NYC drivers face fines for double parking and bus lane blocking

NEW YORK - As of today, drivers who double park or block bus lanes will be fined by the MTA. 

Fines start at $50 and scale up to $250 for repeat violators, the MTA said. 

Cars parked on a street in New York, US, on Monday, Aug. 15, 2022. Photographer: Jeenah Moon/Bloomberg via Getty Images

The MTA will also add buses equipped with Automated Camera Enforcement (ACE) that captures vehicles violating bus lanes and bus stop rules, and parking rules in real time across all five boroughs.

Staten Island will get the technology by the end of the year.

How does ACE work? 

The ACE program has been implemented on 623 buses across 14 routes in Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, and the Bronx. 

This system captures cars that violate bus stop rules, which slow down traffic and create safety hazards for riders.

"In addition to targeting the bus lanes, given those who are stopping for an expanded period of time inside of a bus lane it also targets those outside of the bus lanes," said Demetrius Crichlow, the interim president of New York City Transit.

The MTA reports that activating enforcement cameras results in a 5% increase in bus lane speeds, a 20% decrease in collisions, and a 5-10% reduction in emissions on average.

The Department of Transportation announced that for the first 60 days, drivers will receive warning notices before fines are imposed. These fines will range from $50 to $250.

MTA officials said only 9% of drivers commit another bus lane violation after being fined.

List of bus routes with now-enforced ACE cameras:

• B44 SBS
• B46 SBS
• Bx12 SBS
• Bx19
• B62
• Bx41 SBS
• Bx36
• M14 SBS
• M15 SBS
• M23 SBS
• M34 SBS
• Q44 SBS
• Q54
• Q58

The MTA said by the end of 2024, there will be 1,023 ACE equipped buses across 33 routes.