By Gus Saltonstall
Change is coming to a pair of crosstown buses on the Upper West Side.
The M96 and M116 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.
Summonses start at $50 and escalate to $250 for repeat violators.
The two buses are among four lines across the city that will see their 60-day warning period for the automated system begin on Monday, October 13. That means the automatic cameras will be up and running along the M96 and M116 routes around December 13.
During the 60-day warning period, violators will receive warning notices in the mail, as opposed to actual tickets.
Much of the M116 route is located outside of the Upper West Side, but there are stops on 106th Street, from Broadway to Manhattan Avenue.
Each bus corridor that has active ACE camera enforcement will have signage indicating that the routes are deploying the technology. The M79 and M86 buses were also equipped with the technology in the fall of 2024.
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 MTA has been adding the automated ticketing system to buses since 2023.
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Excellent. Without enforcement, dedicated bus lanes are no help at all. One vehicle can block the lane for an entire block. and when a bus has to go around it by pulling out into traffic, that adds even more delays.
Now let’s put automatic ticketing on the front of street sweepers, and ticket vehicles that block cleaning, regardless of whether someone is sitting in them or not.
More rules, more government, more surveillance……what a sad world we are now living in…….??
“…regardless of whether someone is sitting in them or not.”
How would that work? Street cleaning zones are designated as “no parking” , not “no standing” or “no stopping.” Are you really advocating issuing summonses to people who aren’t breaking the law?
Most of these street cleaning squatters are idling their vehicles, that is against the law. And blocking the DSNY from cleaning the street could be charged as obstruction, in this case literally. The street sweepers should be preceded by tow trucks, frankly.
“The street sweepers should be preceded by tow trucks.” Amen .
when I lived in Czech Republic we got 1 weeks notice of street cleaning so all cars had to be removed by 07.30 on the day of cleaning . The sight of 2 tow trucks – 1 at each end of our street and often one circling the block was quite the deterrent.
Buses will still have to pull out of the bus lane sometimes, right? Like if an elderly person is getting out of a cab they’ll be in the bus lane and it takes some time.
Hooray to that. Why did the neighborhood suddenly fill with people who don’t want their streets cleaned? Pre-covid we had a system that worked for decades. People double parked and left their phone number on the dashboard in case you wanted to get out. People only moved back across the street AFTER the sweeper had passed. What happened to that?? We could put cameras on the street sweepers that automatically ticket anyone in the way. Should bring in enough fines to be revenue neutral on the expense of camera installation.
Good.
Will the same cameras also photograph e-bike drivers who drive down “bike” lanes between the bus and the curb while the bus is at a stop picking up and/or dropping off passengers? Yes, this is a real thing, even if many “bike” lanes are designed to avoid this danger.
Only if they also automatically all cars doing anything in bike lanes.
Pedestrians don’t have license plates. I’ll even smile for my photo.
and a way to photograph pedestrians who stand in the bike lanes instead of on the sidewalk while waiting for a pedestrian light to change?
and customers of the ice cream truck at 72 and CPW that parks so that customers line up within the bike lane forcing cyclists to merge into traffic with no room to spare?
Pedestrians don’t stand in “bike” lanes anywhere near as often as you think, because they don’t want to die. Also, they don’t have the momentum of e-bikes + drivers in motion.
Nor are pedestrians who happen to be “standing” in “bike” lanes breaking traffic laws. Whereas e-bike drivers, even if going the correct direction, not running reds and not speeding, are often interneting while in motion, which is illegal + incredibly dangerous to pedestrians.
Actually, standing in the bike lane IS against the law. It is against the law to impede traffic. The law in this case does not differentiate between types of traffic like cars vs bicycles. The bike lane is a legitimate vehicular travel lane on the street. Pedestrians are also not legally allowed to step off the curb without the light or crossing signal in their favor, if there is one. Just because we don’t typically follow the law does not mean that it isn’t against the law.
Standing in a street is not a traffic violation like running a red. Jay walking is not akin to speeding. These “infractions” are more like civil infractions.
The “bike” lane may be a legitimate vehicle lane, it does NOT abrogate the requirement that “bicyclists” drive the right way, and stop for reds.
Please post more of these false equivalences. You remind everyone how out of touch “bike’ lane defenders are.
Jay, I fully agree with you that cyclists should ride the right direction in bike lanes. While I am not going to say that riders need to stop for all reds – statistically it has been shown to be safer for all users, including pedestrians, when cyclists use the Idaho Stop and the Paris Stop – I will say it is of the utmost importance and requirement that cyclists always yield to pedestrians who have the right of way. (And no, pedestrians do not always have the right of way.) The law also states that cyclists, like any vehicle operator, must do all they can to avoid a collision with a pedestrian. This is called “exercising due care.” As for standing in the street – it actually can be a violation that the police can issue a ticket for. Sometimes, they will even push it up to a misdemeanor disorderly conduct charge. As for being out of touch – interestingly enough, one of us knows the law and the other just states what he believes. So who is out of touch?
