Starting Monday, cameras mounted on Metrobuses are on the lookout for drivers illegally using bus lanes in Washington, D.C.
Automated cameras will snap photos of cars whose drivers illegally drive, park or stop in bus lanes and bus stop zones. Violators will receive warnings for a 45-day period, D.C.’s Department of Transportation said.
The warning period is set to end Sept. 7. Then, the fine for driving, standing or parking in a bus lane is $200, DDOT said. The fine for parking or standing in a bus zone is $100. Drivers will receive tickets in the mail.
Unauthorized vehicles should not "enter bus lanes except to enter a legal parking space or turn within 40 feet of an intersection or driveway, as typically marked by signage or dashed red road markings" or "stop, stand, or park in a bus lane," the District Department of Transportation said.
Initial details on what Metro and DDOT call the Clear Lanes Project were released this spring. The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (Metro) and DDOT are behind the initiative.
"For people to use buses, we need them to be faster and more reliable. That can't happen if cars are blocking the bus lanes that are supposed to keep buses moving," Metro General Manager Randy Clarke said in a statement in April.
Here’s which vehicles are allowed to use DC bus lanes:
- Transit buses
- Tour buses
- School buses
- Bikes and scooters (but not pedicabs)
- Paratransit service vehicles and
- Authorized emergency vehicles
Can I pass through a bus lane to turn?
Sometimes, yes. D.C. bus lanes are painted red. Road signs indicate when the lanes are bus-only lanes. Drivers are allowed to use bus lanes to make turns as indicated by signs and pavement markings.
“If no sign is posted, vehicles are permitted to enter the bus lane 40 feet in advance of a turn. The red paint will typically be hatched to indicate where vehicles can enter the lane to make a right turn,” DDOT said.
