Overview
- City Council voted Wednesday to expand the Smart Streets pilot into a permanent, citywide program that uses cameras on CTA buses and city vehicles to document and ticket drivers who block bus lanes, bike lanes and bus stops.
- The city says the system enforces existing rules rather than creating new crimes and that the pilot logged more than 140,000 citations since 2024, about three-quarters of which were warnings for first-time infractions.
- Officials plan a three-phase rollout in 2027–2028 that will outfit 26 city vehicles with cameras by the end of 2027 and increase the number of camera‑equipped CTA buses to more than 50 in the coming weeks.
- City data show the pilot raised roughly $2–$2.5 million and officials estimate the expanded program could net about $6.1 million in 2027 while fines under current law range from $50 to $250 depending on the violation.
- CDOT clarified cameras will not ticket generic double parking unless it blocks a bike or bus facility and full enforcement of driving in dedicated lanes may require additional legal authorization, a limit that could shape how the program affects delivery drivers and street operations.