{"id":99175,"date":"2025-07-28T10:59:12","date_gmt":"2025-07-28T10:59:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/99175\/"},"modified":"2025-07-28T10:59:12","modified_gmt":"2025-07-28T10:59:12","slug":"bus-ted-cameras-aim-to-rescue-the-m42-from-a-crosstown-crawl","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/99175\/","title":{"rendered":"Bus-ted! Cameras Aim to Rescue the M42 from a Crosstown Crawl"},"content":{"rendered":"

The M42 bus \u2014 notorious for crawling crosstown through Hell\u2019s Kitchen at a sluggish 3.2 miles per hour \u2014 is getting a speed boost.<\/p>\n

\"\"The M42 pulls around a car in the bus lane on the first day of operation of on-board bus lane enforcement cameras this Saturday. Photo: Phil O\u2019Brien<\/p>\n

Since Saturday, the M42 has become the second crosstown route in Hell\u2019s Kitchen with on-board bus lane enforcement cameras \u2014 aimed at clearing its congested path from the Hudson River to the East Side. The move is part of the MTA\u2019s growing Automated Camera Enforcement (ACE) program, which fines drivers who block bus stops, double park, or drive in bus lanes. The M34-SBS along 34th Street was previously the only crosstown route in the neighborhood with camera enforcement.<\/p>\n

Jesse Greenwald, co-chair of Manhattan Community Board 4\u2019s Transportation Planning Committee, previously told W42ST<\/a> that riding the M42 is often slower than walking, and called on the city to prioritize reliable, accessible public transit across 42nd Street.<\/p>\n

\"JesseJesse Greenwald, co-chair of MCB4\u2019s Transportation Planning Committee. Photo: Phil O\u2019Brien<\/p>\n

The penalties for violations start at $50 and escalate by $50 increments for repeat offenses, up to a maximum of $250. Cameras mounted on the buses automatically record and transmit violations to the city for review. The ACE program does not affect a driver\u2019s insurance or license but it has proven to change behavior. Fewer than 10% of drivers commit multiple offenses once fined.<\/p>\n

According to the MTA, routes with ACE cameras have seen average speed increases of 5%, with some corridors improving by up to 30%. Collisions have dropped by 20% and blocked bus stops are down 40%.<\/p>\n

\"M42According to the MTA, routes with ACE cameras have seen average speed increases of 5%, with some corridors improving by up to 30%. Photo: Phil O\u2019Brien<\/p>\n

The M42\u2019s upgrade comes just months after local community boards urged the city to overhaul 42nd Street with a dedicated busway \u2014 similar to the transformation of 14th Street in 2019, which led to 24% faster buses and a 30% increase in ridership. Advocates hope the addition of enforcement cameras will lay the groundwork for a similar transformation.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve all had the experience of sitting on a bus on 42nd Street and realizing it\u2019d be quicker to walk,\u201d said Greenwald earlier this year. \u201cIf the city is serious about congestion pricing and climate goals, then improving bus service is essential.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"M42The M42 bus lanes are now being enforced by cameras between 7am and 7pm. Photo: Phil O\u2019Brien<\/p>\n

With more than 775,000 daily riders across 510 miles of ACE-enforced routes, the MTA says the program has become a cornerstone of faster, safer, and more accessible transit. And for long-frustrated M42 riders, Saturday\u2019s rollout may finally bring a little relief \u2014 and momentum for bigger changes still to come.<\/p>\n

Signs will be posted along the M42 corridor notifying drivers of the new camera enforcement. Full details about the ACE program, violation rules, and how to contest tickets are available at mta.info\/ace<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The M42 bus \u2014 notorious for crawling crosstown through Hell\u2019s Kitchen at a sluggish 3.2 miles per hour…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":99176,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5122],"tags":[5229,18393,58090,405,403,5226,5225,5228,5227,6187,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":{"0":"post-99175","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-new-york","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-bus","10":"tag-mcb4","11":"tag-new-york","12":"tag-new-york-city","13":"tag-newyork","14":"tag-newyorkcity","15":"tag-ny","16":"tag-nyc","17":"tag-transport","18":"tag-united-states","19":"tag-united-states-of-america","20":"tag-unitedstates","21":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","22":"tag-us","23":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/114930514078824427","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99175","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=99175"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99175\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/99176"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=99175"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=99175"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=99175"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}