SANTA MONICA—Santa Monica is the latest city to test the use of artificial intelligence camera technology to enforce parking laws. The city’s latest innovation is allowing buses themselves to write tickets instantly for parked cars in the way of bus lanes.
Santa Monica’s Big Blue Buses has worked with Hayden AI on a 45-day pilot program that utilized cameras to detect and identify vehicles that were parked illegally. During the pilot program, the AI system identified more than 500 potential violations.
While buses are on their routes, these cameras capture license plates of cars that are illegally parked or stopped in a designated bus lane.
The cameras are installed on the windshield that capture anything occurring ahead in the bus lane. Information the cameras capture is sent to a computer box inside the bus which allows AI to assess what’s happening in the photos. The cameras are accurate within 10 centimeters, and they can determine if a car is moving or stopped. The system can flag cars that make violations can issues tickets in real time.
In 2022, the bus system provided 7.7. million trips but many were delayed due to cars parked improperly or cars stopped in bus lanes.
There are a growing number of cities who are exploring the use of AI cameras to find parking violations and issue tickets immediately to the offender. Buses in New York City are already equipped with these AI cameras. Officials plan on installing them in Washington DC soon.
Santa Monica hasn’t determined if they will officially implement the technology.
