New parking camera scans 1,000 cars an hour to fine drivers in record numbers but it’s not in the UK… yet
The hi-tech camera is being tested in Adelaide and has caught 30 times more drivers than the regular system
NEW parking cameras that can scan 1,000 cars an hour are being trialled in Australia.
The hi-tech system has resulted in 30 times more tickets being issued by Holdfast Bay Council in Adelaide than with regular cameras and traffic wardens.
The number plate recognition system features a camera mounted to a parking officer's car while they patrol car parks, according to the .
It can pick up cars that have overstayed - and is clever enough to know if a driver has moved bays to try to avoid detection.
A warden simply has to drive past the car park at two separate intervals and the cameras will automatically alert officials to motorists who are due a fine.
It's similar to systems used in private shopping centre car parks - but fortunately there's no suggestion the UK will introduce similar tech to council car parks.
If they did it could be a huge cash windfall for councils, though.
Figures show a trial on weekends and public holidays from October to March led to 266 fines issued compared with 24 in the entire year before that.
But Holdfast Bay Council bosses said the scanning system will only increase revenue by five to ten per cent a year.
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It's been designed to stop parking space hogs and free up bays for drivers, according to officials.
Steve Hodge, Holdfast Bay Council city assets general manager, said: "Residents and visitors will have a better chance of obtaining a car park due to a greater turnover of parking spaces.
"This is also a much more efficient process than safety officers walking the streets marking up tyres, which will free them up to undertake more beach and school patrols."