HB 638: MARTA; prohibit stopping or parking of a motor vehicle other than a transit vehicle in a designated transit vehicle lane in the City of Atlanta

Currently there is no specific state law banning ordinary vehicles from stopping or parking in bus or transit-only lanes in Atlanta. This bill adds a new section to Georgia's MARTA law (O.C.G.A. § 32-9-25) that prohibits parking or stopping a non-transit vehicle in a designated transit vehicle lane in the City of Atlanta, unless allowed by traffic signs, an emergency, or other law. Violations caught by a police officer at the scene are treated as misdemeanors with fines rising from $50 to $150 for repeat offenses, with the first fine waived if the driver completes a short online transit lane safety course. The bill also lets the city use automated camera systems to catch violations and mail civil penalty notices to vehicle owners, with similar fine amounts, appeal rights, and privacy rules for the recorded images. For the first six months after a lane is designated, only warnings are issued. The whole new law would automatically expire on January 1, 2030.

• Makes it illegal to stop or park a motor vehicle other than a transit vehicle in a designated MARTA transit lane in Atlanta, unless signs, emergencies, or other law allow it.
• Sets misdemeanor fines of up to $50, $100, and $150 for a first, second, and third violation caught by a police officer, with the first fine waivable by completing an online safety course.
• Authorizes automated camera systems to detect violations and issue civil fines by mail to vehicle owners, capped at the same $50/$100/$150 amounts plus limited processing and late fees.
• Requires warning signs near camera-enforced lanes and sets rules for how long recorded images can be kept and when they must be destroyed.
• Directs that money collected from these penalties be given to MARTA to fund public safety initiatives.
• Automatically repeals the entire new law on January 1, 2030 unless renewed.

Drivers in the City of Atlanta who might stop or park in MARTA transit-only lanes, MARTA and city law enforcement agencies that would enforce the new rules, private companies hired as camera-monitoring 'agents,' and courts within the city that would handle citations and appeals.

Drivers who block transit lanes in Atlanta could face fines and, for camera-detected violations, mailed civil penalties rather than criminal charges. The camera fines would not count as a conviction or add points to a driving record, while officer-issued citations would still count as misdemeanors, and the money collected would fund MARTA public safety programs.

• Section 1 adds new Code Section 32-9-25 defining key terms like 'transit vehicle lane,' 'automated transit vehicle lane monitoring device,' and 'agent.'
• Subsection (b) bans stopping or parking a non-transit vehicle in a transit lane unless authorized by traffic signs, emergency, or other law.
• Subsection (c)(1) sets misdemeanor fines of $50, $100, and $150 for first, second, and third officer-issued violations, with a safety course waiving the first fine.
• Subsection (c)(2) creates a parallel civil penalty system using camera images, capping processing fees at $25 and late fees at $5, and specifies mailed notice and appeal procedures.
• Subsection (c)(3) requires only warnings, not fines, for the first six months after a lane is designated as transit-only.
• Subsection (c)(2)(K) requires warning signs 200 to 500 feet before camera-monitored transit lane entrances, sized at least 24 by 30 inches.
• Subsection (c)(2)(I) directs collected penalty funds to be remitted to MARTA for public safety initiatives.
• Subsection (f) provides that the entire new Code section repeals automatically on January 1, 2030.

1. 2026-01-12Senate Recommitted (Senate)
2. 2026-01-12Senate Taken from Table (Senate)
3. 2025-04-02Senate Tabled (Senate)
4. 2025-03-27Senate Read Second Time (Senate)
5. 2025-03-27Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate)
6. 2025-03-10Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
7. 2025-03-06House Passed/Adopted By Substitute (House)
8. 2025-03-06House Third Readers (House)

• Deborah Silcox (R, HD-053)Primary sponsor
• Betsy Holland (D, HD-054)
• Phil Olaleye (D, HD-059)
• Stacey Evans (D, HD-057)
• Sheila Jones (D, HD-060)
• Martin Momtahan (R, HD-017)
• Shawn Still (R, SD-048)

1. PassedHouse voteMarch 6, 2025

   145 yea, 22 nay (5 not voting, 8 absent)

   Passage: House Vote #221

• MARTA
• transit lanes
• traffic enforcement
• automated cameras
• Atlanta transportation