Illegal parking. CCTV guarding the law

 It is not a secret for anyone that a targeted fight against illegal parking is hopeless. You can spend a lot of time on complaints, conversations, threats, the process of reasoning and filming violators, but the result will be minimal. And in the place of the driver who has changed his mind, will appear another. Within the framework of the system of safe cities (SSC), the problem of illegal parking (including on lawns, in places for people with disabilities) is solved with intelligent video surveillance. Let’s talk in more detail.

Is it a danger or nuisance? What is illegal parking in the SSC?

Illegal parking, at first glance, may seem like a minor offence or a minor nuisance, but not a danger. However, the law considers it a security threat. Making it difficult for other vehicles, including vehicles of operational and emergency services, to travel, the risks of new accidents and the threat to human lives increase.

Accordingly, the longer the illegal parking is, the higher the risk of accidents are.

The growing trend of smart, secure cities drives everyday problems to be detected and resolved with IoT devices.

First of all, law enforcement agencies use the capabilities of modern video monitoring to solve such road problems as:

• automatic detection of road accidents;
• recognition of cars license number plates;
• determination of free movement patterns;
• detection of vehicles parked in prohibited areas;
• automated notifications distribution to the police.

A video surveillance system (parking) is of particular value for the business as well. Details are in the article “Video surveillance for a car service, car wash and car park“.

Legislative regulation

The following legal norms govern car parking:

1. The set of traffic rules.
2. Applicable federal and regional legislation.

For example, if we are talking about gas parking operators, then the local “Law on the improvement and protection of green spaces”, as well as Federal Law No. 7 “On environmental protection” (effective date 10.01.2002), may come into force.

If we talk about illegal parking in the courtyards, we can refer to Federal Law No. 52. It regulates the conditions of the population’s sanitary and epidemiological well-being (effective date September 30, 1999).

NOTE: the administrations of the subjects of the Russian Federation and settlements have the right to adopt local laws regarding the illegal placement of cars on sidewalks, lawns, on the territory of playgrounds and courtyards. They also have the right to establish measures of responsibility for damage to green spaces and municipal property.

Supervision over the observance of laws is entrusted to the traffic police, the Department of Internal Affairs and the administration of settlements.

Identifying and solving the problem

The classic situation in urban areas is as follows: a car occupies a space allocated for regular public transport. Accordingly, buses and trolleybuses have to stop in the middle of the traffic lane, making it difficult for other vehicles to pass.

How the automatic video monitoring system works:

• there is a video recording of the incident and the car identification (license number plate);
• the data is sent to the Regional Center for automatic recording of offences for the fine formation;
• law enforcement agencies automatically receive notifications, which allows them to respond to the situation quickly;
• it is possible to synchronize the video camera with the megaphone to play the announcement for the offender. This function is a deterrent for drivers.

Such a video monitoring system can be used in all cities’ essential infrastructure areas (at stadiums, train stations, airports, near shopping and entertainment centres and municipal organizations).

Advantages of video surveillance technologies

The process of detecting illegal parking using network video systems has several advantages:

• round-the-clock operation of the equipment, including at night, in adverse weather conditions;
• lack of contact with a traffic police officer, which ensures objectivity and impartiality;
• multipurpose equipment. Camcorders can support up to several dozen functions simultaneously.

Benefits in perspective

Illegal parking has a direct and indirect impact on society. Prevention of road traffic accident and traffic jams is just the tip of the iceberg. Solutions that help to eliminate illegal parking problems can have a positive impact in a variety of areas of the city, in particular:

• streamlined traffic flow relieves stress for drivers and pedestrians;
• high performance of the cameras ensures uninterrupted replenishment of the city treasury (due to fines);
• predictive analytics disciplines road users;
• additional events investigation capabilities improve the overall level of security in the city.

Instead of conclusion

Video surveillance based on neural networks can record the fact of an offence and analyze the event instantly. The automatic system’s most essential function for detecting illegal car parkers is to promptly notify the relevant authorities for rapid intervention in the situation.