Black & silver number plates and ANPR cameras

[Ritchie6]

As an owner who now has his car fitted with black/silver number plates I was intrigued by the piece in this months SOC magazine on page 86 in the Bristol region section which said the cameras that monitor car parks were unable to recognise these black and silver plates and driver could basically park for free. I personally wouldn't leave my Stag unattended in a public car park but of more interest would be if these plates weren't able to be picked up by the roadside speed camera vans as we have quite a few round this part of the Dales. Has anybody got any first hand knowledge of this subject or is it simply an urban myth? I'm sure none of us want to get a speeding ticket but I bet we sometimes carried away when we're out and about listening to the V8 roar. I've been just on the speed limit on a few occasions but managed to get away with it-so far!

Richard

[Hettiherald]

Urban myth I’m sure. Got caught in Germany for 4 kph over the limit!! Black and silver plates showed up a treat! Dohhh.
Dave.

[marshman]

Urban myth. Back in the 1990's they were trailing number plate recognition/speed indicating cameras on the M20 when they had some road works. The display would show speed and reg no. I went through in my 1955 Standard Vanguard - Black and silver plates - 3 letters 2 numbers on the plate. Read perfectly on 3 separate occasions. That was 20 years ago, I am sure technology has improved since then. Where they may not work so well is in the dark as black and silver are not reflective, you would simply need to look at your plates with an Infra Red camera to see if they still work.

Roger

[PeteJS]

The black and silver pressed aluminium, non-reflective plates on my Stag do not show up on the ANPR system at my local hospital, providing free parking if I take it instead of the modern.
Wouldn't want to push my luck with speed cameras though.........

[Guerpillon]

B042984E-792C-4EBA-A20A-6F6959B11D6E.jpeg Last summer, i went to Sicilia with my Stag with black and silver plates. I can tell you that the parking barrier system could not read my plates so that barrier would not open. So, no free parking, don’t worry.

[Ritchie6]

The black and silver pressed aluminium, non-reflective plates on my Stag do not show up on the ANPR system at my local hospital, providing free parking if I take it instead of the modern.
Wouldn't want to push my luck with speed cameras though.........

They sound like the same sort of plates I have on my car. IMG_0177 (2).JPG


We regularly have a speed camera van a few hundred yards from our house so perhaps next time he's there I'll ask,although I don't expect him to tell me I can get away with it.

Richard

[marshman]

I can't vouch for any ANPR car park system, as far as I know there are no regulations for them, so up to you if you decide to take a chance. However, as I said in my first post pretty sure any official ANPR system will work for all number plates - even ones with stylised fonts. Also bear in mind any pictures that cannot be recognised can always be processed by a human using their eyes. I did read a government report into number plate recognition a while back where this was covered and they did some trials. I can't find that report but I did stumble across this from Leeds council who were doing a pollution study:

https://data.gov.uk/dataset/f90db76e-e72f-4ab6-9927-765101b7d997/automatic-number-plate-recognition-anpr-project

Downloaded the raw data, the oldest vehicles recorded were a 1926 Rolls Royce, Massey Fergussion tractor and a couple of 1976 Stags - were you in Leeds at 12:25 on 23/06/2016 in a Stag first reg'd 1/6/1976? Big brother is watching you I'm guessing most if not all the pre 70's vehicles had black and silver plates.

Here is an extract of the data in pdf format:

anpr.pdf

That says to me official ANPR works well - as does the link to the DVLA database (must be bordering on breaching the GDPR regulations!)

Roger

[richardthestag]

maybe just my age and a bit of Victor Meldrew thrown in for good measure but by the time the stag came out on 1970 no self respecting stag owner would have been seen dead with "old fashioned" black pressed plates. Pretty sure that they all wanted brand new modern white and amber plates. No idea why they are so fashionable now? They look great on a standard 8 and ridiculous on anything from the 1970s onwards imho

But your car do what you like with it etc

I do rather like the raised plastic letters style which are period correct

20150607_141635.jpg


back on topic. remove number plates all together. If the Pohleece stop you tell them someone must have nicked em

free parking and no speeding tickets either

Just in case anyone is worrying that last bit was my attempt at humour

[marshman]

Have to agree Richard, I vividly remember my mum and dad buying a brand new Fiat 124 in 1971 (WKN197J) and getting "excited" about getting coloured number plates for the first time.

Still everyone has different tastes and ideas, that's what keeps life interesting.

Roger

[Ritchie6]

Just done a quick google search which told me that the "modern" reflective plates were available in 1968 and became compulsory on new vehicles in 1973. I too remember some owners back in the late 60's changing to these new fangled plates, this being a time when I was interested in everything to do with cars,including collecting car numbers and of course getting a new car was a really big deal-some showrooms used to open very late so a new owner could drive their car away at midnight and be the first in their local area to have the new reg.

It's a matter of preference I guess but as my stag has just celebrated it's 43rd birthday I think they are more in keeping with a period vehicle. I still have the other plates and a future owner could change back if he chose.

Richard

[mole42]

As an owner who now has his car fitted with black/silver number plates I was intrigued by the piece in this months SOC magazine on page 86 in the Bristol region section which said the cameras that monitor car parks were unable to recognise these black and silver plates and driver could basically park for free. I personally wouldn't leave my Stag unattended in a public car park

I quite often leave my Stag unattended in a local public multi-storey car park, with the top down if it was a dry drive in. The car park ANPR where I am don’t recognise a registration with a letter suffix so no free parking for me - the barrier doesn’t raise. I know to my cost that the Police speed trap ANPR does recognise letter suffixes and black-and-silver plates!

[Phil S]

the dartford crossing cameras read my black n silver plates

[macstag1]

Hi all,

There is a 20 mph device which shows your registration plate and a warning to slow down, on a local road. As yet no tickets have been issued as far as I know, but I can vouch that it does not show my silver on black registration plate, no matter what speed I pass.

Furthermore, on drive it day in Portsmouth, the pay on exit carpark couldn't identify my car when I entered the reg. no. No alternative but to exit without paying.

Cheers Mac

[Ritchie6]

It would seem then that not all cameras are the same,however I definitely won't be chancing the speed traps vans.

Richard

[022Dave]

I can't see the government allowing historic vehicles to go tax-free, and wear black & silver plates, without having the opportunity to claw back some funds through speed cameras.

Dave