By Gus Saltonstall
Technological change is coming to two of the busiest bus routes on the Upper West Side.
The M79 and M86 crosstown buses will soon be equipped with Automated Camera Enforcement (ACE), which is a system that automatically takes photos of and mails out tickets to the owners of vehicles that are blocking bus stops or illegally parked in bus routes.
The two Upper West Side buses are among 10 buses across the city that will see their 60-day warning period for the beginning of the automated ticketing system start on September 30. This means, that the automatic cameras will be up and running on the M79 and M86 around November 30.
During the 60-day warning period, violators will receive warning notices in the mail, as opposed to actual tickets.
Summonses given out by the system will start at $50 and go up to $250 for repeat violators. Each bus corridor that has active ACE camera enforcement, including the M79 and M86, will have signage indicating that the routes are deploying the technology.
The MTA states that when enforcement cameras are activated, bus lane speeds increase by 5 percent, with a 20 percent reduction in collisions. Additionally, the agency says that just 9 percent of drivers commit a second bus-lane violation after being fined once.
The Upper West Side bus routes getting the automated camera enforcement are part of a rollout by the MTA that will see 20 new bus routes using the system by the end of the year.
The MTA has been adding the automated ticketing system to buses since 2023.
You can find out more information — HERE.
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How do we make sure that every bus line in the neighborhood gets this technology? We should be automating as much traffic enforcement as we can (speeding cameras, red light cameras, excessive noise cameras) and redirecting the police resources to other areas (starting with strictly enforcing license plate laws so that the automation can actually work!)
Fantastic, if NYPD can’t be bother to enforce bus routes, I’m glad these cameras will soon be doing the job. Should go a long way to improving service times!
Would love to see this employed on Columbus!
Excellent! The double parkers, particularly those that nap and/or eat a sandwich during alternate side days, block access and cause congestion and traffic. Aggressive ticketing will improve traffic flow and provide income for the city that it’s losing on account of the loss of congestion pricing. A win/win.
Congestion Pricing is for MTA capital projects only ( basically subway) – not for increased bus service.
Also the CP income is for the MTA – it is not income for the city.
Of course the MTA is losing massive income from fare-beaters
Nice points. I think MTA (and the state and the city) is losing income from the Governor skipping out on compliance with the law, and all the years of wasted planning.
Now they just need face identification cameras and the supporting technology to fine the more than half of the riders who evade the fares. So sick of tapping my card while everyone in front and behind me just waltzes on.
Not everyone who waltzes on the 86th St Crosstown are evading the fare. They could have used the machines outside with a Metrocard and gotten the receipt instead of using Omni.
I wasn’t speaking to the m86 specifically, but rather the issue where almost half of riders have been evading fares.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/26/nyregion/nyc-bus-subway-fare-evasion.html
Vehicles should not be at bus stops.
But the real issue is the need for more frequent bus service.
We had more frequent bus service when there was no articulated buses decades ago. MTA cut service over the years and then has a policy of reducing service when articulated buses are introduced to a route.
Hope this will be done irrespective of the person involved. Years ago a friend and I spotted Charles Rangel’s car parked in a bus stop along Central Park West !
That’s the beauty of camera enforcement, they don’t decline to hand out tickets if there’s a fake placard or yellow vest thrown up on the dashboard. Just need NYPD to actually do something about fake plates…
But you can be an e bike and get away with stuff.
Wish this worked for fare beaters
I’m so happy for the M79 bus drivers and the residents of W. 81st & Amsterdam!
Chaotic persons illegally leave their cars in front of St. James Gate and the buses would have to lay on the horns from early morning, through the day and into the evening. Thank God that pub’s shed was finally taken down.
Moving forward, I wish these busses safe and silent thoroughfare throughout the city!
I read that 96th Street is the slowest crosstown around, but it’s not mentioned. The other day I saw busses in the 2nd and 3rd lane of Broadway, between 96th and 97th streets. They had their destination signs turned off.
A bunch of us were waiting for an uptown bus. Finally, I went over and asked what was happening. They said they were told not to park at their final two stops (97 the West End, and 96th and west end). So, naturally, they didn’t know what to do and parked in the middle of Broadway. I get the protest. I guess the new luxury buildings don’t want the buses near their buildings. So glad the mayor and his police are so considerate to newcomers.
How about the 90% of people who no longer pay to take these busses. It’s almost funny but it really isn’t. I see people just walking on the busses. No tickets in hand and no cc payments. This includes elderly and fashonistas. It’s a cross town free for all 🙂 literally!
Now, also enforce the fare beaters.
Agree with bus rider, cameras should id people who don’t pay, enough!
What about cars making right turns? Does the bus camera know not to ticket them?
Good point, Joanie.
I was skeptical of these at first, but after the recent incident where NYPD shot multiple innocent citizens trying to enforce a $2.90 fare, maybe cameras are best.
That’s a twisted talking point. You know darn well that it only became a shooting incident when the suspect threatened the cops and others with a knife. Now is not the time to tell cops that they shouldn’t be doing their jobs.
Wish the same effort was made to thwart fare evasion!
This is not going to make buses genuinely faster. Bus operators are still subject to the same laws that are designed for making it harder to drive cars. All they will do is drive slow and by the book on purpose to get overtime if the MTA cuts down the scheduled running times.
Maybe they’ll collect enough from irresponsible drivers that they’ll be able to make busses free! The free bus pilot programs in the area were a great success.
We just need to crack down on ghost plates to make sure people don’t get away with blocking roads and inconveniencing everyone else.
WSR — Please be precise — According to the MTA press release you link to, “When enforcement cameras are activated, on average, routes see bus lane speeds increased by 5%”.
That’s on average, so some gains can be less, some more. But honestly, not very much gain at all.. Maybe too much hype here?
Solutions may also include —
More scheduled service? (does the MTA not know when school lets out?)
Maybe standardizing where the actual bus stop is? (busses seem to stop before the sign, near the shelter, in front of a fire hydrant, away from the curb, back doors in front of a pile of garbage, in winter, in front of slush puddles … in essence — everywhere and anywhere with very little consistency or thought. — do the drivers care?)
Make all crosstown busses FREE. (if paying your fare seems to be optional anyway — just go all the way.)
That would speed up service!
this is all fine and good, but it seems like our politicians and bureaucrats are only acting on situations where they can get money. i wish they would crackdown on shoplifting, e-bikes, e-scooters and lithium-ion batteries where people are getting injured/killed.
The 96 St crosstown is absolutely the busiest. I rarely get a seat. The 79 St crosstown is not as busy.
Just like congestion tolls, it doesn’t do anything unless paying your fines are enforced. People are driving around with hundreds and thousands of unpaid parking tickets and tolls. So what does this actually do? More tax payer money WASTED.