Released 29/11/2017
Licence plate recognition (LPR) technology, also known as electronic chalking, was officially rolled out in Canberra today to increase road safety and create vibrant town centres.
Minister for Regulatory Services Gordon Ramsay said the official rollout of the technology followed a successful trial in the first half of this year.
“During the trial, Access Canberra parking inspectors in most cases provided warnings to Canberrans who were found to be parked illegally or overstaying their parking as detected through LPR,” he said.
“This provided an opportunity to inform and educate the community in key areas where it will be used. Access Canberra will now commence the issuing of infringements from this week, with the technology playing an important role in supporting safe parking.”
LPR is a vehicle mounted camera system which allows parking officers to capture and record images of parked vehicles to determine if they have overstayed the maximum time limit, parked unlawfully, or are dangerously parked.
Similar technology has been used in other jurisdictions and is found to be effective in detecting unsafe and illegal parking.
This technology will primarily be used to check on-road parking, rather than in outdoor car parking areas. Those areas will still be serviced by foot patrols.
“Particular areas of focus will be roadside parking around our schools and around businesses in our town centres,” Minister Ramsay said.
“These areas often have a high volume of pedestrian traffic and ensuring crossings and visibility, such as through double parking, are not obscured is critical for safety.
“Preventing overstaying in parking areas near businesses is also central to supporting ‘churn’ or turnover in parking so more customers can access these areas.”
Currently, there are more than 50,000 government-controlled parking bays and 3,000 linear kilometres of paved road in Canberra to patrol. LPR cameras can inspect 30 kilometres of roadside parking per hour compared to 1-2 kilometres per hour by parking inspectors on foot.
“Drivers identified as parking illegally through LPR will be posted an infringement notice, while those detected by inspectors on foot will continue to receive an infringement notice in an envelope on their windscreen,” Minister Ramsay said.
“Canberrans need to be aware this new technology is in place and I strongly encourage the community to park safely and legally on our streets.”
- Statement ends -
Gordon Ramsay, MLA | Media Releases