Local authorities in France are installing a new type of parking meter that detects the presence of a vehicle and alerts police when the prepaid time has expired.
The meters have a magnetic field that detects a vehicle’s mass. The meters have a direct link to a police station.
The Telegraph reports how it works in one French town.
In the town of Issy-les-Moulineaux cars are allowed 20 minutes of free parking. But if they overstay, the smart meter sends a message to a police control room, which alerts officers through their mobile telephones 15 minutes later.
“That way police and wardens don’t have to spend the day walking up and down the road,” said Mr Zandona, who wants to bring the technology to Britain and a number of other countries.
“The police can go and sit in a café if they like and just pop out when they get a message to say a car is parked illegally. They have an 80 per cent chance of finding the car still there between 12 and 18 minutes after the limit, we have found. That’s why we warn them after 15 minutes.”
Zandona has plans to expand the system so that mobile phones will be registered with the system. When 5 minutes are left on the meter, a text message will inform the driver. More time can be purchased through the phone. If the text is ignored, then driver is notified a ticket will be issued and sent directly to the driver’s home. Thereby, eliminating the need for meter readers or ticketing officers.
