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Home > Traffic surveillance cameras speed up traffic and keep roads safe
August 17, 2005
By: Alice Osborn
Traffic surveillance cameras smooth out traffic
congestion that leads to costly and deadly accidents. Since
1997, the Utah Department of Transportation has used analog
CCTV cameras to help emergency response teams, give drivers
real-time road updates, and gather data on traffic snarls
and patterns.
Collectively, this network of live traffic cameras is
called the ATMS (Advanced Traffic Management System) and it
was first implemented during the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympic
Games. Now, Utah's traffic surveillance system will go
digital making real-time accident and incident recovery that
much faster on the new cameras. Though the new video
surveillance system is almost twice as expensive as the
older system, the new one will last longer and can be
repaired more easily.
The digital cameras relate road condition information to
dispatchers who inform drivers via Utah's 69 message signs
that the road is closed, wet, or that there's an accident up
ahead. Utah's Department of Transportation also interprets
the camera data to evaluate and reprogram traffic signal
lights in real-time to improve traffic flow in the case of
football games or severe weather. The message boards also
inform drivers of Amber alerts and construction road
detours. The cameras are also linked to a web site ("Know
Before You Go") that lets Internet users prepare for their
drive before getting into their car.
In Atlanta, eight surveillance cameras were installed in
Midtown as part of the first phase of a larger video
surveillance program. The cameras are linked by a secure
Nextel communications system that allows operators to
quicken emergency response time to crime and accident
scenes.
What about privacy issues?
Chapters of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
show concern for the prevalence of these traffic cameras.
Although they concede that these cameras are in public
places, they assert that police officers and transportation
officials need to be properly trained when using these
cameras so that the images are used properly. The ACLU
points out that these cameras could capture gay parades and
protest rallies, and the subjects on those videos could
theoretically find themselves blackmailed. They suggest that
state legislatures need to write clear procedural guidelines
and legislation that addresses the how's and why's of using
video surveillance, as well as the privacy issues of the
subjects' likenesses when they are captured on video.
It is possible to achieve a balance between maintained
public and transportation safety, while preserving citizens'
privacy rights. In this age of terrorism, video surveillance
won't be disappearing since it is necessary to promote and
preserve safety for the greater good.
About the Author
Alice Osborn is a successful freelance writer and
contributor to Video-Surveillance-Guide.com. Your
definitive guide to video surveillance equipment, CCTV
cameras and wireless security systems for home and business.
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