Congestion Charge/Pre 1971 number plates
Discussion
At the end of November there is an “Defender” meet starting in Belgrave Square. I plan to take my 1965 Series IIA which wears black and silver number plates. I think the consensus is that ANPR cameras don’t read these number plates, but I am not certain .
So I plan to pre register the car and provide a credit card that in theory means every time I drive into a chargeable. Zone payment is made. My theory is this will avoid any penalties for non payment but also won’t incur a charge as the ANPR cameras won’t realise my car was there. Any one has any thoughts on this?
So I plan to pre register the car and provide a credit card that in theory means every time I drive into a chargeable. Zone payment is made. My theory is this will avoid any penalties for non payment but also won’t incur a charge as the ANPR cameras won’t realise my car was there. Any one has any thoughts on this?
V8rumble said:
At the end of November there is an Defender meet starting in Belgrave Square. I plan to take my 1965 Series IIA which wears black and silver number plates. I think the consensus is that ANPR cameras don t read these number plates, but I am not certain .
So I plan to pre register the car and provide a credit card that in theory means every time I drive into a chargeable. Zone payment is made. My theory is this will avoid any penalties for non payment but also won t incur a charge as the ANPR cameras won t realise my car was there. Any one has any thoughts on this?
Give it a go. The cameras are not infallible. So I plan to pre register the car and provide a credit card that in theory means every time I drive into a chargeable. Zone payment is made. My theory is this will avoid any penalties for non payment but also won t incur a charge as the ANPR cameras won t realise my car was there. Any one has any thoughts on this?
On my previous, non-ULEZ, car I was only charged intermittently when I drove in the CC zone, perhaps only 1 in 5 times.
When ULEZ came in, I was getting charged the ULEZ fee every I drove in the zone, while at the same time the CC fee was still only charged 20% of the time.
I presume that the ULEZ & CC systems don't share the same cameras or database, hence the anomaly, however it goes to show that for whatever the reasons, the cameras are not 100% perfect.
What credible source do you have that they won’t be readable?
Some years ago I was driving a 2001 Morgan in Wandsworth. It has a 6 digit non dating number plate. It was wearing Black and silver number plates cos they look better on old cars. Two police motorcycles pulled me over . I told them I had just been to a show and had the appropriate yellow and white number plates with me. The policeman said the biggest issue in London was terrorism and the cameras can not read the black and silver. This was about maybe 10 years ago. Things could have changed
Some years ago I was driving a 2001 Morgan in Wandsworth. It has a 6 digit non dating number plate. It was wearing Black and silver number plates cos they look better on old cars. Two police motorcycles pulled me over . I told them I had just been to a show and had the appropriate yellow and white number plates with me. The policeman said the biggest issue in London was terrorism and the cameras can not read the black and silver. This was about maybe 10 years ago. Things could have changed
V8rumble said:
What credible source do you have that they won t be readable?
Some years ago I was driving a 2001 Morgan in Wandsworth. It has a 6 digit non dating number plate. It was wearing Black and silver number plates cos they look better on old cars. Two police motorcycles pulled me over . I told them I had just been to a show and had the appropriate yellow and white number plates with me. The policeman said the biggest issue in London was terrorism and the cameras can not read the black and silver. This was about maybe 10 years ago. Things could have changed
What ANPR can and cannot read can be a messy area.Some years ago I was driving a 2001 Morgan in Wandsworth. It has a 6 digit non dating number plate. It was wearing Black and silver number plates cos they look better on old cars. Two police motorcycles pulled me over . I told them I had just been to a show and had the appropriate yellow and white number plates with me. The policeman said the biggest issue in London was terrorism and the cameras can not read the black and silver. This was about maybe 10 years ago. Things could have changed
Years ago, I used to struggle to get out of a certain airport car park because I had a shed with an old format number.
Other times, ANPR has been known to recognise random text on the back of a van as someone else's number.
It's evolving software, treading a line between failing to read and falsely reading.
If the machine fails to read, a human might or might not intervene.
My solution is generally not to drive inside the M25.
Google's AI mode says this:
No, standard UK ANPR cameras cannot reliably read black number plates, as modern ANPR systems are designed to work with the reflective white and yellow backgrounds required on all vehicles registered since 1973. This is because black plates lack the necessary reflective material, causing them to be difficult to read in both day and night, although they are only legal on vehicles registered before 1973.
Why black number plates are not read by ANPR cameras
Lack of reflectivity: Modern number plates use reflective materials to be visible to ANPR cameras, which use infrared light to read them.
Non-reflective characters: The characters on a black plate are not reflective, making them hard for the camera to identify.
Incorrect background: UK law requires front plates to have a white reflective background and rear plates to have a yellow reflective background for all vehicles registered after 1973.
No, standard UK ANPR cameras cannot reliably read black number plates, as modern ANPR systems are designed to work with the reflective white and yellow backgrounds required on all vehicles registered since 1973. This is because black plates lack the necessary reflective material, causing them to be difficult to read in both day and night, although they are only legal on vehicles registered before 1973.
Why black number plates are not read by ANPR cameras
Lack of reflectivity: Modern number plates use reflective materials to be visible to ANPR cameras, which use infrared light to read them.
Non-reflective characters: The characters on a black plate are not reflective, making them hard for the camera to identify.
Incorrect background: UK law requires front plates to have a white reflective background and rear plates to have a yellow reflective background for all vehicles registered after 1973.
CHLEMCBC said:
Google's AI mode says this:
No, standard UK ANPR cameras cannot reliably read black number plates, as modern ANPR systems are designed to work with the reflective white and yellow backgrounds required on all vehicles registered since 1973. This is because black plates lack the necessary reflective material, causing them to be difficult to read in both day and night, although they are only legal on vehicles registered before 1973.
Why black number plates are not read by ANPR cameras
Lack of reflectivity: Modern number plates use reflective materials to be visible to ANPR cameras, which use infrared light to read them.
Non-reflective characters: The characters on a black plate are not reflective, making them hard for the camera to identify.
Incorrect background: UK law requires front plates to have a white reflective background and rear plates to have a yellow reflective background for all vehicles registered after 1973.
Why did you choose to do that?No, standard UK ANPR cameras cannot reliably read black number plates, as modern ANPR systems are designed to work with the reflective white and yellow backgrounds required on all vehicles registered since 1973. This is because black plates lack the necessary reflective material, causing them to be difficult to read in both day and night, although they are only legal on vehicles registered before 1973.
Why black number plates are not read by ANPR cameras
Lack of reflectivity: Modern number plates use reflective materials to be visible to ANPR cameras, which use infrared light to read them.
Non-reflective characters: The characters on a black plate are not reflective, making them hard for the camera to identify.
Incorrect background: UK law requires front plates to have a white reflective background and rear plates to have a yellow reflective background for all vehicles registered after 1973.
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