Each month the Parking Technology Committee for IPMI gets together and discusses a topic - for this month we had a what-if conversation where we thought about what a future of parking enforcement could look like.
By 2025, many vehicles on the road come equipped with built-in cameras and sensors as part of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS). Rear cameras and parking sensors are now common, and features like front crash prevention and lane centering are becoming more widespread.
This growing presence of in-vehicle cameras opens up an intriguing possibility:
What if we could turn everyday vehicles into mobile parking enforcement agents?
Many cars already have the necessary tools-cameras and GPS. If drivers opted in, their vehicles could scan license plates and report parking violations. In return, they'd earn parking credits or a share of enforcement fees.
We could even gamify the experience-paying people to drive through areas that need enforcement or haven't been scanned in a while.
Why this could work:
- Scalability: Thousands of eyes on the street.
- Incentivized participation: Drivers get rewarded.
- Data-rich enforcement: Real-time, location-based insights.
Let's discuss:
- What are the privacy implications of this idea?
- How could we verify accuracy and prevent misuse?
- Would cities or private operators embrace or resist this model?
- What technical or legal hurdles do you foresee?
Looking forward to your thoughts and critiques.
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Nick Mazzenga
Associate
Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc.
Richmond VA
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