The city equipped six Chicago Transit Authority buses with license plate reader cameras Wednesday to automatically ticket drivers illegally parked in downtown bus and bike lanes.

It’s an expansion of a pilot program launched last year that installed city vehicles with cameras aimed at enforcing parking and standing violations in bus and bike lanes in an effort to improve street safety for cyclists, pedestrians and drivers.

The pilot area is bounded by North Avenue, Ashland Avenue, Roosevelt Road and Lake Michigan. The program is set to expire in December 2026.

Drivers will be issued a warning for the first violation, then will receive a ticket in the mail for any subsequent offenses. A 30-day warning period began Wednesday, meaning all drivers hit with a violation will receive a warning

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