BUS LANE NOT YET ON CANDID CAMERA

Select Bus Service on First and Second avenues has long been desired by community, transit and environmental groups. But a key provision that would speed up bus traveling times's using cameras to catch vehicles in bus-only lanes's needs state approval, and the legislation to make it happen is languishing in the Assembly. Cameras became crucial after the Department of Transportation said that it was not possible to create a physically separated bus lane, another way to keep buses moving. â??It would be a huge blow to the project to lose out on one of its integrated features, said Wiley Norvell, spokesperson for Transportation Alternatives, an advocacy group that went to Albany to lobby for the cameras. â??We don"t have protected bus lanes. Cameras are the next best thing. Assembly Member Jonathan Bing wrote legislation that would allow the city to install cameras for enforcement, but his bill has been bottled up in that chamber"s Transportation Committee. The chair, Rochester Democrat David Gantt, has previously blocked bills like this from passing. â??[Cameras are] necessary in order to make sure that vehicles not supposed to be in the bus lane aren"t there, and people are aware they could be ticketed for violating the bus lane rule, Bing said. â??That would mean faster bus service. But even if the bill moves through committee, funding for cameras may be a problem; Gov. David Paterson and the State Senate passed budget resolutions that include funding for cameras, but the Assembly"s budget resolution marked nothing. â??The Assembly still has not come around to our position. We"re hoping to change their minds, said State Sen. Liz Krueger. Bing said he is optimistic the funding will be included in the final budget.