City Tries to Hide Bus Lane Camera Warning

A CrownHeights.info reader brought to our attention a troubling phenomenon: a clear attempt by the City of New York to obstruct a sign warning drivers of a newly-installed camera issuing tickets to vehicles traveling in the recently-created bus lane on Nostrand Ave.

After having received a ticket for such an infraction, the resident went to check if there are signs warning drivers of the ticket-issuing cameras – as is required by state law.

New York State law VAT title 7 111-c-3(iii) – which authorizes the installation of these cameras, passed at the behest of the city by the state legislature and signed by the governor in 2010  – requires as a condition of installing these cameras “the installation of signage at regular intervals within restricted bus lanes stating that bus lane photo devices are used to enforce restrictions on vehicular traffic in bus lanes.”

To his surprise, the resident discovered that not only was there only one warning sign (not in “regular intervals” as the law requires), but that the city planted a tree directly in front of the sign in a clear effort to obstruct it from view, and thus maximize ticket revenue from unsuspecting drivers.

The newly-planted tree makes it impossible to read the words on the sign from inside a vehicle. Only when the driver is almost directly parallel with the sign, can the sign’s message be seen.

This sign is located on Nostrand Ave. between Clarkson and Lenox Streets.

Whether this unabashed attempt by the city to circumvent state law will be accepted by a judge as grounds to void any ticket issued by this camera remains to be seen.

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7 Comments

  • crown heights resident

    Whoever wants to fight a ticket in court has to take pictures to prove the warning sign was installed in a place drivers can’t see it.

  • Its not a problem

    DO NOT DRIVE IN THOSE LANES

    IT is not fair some people zoom up and beat traffic.

    Everyone knows you get ticketed so please ticket everyone who drives in those lanes.

  • do it right

    It is a good idea to stop trying to get away with things and just try to do the right thing.

  • turning

    got a ticket just before turning onto montgomery street, from rogers when you look on line it shows pictures as i went onto the turning lane, does not show the video , so not clear if i had my light on yet. waiting to hear from them, hope it does not take 3 months the amount of time it took for my ticket to come in the mail, june till october .

  • amazing

    I got a violation there also! I am going to do hearing by mail with these photos and the statement!

    Thank YOU!!!!!!!!!!