The following article is also found at Streetsblog Los Angeles.
The cities of West Hollywood and Santa Monica are each launching new bus lane camera enforcement programs today. On-bus AI cameras will ticket drivers who park in bus-only lanes or at bus stops.
Similar bus lane enforcement programs are already operating on Metro buses in the city of L.A. and on Culver CityBus.
As mandated by state law, each program begins with a minimum 60-day warning period before issuing actual citations. To date, all four programs (L.A., Culver, WeHo and Santa Monica) issue tickets costing the same amount: $293.
West Hollywood
The city of West Hollywood Bus Lane Enforcement program is partnering with Metro to begin automated ticketing on the three-block stretch of the La Brea Avenue bus lanes located in WeHo. The remainder of the La Brea bus lanes are in the city of L.A. and are already enforced by the LADOT/Metro program.
WeHo’s warning period began today. Effective Tuesday, September 2, the city will issue full citations.
Santa Monica
Starting today, the Santa Monica Big Blue Bus ABLE (Automated Bus Lane Enforcement) program will issue warnings. On September 1 the program will go live with actual tickets.
The city’s announcement notes that Big Blue Bus piloted ABLE technology on two buses in the summer of 2023. Cameras detected over 500 instances of vehicles illegally parked in bus lanes and bus stops in just 45 days.
Santa Monica has several bus-only lane facilities, including on Lincoln Boulevard, Broadway, and Santa Monica Boulevard; presumably on-bus cameras could also ticket at bus stops throughout the city. Santa Monica is dedicating ABLE citation revenue to public transit and safety initiatives.
Full disclosure: Bus lane camera contractor Hayden AI is an advertiser with Streetsblog. Hayden AI was not consulted on this post.
