A pilot program that utilizes cameras on CTA buses and city vehicles to automatically issue tickets to drivers blocking bike and bus lanes will be expanded citywide and made permanent after it won City Council approval.
Alderpeople on Wednesday voted unanimously to expand the Smart Streets program, which launched in November 2024 in a limited pilot area Downtown that was then expanded to a larger section of the city earlier this year.
The citywide expansion will be completed over three phases in 2027 and 2028.
Smart Streets uses cameras to document and issue citations to car and truck drivers who are illegally parked in a bus or bike lane, which can create safety issues and delays. Drivers can also be cited for blocking bus stops or having an expired parking meter, among several other infractions.
Since 2024, the program has garnered more than 140,000 citations, though 75 percent of those were warnings for a first-time infraction that carries no penalty, according to data shared last month by city officials. More than 80 percent of drivers who got warnings had not received additional violations since then, officials said at the time.
Fines for those who do get tickets range from $50 for non-payment of a meter outside of the Central Business District to $90 for a bus lane violation to $250 for a bike lane violation. No new fines would be created under the Smart Streets expansion.
Under the expansion, 26 city vehicles will be equipped with Smart Streets cameras by the end of 2027, officials said last week. The CTA is also expanding the number of camera-equipped buses to more than 50 in the next few weeks, said Molly Poppe, chief planning and innovation officer for the transit agency.
Advocates and alderpeople at a Wednesday press conference argued the program’s expansion is necessary to better protect cyclists and pedestrians, as well as speed up certain corridors for bus travel.
Backers have said Smart Streets’ central aim is about changing behavior, not about fining people.
Still, the program is projected to bring in millions for the city, on top of the $2.5 million the pilot has raised since its inception two years ago. City officials on Friday estimated the expanded program could garner approximately $6.1 million in net revenue in 2027.
One challenge facing the pilot program has been with delivery truck drivers who continue to break parking laws despite getting tickets, Sean Wiedel, a deputy commissioner at the city’s transportation department, said at last month’s hearing.
The Smart Streets program was formally approved by the City Council in March 2023, but its implementation was delayed until November 2024, when the city began issuing warnings for infractions within the pilot zone.
