What is this on the NYS Thruway / I-87?
Near Coxsackie is an overpass on 87 with what looks like 2 pan/tilt cameras hanging off them on the south side. They set off my laser detector, but not all the time. This happens with several different radar detectors I use. At night I see a flash of light coming from them (again, not all the time). I am assuming that they are using IR LEDs for illumination, and that's what's (falsely) setting off my detector?
What are these? I've driven up and down a good portion of the Thruway and Northway and this is the only overpass that has these, and they've been there for years. There is one pointed at each lane, on the southbound 2 lanes only. They look like pan/tilt mounted cameras, and always appear to be pointed at the same place all the time, except for once when I noticed they were pointed in a crazy direction (upwards or something).
My hypothesis is that they are monitoring traffic flow (generically monitoring speeds of all traffic rather than targeting individual cars) because I have exceeded the PSL under this overpass and never got a ticket in the mail or had a cop pop up down the road.
I don't know why it seems to want to set off an infrared flash only when cars pass under them though. I don't think they are webcams (at least, not a publicly accessible one)but they do look like video cameras. If the video cameras are processing the traffic flow, determining the speed of the cars visually, then why set off the flash?
Could these be like those cameras on cop cars that grab and check each license plate from every car that goes by?
http://img274.imagevenue.com/loc259/..._122_259lo.jpg
Link to fullsize picture:
http://img274.imagevenue.com/img.php..._122_259lo.jpg
Re: What is this on the NYS Thruway / I-87?
Re: What is this on the NYS Thruway / I-87?
I'm surprised that they've been there so long... I saw these on the overpass for years before they started hanging off the back of police cars.
Why would they only have this one set? I'd expect to see more up near Albany or down in NYC etc.
Radarrob; what makes you say they are Automatic License Plate Recognition cameras (I agree that is probably what they are, I am just wondering if you are saying that because you recognize the shape, the operating description, or you happen to know for some other reason)?
PS I was looking around online and found this .Pdf from a presentation, which gives some interesting perspective on the devices:
http://www.otdmug.org/media/1488/alpr%20camera.pdf
looks like potential countermeasures could be;
-Putting your plates in an unconventional location (too high or too low) since the cameras are aimed to where the license plates are on average.
-Putting a hitch ball on your bumper
-adding an extra plate (novelty plate) to your vehicle
-Carrying a trailer with another vehicle (with a plate) on it ;)
Most of these could be figured out by human reads after the fact, but it would require extra work, which they may not want to do.
I figure these cameras are here to help with Amber alerts and stuff like that, so it's probably for a good cause...
Re: What is this on the NYS Thruway / I-87?
I'm surprised that they've been there so long... I saw these on the overpass for years before they started hanging off the back of police cars.
Why would they only have this one set? I'd expect to see more up near Albany or down in NYC etc.
Radarrob; what makes you say they are Automatic License Plate Recognition cameras (I agree that is probably what they are, I am just wondering if you are saying that because you recognize the shape, the operating description, or you happen to know for some other reason)?
PS I was looking around online and found this .Pdf from a presentation, which gives some interesting perspective on the devices:
http://www.otdmug.org/media/1488/alpr%20camera.pdf
looks like potential countermeasures could be;
-Putting your plates in an unconventional location (too high or too low) since the cameras are aimed to where the license plates are on average.
-Putting a hitch ball on your bumper
-adding an extra plate (novelty plate) to your vehicle
-Carrying a trailer with another vehicle (with a plate) on it ;)
Most of these could be figured out by human reads after the fact, but it would require extra work, which they may not want to do.
I figure these cameras are here to help with Amber alerts and stuff like that, so it's probably for a good cause...
Re: What is this on the NYS Thruway / I-87?
I recently was up in Albany,NY and pulled over to check them out.Currently I see these a lot threw the GW bridge and driving on interstate 87 to Albany.Lasercroft makes some of them.This video is of a newer unit in action.
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ELTA2EPpmPs
Re: What is this on the NYS Thruway / I-87?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Leadfut
I'm surprised that they've been there so long... I saw these on the overpass for years before they started hanging off the back of police cars.
Why would they only have this one set? I'd expect to see more up near Albany or down in NYC etc.
Radarrob; what makes you say they are Automatic License Plate Recognition cameras (I agree that is probably what they are, I am just wondering if you are saying that because you recognize the shape, the operating description, or you happen to know for some other reason)?
