MHC X MTA Datathon

Issue 1: Emergency Vehicle Exceptions

Context: Streets like Amsterdam Ave and 3rd Ave host many emergency facilities whose vehicles frequently use and occasionally commit violations on the bus lanes. Although these vehicles are exempt, each violation detected by an ACE camera is logged on the database, adding unnecessary rows to the ACE dataset and obscuring true violation patterns.

Proposed Solution:

Set 100–200 ft buffer zones around emergency facilities. ACE camera captures within these zones are automatically classified as “Emergency Exempt” and don’t add unnecessary rows to the main dataset.
Shift or re-aim ACE cameras away from emergency facility entrances to cut down unavoidable exemptions
Group multiple detections of the same vehicle at the same location within a short time window into a single event. Example: A fire truck captured four times in 10 minutes is counted as one or two events instead of four.

Next Steps:

Step 1: Identify all firehouses, hospitals, and police stations along the M101 route.
Step 2: Create 100–200 ft buffer zones around these facilities to auto-classify captures as exempt.
Step 3: Group multiple detections of the same vehicle at the same location within a short time window.
Step 4: Test the system at busy sites to ensure it reduces duplicates and improves data accuracy.
Step 5: If the pilot is successful, expand the system across all ACE cameras along the M101 and other relevant routes to standardize exemption handling and improve dataset quality.

Effectiveness:These solutions are effective because they clean the dataset by removing duplicates and exempt vehicles, focus enforcement on real violations, and reduce manual work, allowing agencies to target problem areas more accurately and efficiently. This way we can bring the exempt count on repeat emergency vehicles down.

Issue 2: Commerical Vehicle Exceptions

Context: Right after exempt emergency vehicles, commercial vehicles make up the next largest share, receiving exemptions because they did not occupy the bus lane for over 20 minutes. While not as high as emergency vehicles, 33.06% is still a significant portion. Since these vehicles are often exempt, many continue to violate bus lane rules without facing real consequences. Commercial vehicles shouldn’t receive a free pass simply because they are registered as “exempt,” especially when they repeatedly misuse bus lanes or restricted areas.

Proposed Solution:

Limit the number of exemptions per commercial vehicle to 3 per month. After that, any further violations are treated as issued violations.
For commercial vehicles with more than 3 exemptions in a month, require a review process where the vehicle owner must provide justification for continued exemptions. If no valid reason is provided, subsequent violations are treated as issued violations.
Install additional signage along the M101 route reminding commercial drivers of the exemption limit and consequences of exceeding it.
Use license plate recognition technology to automatically track and flag commercial vehicles that exceed the exemption limit.
Allow commercial vehicles exemptions only during off-peak hours for loading/unloading. During peak transit hours, ACE cameras would count their violations for half. So instead of 20 minutes, they would be punished if occupying bus lanes for more than 10 minutes.
The city can create even more legal loading/unloading areas near congested corridors so commercial vehicles don’t need to block bus lanes.

Next Steps:

Step 1: Pilot the exemption limit policy on the M101 route to test its effectiveness before expanding citywide.
Step 2: Collaborate with DOT and NYPD to implement license plate recognition tracking for commercial vehicles.
Step 3: Work with local businesses to identify priority loading/unloading zones and create more legal areas to reduce bus lane misuse.
Step 4: Launch an outreach campaign to inform commercial drivers about the new exemption rules and signage changes.
Step 5: Evaluate the data after 6 months and adjust the policy based on violation trends and feedback from businesses.

Effectiveness:These solutions are effective because they create clear limits and consequences for commercial vehicles, reducing repeat violations. By tracking exemptions and requiring justification, the policy encourages responsible behavior. Additional signage and legal loading zones help drivers comply, while technology aids enforcement. Overall, these measures target the root causes of commercial vehicle violations, improving bus lane access and transit efficiency.