Ald. La Spata proposes using CTA bus cameras to ticket drivers that block bus lanes, stops

A commuter boards the CTA’s southbound No. 49 bus on Western Avenue at Belden Avenue on the North Side. Ald. Daniel La Spata (1st) has introduced an ordinance that would begin work to allow ticketing of vehicles that block bus lanes using CTA surveillance footage. (Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times file)

Drivers who block bus and bike lanes could have their license plates captured by cameras installed on the exterior of CTA buses — triggering tickets that would arrive by mail — under a proposed crackdown aimed at speeding up bus service.

Nearly 20 years after a similar CTA experiment with surveillance cameras that ultimately failed, Ald. Daniel La Spata (1st) wants to try it again.