And just to add – I am a car owner and driver too. I just paid attention in drivers education and have read NYVTL.
Bicyclists and e-bike drivers constantly run reds through crowded crosswalks.
Jay walking in NYC is rarely ticketed. This is not Los Angeles.
Will you next deny that bicyclists constantly ride on the sidewalk illegally and endangering pedestrians?
Bicyclists constantly run reds at speed through crosswalks crowded with pedestrians, often going the wrong way.
In your terms, they don’t yield most of the time.
So, your comment is totally out of touch, like most from those who defend e-bike drivers and bicyclists.
Will you next claim that bikes aren’t driven down the sidewalks at more than 10MPH all the time?
Josh, thanks for being factual. I bike, courteously, I walk, I own a car here and drive it most days. It’s amazing to me how much anger there is towards bikes, and how little towards cars and trucks and buses. It’s very easy to see where nearly all the injury and death comes from. NYPD keeps a map with stats on it. I encourage the bike-haters to give it look see. If everyone rode bikes instead of cars, we would reduce the carnage to nearly zero. This is nearly self-evident. Yes, some bikers are morons, some are rude and I am not excusing them. But people need to get a grip.
Jon,
Though cars have more kinetic energy than bicycles and e-bikes, cars aren’t driven the wrong way through reds at anywhere near the rate of “bikes”.
“If everyone rode bikes instead of…” is a bogus concept. You can’t realistically suppose that people will use bikes in bad weather or to transport tools or bulk ingredients for restaurants.
Bikes kill, that cars also kill is irrelevant in the context of these comments.
They can take all the photos they want. E-bikes don’t have liscence plates. No way to send anyone the ticket.
A still photo shot with a 24 mega pixel APSC sensor would make IDing not too difficult. Remember, the “bikes” often have a lot of flare.
NO FAIR!! What if I WANT to double park in the bus lane??
I am pretty sure this is an urbanist who is mocking car drivers who speak English with an accent and those who do pick up and drop off people.
Off with your head!
Fair enough.
No one is stopping you.
I welcome this technology. They should have a similar system for ticketing people who pay loud music on their phones without any regard to those around them.
None of this would be a problem if there weren’t so many cars in the city.
It wouldn’t be a city without all the cars.
Yes famously there were no cities before cars .
Rome, London, Paris, all figments of our imagination.
I double parked for 3 minutes in front of my building on West End Ave., to load up my car and I got a ticket for blocking the lane, even though the bus could drive by easily right next to my car.
Yes, rules apply to YOU, too! The audacity to think otherwise.
Officer, I was only driving at 100mph in the 55mph zone for three minutes. The rest of the time I was driving 54!
Just cover your plate simple. This whole money grab the mta have gotta stop
so you advocate for being an antisocial criminal?
This happened to me too! Loading in front of my building. I tried to appeal. No luck. Not sure what we are supposed to do. I’m not in the bus lane. Just double parked and loading. I support the measure overall, but need to figure this out.
What was your appeal, “Rules apply to thee, not me?”
If you vote left , you should be happy to help out during the current financial crisis.
Bad luck, or bad timing, but it sounds like the ticket was legitimate. In a city with millions of people, if we’re all doing something we shouldn’t be doing for just “3 minutes”….
Good.
Double parking isn’t legal. For three minutes or one minute or two hours or just about any length of time one could imagine.
So, you admit to the violation. You deserve the ticket.
Exactly, double parking is a violation, you commit a violation, you get a ticket. That is how that works.
Lots of vitriol, but there isn’t a bus lane on WEA so the cameras should be turned off. This is only due to the rerouting of the M79 while the boat basis is being reconstructed. Buses that are out of service SHOULD NOT be taking pictures of cars or people. We should all be worried about the increasing surveillance state.
Unfortunately the administrative judges who review appeals don’t actually consider facts, they are just tax collectors / rubber stamps for the city.
It would be nice if they had them on the buses sothat the people not paying could be charged or found or whatever it takes to get them to pay -there used to be transit people on the buses checking tickets – no more. So people just jump on the bus and don’t pay. And we get fare increases. Angry
What is your evidence for “no more”? In the last week alone, I was on 2 buses (an M86 and an M96) that were delayed because 5-6 transit officials boarded them to check that fares had been paid and no one was allowed on or off the bus until they had completed their check.
What is your evidence for “no more”? In the last week alone, two buses (an M86 and an M96) I was on were delayed because 5-6 transit officials boarded and checked that fares had been paid.
How did they verify fares had been paid? On a selecr bus, which the M86 is, you should have a receipt. On a regular swipe as you get on bus (I’m not aware the M96 is slect but I could be wrong) there is no receipt. If I walk past the driver without paying I’m on.
