In late June, Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a state omnibus spending bill (Assembly bill: A8433, Senate bill: S6615) that includes a measure allowing the city and Metropolitan Transportation Authority to expand the number of automated cameras enforcing bus-lane rules. The legislation, reported by the Daily News, removes restrictions that limit enforcement cameras to 16 of the nearly 250 routes that traverse the city. The bill will also remove rules that limit the use of the cameras to between 6:00am and 10:00pm. Those caught parking in or obstructing the lanes will be fined $50 fine for the first offense, $100 for the second, $200 for the third and $250 thereafter.
Mayor Bill de Blasio hopes to use the program to deliver on his pledge to increase bus speeds in the city, which are the slowest among the nation’s major cities, averaging just 7 mph. The mayor promised in April to increase speeds 25% within a year and continue accelerating from there, in part by adding 10 to 15 miles of new bus lanes each year. The city plans to enforce those lanes through a dedicated NYPD team that includes seven tow trucks.
Source: Crain’s New York Business
