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Camera that can catch lone drivers in car-sharing lanes
Last updated at 22:07pm on 02.02.08
Lone drivers will face fines if they drive in new multi-occupancy lanes
A hi-tech spy camera called Cyclops, which can tell how many passengers are in a vehicle, will be used to detect those who break the rules.
The Government is encouraging councils to set up "high occupancy vehicle lanes" to encourage more car-sharing.
Those who drive alone will be relegated to overcrowded slow lanes, and anyone who tries to cheat the system is likely to be identified by the Cyclops camera.
The technology used is so advanced that it can detect the skin tones of the car's passengers. It will automatically record the number plate of those vehicles with too few occupants.
Two national car-share lane schemes are being overseen by the Highways Agency, with the first set to open within weeks.
At least four more local schemes are being considered, with up to a dozen councils expressing an interest.
Motorists initially face a £30 fine if they flout the law. But experts predict that will swiftly rise to £100 as the scheme widens.
Policymakers will also be looking at whether the car-share scheme could form part of plans for "pay as you drive" road pricing. Cars with only one occupant would pay the full amount and those with two or more could qualify for a discount.
The first places in the country to get a carsharing lane will be Leeds and Luton.
From the spring, a 1.7mile high occupancy lane costing £4million will open near Bradford, linking the southbound M606 to the eastbound M62 towards Leeds. The other trial scheme will be held on the M1 between St Albans in Hertfordshire and Luton in Bedfordshire.
The Cyclops camera uses two low-intensity beams of infrared light, which are shone on to the vehicle. Up to 30 digital pictures can be taken in a second, and special software allows the camera to pick out human skin tones and work out the number of passengers.
Car-sharing lanes are common in the U.S., particularly in California. Efforts to fool the enforcement cameras with shop dummies have been unsuccessful.
However, the lanes have proved controversial, and some can be used by drivers who are alone in the car, provided they pay a fee.
