Committee approves MARTA plan to use bus cameras to deter parking in BRT lanes, members press for privacy safeguards

The Georgia House Transportation Committee voted to pass House Bill 638, authorizing the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) to place cameras on buses to identify vehicles parked in designated bus rapid transit (BRT) lanes in Atlanta.

Sponsors said the cameras would be used to collect information about cars that potentially violate the lanes, but enforcement would be limited to ticketing parked vehicles. “The purpose of this bill is to allow MARTA to collect information about how many cars are potentially, going to violate these lanes, but they are only going to ticket parked vehicles,” Jennifer LaRosa, head of government relations for MARTA, told the committee.

The bill text, as read to the committee, prohibits stopping or parking a motor vehicle in a designated transit lane. It establishes fines of $50 for the first violation, $100 for the second and $150 for the third, which sponsors…