The municipal police will be able, from mid-April, to fine motorists in Lille without traveling, thanks to cameras installed on public roads. Jacques Richir, city mobility deputy, explains the challenges of this new system.
From April, video ticketing will make it possible to control certain violations of the highway code with vehicle registration plates. A way, above all, to improve user safety, explains the city’s mobility assistant, Jacques Richir.
“For two years now, the city of Lille has set up an urban supervision center which captures all the cameras in the city, numbering 141. In the next two years, we will have around thirty additional cameras. This video protection system is used to identify difficulties in the city center. Video verbalization is an additional tool.“
This video protection system is used to identify difficulties in the city center. Video verbalization is an additional tool.
Jacques Richirmobility assistant at Lille town hall
“The cameras have already been in place since 2022, we have simply invested in some additional software and in agent training. This is a logical continuation of the 2016 traffic plan, the closure of 24 school streets to traffic for two hours a day and the passage of 88% of the city to 30 km/h – measures which have greatly calmed Lille.“
“Unfortunately, there are still accidents very regularly. Our objective is to improve road safety and especially the safety of the most vulnerable people, namely pedestrians and cyclists.“
The idea is really to be able to verbalize, so that much more virtuous practices take hold.
Jacques Richirmobility assistant at Lille town hall
“Video fines will allow us to penalize poorly parked vehicles: on protected crossings, in double lines, on cycle paths, in spaces intended for disabled people, in bicycle areas, etc. Or even those using bus lanes. The idea is really to be able to verbalize, so that much more virtuous practices take hold.“
“We have identified places in the city of Lille where we know that the need for verbalization is important to guarantee compliance with the rules and therefore the safety of users.“
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“On Avenue Willy Brandt for example, we have a large number of vehicles which go into warning in a delivery zone or in a lane reserved for taxis… And which return 20 minutes later. On Saturdays, we sometimes find officers on foot with more than 200 tickets. We have already called the pound up to 30 times in a single day. However, we cannot mobilize two or three agents all the time for a single street. The advantage with video ticketing is that the same officer can ticket all the cars alone.“
We have also spotted other places, outside schools and colleges, with careless parents who leave their cars on cycle paths and bus lanes.
Jacques Richirmobility assistant at Lille town hall
“Rue Faidherbe, we also encounter problems, with cars or delivery trucks always on the cycle path.“
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“And we have also spotted other places, outside schools and colleges, with careless parents who leave their cars on cycle paths and bus lanes. It’s dangerous, especially for children.”
“These are municipal police officers, sworn to be able to issue fines, who will be responsible for monitoring the verbalization videos, in turn. From the urban supervision center, they will be able to monitor the 141 cameras located on public roads. Both fixed ones that rotate 360 degrees and mobile cameras. We want to identify the places where offenses are most common, to achieve a peaceful city.“
From the urban supervision center, municipal police officers will be able to monitor the 141 cameras located on public roads.
Jacques Richirmobility assistant at Lille town hall
“These cameras are very efficient: officers can zoom in and in the event of an offense observed, they keep a photograph of the offense. Verbalizations therefore do not occur automatically, even if there are decision support systems. The municipal police officers then draw up an electronic report which they transmit to the National Agency for the Automated Processing of Offenses (Antai) in Rennes. This then sends the fine to the driver at fault.“
“We may have to fine other highway code offenses at a later stage: such as motorists who do not obey red lights or who use their phone while driving… It will only be a matter of recognizing the number plates. registration, there will of course be no facial recognition.“
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“Beyond this system, certain cameras will still not be intended to issue fines. Video protection also allows us to observe delinquent behavior: this will allow the municipal police to be sent very quickly to report the offense, for example in the event of illegal dumping. We realized that the officers who work with video surveillance learn to be reactive, it is a system which increases the efficiency of the municipal police quite significantly.“