California City Tests AI Cameras On Buses for Parking Tickets

Los Angeles TV station KTLA reports:It's an issue for cities across America: cars parked in bus lanes when they shouldn't be. Now, new AI camera technology is letting the buses themselves write tickets instantly. Santa Monica recently tested the technology with their Big Blue Bus Line. Last year, they provided 7.7 million trips, but not all were on schedule due to cars improperly parked or stopped in dedicated bus lanes. "The question becomes how do we and other cities keep vehicles that should not be in the transit lane out of the lane," said Robert McCall, who oversees Community Engagement for the City of Santa Monica. Santa Monica is among a growing number of cities exploring the use of AI cameras that can spot violations and issue tickets instantly. As buses drive their routes, special cameras capture the license plates of cars that shouldn't be parked or stopped where they are... Already, their cameras are installed in buses in New York City and soon, Washington, DC... During Santa Monica's 45-day pilot, the system identified more than 500 potential violations. Each fine is nearly $300 dollars... Santa Monica still hasn't decided if they'll actually implement this technology, but it paves the way for a bigger trend in the future where AI will write tickets automatically when people break the rules. "Although this might seem like a good way to keep people out of the bus lanes, it seems to me another encroachment on privacy and use of technology in ways that could harm more than help without oversight," writes long-time Slashdot reader neoRUR. "Also what is the role of traffic police when it's all done automatically?"

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