MTA bus cameras doling out tickets for double parking outside Bronx school leaves parents frustrated
SOUNDVIEW, the Bronx (WABC) -- It's an unexpected impact of the MTA's use of bus cameras to crack down on double-parked cars in bus lanes.
Parents at a school in Soundview, the Bronx say they are getting tickets because cameras are capturing their cars double parked during drop-off and dismissal.
They say there's nowhere else to park and they are not even in the bus lane.
"This is totally unacceptable. Every day they are doing this," said parent Nafiquer Rrahman.
Rrahman held the source of his anger, a ticket for double parking outside of his child's school.
It wasn't issued by a cop or traffic agent, rather it came in the mail. Parents in Soundview had been warned.
"They said we shouldn't be double parking because the buses are taking pictures and sending tickets," said parent Ashley Calo.
The MTA's new enforcement program started this summer.
Onboard cameras that have been used to catch motorists parked in dedicated bus lanes are now snapping photos of double-parked cars.
P.S. 583 on White Plains Road is a particularly congested area.
"If you have to pick up your child, you can't have them cross the street by themselves, and it's hard to leave your car somewhere," said parent Rob D'Angelo.
Under the program, if two MTA buses photograph the same vehicle within a certain time period, the Department of Transportation issues a $50 summons.
For bus lanes, the grace period is five minutes, but for double parking, it's just two and a half minutes.
Double parkers anywhere can be ticketed, not just near bus stops.
While some complain of a money grab, the MTA insists it needs to keep buses moving.
"It's good for everybody in the Bronx, so many people depending on buses -- for buses to be faster than walking," said MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber.
The DOT says the area is a no-standing zone that should be completely clear allowing parents space to drive up and pick up their kids, but some staffers in the building park here all day leaving parents no choice, but to double, and sometimes, triple park.
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