PS I was looking around online and found this .Pdf from a presentation, which gives some interesting perspective on the devices:
http://www.otdmug.org/media/1488/alpr%20camera.pdf
looks like potential countermeasures could be;
-Putting your plates in an unconventional location (too high or too low) since the cameras are aimed to where the license plates are on average.
-Putting a hitch ball on your bumper
-adding an extra plate (novelty plate) to your vehicle
-Carrying a trailer with another vehicle (with a plate) on it ;)
Most of these could be figured out by human reads after the fact, but it would require extra work, which they may not want to do.
I figure these cameras are here to help with Amber alerts and stuff like that, so it's probably for a good cause...
Probably for a good cause ??? The only cause the State of New York has is to generate revenue.
Re: What is this on the NYS Thruway / I-87?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
radarrob
I recently was up in Albany,NY and pulled over to check them out.Currently I see these a lot threw the GW bridge and driving on interstate 87 to Albany.Lasercroft makes some of them.This video is of a newer unit in action.
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ELTA2EPpmPs
Very interesting. PS if anyone else wants to watch the video, remove the "m." from the URL unless you are on a smartphone.
Radarrob; How did you positively ID it? Is the name printed on the side? I never had the cohones to pull over and inspect the cameras that closely :o
Re: What is this on the NYS Thruway / I-87?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
dr_King
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Leadfut
I'm surprised that they've been there so long... I saw these on the overpass for years before they started hanging off the back of police cars.
Why would they only have this one set? I'd expect to see more up near Albany or down in NYC etc.
Radarrob; what makes you say they are Automatic License Plate Recognition cameras (I agree that is probably what they are, I am just wondering if you are saying that because you recognize the shape, the operating description, or you happen to know for some other reason)?
PS I was looking around online and found this .Pdf from a presentation, which gives some interesting perspective on the devices:
http://www.otdmug.org/media/1488/alpr%20camera.pdf
looks like potential countermeasures could be;
-Putting your plates in an unconventional location (too high or too low) since the cameras are aimed to where the license plates are on average.
-Putting a hitch ball on your bumper
-adding an extra plate (novelty plate) to your vehicle
-Carrying a trailer with another vehicle (with a plate) on it ;)
Most of these could be figured out by human reads after the fact, but it would require extra work, which they may not want to do.
I figure these cameras are here to help with Amber alerts and stuff like that, so it's probably for a good cause...
Probably for a good cause ??? The only cause the State of New York has is to generate revenue.
That's what I was thinking at first too, but like i said, I have exceeded the PSL under those cameras several times and nothing ever happened. So I think it is either for some kind of study/test (though they've been there for years now) or it's just for looking for fugitives, Amber alerts (abducted children), etc. So I don't have a huge problem with that.
Re: What is this on the NYS Thruway / I-87?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Leadfut
Quote:
Originally Posted by
radarrob
I recently was up in Albany,NY and pulled over to check them out.Currently I see these a lot threw the GW bridge and driving on interstate 87 to Albany.Lasercroft makes some of them.This video is of a newer unit in action.
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ELTA2EPpmPs
Very interesting. PS if anyone else wants to watch the video, remove the "m." from the URL unless you are on a smartphone.
Radarrob; How did you positively ID it? Is the name printed on the side? I never had the cohones to pull over and inspect the cameras that closely :o
I have in the future tested ALPR and the camras match what i have seen in the past.ALPR has been around for awile just like me.The camras use IR and i have jammed them before in testing.My idea also has jammed the MD photo van in MD on interstate 95.Agencies are more quickly recovering stolen license plates and vehicles as they go about their normal duties each shift. All the while, the MPH-900 is running plate after plate against “Hot Lists” of stolen license plates and vehicles, sending automatic, instantaneous alarms to an officer that a suspect plate or vehicle is in the immediate area. Recovery of plates and vehicles as well as removing drivers with suspended or revoked licenses from the streets not only have a tremendous impact on safety, but on the insurance industry as well, because fewer claims are being paid out.This unit can check for expired insurence,Registration,warrents out for arrest...Amber alert ect.
Re: What is this on the NYS Thruway / I-87?
The ALPR cameras are sometimes used for a time over distance speed measurement. This being a toll road they could "register" each vehicle at this point and then "register" again at the toll collection point to determine if the vehicle's average speed exceeded the limit. I believe this is done in other countries and I think it has been tested in the US but I never knew exactly where.
