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Show HN: Report idling vehicles in NYC (and get a cut of the fines) with AI

(apps.apple.com)
194 points rafram | 11 comments | 22 Jun 25 17:06 UTC | HN request time: 1.467s | source | bottom

New York City has this cool program that lets anyone report idling commercial vehicles and get a large cut of the fines [1]. It's been in the news recently [2].

I've filed a few reports, and I found the process frustrating and error-prone. The forms are fiddly, there's way too much information that needs to be copied down from the video by hand, you have to use a third-party app to take a timestamped video and a different app to compress it before uploading, and approximately none of it can be done on your phone — the device you probably used to record your video in the first place.

I built Idle Reporter to make filing complaints into a five-minute process that you can do entirely from your phone.

Idle Reporter uses AI to automatically extract all the required information and screenshots from the video and fill out the form for you. It compresses your video, adds the required screenshots, and uploads the whole thing to DEP. All you have to do is log in, give it a final check, and submit.

The AI features cost me money to run, so I put those behind a subscription ($5.99/month, which can pay for itself after a single report). There's a one-week free trial so you can test it out. All the other features — including a fully-featured timestamp camera, which other apps charge for, and an editor for filling out the forms manually and submitting in a single step — will be free forever, as a service to the community.

The app is iOS-only for now — part of this was an exercise in learning SwiftUI in my spare time.

Check it out on the App Store and let me know what you think!

[1]: https://www.nyc.gov/site/dep/environment/idling-citizens-air...

[2]: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/new-york-city-idling-law-report...

1. bluescrn ◴[22 Jun 25 18:14 UTC] No.44349017[source]▶
Milking motorists is very profitable. Stopping more problematic crime, not so much.

So we end up with anarcho-tyranny, where 'real' crime is policed poorly, if at all - but loads of resources and tech are deployed aggressively policing+punishing mostly-law-abiding people for the most minor of infractions.

replies(3): >>44349078 #>>44349119 #>>44358483 #
2. calvinmorrison ◴[22 Jun 25 18:20 UTC] No.44349078[source]▶
Anarcho-Tyranny: A of government in which the good citizen lives in fear of government , while the criminals run amok without fear of repercussions.
replies(1): >>44349219 #
3. mjmsmith ◴[22 Jun 25 18:25 UTC] No.44349119[source]▶
This has nothing to do with "milking motorists", whatever that means. (The phrase generally seems to be used by people who are angry that they can't speed and run red lights with impunity).
replies(2): >>44349427 #>>44349491 #
4. dang ◴[22 Jun 25 18:43 UTC] No.44349269{3}[source]▶
The comments you're talking about are getting flagged, mostly because they're off topic.

Edit: I've unflagged some of the others, but here are some examples of the kind I mean:

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44349249

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44349183

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44348874

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44348759

replies(1): >>44349279 #
5. dang ◴[22 Jun 25 18:49 UTC] No.44349317{6}[source]▶
I don't want to ban you! I'd appreciate it if you'd stop posting these off-topic comments though.

Everyone goes on tilt sometimes; it happens. But please stop.

6. ◴[22 Jun 25 19:04 UTC] No.44349427[source]▶
7. gametorch ◴[22 Jun 25 19:13 UTC] No.44349491[source]▶
> This has nothing to do with "milking motorists"

Forcing motorists to pay for minor infractions is the entire point of the app.

replies(2): >>44349528 #>>44349550 #
8. bluescrn ◴[22 Jun 25 19:19 UTC] No.44349528{3}[source]▶
So when actual criminals leave their stolen getaway car idling as they go and loot a store, the owner of the stolen car now gets an extra fully-automated fine with likely no way to appeal it, and the real criminals get away free.
replies(1): >>44349573 #
9. mjmsmith ◴[22 Jun 25 19:22 UTC] No.44349550{3}[source]▶
The law applies to commercial vehicles. The aggregate effect of commercial vehicles ignoring the law isn't minor. You can find out more by following the links at the top of the page.
10. mjmsmith ◴[22 Jun 25 19:26 UTC] No.44349573{4}[source]▶
Upvoting this because I needed the laugh.
11. nashashmi ◴[23 Jun 25 18:14 UTC] No.44358483[source]▶
That’s a false comparison. Giving out tickets is a civil law violation. Combating crime is a different matter.

You can criminally cheat civil laws as well at which point it becomes a criminal offense. But the treatment remains mostly civil instead of criminal.

If you want more policing for criminal offenses, then officers need to be solely designated for those offenses. Right now they are bogged down with civil matters.