Bill > SB583

This bill allows local governments in Virginia to authorize public transit agencies to use "bus obstruction monitoring systems" to enforce parking rules around bus stops and in bus lanes. A "bus obstruction monitoring system" is defined as equipment on a transit bus that records images of illegally parked vehicles, and a "transit bus" is a public transportation vehicle funded by government money. This means that if a vehicle is parked in a bus stop zone or a bus-only lane during posted times, the transit bus can capture photographic or video evidence of the violation. The local government will then use this evidence to issue civil penalties, similar to parking tickets, and the process for issuing and responding to these citations is outlined, including providing at least 30 business days to review the evidence. Private vendors can be involved in providing these systems and services, but their compensation cannot be based on the number of violations or penalties collected. The bill also specifies that the initial image capture and analysis must happen on the bus itself, and only potential violations are transmitted for further review. The recorded images can be kept for a limited time and used to inspect bus stop facilities but not for other law enforcement purposes, and the systems cannot use biometric identification like facial recognition. For the first 60 days of implementation, only warnings will be issued.

Transportation and Infrastructure

https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/SB583