An interview with Jim Lewis of the Transport Policing and Enforcement Directorate of Transport for London (TfL), UK, on the subject of the new Digital Traffic Enforcement System (DTES) is presented. Part of the enforcement programme is a smart enforcement vehicle, which is a Smart Car containing a range of enforcement technology. The launch of the smart car is one phase of the transition from analogue to digital technology. This started with bus lane enforcement using analogue systems. Data storage is a major component of the system, representing a major cost. The technology is becoming redundant and difficult to support and would not be able to cope with being extended to a range of other contraventions. The decision was made to move from an analogue system to DTES. The design of the system, including the Evidence Retrieval and Control Unit, is discussed. Unlike the analogue system where cameras record all the time, in DTES the cameras will only record when triggered for contravention. An enhanced global positioning system is used to locate where the vehicle is.
Abstract