Tens of thousands of drivers are getting caught parking or standing in one of D.C.’s dedicated bus lanes or bus zones, but the number has started to decline, according to Sharon Kershbaum, acting director of D.C.’s Department of Transportation.
In January, the agency started giving citations to anyone parking, standing, stopping or illegally driving in a bus lane. It’s part of DDOT’s Clear Lanes initiative, in partnership with WMATA.
At its peak, the agency found about 20,000 infractions per month, but it’s now down to about 16,000, Kershbaum said.
“Sounds like people have been getting the message and are starting to be more careful about pulling over or parking in the bus lane,” Kershbaum said. “We just hope to see continued compliance.”
DDOT installed cameras on about 140 buses and introduced the program as a way to make sure drivers don’t park or stop in front of bus zones or in priority bus lanes, which are usually painted red. Some of the bus lanes are in effect for a full day, while others are only in place during rush hour. Signs explain when a bus lane is active.
The buses that have the cameras can drive different routes, so the agency has more coverage even if they’re not on every Metrobus.
“We have found that it’s incredibly dangerous when a parked car requires that a bus either drops people off from a lane that’s not curbside or has to drive around a parked car,” Kershbaum said. “The goal of our priority bus lanes is to reduce the amount of travel time for buses and allow them to go quickly. And every time there’s a parked car that they have to circumvent, it just slows them down.”
The camera takes a video of a car that is in a bus lane or zone, and two DDOT employees then review the video. Staff look for whether a car is actually turning, because turning cars in the hatched part of the bus lane are allowed to be there.
“Is the car parked? Is it moving? The video clip is usually long enough so we can see what the car was actually doing and really determine whether there is an infraction or not,” Kershbaum said.
A violation comes with a $100 ticket.
“When you get one, I know it’s infuriating, but that’s often what it takes for people to understand what the program is and to be more vigilant about avoiding the bus lanes,” Kershbaum said. “So we’ve seen a reduction. We’re hopeful that will continue to go down, and that’s really how we measure success.”
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