PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The Philadelphia Parking Authority is watching. Its artificial intelligence-powered cameras will begin ticketing drivers who park in bus lanes starting on May 1.
Crews are mounting the AI cameras on 150 SEPTA buses and more than 20 trolleys, PPA Executive Director Rich Lazer told KYW Newsradio. Beginning in mid-April, he said, those cameras will be activated, capturing images of cars stopped in bus lanes and parked at bus stops. The photos will be reviewed by PPA staff, and violation notices sent out.
“If a car is parking in an actual bus lane that’s stopping and hindering traffic, that’ll be a $101 ticket,” Lazer said. “Double-parking in Center City is a $76 ticket.”
After a two-week warning period, the PPA’s target date to start enforcement is May 1, Lazer said.
Latoya Maddox, who uses a wheelchair and heads SEPTA’s advisory committee for accessible transportation, said perhaps $101 tickets will make illegal parkers think twice about blocking bus stops.
“For me, it will mean that I can board and unboard a bus without putting my life and my wheelchair in jeopardy,” Maddox said.
“When citizens know that the bus has camera enforcement on it and they’re coming behind, I do think that will have a great impact on moving people that decide to double-park in the bus lanes,” Lazer added.
In 2023, a seven-week trial of the AI cameras on seven Center City SEPTA buses detected more than 36,000 violations.