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Another big ticket increase: Nearly 10K more AI-assisted citations for parking in LA bus lanes
The stated goal of Metro's Bus Lane Enforcement Program is to dissuade drivers from parking in bus lanes and at bus stops like this FedEx truck.
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Courtesy LA Metro
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In the second month of enforcement, automated cameras on two Metro bus routes in the city of Los Angeles helped issue more than 9,700 tickets to cars parked in a bus lane or at a bus stop, according to data from L.A. Department of Transportation.
Thousands more than last month
That's 77% more tickets prompted by the A.I. cameras compared to their first month in use, which took place between Feb. 17 and March 17. Before the cameras were installed, officers on patrol were typically issuing 570 similar tickets per month, the city's Department of Transportation said.
The 720 bus route runs on Wilshire Boulevard from downtown L.A. to Santa Monica. The 212 bus shuttles riders on La Brea Avenue from Hawthorne to Hollywood.
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What’s the program
The stated goal of the Bus Lane Enforcement Program, which is co-led by Metro and the city's Department of Transportation, is to dissuade drivers from stopping in bus lanes and at bus stops. To achieve that goal, Metro installed cameras on buses that can detect potential violations. Metro contracted with a San Francisco-based company called Hayden AI for $10.5 million for the equipment and to facilitate the program.
A traffic officer — a real human — uses the evidence collected by the cameras to make a final say on whether to issue a ticket or not.
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Context from other cities
Other cities also saw spikes in the number of parking citations when they installed similar programs. Washington, D.C., which began giving out tickets using automated cameras at the beginning of last year, saw a peak of 20,000 citations a month, according to WTOP news. That number decreased to around 13,000 by the end of summer. Between 2019 and 2024, cameras on buses in New York led to more than 430,000 citations. The programs in both cities are, for now, more expansive than L.A.’s.
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Steep penalty
Each citation in L.A. comes with a $293 penalty. The Department of Transportation offers a payment plan for people who are lower income. Three-quarters of the revenue generated by the program goes to Metro. The remaining quarter goes to the Department of Transportation.
Got a ticket? Share your experience with LAist
LAist plans to track parking citations through the Bus Lane Enforcement program. Are you one of the thousands who got hit with a citation? Maybe you were just running in and out of a restaurant to get takeout or maybe you didn’t realize you were in a bus lane. Whatever the case is, we’re interested in hearing about your experience. Email kharjai@scpr.org if you want to chat.
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This work is only possible with community support. Every investigation, service guide, and story is made possible by people like you who believe that local news is a public good and that everyone deserves access to trustworthy local information.
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