The San Francisco-based firm last week launched a product it calls Automated Double Parking Enforcement.
As its name implies, the platform scans information from bus-mounted cameras and other tools to gather proof of double parking — video evidence that can help officials enforce violations — and, in theory, lead to safer streets, less congestion, and quicker movement for public transit.
“All it takes is one double-parked vehicle to create a traffic hazard and delay multiple buses — and the people relying on those buses to reach their jobs and appointments on time,” said Chris Carson, founder and CEO of Hayden AI, in a statement on April 10.
The so-called “visual AI platform” utilizes the same hardware and other tech the company employs for traffic enforcement of bus lanes, bus stops and bike lanes, Hayden AI said in the news release announcing the launch. That means, if added, public agencies that already use Hayden AI tools can now use those same cameras to enforce “illegal double parking violations at scale.”
Parking, it turns out, is providing a fertile proving ground for various forms of technology for governments.
Not only are officials turning to AI and data analysis to improve the usually unpleasant task of finding space for vehicles in crowded cities, but parking lots are starting to double as EV charging areas.
As all that happens, municipal officials continue to test various forms of automated ticketing to protect access to bus lanes — an important task that could help make public transit less annoying for residents and bus operators. Chicago’s Smart Streets program, approved in March 2023 with a goal of having it stood up this summer, will pilot automated ticketing for downtown drivers who park in bike or bus lanes.
That program, which relies on cameras installed on poles and city vehicles, also could help enforce double parking violations, officials have said.
