Last week, Sacramento became the first city in the country to use bus-mounted cameras to ticket scofflaw drivers who drive or park in bike lanes. The program is a partnership between the city and Sacramento Regional Transit.
While other cities are using the technology to enforce bus-only lanes, Sacramento has beaten the competition as the first to expand to bike lanes as well. At least one other city, Santa Monica, has used the cameras to monitor bike lanes, but its ticketing program isn’t expected until later this year.
In a press statement, the City of Sacramento said that this program was needed because of the dangers posed when drivers violate the bike lane and bicyclists are forced unexpectedly to mix with cars in travel lanes. Unpredictability on the roads makes things more hazardous for all road users.
“Keeping bike lanes clear is an important part of making Sacramento a place where everyone can thrive,” said SacRT General Manager/CEO Henry Li. “This program will help improve safety and travel times for everyone on Sacramento roads, no matter how you travel around.”
Sacramento is known as an unsafe place to walk or ride a bicycle. Since the city made a Vision Zero pledge in 2017 to reduce traffic deaths to zero in a decade, over 300 people have died on Sacramento’s streets. In 2024, 32 people were killed in traffic crashes, including 13 people walking, 7 riding bicycles, 3 riding motorcycles, and two riding electric scooters.
More anecdotally, Jeremiah Rohr with Sacramento Area Bicycle Advocates tells the local CBS affiliate, "It's a daily occurrence on my rides to run into someone (in their car) in a bike lane."
For now, motorists violating the bike lane will only receive warnings. On June 13, the warnings will end and tickets will be given. One hundred SacRT buses are equipped to identify and report illegally parked vehicles.
Sacramento has been using front-facing cameras to do bus stop enforcement since last December. When a violation occurs, the system captures a short video and photo of the vehicle’s license plate, and the exact time and location of the incident. This information is then sent to the City of Sacramento for review and violation processing. If a vehicle is detected obstructing a bike lane, a parking violation will be mailed to the registered owner after review by city parking officials.
The system utilizes equipment provided by Hayden AI* and "violation processing software" from Duncan Solutions.
“We’re honored to support Sacramento in leading the way for bike lane safety,” said Lisa Schule, Executive Chairwoman of Hayden AI. “Using AI technology to protect bike lanes is a transformative shift for urban mobility and safety.”
Using AI and bus mounted cameras to enforce traffic laws wasn’t legal in California until recently. 2023’s Assembly Bill 361 (AB 361), introduced by Chris Ward (D-SD) authorizes California cities to use these cameras for enforcing parking violations in bike lanes and transit zones. AB 361 expires at the end of 2030; should this program be a success, it would require reauthorization for long-term implementation.
Nevertheless, Sacramento sees this program as an important step in creating safer streets and is proud that it beat other cities to get the program off the ground.
“We’re proud to be the first city in the country to use this technology to help keep our bike lanes clear,” said Staci Hovermale, Parking Services Manager for the City of Sacramento. “This tool helps us enforce existing parking rules more effectively, improving safety for cyclists and ensuring everyone shares the road responsibly.”
*Hayden AI is an advertiser with Streetsblog and was not contacted for the content of this story outside of a usual press request for a statement.
