Parking contractor NSL is to test camera technology on the streets of Brighton to enable staff to issue tickets more quickly.
The company has agreed terms of a trial with Brighton and Hove City Council using automatic number plate recognition technology.
A car or moped fitted with a camera that reads number plates will be used to send parking wardens to ticket vehicles. They will target those without a valid parking permit or where a pay and display ticket has expired.
The council said: “Parking enforcement in one part of a residents’ scheme in Brighton will have some extra help this month (February) to tackle illegal parking and make sure that spaces are available for legitimate permit holders.
“NSL, which runs Brighton and Hove City Council’s parking enforcement, will be trialling a camera car fitted with automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) technology that can ‘read’ number plates.
“The technology will be used to direct civil enforcement officers (CEOs) to where there are vehicles without valid permits or where parking sessions have overrun, which could potentially save the foot patrols time.
“CEOs will use the information to check the highlighted vehicles and issue a penalty charge notice if necessary. CEOs use hand-held devices to cross check permits and parking sessions.
“The month-long trial is being carried out in streets within Preston Drove, Stanford Avenue and Preston Park Avenue, which are all within the Area J residents’ parking scheme. Signs are being put up in the streets where the trial is happening.”
Councillor Gill Mitchell, who chairs the council’s Environment, Transport and Sustainability Committee, said: “NSL asked us if we would host a short trial to see whether this technology could help our on-street parking and ensure a proper use of spaces.
“The technology will support, not replace parking attendants.”
The council said that it was “committed to making parking services more accessible through technology and is looking at digital permits that residents and businesses can apply for and renew online without the need to go to the parking centre”.
It added: “The trial is being carried out by NSL at no cost to the council.
“The ANPR vehicle, which can be a car or a moped, cannot issue PCNs and only holds vehicle registration numbers.
“CEOs already record vehicle registration numbers as part of the enforcement process.
“The numbers recorded by the ANPR vehicle will be deleted within one month of the trial.”
The streets in the trial are
Preston Park Avenue
Beaconsfield Villas
Havelock Road
Waldegrave Road
Chester Terrace
Cleveland Road
Lucerne Road
Southdown Road
Edburton Road
Preston Drove
Stanford Avenue
Same Sh*t; Different Day