Drivers who block bus traffic across Northern Virginia could someday receive fines based on video evidence from cameras mounted on Metrobuses, Fairfax Connector buses and those of other transit systems.
The Northern Virginia Transportation Commission (NVTC) board of directors discussed the possibility of advocating for the General Assembly to lift the state’s existing prohibition on using cameras to enforce bus-only lanes at its meeting last Thursday (July 17).
Cameras on Metrobuses to catch drivers using bus-only lanes to travel or park already are the norm in D.C., but Virginia and Maryland currently ban the practice.
The use of cameras for automated lane enforcement was among a number of more aggressive concepts suggested at the meeting for prioritizing transit on local roadways.
Bus-only travel lanes remain relatively rare across Northern Virginia, at least outside Arlington and Alexandria, but more could be on the way. Fairfax County’s plans for bus rapid transit on Richmond Highway and Route 7 include dedicated bus lanes.
“One of the tricky parts about bus lanes is they don’t work if they’re not enforced,” said Vikram Sinha, a senior program manager for NVTC.
In D.C., drivers face $100 fines for being caught on camera blocking any of the city’s 12.7 miles of dedicated bus lanes. All video is checked by a staff member before citations are sent out.
Sinha, who briefed NVTC board members on options to improve bus-network reliability, said cameras mounted on transit buses would be similar to the technology used to catch drivers who illegally pass school buses.
They also would be akin to the continued proliferation of speed cameras across the region. In each case, those caught on camera committing an infraction receive a citation in the mail.
Ticketing drivers who block bus-only lanes was the only concept brought up in Sinha’s presentation that would require enabling legislation from Richmond. Whether there’s any interest will likely depend on the outcome of the general election this fall, which will determine Virginia’s next governor and House of Delegates.
Even without additional legislation, those blocking bus lanes in Northern Virginia can still be ticketed by a police officer or sheriff’s deputy.
Another tool for moving buses more quickly involves giving them traffic-signal priority over other vehicles.
Through sensors on the buses, green traffic lights could be extended to allow bus traffic to move through more expeditiously. That system would be similar to the embedded communications tools already used to give fire trucks and other emergency vehicles precedence at some intersections in the region.
One location where that technology has a major impact is Seven Corners. Fire trucks and ambulances from the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department’s Station 28 just to the south can halt all traffic on Route 7 and ancillary roads during service calls.
“What we are looking to do is to utilize some of the same technology to benefit the bus,” Sinha said. “Some of this is already in place.”
A third proposal is to create more “queue jumps” — pull-offs on roadways that enable allowing buses to go around traffic approaching key intersections, then merge back into the roadway ahead of that traffic after passing the intersection.
Sinha’s presentation was for informational purposes. NVTC board members did not have any questions.
According to the meeting agenda, NVTC staff have started working on a Regional Transit Technology Inventory that will collect information on the kinds of technology already used in different jurisdictions “with the goal of creating a central resource for current transit technology
contracts in Northern Virginia.”
NVTC could then help coordinate bus priority infrastructure plans throughout the region.
