The Los Angeles Department of Transportation will begin issuing tickets to drivers who park along certain bus-only lanes starting on Monday.
Last year LADOT and Metro announced that a new enforcement pilot program would go into effect for some bus lanes across the city, specifically on bus line 720, which serves Wilshire Boulevard, and 212 along La Brea Avenue.
Come Monday, cars that park in either of those two lanes will receive a ticket totaling $293 for illegally parking in an area designated for buses.
"Without enforcement, a single parked car in a bus lane can delay dozens or even hundreds of riders," said Los Angeles County Supervisor and Metro Board Director Chair Janice Hahn in a statement. "So, this is not just about issuing tickets, it's about making sure our Metro buses run on schedule and get our riders to their destinations on time."
In order to make the program reality, 50 cameras were installed behind the windshields of buses that work along lines 720 and 212.
Each bus received two cameras, one of which will detect vehicles on roads and traffic lanes, while the other detects a parked vehicle and records the license plate.
After reviewing video, a LADOT officer will then verify the accuracy before issuing tickets. Citations will provide detailed information about the violation, time, location and images or video evidence of the infraction.
"Our bus riders deserve to have a reliable, safe, and on-time ride. That's why we've partnered with LADOT to install bus lanes on Wilshire and La Brea -- to give all our riders a better, faster, and more consistent ride -- however, since they've been installed, service is delayed due to vehicles blocking the lanes and that's why we're pleased that enforcement is going to begin to prevent misuse of the bus lanes," said LA Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins.
The initial 60-day period to test the program ran from December to January. Drivers who were found to have illegally parked in bus lanes received notices by mail to warn that that future violations would result in fines.
In their next step, LADOT and Metro are working to install 50 cameras on buses that drive lines 910 and 950, as well as line 70.