AI-backed cameras are watching Philadelphia drivers
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AI-powered camera systems are being deployed across Philadelphia to catch traffic rule-breakers.
Why it matters: The initiatives aim to improve public safety around buses and trolleys. and some violators will be fined.
Driving the news: The Philadelphia Parking Authority and the School District of Philadelphia recently started experimenting with automated camera systems.
- The PPA put the new cameras on 150 SEPTA buses and nearly 40 trolleys this month.
- The agency, which has partnered with Hayden AI, is giving warnings to motorists caught illegally parked or blocking bus lanes in the city's busy Center City corridor and other areas. But it will begin ticketing people next month.
By the numbers: Violators will be fined $76 for offenses in Center City and $51 in other neighborhoods.
- PPA staff will review photos of offenders' vehicles before citations are issued, SEPTA says.
- It'll cost nearly $385,000 a month to run the program, per the Inquirer.
Meanwhile, the district deployed AI cameras on 20 yellow school buses this month, aimed at catching drivers who aren't stopping 10 feet behind buses that have their stop arms extended, as required by state law.
- The district partnered with BusPatrol and Gatekeeper Systems on the pilot, which it says comes at no cost to Philly and runs through the end of the school year.
- Violators won't be cited, but the project will send weekly violation reports to the district.
School officials want to determine how many people are committing violations before deciding whether to fully implement the program, which would require figuring out which city agencies would issue the citations, the Inquirer reports.
Zoom out: Officials in Miami-Dade County ended a bus-ticketing program run by BusPatrol this year after residents complained about being wrongly ticketed and unable to appeal citations, per the Miami Herald.
Catch up quick: Philadelphia passed a law in 2023 allowing automated enforcement, enabling SEPTA to roll out the technology as a pilot program on seven city buses.
- The AI cameras recorded about 36,000 violations over a 70-day test run, per WHYY.
Between the lines: Center City congestion from blocked bus lanes adds 1.7 million hours in passenger delays and about $15 million in lost operating costs every year, per SEPTA.
- Plus, it's a safety hazard for riders who need wheelchair ramps to safely get on and off city buses.