KSHB 41 reporter Olivia Acree covers portions of Johnson County, Kansas. Share your story idea with Olivia.
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Kansas City, Missouri, will start enforcing transit-only lanes on Sunday, Feb. 1, ending a months-long grace period that began when the streetcar's Main Street extension opened in October.
Drivers who violate the transit-only lane rules now face penalties of up to $50 or potential towing.
The lanes are marked with curbs, solid red pavement or double white lines, stretching from Union Station to the University of Missouri-Kansas City.
The only exceptions — dashed lines — allow drivers to use the lanes when making right turns or accessing street parking.
The city and KC Streetcar Authority implemented the grace period because traffic flows differently on Main Street since the extension opened.
"The grace period has gone long enough now that those few folks that are driving in the lanes when they're not supposed to, it's just having that enforcement," said Kansas City Transportation Director Jason Waldron. "Although enforcement isn't our goal, compliance is the goal, and we're ready to do that."
The rollout has gone well, according to Waldron, with enforcement serving as the final step toward achieving full driver compliance with the new traffic patterns.
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