Tracking cars and people in New York

As in London, routes into the city would be monitored by CCTV cameras that will photograph all incoming cars and record their registration plates.

The system is intended to curb vehicular traffic, and raise money for public transportation, by imposing charges ($8 for cars and $21 for trucks) to enter the busiest parts of Manhattan.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s plan for New York by the year 2030, is entitled ‘A Greener, Greater New York’ and the radical measures to reduce traffic in Manhattan have been largely well received.

There are already approximately 5,000 private and public security cameras in operation in Lower Manhattan, and the possible addition of more closed-circuit TV cameras is a cause of concern to some civil libertarians anxious about having information on the movement, activities, and whereabouts of people recorded, stored, and shared.