BALTIMORE — Baltimore is moving forward with plans to install cameras at five intersections to catch drivers illegally using bus lanes, as part of a roughly $9 million contract approved this week by the city's Board of Estimates.
Drivers caught in those red-marked lanes could face civil fines up to $75, the city's Department of Transportation confirmed, unless they're making a right turn at the next intersection.
Baltimore City plans to install cameras to catch drivers in some bus lanes
According to a DOT spokesperson, the recommended locations are as follows:
• Baltimore St: Hanover St to Charles St
• Lombard St: Calvert St to Light St
• Pratt St: Commerce St to Gay St
• North Ave EB: Homewood Ave to Oakhill Ave
• North Ave WB: Druid Hill Ave to Woodbrook Ave
"We really need our bus lanes to be unencumbered by private vehicles that shouldn't be in it," said Zac Blanchard, a Baltimore City councilman who represents much of downtown.
Blanchard said keeping bus lanes clear is especially important since Baltimore doesn't have a large metro system like Washington D.C. or Philadelphia.
"Having a faster and more reliable bus system is something that I have been, always, unequivocally in support of," Blanchard said. "As someone who takes my kids to daycare on the bus a couple days a week, and as someone who has plenty of constituents who go to work."
The cameras are designed to operate year-round and will capture both drivers and people parking in bus lanes.
The city said the cameras' activation date is to-be-determined, pending "completion of installation, system testing, and required certification, along with an initial public awareness and warning period."
"The automated bus lane enforcement program is designed to encourage safe driving behavior, support dependable transit, and protect vulnerable roadway users," a DOT spokesperson added in a statement. "Because thousands of Baltimore residents depend on transit every day to reach work, school, healthcare, and essential services, reliable bus service is essential in the city. Our focus is on education, fairness, and creating safer, more accessible streets for all."
