You are reading

Motorists Who Use Merrick Boulevard Bus Lane Will Be Fined Starting Nov. 22: DOT

A bus lane on Merrick Boulevard (DOT)

Vehicles that illegally encroach onto a bus lane along a section of Merrick Boulevard, pictured, will be hit with fines starting later this month (DOT)

Nov. 15, 2021 By Michael Dorgan

Vehicles that illegally encroach onto a bus lane along a section of Merrick Boulevard in southeast Queens will be hit with fines starting later this month, the Dept. of Transportation announced Monday.

The DOT has installed cameras along a 6.4-mile bus lane along Merrick Boulevard, from Hillside Avenue in Jamaica to Springfield Boulevard in Laurelton. Only buses are permitted to use the lane and the DOT will begin issuing fines for violations on Nov. 22.

The automated bus lane cameras will be active from Mondays through Fridays from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.

A single-vehicle violation will cost $50 with fines increasing to as much as $250 for a fifth offense. Violations are issued against vehicles, not drivers.

New signage indicating that the bus lane is camera-enforced has already been put in place, according to the DOT.

The DOT started issuing warning letters on Sep. 21 to motorists illegally using the bus lane. The warnings have been part of an effort to help drivers get ready for the change.

The bus lane between Hillside Avenue and Springfield Boulevard is part of Mayor de Blasio’s Better Buses initiative that aims to improve bus speeds in the city and increase ridership levels.

“Our message is clear – if you block a bus lane, not only are you slowing down the commutes of 94,000 bus riders, but you’ll be getting fined as well,” DOT Commissioner Hank Gutman said in a statement. “Be a good neighbor and stay out of the bus lanes!”

The Q4, Q5, Q84, Q85, N4 and N4X bus routes go through the Merrick Boulevard corridor. It will become the 30th corridor in the city to have automated camera enforcement.

email the author: news@queenspost.com
No comments yet

Leave a Comment
Reply to this Comment

All comments are subject to moderation before being posted.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Recent News

Ridgewood mother and daughter arrested for attacking woman over parking spot: NYPD

A Ridgewood mother and daughter were arrested Monday after they ambushed a young Black woman who tried to park her car in a spot in front of their apartment building that they frequently cordon off with garbage cans and traffic cones.

A family friend was standing at the northeast corner of Onderdonk Avenue and Putnam Avenue at around 7:30 p.m. when the 21-year-old Jada McPherson tried to park her car in the spot. The man placed a garbage can in her way. She drove off and circled the block multiple times. She tried to pull into the same spot one more time, but the man tried to stop her again. McPherson got out of her car to confront him, and an argument ensued.

Man in his 50s sought for exposing himself to 13-year-old on E train in Forest Hills: NYPD

Police from the 112th Precinct in Forest Hills and Transit District 20 are looking for a suspect who allegedly flashed a 13-year-old girl on a Queens subway train last month.

The victim was riding a southbound E train approaching the Kew Gardens-Union Turnpike station at around 1 p.m. on Monday, June 30, when she saw a stranger exposing himself to her, police said Wednesday. The perpetrator ran off the train at the Kew Gardens-Union Turnpike station and fled in an unknown direction. The youngster was not injured during her encounter with the stranger.