Canadian-based company, Photo Violation Technologies (PVT), has patented its PhotoViolationMeter (PVM), which uses a combination of sensors, photography, and wireless technology to enforce itself and gives municipalities more than five times the revenue of current on-street meters, according to ITSInternational.com. With PVM, drivers have the convenient option of paying by coin, phone, debit, credit card or smart card, right at their vehicle. User-friendly features include a no-fine option, which gives drivers the ability to simply swipe a credit card that allows the PVM to incrementally add time to the meter when needed; grace periods that enable the user to pay the meter if they are late so that they can avoid violations or pay the violation on the spot at a discounted price; and instant notifications that will notify the driver of, and prevent payment for, rush hour and no-parking conditions to prevent user vehicles from being towed. On the enforcement end, when a vehicle parks and moves away without payment, the camera takes a picture of the offending vehicle’s license plate and sends it to the central processing center. PVT claims this feature will drastically cut down on violation disputes and court time by providing a picture of the offending license plate to prove the vehicle was in violation. Trials of the new meter are scheduled for January 2006.