Santa Monica’s sneaky new tactic to catch unruly cyclists — it’s a California first with $93 fines

They’re robo-cops.

Santa Monica has become the first city in California to crack down on bike lane violations using security cams powered by artificial intelligence.

The initiative targets vehicles that illegally park that stop or park illegally in the cyclist’s side of the road, forcing peddlers into the street where the risk of an accident goes up exponentially, according to City Of Santa Monica Blog.

To prevent this, the city mounted AI-powered cams on enforcement vehicles, so they can bust violators by recording the time and location, as well as video and photos of the incident.

When the program initially debuted on May 1, vehicle owners received a 60-day grace period and a warning. Starting on July 1, violators were subject to fines of $93, Secret Los Angeles reported.

Before deciding to issue a financial penalty, the evidence is reviewed and verified by an officer, who then mails a citation to the vehicles owner.

Nonetheless, tickets and hundred of warning violations have been issued since the ordinance went into effect, per the city.

This marks the culmination of a multi-year effort to get psychopaths to stay in their lanes.

During a six-week dry run of the campaign in 2024, just two enforcement vehicles flagged nearly 1,700 potential bike lane violations.

“Making bike lanes safer and more accessible encourages people to choose active transportation, helping reduce traffic congestion and improve air quality in Santa Monica,” the city wrote in their blog.

This isn’t the city’s first attempt to improve road safety via getting commuters to pick a lane.

In fact, this latest campaign was inspired by the city’s Automated Bus Lane Enforcement initiative launched in September , which helped curb bus lane parking violations by 67% and bus stop violations by 40% within just months

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