BRAMPTON, ON (December 18, 2019) – Coming soon to your street! A City of Brampton enforcement vehicle outfitted with an automatic licence plate reader (ALPR) will start patrolling the city from mid-January, 2020. The new technology will help improve parking spot availability, support the safe passage of plows and emergency vehicles on Brampton streets, and over the long term, work to reduce congestion. It will also promote faster and more efficient parking enforcement.



The cameras on the new ALPR vehicle will help identify common parking infractions as the vehicle drives by, and will notify officers to generate a Penalty Notice when an infraction has been determined. The vehicle will patrol streets where the City receives frequent complaints of vehicles parked for extended periods of time.



Based on the learnings and the ability to effectively and rapidly respond to complaints using this technology, additional ALPR vehicles may be used in the future.



How does the new tech work?

This system consists of cameras affixed to a vehicle and an in-vehicle display connected to the parking enforcement network. The vehicle will patrol City streets and record the licence plate and location of vehicles parked on the street. The system will alert the Enforcement Officer of vehicles that are parked for more than three hours without a parking consideration. It will also alert of vehicles parked during the prohibited time of 2 to 6 am, without having the officer stop to enter the licence plate of the vehicle.



Why is this needed?

Each year, the City responds to over 10,000 public complaints of vehicles parked illegally for more than three hours, and another 10,000 complaints of vehicles parked on the street during the prohibited time of 2 to 6 am. Responding to such complaints is resource intensive and time consuming. With the new ALPR vehicle, the City can engage in more proactive and reactive patrolling at a faster rate.



What about privacy?

The City takes privacy protection seriously. Access to photographs captured by the ALPR cameras, which include images of licence plate numbers, is strictly controlled and subject to audit. Where photographs are not used to issue a Penalty Notice, they are not retained (these photographs are automatically deleted after 48 hours). Where photographs are used to issue a Penalty Notice, they are retained in accordance with the City’s Record Retention By-Law (these photographs are retained for 6 years after the matter has been resolved).



When parking penalties are not paid within the due date, the City will reach out to Service Ontario to obtain ownership details of licence plates. The City will also disclose unpaid fines associated with a licence plate number to the Ontario Ministry of Transportation.



What parking options do people have?

In municipal garages or where parking meters exist, be sure to display the valid parking ticket on the dashboard and remove your car before the parking ticket expires.

In residential areas, if you are parked on the street, remove the car within three hours to avoid receiving a Penalty Notice. Alternatively, move the car to another location after three hours. Others in the community may require street parking as well, so be mindful of your neighbours.

If you or your guests need to park for more than three hours or between 2 to 6 am, you can apply to the City for a free parking consideration. This is offered for a maximum of 14 days in a year for each licence plate. If you are hosting for the holidays or having overnight guests, apply for a parking consideration.

If you have a boulevard on your private property, your car can be parked horizontally on the paved area between the sidewalk and street.

Won’t this put more pressure on the courts?

Parking penalty disputes are not managed by the provincial courts but by the City as part of the AMPS Program.



For full FAQs and more information about ALPR visit www.brampton.ca



Quote

“Illegal parking reduces the spots available to others, and can also pose a safety risk when emergency vehicles and snow plows cannot pass through streets easily. The new ALPR vehicle supports our priority of being a Well-Run City, addressing illegal parking and paving the way for safer roads. The City will be open to learning from the effectiveness of this new initiative and make adjustments for the future.”

- Mayor Patrick Brown

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As one of the fastest-growing cities in Canada, Brampton is home to 650,000 people and 70,000 businesses. People are at the heart of everything we do. We are energized by our diverse communities, we attract investment, and we are embarking on a journey to lead technological and environmental innovation. We partner for progress to build a healthy city that is safe, sustainable and successful. Connect with us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Learn more at www.brampton.ca.