Interestingly over the past few years the City has been expanding bus stop demarcations (moving signs and extending the yellow lines) throughout Manhattan so that in some instances bus stops have been extended beyond the entrance of buildings or in some, the service (trash) entrances.
And the lines have been extended far from bus shelters.
So for example, in these cases, any vehicle dropping off/picking up at the building entrance or service entrance is at a “bus stop” – Access a Ride, an ambulance, a garbage truck etc
Presumably liable for a ticket.
DOT (not the MTA) is responsible for bus stops.
It is especially noticeable on the East Side.
For fun, try to find the bus stop sign-pole at the SW corner of West End and 72nd.
LOL.
Manhattan Avenue from 106th to 110th is part of the Upper West Side, CB 7, the 24th Pct and Community School District 3 and the M116 travels that stretch.
Why even have a grace period and put signage for the deployment? Violators know they are wrong. Just have the busses start ticketing them non-stop.
Because when you stop enforcing the law, people think the law no longer applies.
Because this is New York and we have to be respectful to criminals.
Excellent Development. There are always double-parked trucks and cars in the new bus lane on 96th Street.
Now, let’s fix the stupidity of the Amazon drivers who double-park huge trucks across from already double-parked trucks by Trader Joe’s on Columbus Ave.
Unfortunately people order a ton of ecommerce.
Especially depressing given the walkability of the West Side.
In my building the young and wealthy are the biggest users of ecommerce
Can’t wait for this to start on the M104 buses.
Great idea. Now figure out a way to make certain that users actually pay to use our busses and trains
Remember when Cops wrote tickets and enforced the law. How did your war on Police work for you?
so the police are not responsible for not doing their jobs? its OK that they pout and whine and cry that since they are so oppressed they don’t have to actually work? you support this?
Stop making sense. It upsets people,
Open the trunk cover your plate while you wait for parking. This not MTA City, it’s out City.. MTA is the only agency who out accountability for their actions. They tax New Yorker like we are a bank and nobody knows where that money is going.
what other laws are you okay with breaking? any that are inconvenient for you?
Fines for breaking the law are not taxes. Taxes have to be paid. You can avoid the fines by simply not breaking the law. It is not a hard concept.
The money goes towards running the subway. You know, that underground train that serves millions of New Yorkers every day. Maybe you’ve heard of it?
We need to go about our business also. What happens when a disabled person is getting out of car.?
May God helps cab drivers to get off the road and live their lives peacefully…to be city leaders is not easy, there is a crisis of law and moral…I am driving for access ride and passengers are almost Elders…there is no way to avoid bus lane and bus stop…Good to all drivers that make people moving
This is a great idea that needs to be adapted the Sanitation ‘s street sweepers. Neil, President West 90s Neighborhood Association
The statistics given here are evidence that actually enforcing rules can have an effect on behavior! This should be applied to other areas that are a constant problem, such as cars parked in bike lanes, bikes on sidewalks or going against traffic, and other seemingly minor incidents that really add up to situations that can be very dangerous.
BTW It is not unusual for government vehicles to be parked at bus stops.
For example:
NYPD vehicles are regularly parked at the M66 bus stop on 65th near Fifth due to consulate and synagogue security assignments.
FDNY sometimes parks at the M11 bus stop on Amsterdam and 65th.
Now that there is a DOE special ed school at Broadway near 66th, school buses are forced to line up at the bus stop (M5, M7, M104).
And so on….
Sue the mta enough is enough with this money grab bs
Waiting 20 minutes in the rain for a bus.
No traffic.
No vehicles at the bus stop.
The real problem is not enough bus service
Some are worse that others. Waiting for the 72nd Street Crosstown bus is like Waiting for Godot, but slower.
The real-real problem is people not paying their fare.
Because there is no punishment for theft of service, anymore there was a time hop over and spend the night in jail.
cops not doing the jobs they are paid to do is theft of service.
Great, it’s about time.
Can passengers please get this system to ticket bus drivers who do not pull over to the curb?
This a a cash grab by MTA. AND IT MAKES BUSES more equal then other vehicles. MTA and NYC government HATES NYC driver! Put your hands up when a NYC bus passes you by.
I’m so lucky my garage spot is only $600 a month and only a mile away from my duplex. How the rest of you manage it I will never know.
How about repaving the crosswalks on 86th, 79th, 72nd (which comes once a decade) and 66th (same crosswalk)?? Riding across town is like riding on a Kentucky horse trail. The bumps are just unbelievably insane, people are jerked around in their seats ( if they have one–pity the ones who don’t, they become human popcorn). Where are our tax dollars going? This is NEW YORK CITY! Should’nt safe rides come before automated anything?? COME ON!!!
excellent, now go after those parked in the School and Street Sweep zones. The entitled educators and clergy who have papers in their window allowing them to block these emergency lanes. It’s epidemic