Skip to Content
Streetsblog Los Angeles home
Log In
bus lanes

Metro Looks to Approve On-Bus Camera Enforcement Ticketing Drivers Who Park in Bus Lanes

On-bus camera enforcement has the potential to improve bus speed and reliability, improving the lives of millions of Angelenos.

5:05 PM PDT on October 18, 2023

Bus lane marking in West Los Angeles. Photos by Joe Linton/Streetsblog L.A.

Tomorrow, the Metro Operations Committee is expected to approve Metro on-bus cameras for ticketing drivers who park in bus lanes. Metro is looking to allocate $11 million for its Bus Lane Enforcement Pilot Program [staff report, presentation], including a five-year contract with Hayden AI Technologies.

San Francisco and several other jurisdictions already have automated bus lane enforcement up and running. Recent California legislation permitted statewide on-bus camera enforcement. This year, Santa Monica Big Blue Bus completed a 45-day test of this technology. Metro and the city of L.A. Transportation Department (LADOT) had announced their plans for piloting bus lane enforcement starting this fiscal year - first on Wilshire Boulevard and 5th and 6th Streets.

Slide from Metro bus lane enforcement presentation

Assuming board approval this month, Metro now plans a program rollout in Spring 2024. This will include "education-first outreach with key stakeholders along selected bus lane corridors, beginning 60-days [in] advance with increasing visibility towards implementation."

Metro has worked with local jurisdictions, mainly Los Angeles, to grow its bus lane network, with nearly 30 miles of new bus-only lanes since 2019, including on La Brea Avenue and Venice Boulevard this year. These great new bus lanes have not quite lived up to their full potential, as they are often blocked by scofflaw drivers. On-bus camera enforcement has the potential to improve bus speed and reliability, improving the lives of millions of Angelenos.

(Note: Hayden AI has advertised on SBLA in the past, but was not contacted regarding this post.)

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog Los Angeles

Eyes on the Street: North Hills Traffic Circle Under Construction

StreetsLA is building a new 60-foot-diameter traffic circle at the intersection of Parthenia Place and Columbus Avenue in the central San Fernando Valley community of North Hills. The project includes a short bikeway.

November 28, 2023

This Week In Livable Streets

Streetsblog celebrates our 15th birthday! Plus Metro meetings, Santa Monica bikeway ribbon-cutting, CD2 candidates, and a huge CicLAvia event.

November 28, 2023

Eyes on the Street: City of Artesia Bikeways

Artesia is not some kind of bike paradise (yet), but the city is already surpassing its surrounding neighbors with new bike lanes, green pavement treatments, a new bike path, and more on the way

November 27, 2023
See all posts