Parking In a Bus-Only Lane in SF? You Just Might Get "Bus"ted

San Francisco's Muni is trialing a system that will use video cameras mounted on buses to photograph and cite drivers who illegally park in transit-only lanes. Currently Muni is one of the slowest transit agencies of any major U.S. city. On an average day Muni has 700,000 boardings with an on-time performance around the 70 percent mark, well below a 1999 voter mandate for 85 percent on-time arrivals.

For now, ticketed cars will only get a slap on the wrist. If things go as planned, however, that slap will turn into $100 fine. San Francisco needed special approval from none other than Governor "Ahnold" Schwarzenegger to put the $30,000 cameras (currently on loan from Parthex Inc.) in place.

To assuage privacy concerns the images taken by the cameras must be kept confidential, although the cited vehicle owners have the right to review them, and the cameras should not "unnecessarily capture identifying images of other drivers, vehicles and pedestrians."

Hopefully news of the cameras will spread and begin to discourage scofflaws who feel that their need to park conveniently trumps the needs of hundreds of people on buses.

source: sfgate
photo: parthex