# Traffic camera > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Traffic_camera > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Traffic_camera.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traffic_camera > Source revision: 1330677450 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|Video camera observing vehicles on a road}} {{No footnotes|date=January 2023}} A '''traffic camera''' is a [video camera](/source/video_camera) that observes vehicular traffic on a road. Typically, traffic cameras are put along major roads such as highways, freeways, expressways and arterial roads, and are connected by [optical fiber](/source/optical_fiber)s buried alongside or under the road, with electricity provided either by [mains power](/source/mains_electricity) in urban areas, by [solar panel](/source/solar_panel)s or other alternative power sources, which provide consistent imagery without the threat of [power outage](/source/power_outage)s. A [monitoring](/source/Surveillance) center receives the live video in real-time, and serves as a dispatcher in the event of a traffic collision, some other disruptive incident, or a [safety](/source/road_safety) issue.{{citation needed|date=August 2025}} ==Usage== Traffic cameras form a part of most [intelligent transportation system](/source/intelligent_transportation_system)s. They are especially valuable in tunnels, where safety equipment can be [activated remotely](/source/teleoperation) based on information provided by the cameras and other [sensor](/source/sensor)s. On surface roads, they are typically mounted on high [poles](/source/Utility_pole) or [masts](/source/Radio_masts_and_towers), sometimes with [street light](/source/street_light)s. On arterial roads, they are often mounted on [traffic light](/source/traffic_light) poles at [intersections](/source/intersection_(road)), where problems are most likely. In remote areas beyond the [electrical grid](/source/electrical_grid), they are usually powered by a renewable source such as [solar power](/source/solar_power), which also provides a backup source to urban camera infrastructure.{{citation needed|date=August 2025}} Traffic cameras are distinct from [road safety camera](/source/road_safety_camera)s, the latter of which are put in specific places to enforce [rules of the road](/source/Traffic) by taking [still photo](/source/still_photo)s in a much higher [image resolution](/source/image_resolution) upon a [trigger](/source/Image_trigger). Traffic cameras are only for observation and continuously take lower-resolution video, often in full motion, though they may be [remotely controlled](/source/remote_control) to focus on an incident in the distance or at an orientation normally outside its field of view, such as a [frontage road](/source/frontage_road). Many transmit in [analog television](/source/analog_television) formats, though many are being converted to [high definition](/source/high-definition_television) or [4K resolution](/source/4K_resolution) video as equipment is replaced. Some have a [compass](/source/compass) built in, which displays the [cardinal direction](/source/cardinal_direction) at which the camera is aimed, although many installers also provide a reference image with the cardinal direction. These cameras are required to be able to resist weather conditions permanently.{{citation needed|date=August 2025}} A non-public use for traffic cameras is [video tolling](/source/video_tolling), where motorists drive through [open road tolling](/source/open_road_tolling) gantries, have an image of their [license plate](/source/license_plate) taken, and are then billed after [automatic number-plate recognition](/source/automatic_number-plate_recognition) has read the license plate and cross-referenced it with motor vehicle databases.{{citation needed|date=August 2025}} Many transportation departments have linked their camera networks to the [Internet](/source/Internet) so that travelers can view traffic conditions. They can show either [streaming video](/source/streaming_video) or [still imagery](/source/screenshot) that refreshes at a set interval, helping travelers determine whether an [alternate route](/source/alternate_route) should be taken. In the United States and Canada, these often are displayed on state or municipally-run [5-1-1](/source/5-1-1) websites (511 being a telephone service relaying traffic information). These images can be combined with in-road sensors that measure traffic timing and mapping providers such as [Google Maps](/source/Google_Maps)/[Waze](/source/Waze) that allow user-generated traffic information.