The lens cap is still on!
Almost two years after the MTA announced it would begin a pilot program using its on-board bus cameras to ticket drivers who block bike lanes, the pilot still hasn't surfaced — and it's unclear if the agency has any plans to make it happen.
The state in 2023 expanded the MTA's ability to use its bus-mounted cameras to ticket drivers outside of bus lanes — double parked on bus routes, parked in bus stops and even blocking bike lanes. That December, MTA executive Jessica Matthew said that the agency and the city's Department of Transportation would roll out a pilot to ticket bike lane blockers in 2024.
Transit officials haven't said a peep about the idea since, even as they've rolled out bus-mounted enforcement cameras to over 40 bus routes since June 2024.
The ACE program has proven to be a success, speeding up buses by 5 percent overall and up to 25 percent on some routes, as well as revealing persistent issues that slow down buses on key corridors. A frustrated DOT, which manages the program with the MTA, told Streetsblog the agency is ready to clear bike lanes with the same efficacy that the cameras clear bus lanes.
"The city is ready and willing to partner on this pilot and NYC DOT is excited for its launch," said DOT spokesperson Vincent Barone.
The MTA is not so eager. Reached for comment, an MTA spokesperson implied the agency's focus is on expanding the reach of ACE cameras to more streets.
"The MTA and DOT have been working together to deliver this program at an aggressive pace, with 15 more bus lane corridors anticipated to go live by the end of the year," MTA rep Aaron Donovan told Streetsblog. "As that proceeds, we look forward to working together to begin a pilot program to apply ACE to bike lanes."
That apparent lack of interest in getting the bike lane enforcement piece of the ACE program off the ground flies in the face of the MTA's more recent efforts to be more bike-friendly: Gov. Hochul signed a bill at the end of 2021 that required the MTA to come up with a strategic plan on how to better implement walking and cycling on its system, and the agency has since made a good faith effort to open up its bridges to cyclists and make those bridges more accessible.
The inaction also comes despite a glaring need in the city more automated enforcement of bike lane blockers.
More than one study in the last few years has shown that the NYPD picks and chooses when to actually ticket drivers who put cyclists in harms way. One of those studies found that over almost seven years, the NYPD ticketed under 2 percent of drivers in response to 311 complaints about blocked bike lanes. Another found that the NYPD routinely took under 30 seconds to close out 311 complaints about all sorts of traffic infractions.
Even when NYPD shows up to do the specific job of keeping bike lanes clear — as they did this summer after Mayor Adams ripped up a piece of the Bedford Avenue protected bike lane — cops pick and choose which drivers they ticket specifically for parking in bike lanes. On Bedford, they even claimed they gave so many tickets they ran out of blank summonses. In contrast to the cops, the cold unfeeling eye of a bus-mounted camera does not give someone a break so they can have convenience as a tradeoff for a cyclist's safety.
Cycling advocates think the MTA is blowing a a hard-won opportunity to make the streets safer. The lack of forward momentum means the state should consider a bill to let the DOT itself to do more automated traffic enforcement.
Until that happens, though, activists hope DOT and MTA can finally get the pilot of out neutral.
"The expansion of ACE to include bike lane enforcement was a huge win for safety, but the MTA continues to drag their feet on implementation," said Michael Sutherland, the senior policy and legislative analyst at Open Plans. "ACE has been massively successful, and cyclists deserve to reap the benefits of enforcement. Every day implementation is stalled means another day with more dangerous streets."
