University introduces new monitoring system on Whiteknights campus

Tuesday, 18 October 2011

By the end of November, every entrance to the Whiteknights campus will have an automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) camera monitoring cars entering and leaving the campus 24 hours a day.

The introduction of the ANPR system is the first stage of a review of traffic and parking on campus. Eventually, data gathered via ANPR will be used to fulfil several important roles. It will identify:

• ‘hot spots' of traffic flow so that attendants' time can be used efficiently
• cars entering the campus without a permit
• those using the campus as a ‘cut-through' often driving too fast and endangering staff and students.

Data gathered by the ANPR will inform decisions on such things as the allocation of parking permits in the future. If it is seen that a number of cars with permits are only entering the campus on two or three days each week, future plans may include the option for the owners of those vehicles to purchase a reduced-rate permit, for example.

It is planned to introduce ANPR to the London Road campus in due course.