FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Press Release #16-010
Scott Gastel/Bonny Tsang (212) 839-4850
NYC DOT Begins Camera Enforcement Along 125th Street SBS Route
DOT has now activated cameras along six routes, keeping them clear for buses and reducing commute times for hundreds of thousands of daily bus riders.
The New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) will begin issuing bus lane camera violations along the M60 125th Street Select Bus Service (SBS) route starting Monday, February 1. DOT has been issuing warnings to motorists based on the cameras for more than 60 days. Buses in New York City carry over 2.5 million riders each day, and automated camera enforcement of bus lanes (where permitted) is a critical way to keep New Yorkers moving.
Motorists who drive or stand in the bus lane during designated hours will receive $115 violations. Each corridor has signage indicating the hours that the bus lanes are operable, and that the lanes are camera enforced. DOT issues warnings to motorists for at least 60 days when the cameras are first operated to ensure that drivers are informed about the program. Since violations are issued against the vehicle, not the driver, points are not deducted from motorists’ licenses.
DOT installed additional bus lanes along 125th Street from Lenox Avenue to Morningside Avenue in fall 2015, which brings the total mileage of bus lanes on 125th Street to 2.3 miles. 125th Street is one of upper Manhattan’s busiest commercial corridors, with over 30,000 weekday bus riders. Since their installation in 2014, bus lanes on the eastern end of 125th Street have sped up bus rides by 30% — and speed should be further improved with camera enforcement.
Separately, the warning period is currently underway for bus lanes along the Q44 Select Bus Service route, which travels between the Bronx Zoo and Jamaica in Queens. Camera enforcement is also already in effect for the following routes:
- Bx12, along the Fordham Road SBS corridor
- M15, along the First Avenue and Second Avenue SBS corridors
- M34, along the 34th Street SBS corridor
- B44, along the Nostrand Avenue and Rogers Avenue SBS corridor
- S79, along the Hylan Boulevard-Richmond Avenue SBS corridor
The 125th Street route is the first bus lane to be camera-enforced following the State authorization that allows the expansion of the City’s bus lane camera program to sixteen total routes. Additional routes will be added over time. DOT also works with the NYPD to enforce bus lanes citywide through traditional methods.
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