Bus and bike lane cameras reach Foster, California and Pershing first. The ordinance left the order to City departments

CBS Chicago reports the City's rollout schedule for Smart Streets, with three corridors in the first half of 2027. The Council's 49-0 ordinance dropped the pilot's boundaries and its end date, and set no map of its own.

By Chicago PoliticsUpdated Nov 1, 2026

Camera enforcement of bus and bike lanes will reach Foster Avenue, California Avenue and Pershing Road first, between January and June 2027, CBS Chicago reported Friday. Devon Avenue, Pulaski Road and 51st Street follow in a later phase, and the City expects full citywide coverage in 2028, according to CBS.

Why it matters: Smart Streets uses cameras on CTA buses and City vehicles to photograph vehicles parked or standing in bus lanes, bike lanes and other no-parking spots. Until now, it covered mostly downtown and nearby neighborhoods. If you drive, park or deliver along these corridors, the rules don't change, but the odds of a mailed ticket do.

What the coverage found

The City says 84% of drivers who got a warning during the test never got another violation, CBS reported. Large delivery companies have paid nearly $460,000 in fines since the pilot began. The program has collected about $3 million in all, and supporters project $12.8 million next year, CBS said. A CTA spokesperson told CBS that each vehicle blocking a bus lane or stop slows service by about 13 seconds.

"It helps correct behavior," Ald. Andre Vasquez (40th), the lead sponsor, told CBS.

What our records add

The vote. The Council passed Vasquez's ordinance, SO2026-0028833, 49 to 0 on Oct. 14, with 29 co-sponsors. Ald. Monique Scott (24th) did not vote. The Mayor signed it the same day.

How each ward voted

49 yea, 1 not voting · Oct 14, 2026 · Passed

Yea Nay Not voting

SO2026-0028833: the roll call, the timeline and the documents

What the ordinance changed. The substitute ordinance that passed:

Deletes the pilot area. The old law limited cameras to a zone bounded roughly by Irving Park Road, Ashland Avenue, Archer Avenue, 26th Street, Roosevelt Road and the lake. That boundary is struck, so the program can operate anywhere in the City.
Deletes the end date. The pilot had been set to expire Dec. 21, 2026. That section is removed.
Keeps the warning. A vehicle's first violation still brings a mailed warning, not a fine. Any new camera system also starts with a 30-day period of warnings only.
Lets departments set the order. The Transportation and Finance departments are to roll it out "in a phased manner," prioritizing locations by need, traffic and safety conditions, and the concentration of transit and bike infrastructure. The ordinance names no streets.
Keeps the reports. The two departments must report to the Council's Pedestrian and Traffic Safety Committee every quarter, including on ticketing "as they affect different population groups and geographic areas."

So the corridor list CBS reported is the departments' plan, not a Council decision. Members will see how it is working through those quarterly reports.

What members heard before voting. At a Sept. 15 committee hearing, City staff said the pilot area had grown from about 8 to 18 square miles and that about 140,000 warnings and violations had been issued, 75% of them warnings, as we reported last month. Our Oct. 16 story covers the passage.

Where the first corridors run. Foster Avenue (5200 North), California Avenue (2800 West) and Pershing Road (3900 South) are long arterials that each pass through several wards. Use our ward lookup to see your alderperson.

What's next

January to June 2027: Foster, California and Pershing, under the schedule CBS reported.
Later phases: Devon, Pulaski and 51st Street.
Every quarter: the departments' report to the Pedestrian and Traffic Safety Committee. We will post them on the committee's page as they're filed.