Bus Lane Cameras Approved

By [Dan Rivoli] Cameras for the new bus-only lanes on First and Second avenues are cleared for installation. The city and elected officials have been pushing for cameras to be a part of Select Bus Service, a program that will speed up travel time on city bus routes.In lieu of a physically separated lane for buses, Department of Transportation officials opted for rigorous enforcement and cameras. But authorization for cameras has had trouble being approved in Albany. The chair of that chamber"s Transportation Committee helped vote down the bill two years ago. This year, the authorization is part of a transportation budget bill. The legislation was pared down to cover five Select Bus Service routes, including the one on the East Side. â??Considering how difficult it"s been to move this forward two years ago's the legislation died a very violent death's I"m very pleased we were able to include this in the budget, said the bill"s original sponsor, Assembly Member Jonathan Bing. â??[The cameras] will allow people to travel faster by ensuring fewer non buses are filling the bus lanes. Wiley Norville, spokesperson for the group Transportation Alternatives, said getting cameras authorized during this legislative session was a â??make-or-break moment for Select Bus Service. â??The city and MTA had put themselves on the hook for delivering faster and more reliable bus service, he said. â??Without the cameras, they would have had a hard time delivering the speeds that they had promised.