Australian’s New ‘Smart’ Parking Meters Will Now Nark On You If Expired

It’s 2011, you’d think law enforcement would have come up with a better way to keep track of how long you park… well, they have.

New parking sensors are currently being installed in Melbourne, Australia, which will automatically notify the closest meter maid or police when a car is parked five minutes after the time limit has expired.

“The sensors are buried beneath each parking space, and will record when a car moves in and out of said parking space. After counting up to the posted time limit, the system will ping the parking inspector who is closest to the offending vehicle, who will trudge over to write you a ticket.”

According to the newspaper The Age, this could be a boon for the Melbourne city government, which already collected a whopping $36 million (in U.S. dollars) last year from parking enforcement. Melbourne City Council expects an influx of another $3.2 million a year from the new parking sensors, which cost $5.8 million to install.

Source: The Age