Bus riders were looking forward to faster and more dependable service as automated bus lane enforcement was planned to start ticketing this week. But the start date for citations has now been postponed to February 17.
Automated bus lane enforcement programs are already up and running in many cities, including San Francisco, New York City, and Washington DC. Analysis of existing programs found major improvements: 30 percent faster bus speeds and 20 percent ridership growth.
Bus lane enforcement not only significantly improves transit service, it also pays for itself by generating revenue from citations. (L.A. City bus lane enforcement is anticipated to generate ~$5 million annually. Of that, three quarters will go to Metro and one quarter will go to L.A.)
Since 2019, Metro has worked with local cities to install 40.1 miles of new bus-only lanes. Though the bus lanes are already improving bus service and even contributing to increased ridership, they are often hampered by drivers. Metro is addressing that problem with its Bus Lane Enforcement (BLE) program.
Working with the L.A. City Transportation Department (LADOT), Metro BLE began issuing automated warnings on November 1. Initial camera enforcement is underway on Metro's 20/720 lines (runs in the Wilshire Boulevard and 5th/6th Streets bus lanes) and line 212 (runs in the La Brea Avenue bus lanes). In early November, Metro announced that actual automated citations would begin on January 1.
The agencies then pushed that start date back to Monday, February 17. With two months already under their belt, this means Metro and LADOT now plan to do 107 days of warnings before actual ticketing, nearly double the state-mandated 60-day warning period.
Streetsblog learned of the postponement via an updated Bus Lane Enforcement post at Metro's The Source. Streetsblog requested clarification from Metro and LADOT regarding the reason the program was postponed, and information on the current warning period. If more information is available, this post will be updated.
Metro has also announced the "early 2025" launch of its Bus Lane Enforcement Program's second phase, anticipated to include:
- Line 70 - runs in downtown bus lanes on Cesar Chavez Avenue, Grand Avenue and Olive Street
- J Line (former Silver Line, sometimes labeled Lines 910/950) - runs in downtown bus lanes on 1st Street, 6th, Alameda Street, Aliso Street, Flower Street, Figueroa Street, Figueroa Way, Grand, Olive and Spring Street as well as short stretches of bus-only lanes at/near stations along the 10 and 110 Freeways.
(Full disclosure: Metro's bus lane camera contractor Hayden AI is an advertiser with Streetsblog. Hayden AI was not consulted on this post.)
