Unscrupulous Londoners have already learned how to beat that city's famed congestion charge system, and with Mayor Bloomberg's plan relying on the same technology, there are worries about a surge in license plate counterfeiting.
"Mayor Michael Bloomberg touts London's congestion pricing plan as a model for New York City. But as Britain is learning, no plan is perfect."
"License plate counterfeiting and thefts are increasing...[and] Londoners are now cloning license plates to avoid congestion fees."
"I was surprised at just how easy it was," Parliament Roads Minister Robert Goodwill said. "All I did was I spotted the Prime Minister's car coming out of Downing Street across the road. I jotted down the number, I went on the Internet."
"For $40, a parliament member scored a copy of Prime Minister Gordon Brown's license plate
"This is the Prime Minister's plate," Goodwill said, showing us a copy.
Traffic cameras enforce congestion fees in London. A computer matches plates and registrations and sends bills to the home address.
If you get a cloned plate you ride for free.
A serious flaw in the system and it's very similar to the plan proposed by Bloomberg for New York City. His plans calls for 1,000 cameras to snap people's license plates."
FULL STORY: Congestion Pricing Flaw: Cloned License Plates
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