The Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District (AC Transit) has launched an automated camera citation system to eliminate illegal parking at bus stops. As of last Wednesday, motorists who park or stop unlawfully at bus stops within AC Transit's service area may receive a warning notice. This enforcement applies to all vehicles, including taxis, Uber and Lyft cars, and delivery trucks obstructing designated bus lanes. According to the City of Alameda, these warnings will escalate to $110 citations starting October 7.
An expansion of an initiative that began with Tempo Line 1T, AC Transit has decided to upgrade and employ artificial intelligence-equipped (AI) cameras across all its bus lines. The advanced technology successfully detected violations along the heavily trafficked Tempo corridor. These AI cameras are designed to automatically record any vehicle stationed illegally at bus stops, with a patient mailing warning notices to the vehicle's owners for the first 60 days. The official AC Transit press release further elucidates the workings and the date when actual citations will be issued.
The enforcement system operates utilizing two small cameras mounted on the front windshield of 100 buses. Bay Area-based Hayden AI developed the AI technology that applies computer vision to monitor infractions closely. Once a potential violation is recorded, the onboard system generates an evidence package. This includes "a 10-second video of the violation, a photo of the license plate, and the time and location of the incident", as detailed on AC Transit's website. The package is then reviewed by the transit law enforcement for final determination of citation issuance.
Comparison with the past enforcement methods is telling. From June 16 to July 25, the AI cameras documented over a thousand potential violations along the Tempo corridor, an increase mirrored by an impressive surge in citations compared to the previous year's manual legacy system. This initiative stands on the legal ground provided by AB 917, which allows forward-facing cameras by transit agencies for the stated purposes. The switch to AI has been reported to drastically improve citation efficiency, prompting the program's expansion as outlined on AC Transit's official communication channels.
