Don’t even think about driving in the lanes designated for public transportation, much less parking, because now the Metro buses are equipped with cameras ready to catch you committing a traffic violation and surprise you with a fine that will arrive directly to your home by mail. .
The Los Angeles City Council approved an ordinance that establishes fines for drivers who park in bus lanes and zones that They start at $293 and can increase up to $381 in case of late payment, followed by an increase of $406, if you fail to pay on time.
There will reportedly be payment options for low-income people once the 60-day notice period ends.
This is the bus lane control pilot program carried out between Metro and the Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT), which will begin to apply economic sanctions starting in January in some areas of the city.
The LA Metro system partnered with artificial intelligence company Hayden AI to install 100 camera systems to detect traffic violations, but so far they have been placed on the windshields of 50 buses.
In a statement, Hayden specifies that “the cameras can only create evidence for local parking authorities to review and issue citations for parking violations in bus lanes and stops due to the AB 917 law approved in 2021 in California.”
The evidence is video and photographs with information on the license plate number, time and date.
The cameras use artificial intelligence to monitor the position of parked cars in relation to the bus lane. The system uses several cameras facing the windshield, along with an on-board computer to obtain real-time results.
This is in accordance with AB 917, which authorizes transit agencies to install automatic devices on municipal or district-owned public transportation vehicles to record parking violations that occur in bus and bus lanes. at bus stops.
In 2022, the Los Angeles City Council agreed to issue fines for illegal parking in bus lanes. Before January 2023, traffic enforcement officers were prohibited from ticketing people who parked in the lanes unless they also committed other violations.
The City of Los Angeles allocated about $134,000 for the new program, which called for two traffic enforcement positions to support it.
The goal is reportedly to make public transportation faster, safer and more efficient by keeping bus lines clear.
Of course, it also represents an additional source of income for the city.
As reported by Metro in its official publication in Spanish The Passengeruntil the end of this year, warning notices will only be issued for parking violations on the 212 Brea Avenue and 720 Wilshire Boulevard lines while LADOT will begin mailing fines starting January 1, 2025.
It will be at the beginning of the year, when the program will begin its second phase with warning notices on lines 70, which includes Olive and Grand streets, 910 and 950, the Silver line; while the fines for those lines will arrive 60 days later at the homes of the offenders.
Other cities also have similar fine programs in place for those who park in lanes with the same goal as Los Angeles. These are San Francisco, Oakland, New York, Washington DC and Philadelphia.