Washington, D.C
Drivers paid $10M in DC bus lane fines — but still owe over $12M
Earlier this month, News4 reported D.C. drivers have been fined millions of dollars for blocking Metrobus lanes. By far, the #1 question we heard from viewers was: “How many of those tickets are actually getting paid?”
Since the District began the new camera enforcement, it’s issued more than $15 million in tickets, but lots of them have gone unpaid, resulting in drivers racking up late fees in addition to the original fines.
Since November of last year:
- more than 147,000 tickets have been issued
- so, far about 83,000 of those tickets have been paid
Drivers have paid up almost $10 million, but more than $12 million in fines and late fees remain unpaid.
The District has 13 miles of dedicated bus lanes, which are painted red. Cars are not allowed in those lanes during rush hours, except when making a right turn.
Since last November, drivers have been getting $100 fines for blocking the lanes when they’re caught by cameras installed on about 140 Metrobuses. The fines double if they’re not paid on time.
Sharon Kershbaum, the director of the D.C. Department of Transportation (DDOT), said the goal of enforcing the bus lanes is to keep traffic moving.
“If you’ve got people that are parked in the bus lane, it’s forcing the buses to drive around it,” Kershbaum told us earlier this month. “And they often need to wait, and things back up. So the efficiency gets lost.”
Improving safety is also a factor, Kershbaum said.
“Because if there is a car that’s parked in front of a bus stop and the bus needs to let the passengers disembark in the travel lane, they’re often weaving in between cars, parked cars or cars that are driving. And it’s very difficult to see that,” she said. “So there’s a safety component and an efficiency component.”
Since the District began using photo enforcement for speed and red light cameras years ago, the city has had problems collecting on many of the fines, particularly from out-of-state drivers.
The new bus lane tickets are no exception.
As for who owes the most in unpaid bus lane tickets:
- Virginia drivers top the list, racking up nearly 39,000 tickets. So far, only about 18,000 of those fines have been paid, so they still owe $ 4,229,783.
- Maryland drivers are a close second. While drivers from Maryland were issued the most tickets — nearly 52,000 — they’ve also paid the most fines, more than 30,000 of them. But drivers from Maryland still owe D.C. more than $4 million.
- As for D.C. drivers, they were issued more than 41,000 bus lane tickets. So far, they’ve paid more than 25,000 of them, with more than $2.6 million in fines and late fees still owed.
The District plans to add another 10 miles of priority bus lanes next year, and Metro plans to install another 70 cameras to buses this year.
Washington, D.C
Nurses at Washington D.C.’s largest hospital call on leadership to reverse planned cuts to maternal health
RNs at MedStar Washington Hospital Center say closure of postpartum unit will disproportionately harm marginalized and underserved communities
Union nurses at MedStar Washington Hospital Center (MWHC) in Washington, D.C. are demanding that management stop the planned closure of an entire postpartum unit, announced National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United (NNOC/NNU). The hospital notified the union on May 26, 2026 of its intention to eliminate 11 maternal health beds and displace eight nurses by July 26, 2026, leaving MWHC with one postpartum unit.
In a follow-up town hall with staff nurses, Chief Nursing Officer Ariam Yitbarek confirmed the closure. Other leaders have additionally informed staff that the hospital will strictly limit scheduled C-sections and inductions for patients from numerous D.C. maternal health organizations. The list of organizations includes many that primarily serve low-income patients, immigrants, and patients of color, all communities with significantly higher risks of maternal mortality. Additionally, staff were informed that Kaiser Permanente, which notably insures a large number of DC city employees and even many of MWHC’s own workers, will see a strict limit on scheduling inductions and C-sections for their patients as well.
“Closing postpartum unit 5F will gravely impact those most affected by health disparities,” said Stephanie Sims-Coates, RN in the neonatal intensive care unit. “Our low-income families and families of color will be most affected by this closure. Families trust the medical staff at MWHC and plan to come to us for their care. In a city where Black women make up 90 percent of pregnancy-related deaths despite being only half the population, the hospital’s decision to close this unit is a significant mistake.”
