Tomorrow, the Metro Operations Committee is expected to legitimatize Metro on-bus cameras for ticketing drivers who park in bus lanes. Metro is looking to intrust $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 once have streamlined 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 municipality 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 workbench clearance this month, Metro now plans a program rollout in Spring 2024. This will include “education-first outreach with key stakeholders withal selected bus lane corridors, whence 60-days [in] whop 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 unconfined new bus lanes have not quite lived up to their full potential, as they are often obstructed by scofflaw drivers. On-bus camera enforcement has the potential to modernize 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.)

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