Washington drivers will receive a $100 fine if they drive, park, stand, or stop illegally in bus lanes starting Monday.
The new fine is the second phase in the District Department of Transportation’s and Washington Metro’s Clear Lanes program, which hopes to decrease travel times for Metrobuses by ensuring that bus lanes remain clear. The DDOT announced the new date for the penalty last week.
“We are excited about the start of the second phase of this program,” interim DDOT Director Sharon Kershbaum said in a statement. “Our goal with the Clear Lanes program is to demonstrate our commitment to strengthening our transportation network and helping residents who use public transportation get across the city faster and more efficiently.”
The new policy follows a $100 fine that went into effect in November for drivers illegally driving, parking, standing, or stopping in a bus zone.
The new tickets were announced in September, but the initial rollout date was pushed back multiple times, and drivers were issued warnings instead. It is not clear why there was a delay.
The fine was also expected to be steeper initially, at $200, but the department lowered the fine due to a concern that drivers would not be able to pay the high ticket price.
The DDOT will be enforcing the new rules by using cameras mounted on the buses. The cameras were installed last year. The city already uses cameras to catch other traffic violations, such as running red lights and going faster than the speed limit.
Bus lanes are usually marked by red paint and should have signs designating the hours the lanes are actively “bus only.”
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There are a handful of vehicles that are exempt from this new rule when it comes to bus zones, such as school buses, city and metro buses, and maintenance vehicles from the city or metro. Bikes, scooters, tour buses, school buses, maintenance vehicles, emergency vehicles, and accessible transportation service vehicles are still authorized to use the lanes.
Unauthorized drivers are allowed to use the bus lane when clearing the way for emergency vehicles.