Press Releases

IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Press Release #21-011
Friday, April 2, 2021
Contact: Scott Gastel/Brian Zumhagen (212) 839-4850

DOT to Begin Issuing Violations Along Main Street Busway

DOT has now activated cameras along 28 corridors, keeping them clear for buses and reducing commute times for hundreds of thousands of daily bus riders.

Issuance of violations will begin on Friday, April 9, 2021

The New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) will begin issuing bus lane camera violations along the Main Street busway in Downtown Flushing on Friday, April 9th, 2021. AThe new 0.6 mile Busway allows for bus and truck priority on northbound Main St. and Kissena Boulevard from Sanford Ave. to Northern Blvd. 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This complements the bus and truck priority corridor that was implemented in 2017 on Main Street between 37th Avenue and 40th Road in the southbound direction.

The Main Street Busway Pilot launched on January 19, 2021 and is part of Mayor de Blasio’s Better Buses Restart plan. DOT will continue to monitor the progress of the busway pilot, ending January 2022, as it remains committed to increasing bus speeds and automated camera enforcement of bus lanes across the city, two critical ways to keep New Yorkers moving.

The corridor now has signage indicating regulations of the busway, and that the bus lanes are camera-enforced. Only buses, trucks, and emergency vehicles are permitted as through traffic; all other vehicles are required to take the next available right turn; except at 41st Avenue, where left turns are also permitted.

To ensure that drivers were informed about the program, beginning February 8th, DOT issued warnings to motorists for a period of 60 days before beginning to issue violations, per state law. Since violations are issued against the vehicle, not the driver, points are not deducted from motorists’ licenses. A single violation will cost $50; under a state law passed in 2019, fines increase for bus-lane violations incurred in a single year – to as much as $250 for a fifth offense.

Bus lane camera enforcement is already in effect for the following MTA 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
  • M60, along the 125th Street SBS corridor
  • B44, along the Nostrand Avenue and Rogers Avenue SBS corridor
  • S79, along the Hylan Boulevard-Richmond Avenue SBS corridor
  • Q44, along the Main Street-Sutphin Boulevard SBS corridor
  • Bx41, along Webster Avenue SBS corridor
  • B46, along Utica Avenue, Broadway and Malcolm X Boulevard SBS corridor
  • M23, along the 23rd Street SBS corridor
  • Q52/Q53, along the Woodhaven Boulevard corridor, Broadway, and Beach 59th Street
  • Bx6, along East 161st Street SBS corridor
  • B82, along Kings Highway SBS corridor
  • Q58, southbound along Fresh Pond Road
  • B35, along Church Avenue
  • M86, along 86th Street
  • Q4/Q5, along the Jamaica Avenue
  • B25, along Fulton Street
  • B17, along Rockaway Parkway
  • Bx19, along the East 149th Street corridor
  • M103, along Lexington and 3rd Avenues
  • M1/M55, along Broadway
  • M42, along West 42nd Street
  • M14, along the 14th Street corridor
  • M3/M4, along 5th Avenue
  • M1/M2/M3/M4, along Madison Avenue
  • B26, B54, B57, B61, B62, B65 and B67 on Jay Street between Livingston and Tillary Streets

Due to new state legislation passed in 2019, the City is now allowed to expand the bus lane camera program as needed. The program was previously limited to only 16 routes. Additional camera-enforced routes will be added over time. DOT also works with the NYPD to enforce bus lanes citywide.

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