There’s an App for That! New Technology Turns Phone into Portable Vehicular Speed Camera

Here’s a novel twist: now you can turn your smartphone or ipad into a portable speed camera, proving how fast vehicles are passing you as a pedestrian.

The “Speedcam Anywhere” app is being tested with the 20 is Plenty non-profit, who have championed the many municipalities and governments that have embraced 20 mph/30 km/h speeds.

It will be available firstly in Europe on the Google Play Store and an IOS version is being developed. The technology reviews the video and produces a report on where the video was taken as well as the posted road and driver speeds. It can also detail air quality and stopping distances, as well as statistics relevant to the location.

Rod King with 20’s Plenty For Us hopes that this device can lead to “wider enforcement of and compliance with speed limits“.  But undoubtedly having people who are sitting or walking on the street able to provide evidence on speeding  directly sent to police could inform on problematic street design and challenges.

As Mr. King states “Speedcam Anywhere can be discreetly and safely used by pedestrians in a very similar way to drivers using dashcams. But, unlike dashcam footage, the ‘analysis report’ requires little police back office analysis other than deciding whether and which offence to sanction. In addition, being digital it can be connected directly to current back office systems to process the paperwork. Hence police retain full control of the outcome.”

Of course the real answer is to embrace slower driver road speed maximums,  30 km/h speed limits in municipalities in all areas except on arterial roads. That will also allow for streets to be designated for those lower speeds, and allow the more equitable use of road space for other users besides vehicle drivers.

That’s something that the Union of British Columbia Municipalities has unanimously asked the the Province of British Columbia to do.

The Province has been disinterested and disengaged, instead trying to soft shuffle an approach for the municipalities to post 30 km/h signs on every street, and undertake their own due diligence.

It is an inexplicable and inexcusable response when lower driver speeds save lives and serious injury, lower carbon emissions, and make the street more sociable and friendly for other users.  It is also the right thing to do when health care is a provincial responsibility, and slower driver speeds promote other users’ exercise, mental and physical health, not to mention reduced health care interventions and cost.

Viewpoint Vancouver is reminded that this is the same government that gave a “gasoline” rebate through ICBC for all insured motorists during the recent spike of gasoline prices.

Another approach would have been to show how fuel is saved by driving at slower speeds, and the importance of urban transit, driving less, and drivingmore prudently.

While drivers are number one in this Province, at least other road users can now ensure they comply to speed limits with the use of this soon to be introduced app. While it is still in the testing phase, the developer is responsive to input should you wish to download it,  and a full rollout is expected later in the Spring.

You can find out more at  20s Plenty here or at the SpeedcamAnywhere site here.

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https://speedcamanywhere.com