Metro to install cameras on buses aimed at ticketing cars who park in bus lanes
WASHINGTON (FOX 5 DC) - After announcing a crackdown on fare evasion late last year, Metro is taking aim at ticketing another transit problem: clogged bus lanes.
WMATA is preparing a new enforcement program that would ticket people who park in bus lanes during high-traffic hours.
Many bus lanes across the city are supposed to be blocked off for Metro buses during peak traffic times, but people regularly disregard those rules. Now, WMATA is cracking down on the problem with automated bus cameras that can lead to tickets.
Project Clear Lanes was announced Tuesday and is supposed to speed up commute times and benefit Metro bus riders. WMATA says the average Metro bus speed in the district was just under 10 miles per hour last year and has been on a downward trend for 15 years in part due to clogged lanes.
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The plan includes two cameras in the windshield of the Metro bus, one recording video, and the other snapping images of license plates with automated technology. The bus will also have a GPS antenna to confirm the location of the violation.
More than half of Metrobus riders are likely to live in a home without a car compared to the 12% who ride Metro. They’re also more likely to live in households making less than $30,000 a year.
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The Metro board will consider the plan on Friday, and it could be implemented as early as this fall.
Metro will be responsible for procuring the camera technology and transferring the images to the District. DDOT will be responsible for issuing the tickets and collecting fines. Money from the tickets will go to the District, not WMATA directly.