{{citation needed|date=August 2025}} Many states and provinces consider this information [public domain](/source/public_domain), thus many [television station](/source/television_station)s air live traffic camera imagery during traffic reports on their [local news](/source/local_news) broadcasts, or simply as a moving background during newscasts. Some cable TV systems provide these pictures full-time on a [governmental access](/source/Public%2C_educational%2C_and_government_access) channel, and some broadcast stations set aside a full [digital subchannel](/source/digital_subchannel) solely for traffic information and camera imagery, such as [WMVT-DT3](/source/WMVT) in [Milwaukee](/source/Milwaukee) and [WFMZ-DT2](/source/WFMZ-TV) in [Allentown, Pennsylvania](/source/Allentown%2C_Pennsylvania). In some cases, however, such as for [toll roads](/source/toll_roads) and other private road authorities (e.g., the [Illinois State Toll Highway Authority](/source/Illinois_State_Toll_Highway_Authority)), these images are the property of the toll agency (or private company that runs a toll road), and are released exclusively to one station (e.g., ISTHA feeds only to [WMAQ-TV](/source/WMAQ-TV)).{{citation needed|date=August 2025}} ==Gallery== File:Traffic Camera Pole.jpg|A [Wisconsin Department of Transportation](/source/Wisconsin_Department_of_Transportation) camera at [Interstate 43](/source/Interstate_43) and [Wisconsin Highway 28](/source/Wisconsin_Highway_28) in [Sheboygan, Wisconsin](/source/Sheboygan%2C_Wisconsin); solar powered ([http://www.dot.state.wi.us/travel/greenbay/cameras/cam372.jpg link to current image]). Image:Traffic camera - Lake Albert Road and Sturt Highway.jpg|Traffic camera mounted on a traffic light pole at an intersection on the [Sturt Highway](/source/Sturt_Highway) in [Wagga Wagga](/source/Wagga_Wagga), Australia. Image:Dongguan Traffic Cameras.JPG|A set of traffic cameras in [Dongguan](/source/Dongguan), [China](/source/China). File:Traffic Camera- Arekere-Bannerghatta.jpg|Traffic camera at [Arekere](/source/Arekere) junction on [Bannerghatta Road](/source/Bannerghatta_Road). Footage is transmitted to the [http://www.btis.in/ Bangalore Transport Information System] website. File:Highway scanner Almon Rd.jpg|Highway scanner Almon Road, [Covington, Georgia](/source/Covington%2C_Georgia). File:Massachusetts Turnpike Traffic Camera by Route 49, Sturbridge.jpg|Dome camera mounted on pole monitoring traffic on the [Massachusetts Turnpike](/source/Massachusetts_Turnpike). ==References== {{Reflist|1}} ==External links== {{commons category|Traffic cameras}} *[http://www.bcweathercams.ca/ Traffic Cams throughout the province of British Columbia, Canada] *[http://www.saskatchewannow.ca/ Traffic Cams throughout the province of Saskatchewan, Canada] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220403163855/http://www.saskatchewannow.ca/ |date=2022-04-03 }} *[http://www.manitobanow.ca/ Traffic Cams throughout the province of Manitoba, Canada] *[http://www.allroadcams.com/ Map of live traffic cameras in U.S. Cities] *[http://www.trafficcameras.com/ Map of live traffic cameras the Twin Cities] *[https://qldtraffic.qld.gov.au/cameras.html Live traffic cameras in Queensland, Australia] [Department of Main Roads](/source/Department_of_Main_Roads_(Queensland)) *[http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/traffic/cameras/ Traffic cameras in the State of New Jersey] [Department of Transportation](/source/New_Jersey_Department_of_Transportation) *[http://www.journeys.nzta.govt.nz/traffic-and-travel-information/traffic-cameras Live traffic cameras in New Zealand] [NZ Transport Agency](/source/NZ_Transport_Agency) *[http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/traveller/trip/traffic_cameras.shtml Live traffic cameras in Southern and Eastern Ontario, Canada] {{Traffic law}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Traffic Camera}} Category:Intelligent transportation systems --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Traffic camera](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traffic_camera) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traffic_camera?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.