If you see this vehicle in St.Gallen soon, you better be in a legal parking space.Image: baden-wuerttemberg.de
April 22, 2026, 10:41April 22, 2026, 10:41
Particularly in cities, for the sake of convenience, cars are often parked briefly in places where this is actually forbidden: for example in a bicycle lane, in a bus lane or the parking space markings are exceeded. It is precisely these violations that the scan car is intended to punish in the future – and it will soon also be tested in Switzerland.
Currently, Swiss people only run the risk of being flagged by such a scan car when shopping in Germany. In Waldshut-Tiengen, outside Koblenz, the vehicles are currently being tested for a limited time by the local police. SRF was there and accompanied a driver on his tour through the district.
“The two cameras on the roof scan the parked cars on the left and right,” says Daniel Duttlinger to SRF. The car scans 1,000 license plates per hour and registers those who violate parking rules. Vehicles that are caught in the pedestrian zone or in the bicycle lane can be towed away more quickly by the authorities.
Commitment to safety
“Incorrectly parked cars are a safety risk. Dangerous situations arise again and again when you park on cycle paths or footpaths,” writes the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Transport on the use of such scanning vehicles.
Not only the location of the parked vehicles is checked, but also whether the parking fees have been paid.
Swiss authorities are interested
As SRF reports, such a pilot test is also planned for the city of St.Gallen. Winterthur is also looking into using it, and Basel is interested: “The Basel-City cantonal police are following the development of such systems with interest. However, there are no concrete plans yet,” the police told SRF.
The cities of Bern, Lucerne and Zurich are currently rejecting such a test. (leo)