Every week we pick a story or two from the City Manager’s newsletter to highlight.
The City is advancing its work to become the first jurisdiction in California to implement automated bike lane enforcement, and the program hit another important milestone this week! Two SMPD parking enforcement vehicles have now been equipped with camera systems specifically designed to identify and cite bike lane parking violations.
Each camera system consists of three components: an onboard computer, an AI-powered context camera that identifies violations and their exact locations, and a license-plate reading camera that captures plate information so that registered owners can be cited when they illegally park in a bike lane.
The two camera-equipped vehicles are prototypes that will be tested over the next two weeks. Then, later this month, the remaining five camera assemblies will be installed on additional SMPD vehicles. Concurrently, lane monitoring and citation software systems are being developed, and a public communication campaign is in progress with a planned launch in late April, just ahead of the mandated 60-day warning period scheduled to begin on May 1. Warnings will be issued throughout May and June, with citation issuance set to begin on July 1.
This program is a meaningful step forward in the City’s commitment to safe streets and protecting vulnerable road users. Illegally parked vehicles in bike lanes force cyclists into traffic and create dangerous conditions, and automated enforcement will allow us to address this issue consistently and at scale across the City!
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