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Show HN: Report idling vehicles in NYC (and get a cut of the fines) with AI

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Re: Show HN: Report idling vehicles in NYC (and get a cut of the fines) with AI

#91

Post by gametorch »

rafram wrote: post #89
gametorch wrote: post #82

Genuinely curious, why aren't people allowed to say this is dystopian without getting flagged? What rule, specifically, does that violate? I think this is dystopian. Paying people to rat out their fellow citizens. Nightmarish. What if this idea was applied to the laws ICE is trying to enforce? Would you think that's dystopian?

This program specifically fines businesses with fleets of commercial vehicles (delivery trucks, buses, et cetera) for illegal idling, and escalates the fines for repeat offenders. You can't report random individuals, nor would I really want to build an app for that. The point is to get businesses to stop polluting.

Okay, that makes it a little less dystopian.

But you make money off people snitching.

And you're setting the stage for something far worse, imo.

Re: Show HN: Report idling vehicles in NYC (and get a cut of the fines) with AI

#92

Post by perihelions »

Ekaros wrote: post #40

[flagged]

> "You walk against red light and your face gets plastered around billboards as named criminal."

I'm unsure if you were obliquely referring to this, or if you were intending to suggest a fictional idea. But what you described is already a thing that's happening in mainland China,

> "In the southern city of Shenzhen, Chinese authorities have launched a new surveillance system loaded with facial recognition, artificial intelligence, and a big database to crack down on jaywalking as well as other crimes."

> "As a result, photographs of pedestrians caught in the act, along with their names and social identification numbers, are now instantly displayed on LED screens installed at Shenzhen road junctions."

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-03-20/china-deploys-ai-came... ("Chinese authorities use facial recognition, public shaming to crack down on jaywalking, criminals")

Re: Show HN: Report idling vehicles in NYC (and get a cut of the fines) with AI

#95

Post by mjmsmith »

gametorch wrote: post #86
mjmsmith wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This has nothing to do with "milking motorists", whatever that means. (The phrase generally seems to be used by people who are angry that they can't speed and run red lights with impunity).

> This has nothing to do with "milking motorists" Forcing motorists to pay for minor infractions is the entire point of the app.

The law applies to commercial vehicles. The aggregate effect of commercial vehicles ignoring the law isn't minor. You can find out more by following the links at the top of the page.

Re: Show HN: Report idling vehicles in NYC (and get a cut of the fines) with AI

#96

Post by theyknowitsxmas »

gametorch wrote: post #82

Genuinely curious, why aren't people allowed to say this is dystopian without getting flagged? What rule, specifically, does that violate? I think this is dystopian. Paying people to rat out their fellow citizens. Nightmarish. What if this idea was applied to the laws ICE is trying to enforce? Would you think that's dystopian?

[flagged]

Re: Show HN: Report idling vehicles in NYC (and get a cut of the fines) with AI

#97

Post by mjmsmith »

bluescrn wrote: post #90
gametorch wrote: post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> This has nothing to do with "milking motorists" Forcing motorists to pay for minor infractions is the entire point of the app.

So when actual criminals leave their stolen getaway car idling as they go and loot a store, the owner of the stolen car now gets an extra fully-automated fine with likely no way to appeal it, and the real criminals get away free.

Upvoting this because I needed the laugh.

Re: Show HN: Report idling vehicles in NYC (and get a cut of the fines) with AI

#98

Post by cosmic_cheese »

matsemann wrote: post #83

Man, I wish my city would make it possible to report drivers breaking the law. My big issue is cars parking in the cycle lanes. 1830 cars got fined for that in my city in total in 2024. Aka 5 a day. As a single cyclist I see more cars parked in cycle lanes every day on my commute than all those hundred officers give tickets to in total..

What I’d like to see is hard separation of roads and bike lanes. As a cyclist, nothing but a line painted on the road makes me feel unsafe, as a driver it’s difficult to not get nervous when passing a cyclist in the lane, and culturally drivers are generally favored over cyclists which results in things like parking in bike lanes not being adequately enforced. All these things would be solved by bike lanes being fully independent from the road.

Re: Show HN: Report idling vehicles in NYC (and get a cut of the fines) with AI

#99

Post by paulgb »

gametorch wrote: post #91
rafram wrote: post #89

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This program specifically fines businesses with fleets of commercial vehicles (delivery trucks, buses, et cetera) for illegal idling, and escalates the fines for repeat offenders. You can't report random individuals, nor would I really want to build an app for that. The point is to get businesses to stop polluting.

Okay, that makes it a little less dystopian. But you make money off people snitching. And you're setting the stage for something far worse, imo.

I see where you’re coming from, but the alternatives are either that the law isn’t enforced, or the state ramps up its own surveillance, which is more dystopian to me.

I see this as in the same vein as SEC whistleblower awards, which I’ve never heard described as dystopian. Businesses just don’t have the same expectation of privacy that individuals do.

Re: Show HN: Report idling vehicles in NYC (and get a cut of the fines) with AI

#100

Post by gametorch »

paulgb wrote: post #99
gametorch wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Okay, that makes it a little less dystopian. But you make money off people snitching. And you're setting the stage for something far worse, imo.

I see where you’re coming from, but the alternatives are either that the law isn’t enforced, or the state ramps up its own surveillance, which is more dystopian to me. I see this as in the same vein as SEC whistleblower awards, which I’ve never heard described as dystopian. Businesses just don’t have the same expectation of privacy that individuals do.

I mean, the law not being enforced is wayyyyyyyyy less dystopian than this app and the numerous other ones like it that are bound to spring up.

I'd rather live in truck fumes than a hyper-automated snitch surveillance state.

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