Carpool Lanes Could Get Infrared Enforcement
Commuters looking for less traffic may be able to buy their way into the high-occupancy vehicle lanes around Washington D.C.
Keeping track of paying solo drivers and carpoolers who have free access to the special lanes poses a formidable challenge for the private companies hoping to build the new lanes. One possible means of enforcement is the use of infrared scanners to positively identify the number of humans in the vehicle.
(Click through to find out more about the infrared cameras and how they could keep drivers honest.)
The scanners use two frequencies of infrared light and measure the reflectivity of the person or object in the passenger seat. Human skin reacts differently to infrared light than any other substance, so it would be very difficult to fool the scanners. Since an estimated one out of five cars in the HOV lanes in Virginia are actually solo drivers, this system seems reasonable.
Privacy advocates are already opposing the idea, but efforts are being made to obscure the actual faces of drivers and occupants. The lanes are voluntary and carpoolers who do not wish to subject themselves to the scanning could still take regular lanes to work.
What do you think about the use of infrared scanners to enforce tolls and occupancy restrictions on restricted highways?
Comments
mini ME
How long before there is an Infrared reflective element added to aftermarket window tints?
And yes, I have seen people who tint their windshield too.
Alexander López
When this system was inplemented here in Caracas, Venezuela, there were lots of people trying to drive solo in the carpool lane. There were lots of ideas, one of the funniest was to use an inflatable doll (yes, the just-for-adults ones) in the passenger seat.
Nowadays, no one tries to fool the highway police. They have become experts and when someone gets in the carpool lane with no passengers, they don't ticket them: they just stop him/her at the exit during half an hour, long enough to dilute every minute gained before. Now, that's clever police action.
LandCrusher
Here is something even more clever, don't waste money on HOV lanes. Has there ever been a study that showed that the HOV lane as more effective than having a regular lane going each way which actually uses less space?
And how about letting people pay for solo HOV use. That's brilliant. Use emminent domain to take someones property so that wealthy commuters can shave some time off their commute.
How about we tell people to shorten their commute by moving closer to work!
Sean
OR, spend the money developing another lane and opening up the all lanes to traffic to better deal with traffic flow. I think that makes more sense, if and only if the goal is to ease traffic flow.
fantasyfreddy
or, stick with a plan that was way ahead of its time, now that gas prices are rocketing through the roof!!
i bet if they leave the lanes just for carpooling people will finally try it!! instead of clogging it with hybrids that get no better mileage and emit no less fumes than many other cars!!! the more hybrids in the lane, the less people will use it to carpool!! common sense!!
Autoblog : Infrared enforcement coming to carpool lanes
[...] Filed under: Etc., Government/Legal, TechWe've all been tempted to merge into the car pool lane when driving alone in heavy traffic, but either the shame of other motorists seeing you illegally use it or the thought of the police catching you in the act may have kept you honest. Now there's a way to legally use the lane, but it's going to cost you.Private companies in the Washington D.C. area are considering building separate lanes for fee-paying drivers, but they'll need a method of differentiating paying solo drivers and carpoolers. One option is to install infrared scanners that can detect the number of people in a car. That means anyone thinking they could get away by putting a fake dummy in the passenger seat had better think again.It's estimated that one out of every five cars using car pool lanes in Virginia has only the driver inside, which has this scanner idea receiving strong support from both authorities and private individuals. Privacy advocates are wary that the scanners could actually identify individuals' faces and be used by the government to monitor a person's movements, but the makers of the system are designing them so that faces are obscured. [Source: The Wahington Post via Winding Road] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments Published Wednesday, October 03, 2007 3:03 AM by Autoblog Filed under: Etc., Government/Legal, Tech, camera, CarPoolInfraredScanner, infrared scanning car pool lane, carpooling, car pool infrared scanner, CarPoolLane, car pool lane, scanner, InfraredScanningCarPoolLane [...]
Super Car Blog » Blog Archive » Infrared enforcement coming
[...] [Source: The Wahington Post via Winding Road] [...]
VehicleBuzz.net » Blog Archive » Infrared enforcement coming
[...] [Source: The Wahington Post via Winding Road] [...]
Uncle Rico
How about an even BETTER idea.... harken back to President Roosevelt's NEW DEAL. He had freeways built to create jobs. The idea was to help the flow of traffic for 20 years....that's right, until the 1970s. Our freeways are outdated and instead of thinking for 20-50 years ahead, we are thinking of designs for the here and now.
Let's start thinking ahead & build for the future, thus making it easier today as well.
Winding Road » Archive » Step Inside: The Tokyo Traffic Cont
[...] board, and a general information board. These three massive screens offer an overall picture of information compiled by cameras, helicopters, police reports, and over 17,000 vehicle detectors around [...]
Post new comment