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If you’re not a bus, get out of the bus lane–NYC just unveiled a new program that will automatically ticket drivers who block NYC bus stops.

The program is an expansion of an existing pilot program formerly known as Automated Bus Lane Enforcement (ABLE) that attached cameras to 600 NYC buses on 14 different routes across Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, and the Bronx. The cameras automatically ticketed drivers illegally blocking bus lanes.

With new technology the expanded program, dubbed ACE, will ticket drivers double parked or illegally parked at all bus stops in addition to just those with separate bus lanes.

Once captured by the cameras, your license plate number, location, and a time stamp will be sent to the NYC DOT for review and processing. 438,660 notices of violations have been issued since 2019.

According to the MTA, when enforcement cameras are activated routes see bus lane speeds increased by 5%, a 20% reduction in collisions, and a 5-10% estimated reduction in emissions. And typically those who receive a fine aren’t repeat offenders–in fact, only 9% of drivers commit another bus lane violation after being fined.

If your vehicle is photographed driving, parking, or standing in a bus lane, you’ll be sent a Notice of Liability (NOL) within about 30 days.

Fines for violations within a 12-month period are as follows:

• First offense: $50
• Second offense: $100
• Third offense: $150
• Fourth offense: $200
• Each subsequent offense: $250

MTA Chief Accessibility Officer Quemuel Arroyo stated:

Keeping bus stops clear is critical to ensuring all of our customers can safely get on and off the bus. I know firsthand the frustrating experience of having a vehicle block the bus stop and forcing me to wait for the next one. I am thrilled to be turning on ACE today and look forward to clearer bus stops and faster trips.

Bus routes now enforced with ACE cameras include B44 SBS, B46 SBS, Bx12 SBS, Bx19, B62, Bx41 SBS, Bx36, M14 SBS, M15 SBS, M23 SBS, M34 SBS, Q44 SBS, Q54, and Q58.

Drivers blocking bus lanes will only receive warnings for the first 60 days after implementing ACE before fines begin being issued.

By the end of this year cameras will be attached to 1,023 MTA buses across 33 different routes.

You can view your bus lane camera violation video, learn how to pay your violation, and learn how to fight your violation here.

The post New Cameras Will Automatically Ticket Drivers Who Block NYC Bus Stops appeared first on Secret NYC.

* This article was originally published here

It’s that time of the year again: Global Citizen Festival, the uber-popular annual music festival that has been taking over Central Park’s Great Lawn since 2012, has announced this year’s musical lineup: Post Malone, Doja Cat, Jelly Roll and Rauw Alejandro will headline this fall’s festivities on September 28, with additional performers set to be revealed in the upcoming weeks.

In addition to the musical acts, attendees will be treated to Global Citizen Ambassador Hugh Jackman’s hosting efforts alongside appearances by Dr. Jane Goodall and the festival’s curator Chris Martin of Coldplay fame.

Since its inception, the festival, which was originally organized by Global Poverty Project, has been focusing on ways to end extreme poverty around the world. This year in particular, things will not be different.

According to an official press release, the event “will unite [people] to call for urgent action to” defeat poverty, defend the planet and demand equity. 

Global Citizen has teamed up with a bunch of nonprofit organizations around the fiveboroughs to promote its mission, including Citymeals on Wheels, Black Surfing Rockaway, the Bowery Mission, Expercting Relief, South Asian Youth Action and YMCA of Greater New York – Bed Stuy, among others. 

How to get tickets to the 2024 Global Citizen Festival in Central Park

As usual, tickets to the massive concert are free.

To earn them, though, interested parties must actually take action on the Global Citizen app or on the festival’s website right here to, according to the release, “demand change from governments and private sector leaders.” 

What does taking action entail? Peruse the website to find out, but examples include signing petitions, making donations, sharing social media posts and calling up elected officials. 

All these cations will earn you points that will, in turn, help you get your hands on entries for the festival ticket draw. There are usually a bunch of different draws scheduled that you can enter multiple times. Needless to say, you can keep trying until you, hopefully, snag some passes. 

* This article was originally published here

The giant no-man’s-land underneath the Brooklyn Bridge in the Dumbo area of Brooklyn will soon be born again… as a pickleball destination. Officials announced their intention to revitalize the area, filling it with the courts and a slew of other recreational pursuits some time in the spring of 2025.

CityPickle, the company behind many of the courts now peppering New York, came up with the winning proposal for the recreational set up following a request for proposals (RFP) released by the City of New York Department of Parks & Recreation back in January. As part of the plan, the organization wants to turn Anchorage Plaza into 12 pickleball courts that border Washington Street while also setting up areas for a dog run, food trucks, a tree nursery, art installations, beach chairs, rest rooms and more open year-round.

The Brooklyn Eagle reports that CityPickle will invest a minimum of $2 million “in the space for drainage, leveling and other preparations.” 

The NYC Parks Department approved of the project and construction is scheduled to kick off in just a few months.

Although scenic and functional, the area has, until now, been underused, making it prime real estate for the sorts of recreational destinations that locals crave and officials in office hope to be able to deliver during their tenures.

Currently used as a parking lot and, according to the Brooklyn Eagle, a “staging area for bridge work” that has been closed to the public since 2009, Anchorage Plaza also used to host an annual art show from 1983 through 2001, reports StreetsBlog. We hope that, soon enough, the neighborhood will once again be home to the sort of cultural pursuits that defined in the past.

* This article was originally published here

New Yorkers are used to seeing fairly odd things all around the city on a daily basis, but a giant dragon attached to the Empire State Building? That’s stuff we usually deal with at the movies. 

This weekend, the inflatable creature was attached to the iconic midtown landmark for the better part of Sunday as part of a massive city-wide promotion behind HBO’s Game of Thones prequel, House of the Dragon, which premiered on the network last night.  

According to the New York Post, the “real life” version of Aemond Targaryen’s dragon Vhagar, whom we originally met on Game of Thrones, was secured on the building by 154 rigging points, 1,700 pattern pieces and over 600,000 sewn stitches. The dragon will be there through June 19.

Check out this video of the massive undertaking, from the perspective of those who actually did all the work.

But there’s more: in addition to the inflatable, the Empire State Building is hosting a temporary pop-up exhibit all about Game of Thrones now through June 19 (which is just two days away, so you better head there ASAP if you want to catch it). 

Adult tickets to the experience cost $46 and they include the chance to sit on the legendary Iron Throne for a nice photo op on the Observatory’s Grand Staircase, plus a number of interactive activities.

And if you’re feeling a bit hungry while on-premise, indulge in a House of the Dragon-inspired dragon fruit sorbet infused with tequila and orange liquor, and garnished with a mini dragon toy figure—courtesy of Tipsy Scoop. The local ice cream shop will be serving the delight through tomorrow on the 86th floor of the Empire State Building. 

The Empire State Building is known for lighting up in different colors every few days in honor of grand events, premieres, holidays and more—but this is the first time in recent memory that the landmark has put on such a spectacle, complete with an enormous inflatable figure. Although it looks odd… we’re kind of into it?

* This article was originally published here