Community leaders and healthcare workers are joining the call for MedStar to put patients before profits and keep the unit open. This past weekend, nurses met with D.C. mayoral candidate and Ward 4 councilwoman Janeese Lewis George about the planned closure and the impact it would have on DC’s most vulnerable residents.
“Maternal mortality is a crisis for Washington, DC, and our healthcare system needs to address the crisis immediately, rather than exacerbate the challenges that birthing parents face,” said Councilwoman Janeese Lewis George. “Now is the time to invest in health care, rather than make cuts. I want to work with the hospital to identify solutions that work for patients and the provider.”
“In my time at Washington Hospital Center, I’ve seen the hospital tout its Safe Moms, Safe Babies program and host a community baby shower specifically designed to call attention to the maternal mortality crisis,” said Marcqueata “Tiya” Butler, RN in the Mother/Baby unit. “Their current plan to shut down 11 postpartum beds betrays the hospital’s stated commitments. They are aware of persistent inequities in access to care. We are calling on the hospital to consider the impacts on the community, safeguard the mothers and infants of DC and commit to addressing the maternal mortality rate.”
In 2024, MedStar Health, a registered non-profit, reported $9 billion in operating revenue.
NNOC/NNU represents more than 2,200 registered nurses at Washington Hospital Center.
National Nurses United is the largest and fastest-growing union and professional association of registered nurses in the United States with more than 225,000 members nationwide. NNU affiliates include California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee, DC Nurses Association, Michigan Nurses Association, Minnesota Nurses Association, and New York State Nurses Association.
WASHINGTON (7News) — Tuesday was the last day the D.C. Council could vote to enact an expanded curfew in time for summer.
7News learned it never even made it on the agenda for a discussion and went to council members to find out why.
For the next two months, it’ll be up to the mayor to declare a curfew until the permanent version kicks in. There is already a city curfew. The curfew that has been up for debate for more than a year is the expanded version of the curfew. The expanded version allows the Metropolitan Police Department to create zones where teens 17 and under cannot gather in groups of nine or more.
RELATED | DC curfews pushed large groups into local neighborhoods, some residents say
Mayor Muriel Bowser currently has her own curfew order in place, which ends Saturday. The mayor can continue issuing an order. Councilmembers against the expanded curfew said that’s why it doesn’t need to come from the council.
In a video posted two weeks ago, D.C Council public safety chair Brooke Pinto said she wanted her councilmembers to vote to fill the gap today. 7News asked her why she never presented it to the council.
“Unfortunately, in working with my colleagues over the last several weeks, we did not have the votes,” said Pinto. “We have to have enough votes to pass the law and make sure that we didn’t have a gap.”
Bowser, in a letter to council Tuesday, said councilmembers Trayon White, Robert White, Zachary Parker, Brianne Nadeau and Janese Lewis-George are “blocking the will of the public and majority of council.”
7News spoke to three of the members she called out about the mayor’s pushback.
“I reject the rhetoric and the political games that are being played, and I’m wanting for us to get to the bottom of how do we stop the teen takeovers and the delinquent behavior we’ve been seeing,” Parker said.
“I stand by my belief that a curfew policy is a failed policy, kind of smoke and mirrors, and what we really needed is investments in our young people, so I’m pretty firm on that,” Nadeau said.
“We have to choose our tools and the time we use those tools. I’ve supported the curfew in the past, but I think with the current surge of more federal troops that have been impending, we’re putting our youth in even more danger by extending that work. I know the executive has put in an emergency executive order that will fill the gap. I hope that comes alongside extended hours, I’ve funded at DPR, extended weekends, and opening more safe spaces for youth here in the city. And that’s the solution that we do agree on,” Lewis-George said.
The mayor has not confirmed if she’ll issue another order, but it is on the table.
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