DOT Press Releases - DOT to Begin Issuing Violations Along 181st Street Busway

IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Press Release #21-024

Friday, July 9, 2021

Contact: Scott Gastel/Brian Zumhagen (212) 839-4850

DOT to Begin Issuing Violations Along 181st Street Busway

181st Street becomes the 29th corridor with automated enforcement cameras, keeping lanes clear for buses and reducing commute times for hundreds of thousands of daily bus riders.

Issuance of violations will begin on Saturday, July 17, 2021

The New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) will begin issuing bus lane camera violations along the 181st Street busway in Washington Heights on Saturday, July 17, 2021. The 0.5-mile Busway allows for bus and truck priority on 181st Street between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue in the eastbound direction, and from Amsterdam Avenue to Wadsworth Avenue in the westbound direction, from 6:00 AM to 10:00 PM, 7 days a week.

The 181st Street Busway Pilot launched on April 26, 2021 and is part of Mayor de Blasio’s Better Buses plan. DOT will continue to monitor the progress of the busway pilot, ending April 2022, as it remains committed to increasing bus speeds and automated camera enforcement of bus lanes across the city, two critical ways to keep New Yorkers moving.

The corridor now has signage indicating regulations of the busway, and that the bus lanes are camera-enforced. Only buses and trucks are permitted as through traffic; all other vehicles are required to take the next available right turn.

With the activation of bus-lane cameras, 181st Street, with its five MTA bus routes, becomes the 29th corridor to gain the benefits of automated enforcement.

To ensure that drivers were informed about the program, beginning May 17th, 2021, DOT issued warnings to motorists for a period of 60 days before beginning to issue violations, per state law. Since violations are issued against the vehicle, not the driver, points are not deducted from motorists’ licenses. A single violation will cost $50; under a state law passed in 2019, fines increase for bus-lane violations incurred in a single year – to as much as $250 for a fifth offense.

Due to state legislation passed in 2019, the City is now allowed to expand the bus lane camera program as needed. The program was previously limited to only 16 routes. Additional camera-enforced routes will be added over time. DOT also works with the NYPD to enforce bus lanes citywide.

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