will be issued for bus lane violations.
“Our buses carry hundreds of thousands of people every single day. It’s not fair that a single car blocking a bus lane can hold up a busload of people,” said L.A. Metro Board Chair and LA County Supervisor Janice Hahn. “Those riders deserve to reach their destinations safely and on time. This new ticketing system is important and I hope people don't take the risk and move their cars out of the bus lanes."
Blocking bus lanes and bus stops have a disproportionate impact on bus riders, resulting in bus delays and disruptions. One vehicle can have an outsized burden on the dozens of riders on each bus, resulting in missed transfers and late arrivals.
As part of this initial phase, cameras have been installed on 50 select buses on bus lines 720 servicing Wilshire Blvd. and 212 servicing La Brea. The two cameras, installed behind the windshields of select buses, each serve a different function. One camera uses computer vision to detect vehicles on the roadway and traffic lane lines. When a bus lane or bus stop violation is detected, the second camera records the license plate of the violating vehicle. Then a traffic officer with LADOT will review the evidence and verify the accuracy of the image before issuing a ticket. This automated bus lane and bus stop enforcement technology advances L.A. Metro’s NextGen Bus Plan by ensuring that the agency’s riders experience the benefits of new bus lanes and improves safety and transit reliability.
For the next 60 days, L.A. Metro and LADOT will provide the public with details about the enforcement program, existing parking regulations and the payment options available for low-income persons and will issue non-punitive warnings during this time. Any evidence of a violation captured during the warning period and after will be retained for up to six months from the date the information was first obtained, after which time the information will be destroyed. Images captured by bus-mounted cameras that do not contain evidence of a parking violation occurring in a bus lane or bus stop will be destroyed within 15 days after the information was first obtained.
"Our partnership with [L.A.] Metro to deliver dedicated bus lanes across the city has already improved service reliability for thousands of Angelenos who rely on public transit to get where they need to go every day," said LADOT General Manager Laura Rubio-Cornejo. "This new program will help our officers ensure we continue to realize those benefits as we expand bus lanes to additional routes across our transportation system."
As part of phase two of this pilot program, cameras will be installed on select buses along lines 910 and 950 that serve the Silver Line and line 70 serving Olive Street/Grand Avenue at a date to be announced later.
“800,000-plus daily bus riders deserve fast and reliable transit service and that’s why [L.A.] Metro has invested so much in bus priority lanes on key corridors,” said L.A. Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins. “Our goal is to get our riders where they need to be safely, comfortably and on time and bus lane enforcement is key to realizing that goal.”
