Parking enforcement cameras to be installed on Sacramento city buses
The number of parking tickets being issued in Sacramento could soon be going way up as city leaders approved using new cameras on public transit that can issue citations directly to car owners.
Bike lanes are supposed to make Sacramento streets safer, but they can't help protect cyclists if a car is parked in the path. Now, those who leave their vehicles here could soon be getting a drive-by ticket.
"This is a proactive step that I really appreciate," City Councilor Lisa Kaplan said.
The new surveillance cameras will be installed on 180 Sacramento Regional Transit buses.
So how will this new parking enforcement program work?
The cameras will scan the road as buses drive their daily routes, using artificial intelligence to detect and take video of vehicles blocking bus stops and bike lanes.
The images will be reviewed by a parking enforcement officer to confirm a violation has occurred, and then a parking ticket will be mailed to the car's owner.
Jeremiah Rohr with Sacramento Area Bicycle Advocates said it's a big problem on Sacramento streets.
"It's a daily occurrence on my rides to run into someone in a bike lane," he said.
Rohr said that these illegally parked vehicles put riders at risk.
"So we have to get out of the lane and move into traffic and the idea of the bike lane is to keep us out of traffic," he explained. "Any time you have to stick yourself out in traffic, you take a lot more risk."
The new enforcement effort comes at a time when Sacramento is seeing a spike in serious and fatal crashes involving bikes, scooters, and pedestrians.
Rohr has reported these types of violations before but until now, a citation could only be issued by parking control officers who had to drive to the scene.
A recent pilot program on just two bus routes captured more than 300 violations in a two-month period, and the city said that these high-tech tickets could help deter illegal parking and make bicycling safer.
"People just don't quite understand what a safety problem it is for cyclists," Rohr said.
Money from the parking tickets will be split between the City of Sacramento, regional transit, and the private contractor that is operating the camera system.
