In the coming months, the Public Prosecution Service will test the use of smart cameras on a stretch of highway near Amersfoort. The goal is to capture license plates of drivers ignoring red crosses above the highway.
The smart cameras will be located along the A28 near Amersfoort, according to the Public Prosecution Service. The Public Prosecution Service and Rijkswaterstaat will read the camera images from 27 May to 1 July. The cameras film motorists who ignore the red cross at signs above the highway and are therefore in violation by driving on closed lanes.
The cameras record the vehicle’s license plate and red cross. A Rijkswaterstaat road inspector can assess the video images and write an official report. The goal is to increase the chance of being caught and reduce the number of violations.
For example, signs above the highway indicate red crosses when rush-hour lanes are closed, road works are taking place or there have been incidents. The Public Prosecution Service and Rijkswaterstaat will evaluate the trial after the summer and if it turns out positive, they can use the smart cameras in more places for this purpose.
Rijkswaterstaat already uses camera images in combination with software to automatically open rush-hour lanes when the road is busy.
Update, 16.50: The cameras are smart in the sense that they recognize the red cross on signs from different angles, says Marloes van Kessel of the Public Prosecution Service. “The intention is that the cameras can be set up in different places so that they can recognize the red crosses from different angles, even if they are temporarily present at road works. In addition, the camera sees if and if so what kind of vehicle it is and makes This is both a photo and a video recording. In the images, the cars have been blurred around the offender’s.” According to Van Kessel, there is support for license plate recognition: the camera focuses on that.