Editorial Calls for Automated Enforcement for Bus Lanes

The Seattle Times Editorial Board argues that automated enforcement would remove scofflaws from blocking bus commuters.

1 minute read

January 12, 2019, 7:00 AM PST

By Casey Brazeal @northandclark


Sound Transit Bus

VDB Photos / Shutterstock

For efficiency and fairness, Seattle should experiment with automated enforcement of its bus lanes, the Seattle Times Editorial Board argues. "Given that buses carrying 90 people are routinely delayed or stopped by a single-occupant car, it’s a good idea that should be tried," the Times argues. The Seattle Department of Transportation has found that certain key points on bus routes are blocked more than a hundred times each day.

"Seattle Police could issue tickets every day, but the police have more important work and the act of stopping drivers to ticket them would further jam the bus lanes," they argue. Further, police stops can be problematic for other reasons, while the piece does not discuss it, automation could curb racial profiling and protect police and drivers from potentially violent interactions that sometimes happen during traffic stops.

Finally, the Seattle Times argues the tactic has been used successfully in other cities like London and San Francisco. "That city [San Francisco] has seen a 55 percent reduction in violations since 2014 and a 16 percent drop in collisions," they report.

Sunday, January 6, 2019 in The Seattle Times

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Concrete Brutalism building with slanted walls and light visible through an atrium.

What ‘The Brutalist’ Teaches Us About Modern Cities

How architecture and urban landscapes reflect the trauma and dysfunction of the post-war experience.

February 28, 2025 - Justin Hollander

Complete Street

‘Complete Streets’ Webpage Deleted in Federal Purge

Basic resources and information on building bike lanes and sidewalks, formerly housed on the government’s Complete Streets website, are now gone.

February 27, 2025 - Streetsblog USA

Aerial view of single-family homes with swimming pools in San Diego, California.

San Diego to Rescind Multi-Unit ADU Rule

The city wants to close a loophole that allowed developers to build apartment buildings on single-family lots as ADUs.

March 9, 2025 - Axios

Cars driving on the American Legion Bridge in Maryland

U.S. Miles Driven Rose by 1 Percent in 2024

Americans drove a total of 3.279 trillion miles in 2024, but per capita VMT stayed the same.

March 10 - Eno Center for Transportation

An adult man, stopped on a Seattle, Washington street corner, preparing for a rainy morning bike commute.

Seattle Recorded Zero Bike Deaths in 2024, per Early Data

The city halved the number of pedestrian deaths compared to 2021.

March 10 - Seattle Bike Blog

Close-up of green ULEZ sign in London, UK.

Study: London ULEZ Rapidly Cleaning up Air Pollution

Expanding the city’s ultra low-emission zone has resulted in dramatic drops in particle emissions in inner and outer London.

March 10 - Smart Cities World