Latest news with #NumberPlateRecognition
Leader Live
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Leader Live
Llangollen to benefit from approx 180 extra parking spaces
Llangollen Town Centre has often suffered due to the lack of car parking spaces but thanks to the Eisteddfod Team running the Pavilion, the town will see close to an additional 180 parking spaces from Thursday, May 15. The spaces will be available when there are no events on at the Pavilion or its grounds. John Gambles, Chair of the Llangollen Eisteddfod says that opening up the grounds will be a significant boost to the local economy. There will a number of pay points on the site with a variety of ways to pay. John Gambles, Chair of the Llangollen Eisteddfod (Image: Llangollen Eisteddfod) The changes will see the implementation of an Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) system. This advanced technology will significantly improve security, deter anti-social behaviour, and enable 24-hour monitoring of the car park and the Eisteddfod grounds. The ANPR system will help maintain a safe and welcoming environment for all visitors to Llangollen. Costs will be from 70p for 30 minutes for the main car park, £6 for up to 8 hours and £10 for 12 hours. The Pavilion field car park will have the same charges but with a maximum time of 8 hours. There will be no overnight parking. Mr Gambles said: "For as long as I can remember, parking has been a huge issue in the centre of Llangollen. When we took over the Pavilion full-time in April, one of the first things we did was look if it was possible to open up our site for additional car parking. "Any revenue raised will go towards running the Pavilion for the benefit of Llangollen and towards the running of the Llangollen Eisteddfod." The field will be open from May 15, with the centre of Llangollen only 500 metres away. The Eisteddfod say the changes have been carefully considered to balance public convenience, revenue protection, and the facilitation of future enhancements funded by this revenue. There will be no charge for parents of pupils at Ysgol Dinas Bran for parents dropping off and picking up. MOST READ There will be numerous mechanisms to pay for parking, including booking services for specific elements. Mr Gambles added: "We appreciate resident's cooperation as we implement these new measures. Our goal is to provide a better, safer, and more enjoyable experience for everyone who visits Llangollen and the Royal Pavilion. "We are certain that by adding close to 180 spaces in the heart of Llangollen, we will see a rise in visitors to our wonderful town."
Extra.ie
30-04-2025
- Automotive
- Extra.ie
How drivers are trying to beat speed vans by becoming 'undetectable'
Drivers in the UK have been warned about using 'ghost plates' to become undetectable against speed vans. The licence plates, also known as 3D or 4D licence plates, were causing headaches for authorities on the road as they were undetectable over their lack of legibility and ability to reflect camera flashes — like from a speed van. Professor Fraser Sampson, who was in charge of the Automatic Number Plate Recognition in the UK found that one in 15 drivers were using the plates to outsmart speed cameras, and wrote to then Transport Secretary Mark Harper to highlight the issue and the government's lack of action. Average-speed cameras on the M3 Motorway in the UK. Pic: Gary Perkin/Shutterstock He also wrote that speed cameras at the time only had a 97% accuracy rate meaning that hundreds of thousands of innocent people were receiving fines for doing nothing wrong. The government have since upgraded the equipment that are capable of detecting the plates, with fines of up to £100 (€117) for those who are caught with the illegal plates. Licence plates have a stringent set of guidelines, and must look like these. However, 3D/4D plates can kind of be legal. Pic: Getty Kinda — there are some requirements that the plates have to go through to be street legal. To be easily readable and recognisable by the RSA, the plates must be made from a reflective material, with a white background and blue IRL/EU logo on the left hand side of the plate, with black characters. The font must also be standard Irish font that you'd see on most cars when you buy them — but hyphens aren't a requirement. The height and width of the plates must be 70x36mm. 3D Licence plates are raised against the plate themselves, but are a bit sticky legally. Pic: Getty As for a 3D/4D plate, while you may think they look cool, the legality of the plates are hinging on if they meet the standards. They must also be readable by humans and the aforementioned speed cameras, and must be reflective to ensure that they're legible under all lighting conditions. Even if they're legal for the most part on the streets (i.e. if you're just let off with a warning), you may still also need to re-attach your original plates ahead of the NCT.
ITV News
24-04-2025
- Business
- ITV News
Seven-day reminder over major change at East Midlands Airport for 'effortless' travel
Managers at East Midlands Airport have reminded passengers of changes at the drop-off zone. Bosses at EMA announced at the end of March that they were getting rid of barriers to improve traffic flow and streamline the system. The new technology, which will be managed through an Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) system, will come into operation on Thursday, May 1. People will enter without having to go through a barrier when dropping off passengers, in a move officials at the airport hope will reduce congestion and help motorists avoid unnecessary charges. So rather than stopping at a barrier and paying on exit, drivers will now be able to leave the area and then have unit midnight the following day to pay the charge by phone or online. Under the change, frequent users - such as taxi drivers - will be able to set up an automatic payment system when they enter the designated rapid drop-off zone. Mike Grimes, customer and planning director at East Midlands Airport, said: 'We're really pleased that these new arrangements for dropping off passengers at the airport are ready to go live next week. "It's going to make it quicker and easier to drop people off and, along with the recent redesign of our Rapid Drop Off area, improve the flow of traffic. "It's another step forward in making everything as effortless as possible for people choosing to fly from East Midlands Airport.'
Extra.ie
23-04-2025
- Extra.ie
Gardaí outsmart scammer in hilarious WhatsApp sting
Gardaí have shared a hilarious text exchange with a scammer who was flogging fake driving licences. While there is a seemingly never ending wait for the driving test, and once you eventually get one you still might not even pass your test and get the elusive driver's licence. However, some people have been chancing trying to purchase licences to fool Gardaí. After catching wind of the scams, Gardaí in Kilkenny reached out with one of the scammers via WhatsApp under the guise of looking to buy one of the fakes after they were 'disqualified' from driving. Gardaí have shared a hilarious text exchange with a scammer who was flogging fake driver's licences. Pic: Shutterstock The Garda told the scammer that they were suspended from driving and would need a licence, and that they'd need it by the end of the month — with the scammer telling the guard that it would cost about €680. The scammer then shared what the fake licence would look like, before the guard eventually sent on a pic of their work ID, with Gardaí sharing on social media that not only do they not pass muster, but you'd be on the hook for a lot more than driving offences should you be caught handing it to them. 'Not worth the plastic it's printed on,' Gardaí wrote. 'While having a look around at posts and comments online, Gardaí in Kilkenny recently came across a chap that was offering fake Driving Licences that he reckoned would pass Garda scrutiny, and for just the small fee of €680. So we decided to check it out for ourselves.' 'For what it's worth, the sample licences he sent us didn't pass our inspection. Even those back at the station that weren't up to speed on our sting knew them to be fake,' they continued. 'If you did take the chance and present us with one of these at a checkpoint or on the roadside – it wouldn't just be the alleged road traffic offences that we would be pursuing but fraud offences too.' The Gardaí also explained how their mobile devices for scanning licences works, saying 'Most of you will have seen these in use but every Garda has an android device that allows them to scan a car's registration to see the owner/driver details such as tax, NCT and insurance.' Pic: Shutterstock 'We can also instantly check a Driving Licence or if the person even has one at all. It's important to point out too that more and more of our fleet are fitted with an Automated Number Plate Recognition System. 'If you are illegally driving using a fake licence, it's only a matter of time before you're detected if not by us, our technology.'
