A pair of legislators in Albany want to use NYC’s automated enforcement cameras to keep scofflaw drivers out of bike lanes, they said Thursday.
Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani (D-Queens) and his Senate co-sponsor Brad Hoylman (D-Manhattan) said their proposal would launch the concept at 50 locations with protected bike lanes, fining drivers who obstruct the path of cyclists $50 for each infraction.
“There are numerous incidents of cars moving into bike lanes, you know, basically making it very dangerous for cyclists,” Hoylman told The Post. “We think there needs to be enforcement to prevent cars from entering bike lanes.”
“I think the intention is to start with protected bike lanes. Those are the ones that clearly [have] a demarcation between the roadbed and the bicycle lane,” he added.
Mamdani warned that the proposal would not be a “silver bullet” to keep bike lanes cleared, but said that automated cameras have proven to be effective in reducing red-light running and speeding.
“You consistently see cars driving in the bike lane,” Mamdani said. “We know that these cameras work to deter drivers from breaking the law.”
Automated cameras are the bane of many NYC drivers, but the majority of violators do not commit second violations, according to the city Department of Transportation.
Mamdani said he will work on the bill “through the summer and through the fall,” with the hope of passing it next year. The proposal needs the approval of the City Council, but he said DOT officials have already expressed support.
Financial penalties create “actual consequences for blatantly disregarding the laws of the road,” Mamdani said.
“[DOT has] found that it has been sufficient to deter [speeding on streets] so there’s no reason to believe that it would be different [with] a bike lane,” he said.
DOT confirmed that it backs the legislation.
“Drivers who block bike lanes hamper our efforts to provide safe biking infrastructure and endanger lives,” said agency rep Vin Barone. “We strongly support the ability to use life-saving automated enforcement technology for our bike lanes and look forward to further conversations with legislators about the concept.”
