Tallinn granted permission for Signaal TM to carry out the projects under the "Test in Tallinn" project, which is looking into various traffic monitoring systems. The company installed a bus lane monitoring camera on Pärnu maantee and an average speed monitoring system on Järvevana tee.

Karol Kovanen, a member of Signaal TM's supervisory board and minority shareholder, said the company is collecting anonymized statistics and testing the camera systems. This will allow decision-makers to make informed choices about adopting the technology, he said.

The system turns license plates into anonymous codes, said Kovanen. No queries are made regarding license plates, and they are not stored legibly in any database. This means fines cannot be imposed at this stage.

The cameras have been active on the road since March and measure vehicle entry and exit on Järvevana tee towards Lasnamäe in one direction. Initially, signs alerting drivers to the test were not installed to gather data on drivers' usual behavior, but now they have been put up.

Half of drivers speed

Dago Antov, professor emeritus at Tallinn University of Technology and a collaborator with Signaal TM, said the average speed on the Järvevana tee was 69 kilometers per hour and the limit is 70.

However, Antov said about half of the drivers exceeded the limit.

Preliminary data from March showed that 41 percent of drivers traveled at an average speed of 70–75 kilometers per hour, 24 percent at 75–80 kilometers per hour, and 19 percent at 65–70 kilometers per hour.

Speeds were lower during rush hour due to traffic volume. But otherwise, speeds were fairly consistent, Antov said.

Some vehicles traveled significantly faster, but those could have been emergency vehicles, he said, adding it is not possible to tell from the anonymized data.

After Signaal TM put the signs up, speeds dropped. Test results from the Transport Administration last summer showed similar outcomes.

Antov said that if people realize there are no penalties for violations, the impact might not be very significant.

Another issue revealed was insufficient gaps between cars, the researcher said.

Data collection

The cameras are expected to stay in place for around six months so the performance can be tested in various weather conditions. Each system costs around €50,000 and was handed over for free for testing.

Kovanen said the goal is to provide information to potential buyers, such as the Tallinn Transport Department and the national Transport Administration. These include how well the system reads numbers and how much maintenance is required.

He said the Police and Border Guard Board (PPA) is very interested in the project. The agency says using officers for traffic enforcement is not cost-effective.

"Measuring speed with a radar gun is an inefficient use of police resources. An automated system can do the same job much more effectively. The cameras operate 24/7," Kovanen said.

He also acknowledged there are several legal issues to work out. For example, if the police adopt the system, it would pay the upkeep costs, but the money generated from fines would be sent to the Ministry of Interior.

"Automated traffic enforcement is inevitable. In Finland, Sweden, or Lithuania, the preventive impact on traffic safety has been clearly identified and scientifically confirmed," Kovanen said.

"There needs to be a public debate about the use of personal data, but if we focus on the positive goals and avoid dystopian thinking, this is a natural development," he added.

Cameras on buses

Signaal TM is also testing cameras that detect traffic violations on Tallinn buses. The company has installed AI-powered camera systems on two buses, which monitor the area around the vehicle.

These systems have not yet been activated, as the company is awaiting approval from the Data Protection Inspectorate.

The cameras installed on the buses were also received free from the manufacturer and are initially intended to use AI to detect vehicles driving in bus lanes or, for example, those parked on bicycle paths, Kovanen noted.

The whole monitoring and violation detection process takes place within the camera system. As with the average speed cameras, the data is anonymized, and no fines will be issued during the trial period.

The project's purpose is also to collect data and demonstrate to potential buyers what is technologically possible, Kovanen said.

He said that, compared to enforcing traffic rules using municipal police patrols, surveillance systems installed on public transport would be significantly more cost-effective.

Although the current tests only focus on detecting bus lane driving and illegal parking, in the future these systems could be used to identify other violations, Kovanen believes.

"They are capable of measuring anything. If a car can drive itself in traffic, then this camera can identify every situation," said Kovanen.

--

Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!