Fines For Blocking Bus Lanes On M15 Route Go Into Effect: MTA

MANHATTAN, NY — A new program to fine drivers who park and drive in bus lane goes into effect Friday on the route that shuttles passengers up and down Manhattan's First and Second avenues, MTA officials announced.

Cameras mounted on M15 Select Bus Service vehicles will record drivers violating bus lane rules on First and Second avenues for fines of up to $250, MTA officials said. A driver's initial violation results in a $50 fine, with additional fines carrying $100, $150, $200 and $250 penalties within a 12-month period, transit officials said.

The program was introduced in October, with drivers receiving warnings in the first 60 days. More than 1,500 drivers were caught violating bus lane rules withing the first 10 days of the program.

"Keeping bus lanes clear is key to improving bus service and traffic flow for everyone," Craig Cipriano, Acting MTA Bus Company President and Senior Vice President for Buses of NYC Transit, said in a statement. "After 60 days of warnings and lots of reminders on the First and Second Avenue bus lanes, we are moving forward with tough love: Stay out of the bus lane, or you’ll pay for it."

Bus-mounted cameras collect several pieces of evidence such as license plate information and the driver's location that get reviewed by the city's Department of Transportation. The city DOT will then decide if drivers will be ticketed, officials said. Drivers will receive tickets if they sit in a bus lane for at least five minutes or are caught blocking a lane by two successive buses, according to the MTA. Driver making legal turns in bus lanes will not receive tickets.

The MTA is calls its new program the "Automated Bus Lane Enforcement (ABLE) system." More than 120 buses on the M15 SBS, B44 SBS and M14 SBS routes are currently equipped with cameras. The MTA has allocated $85 million in its 2020-2024 MTA Capital Plan to expand the program.

Transit officials are already hailing the success of the new system, citing increased bus speeds up to 34% on First and Second avenues since the MTA started to issue warnings in October.

The M15 bus route runs north and south along First and Second avenues in Manhattan. The line stretches from the Financial District up to East Harlem.