- April 18th, 2025
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The City of Pittsburgh has initiated a project to enhance parking enforcement by utilizing cameras and artificial intelligence technology. The new AI-powered camera technology provided by Automotus is capable of scanning license plates, determining parking compliance, and automatically issuing tickets to violators by mail. According to this article published by Kurrant, the primary goal is to improve efficiency and accuracy in enforcing parking regulations while reducing the need for manual labor.
Automotus, a company specializing in smart loading zone solutions, has been collaborating with Pittsburgh on a pilot program focused on smart loading zones for years, and the partnership has now expanded to include broader parking enforcement initiatives.
The implementation of this AI-driven system is expected to be particularly beneficial during street cleaning periods—which resumed April 1 and runs through November 30. Enforcement vehicles equipped with cameras will follow street sweepers, capturing license plate data of vehicles that have not been moved as required. Registered owners of offending vehicles will then receive tickets through the mail. Vehicle owners are encouraged to check the signs posted in their neighborhood for street sweeping schedules and move their vehicle when needed. (Note: The time of day varies between neighborhoods and streets, but according to the City of Pittsburgh's website, business districts are normally cleaned at night to avoid disrupting normal business activity, while neighborhood and residential street sweeping typically begins after 8am and ends at 2:30pm.)
Utilization of this technology is not restricted to simply street sweeping locations, however. They're already being used to enforce parking violations in no-parking areas and bike lanes. Drivers should expect enforcement at street meters, RPP districts, and more. According to executive director of the Pittsburgh Parking Authority, David Onarato, "It makes us more efficient and more accurate so we'll start to implement throughout the city as we go because we enforce street meters, RPP districts, street cleaning, the peds. We have a lot of enforcement. It makes our operation much more efficient with less manpower."
Another add-on to the program: city parking lots, soon to have the same cameras, will help the parking authority enforce lot parking, as well. "Just last month alone, we issued 2,800 tickets in the mail," Onorato told KDKA News in March.
Pittsburgh is one of the first cities in the country to place its high-tech parking meters, and now it is one of the first again to use these camera-watching ticket-issuers. In fact, the enforcement programs have worked so well that City officials say they're receiving calls from other cities in the U.S. asking about its success and seeking advice on implementation in their areas.
Related Content: 'AI is not the future; it is current': Lawmakers examine how to make Pennsylvania an AI powerhouse, GOP lawmakers traveled to Pittsburgh for a hearing focused on all things artificial intelligence – City & State PA, April 2025
