Starting in May, the Philadelphia Parking Authority will start using AI-powered cameras to start generating tickets for cars parked in bus lanes throughout the city, writes Mike DeNardo for KYW Newsradio.
PPA employees will install AI cameras on 150 SEPTA buses and over 20 trolleys, according to executive director Rich Lazer.
The cameras will be activated in April, in which they will capture images of cars that have stopped in bus lanes or parked at bus stops. From there, those photos will be reviewed by PPA staff and then violation notices will be sent out.
Lazer noted that a car parked in a bus lane that’s stopping and hindering traffic will result in a $101 ticket.
The hope is that the tickets will make illegal parkers reconsider before blocking bus stops.
People like Latoya Maddox, who leads SEPTA’s advisory committee for accessible transportation and also uses a wheelchair, especially hopes so.
“For me, it will mean that I can board and unboard a bus without putting my life and my wheelchair in jeopardy,” she said.
There will be about a two-week warning period before PPA starts enforcement.
Read more about the PPA’s latest step to curb illegal parking in bus lanes in KYW Newsradio.
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