The City of Sacramento announced on May 13 that it will expand its automated parking enforcement program by using AI-assisted technology on three parking enforcement vehicles to identify cars illegally blocking bike lanes, with a particular focus on school zones across the city.
The expansion is intended to improve safety for cyclists and pedestrians, especially near schools. Officials said that vehicles blocking bike lanes force people into traffic, reduce visibility, and create unnecessary risks near schools, transit stops, and busy corridors. Megan Carter, the City’s Traffic Engineer, said: “This program is about safety. Vehicles blocking bike lanes force people into traffic, reduce visibility and create unnecessary risks near schools, transit stops and busy corridors. The warning period gives drivers time to adjust before live enforcement begins.”
A 60-day warning period for drivers who stop or park in bike lanes will begin May 13. Live citations are set to start July 13. Once live enforcement begins, drivers found violating the rules will face a $150 citation. This increased fine was approved by the Sacramento City Council as part of an updated fees and charges schedule and also applies to violations involving red curbs and bus zones.
The new initiative builds upon Sacramento’s previous automated enforcement programs launched in partnership with Sacramento Regional Transit in 2025. These included what officials described as the nation’s first bus-mounted automated bike lane enforcement system. Since their launch in 2025 through May 12 of this year, these programs have resulted in more than 32,000 bus stop violation citations and over 25,000 bike lane violation citations.
Assembly Bill 361 allows California cities like Sacramento to use forward-facing cameras for enforcing parking violations in bike lanes and transit zones—an important legislative step cited by city officials as making streets safer for all users.
Councilmember Lisa Kaplan highlighted the focus on school zone safety during this rollout: “Keeping school zones safe for students and families is one of our highest priorities,” Kaplan said. “Too often, vehicles stopping in bike lanes and near intersections create dangerous conditions for children walking or biking to school. Expanding this enforcement program will help improve visibility, reduce conflicts and support safer streets in our neighborhoods.”
City officials noted that before implementing this technology they received frequent complaints about unsafe stopping around Natomas schools but were limited by staffing capacity during peak travel periods.
Public Works staff said that expanding automated parking enforcement supports Sacramento’s broader Vision Zero strategy aimed at improving road safety throughout the city.
