Athens is launching a new crackdown on traffic violations in bus lanes, deploying advanced traffic enforcement and surveillance cameras with artificial intelligence to keep the critical transit corridors clear. The initiative aims to enhance the efficiency of urban buses and trolleybuses in the traffic-clogged greater Athens-Piraeus area.
An ongoing effort in the Greek capital seeks to restrict bus lanes solely to public transportation and emergency vehicles.
A pilot phase for the new surveillance system is set to begin next month.
The "new wrinkle" in this traffic surveillance system is its use of AI to detect various violations, including vehicles illegally driving or parking in bus lanes.
During this initial pilot phase, however, no tickets will be issued.
The expansion of mass transit systems in the greater Athens-Piraeus agglomeration has struggled to keep pace with a growing fleet of private passenger cars, motorcycles, vans, coaches, and trucks. This challenge is further exacerbated by the millions of annual visitors to the area, adding to the approximately 4.5 million permanent residents.