Watchdog Group Wants Hochul to Veto Bus Lane Parking Mulligan

A top Albany government watchdog is pushing Gov. Hochul to veto a bill that would let motorists park illegally in Co-op City bus lanes, even though automated parking enforcement has been proven to speed up bus service.

The group, Reinvent Albany, said in a statement that it “strongly opposes” the bill — S7785/A8843 — because it “arbitrarily exempts a group of motorists from a societally beneficial law solely because of where they live.”

“This carve-out is unfair to other motorists and bus riders and is not justified by the facts presented by its proponents,” the group said.

The bill excludes vehicles on roads of cooperative housing developments containing Mitchell-Lama housing with at least 10,000 units from bus lane enforcement. It was sponsored by state Sen. Jamaal Bailey and Assembly Member Michael Benedetto, both of the Bronx, and passed both houses during the 2025 legislative session.

According to the sponsors, Co-op City residents say the unique street layout of the neighborhood makes it difficult to avoid brief stops in no-standing zones. Some have also said the automated ticketing is unfair, arguing it punishes them for brief stops outside buildings where bus lanes are poorly marked.

But the law is clear that no parking is permitted in bus lanes, and Streetsblog has previously reported that bus lanes and busways with automated enforcement have experienced speed boosts of 10 percent and 20 percent, respectively.

Reinvent Albany said that an enforcement carve-out like this would result in worse service for Co-op City residents and is overreach by the state government. Instead, the group thinks that concerned residents should work with the MTA and local officials to create better bus lanes.

“Establishing a non-enforcement zone for bus lane violations based on parochial political concerns is unwise interference by the Legislature in local street and transit planning,” it said.

The bill has not yet been delivered to the governor, which can happen days or months after passage.

The governor’s office typically doesn’t comment on bills, but a spokesperson said, “The governor will review the legislation.”