PA: Philly drivers who block bus lanes will soon be automatically ticketed, and have to pay a hefty fine

Just one numbskull illegally parking a car in a designated bus lane delays dozens of passengers who get stuck behind it.

To fight back, SEPTA cameras mounted on buses along several high-ridership Center City routes will start to record offenders April 16.

"It's really a congestion-fighting program and the goal is also improved times for buses," said Rich Lazer, executive director of the Philadelphia Parking Authority, which is teaming with SEPTA for the automated enforcement program.

Starting May 7, PPA will fine violators $76 for blocking a bus lane or access to a bus stop. For the first two weeks, vehicle owners will receive warnings.

Initially 153 buses on Routes 17, 21, and 42 in Center City, as well as 30 trolleys, will be outfitted with the cameras, which run on AI technology that maps vehicle positions and documents violations with video and stills.

Few things kill bus schedules like traffic congestion.

Buses navigating Philadelphia traffic average a speed of 8 mph, SEPTA says, slower than the national average of about 14 mph.

Every year, congestion in Center City causes 1.7 million hours of passenger delays and adds $15.4 million to the transit agency's operating costs, according to estimates in a 2019 Econsult Solutions study conducted for SEPTA.

Blockages also have a cascading effect for passengers miles away on a route, as the delays add up and cause bus "bunching." SEPTA believes the problem is existential.

Countless surveys show that transit's frequency, duration, and reliability — not its cost — are the qualities that passengers most weigh when decide whether to take the bus.

"In a city where 42% of Black residents and 50% of impoverished households do not own a car, efficient public transit is paramount to creating a strong transportation network that better provides economic opportunity for all," said Christopher Puchalsky, director of policy and strategic projects for the city's Office of Transportation and Infrastructure Systems.

In addition, both lane blocking and impeding access to bus stop zones makes boarding or getting off the buses more dangerous for passengers, and nearly impossible for people who use wheelchairs or have other mobility challenges.

Initially the program will cost $383,385 per month. The PPA board of directors approved a contract with Hayden AI, in January, to lease the technology at a fixed monthly fee of $2,095 per camera; that covers installation, operation, and maintenance.

SEPTA, OTIS, and PPA have been working together for about five years to get automated bus lane enforcement off the ground. Use of the cameras was authorized in a 2023 ordinance written by Councilmember Mark Squilla, which passed unanimously.

SEPTA used the AI cameras to record 36,392 instances of illegally parked vehicles blocking Center City bus-only lanes and bus stops in West Philadelphia and Upper Darby during a 70-day trial in spring 2023.

Currently, enforcement depends on a parking officer observing a violation while on patrol.

"These [lanes] are going to be constantly monitored now," Lazer said. "It's a better enforcement system, we're not playing the 'gotcha' game."

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