Is Big Brother coming to a parking lot near you?

Or, if not Big Brother, at least new technology.

Some privately-operated parking lots in Ottawa are using hi-tech cameras and software to scan vehicle license plates. They can instantly tell who has paid to park and who hasn’t based on their parking permit database.

“It is the way of the future,” says Allan Burns, Director of University Safety at Carleton University. “It really allows us to manage our parking much better.” Carleton adopted the technology in some lots this year and his hoping to expand the program.

Algonquin College is currently running a pilot program in some lots to test the technology.

The cameras are mounted on a vehicle that drives up and down the parking lot. The driver is quickly alerted anytime the cameras spot a license plate that hasn’t been registered with a payment.

At Carleton they also have cameras at the entrance of one of their parking garages that scans license plates and then waits for the driver to enter the same plate when he or she pays. If they don’t, authorities are alerted.

The benefits to the parking lot operator include not having to walk up to each vehicle to check for a permit.

Customers benefit by not having to get a permit in the first place. Long-term permit holders can simply pay and register their license plate on-line. And even occasional parkers can enter their license plate at the pay station and skip returning to their car. In essence, their license plate becomes their permit.

The technology is called Automatic License Plate Recognition, and it’s becoming more common. The Ontario Provincial Police recently adopted it to scan vehicles while in traffic.

The City of Ottawa has not yet made a decision to use it but is considering it.  In a statement, Tracy Hoskin, Acting GM of Public Works, says the City “is considering it for collecting data related to on-street parking occupancy rates. The City is not considering this technology for parking enforcement purposes.”

At Algonquin College, students say using cameras to scan license plates is a welcome improvement. “You get here and you’re trying to find a place to park and you don’t have anywhere because people are parked illegally,” says Graydon Kilpatrick. “So it’s really frustrating and I think that will probably help eliminate the problem.”