Startup Idea! A service that provides an 18-wheeler to drive into with your vehicle that gets you into the city without being tagged (so basically it's the truck from Spy Hunter but with a phone app).

I bet your quip got down-voted because you didn't specify that the 18-wheeler would be autonomous.

At first it wouldn't be but that's just to get an MVP going (queue the blog post about getting a commercial drivers license so you can pilot the first truck yourself).

The plans for a full AI commanding a fleet of autonomous cars goes into the PPT for the seed round.

> it's the truck from Spy Hunter

I was thinking Knight Rider.

Spy Hunter is the one where when you enter the truck you get upgrades.

In this case, your privacy gets upgraded.

I don't see why this is surprising to people.

In North Texas, all toll collection has been electronic since 2010. Either you have a TollTag or a camera takes a picture of your license plate and a bill is mailed to the address associated with your license plate number (at massively inflated cost; they really want you to either get a TollTag or stay off the toll roads). All tollbooths have been ripped out of every toll road in North Texas and replaced by scanners that can operate at high speeds. Traffic now flows much better now that there isn't a bottleneck at every toll gantry and exit ramp.

Edit: Here's what an NTTA toll gantry looks like: https://goo.gl/maps/BPsWP5uo3ep

Fastrak is shipped with a mylar bag that prevents scanning so you can have privacy on-demand. Also, Caltrans routinely scans Fastrak transponders silently in non-toll areas to gauge traffic flow.

They still do ALPR from cameras to determine where to send the bill/ticket if you go through the lane without a pass.

"Also, Caltrans routinely scans Fastrak transponders silently in non-toll areas to gauge traffic flow."

Wow really? Where exactly? The trackers are not that small and I doubt they are all over 280 or 101 otherwise I would have noticed them by now..

EzPass toll tags being read outside toll areas is very common through out the tri-state area. The project mahyarm mentioned below is called "Midtown in Motion" where the tags are used to control the traffic light timing dynamically throughout the day (with humans overseeing too). You can find the readers placed usually behind information signs that are mounted on gantries or just plain in the open on traffic lights: https://b-i.forbesimg.com/kashmirhill/files/2013/09/Screen-S...

The other uses for the tag data include generating real time travel time to NYC airports from certain location in the metro area, as well as the data is fed into planning and road maintenance authorities.

Finally related to the article about taking a picture of every car, this is really nothing new as every car that drives into Manhattan has its plate read regardless of which bridge or tunnel you take, and those ALPR's are operated by NYPD... https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/20/Brookyn_Bridg...

Read more here: https://www.aclu.org/blog/free-future/newly-obtained-records...

I've seen those in NYC and don't doubt it, I'm talking about the Bay Area though.

I've seen a video of someone who rewired their transponder in NYC and showed it actually got scanned at every second intersection. You can do something similar with yours. I'm not too worried about it per se, since a camera can do something similar.

I'm pretty sure this is the talk you're thinking of.[0]

[0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZxKlFV0chw

they photoscan your license plate regardless.

i have one fastrak box and 4 vehicles. just registered all of them online, now i no longer need the box. this way they're also catching toll offenders.

golden gate bridge is fully automated now, scans every vehicle, no opt out lane.

How good are those cameras, though? I've crossed from Marin at least 8 times now, each time with the "cash taker" lanes having no staff. I assumed it would be like in Houston, where you just get billed via mail, or can call and pay. Nobody I've called is aware of me owing anything on my plate, though, and I've never got anything in the mail.

Maybe I did my plates wrong... I also never received the ticket the angry SFO cop promised I would get for not picking up my friend fast enough.

You'll get the bill, but in 10 years when it and the associated late fees have escalated and accrued interest. At that stage they'll just send you a notice saying they've taken possession of your house and you must vacate within 7 days or go to jail.

> Nobody I've called is aware of me owing anything on my plate, though, and I've never got anything in the mail.

Check that your mailing address on file with the DMV is up to date.

are those parking enforcement people at SFO cops? I always thought they were hired hands or something. They do wear shiny badges to look like cops though.

While the police have their faults, they usually control things much better, I feel. The dropoff area at SFO is a tragedy.

Fly SJC or OAK whenever you can. Much less painful.

Yup, I usually stick to SJC, except Intl. flights. I go there mostly to pick up visiting friends.

My parents (from out of state) got their Golden Gate Bridge toll in the mail a long time after they visited. I forget exactly, but I think it was at least a year later. There were no late fees or anything like that.

they have 100% success rate with my vehicles, one of them a motorcycle with very dirty plates.

And inside Marin, the town of Tiburon does this as well - stoplight cameras at every entry/exit point.

I'll throw this in too. If you drive an older vechicle don't enter Tiburon after nightfall. They will pull you over for no reason.

The camera was installed because Tiburon had some weird murders. There all involved wealthy residents. In each case the their was no theft. In each case, it appeared the deceased appeared to know the killer.

I understand the frustration of the little police force. I don't understand harassing poor people.

On a side note, the camera was installed before it was routine to have videos on your home. Since their are so many cameras throughout the city now, and on all those million dollar plus homes; take the town's camera down.

Just don't put your plates on. It's just a fixit ticket in CA, for a while.

Just have to take an Uber.

Then you choose between a company tracking you or a city tracking you...

True. Perhaps the last best case for taking a taxi.

Or a bus, paid with cash, wearing a veil.

Steal car to commit crimes with, problem solved.