When vehicles park illegally in bike lanes, cyclists are forced into traffic, putting them at greater risk of serious injury or worse. Image by Mircea Iancu from Pixabay

SACRAMENTO, CA (MPG) - The City of Sacramento and Sacramento Regional Transit (SacRT) are partnering to launch automated bike lane enforcement, making Sacramento the first city in California and in the United States to enforce bike lanes using technology installed on transit buses.

This initiative expands upon SacRT’s automated bus stop enforcement program, which currently equips 100 SacRT buses with camera systems to identify and report vehicles illegally parked along bus stops. Now, that same technology will also target illegal parking in bike lanes, a move by the City of Sacramento to protect vulnerable road users and improve roadway safety citywide.

When vehicles park illegally in bike lanes, cyclists are forced into traffic, putting them at greater risk of serious injury or worse. By keeping bike lanes clear, this program enhances safety and predictability for everyone on the road, whether they are walking, biking, driving or riding transit.

One-hundred SacRT buses are equipped with front-facing cameras powered by machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) from Hayden AI. These cameras detect and record instances of illegal parking in Sacramento bus stops and bike lanes. When a violation occurs, the system captures a short video and a 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.

As of April 14, drivers illegally parked in Sacramento bike lanes receive warning notices in the mail. Violations with an accompanying fine will be issued, starting June 13.

This program is made possible by Assembly Bill 361 (AB 361), which authorizes California cities to use forward-facing cameras for enforcing parking violations in bike lanes and transit zones, a vital legislative step toward making streets safer for everyone.

“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.”

Said SacRT General Manager/Chief Executive Officer Henry Li, “Keeping bike lanes clear is an important part of making Sacramento a place where everyone can thrive. This program will help improve safety and travel times for everyone on Sacramento roads, no matter how you travel around.”

California-based Hayden AI is providing the automated bus stop and bike lane enforcement camera systems for SacRT buses and Duncan Solutions is providing the violation processing software. All evidence packages of parking violations detected by the camera systems are reviewed and ultimately approved or rejected by City of Sacramento parking enforcement officers.

“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.”