At Intertraffic, several exhibitors showed displays that welcome visitors using licence plate recognition. It is good to see this application becoming increasingly common in parking and mobility systems.

An idea ahead of its time

Back in 2016, we presented at Intertraffic how recurring licence plate patterns could be used to recognise behaviour and welcome visitors more intelligently. Not because someone must be personally known, but because a recurring pattern can be recognised.

If someone parks at the same location every week, the system could suggest a suitable subscription or lower rate. This saves time at the payment terminal, reduces costs for the user and helps the operator serve a regular customer better.

AI as the next step

Current developments in data analysis and AI allow pattern recognition to be applied much more intelligently. The challenge is to do so transparently, purposefully and responsibly.

The technology has existed for years. The real question is how we use licence plate recognition: only as an access and payment system, or also to demonstrably improve service and ease of use?