For public infrastructure, removing graffiti costs millions of euro each year. Besides the direct costs, there are the costs of not using the equipment and environmental costs. And naturally, the trains, buses, metro, etc. are your visit card to customers.
The thrill of success
Sometimes, graffiti can look beautiful. But mostly, it looks -and is- vandalism.
Non-removal is an invitation to even more graffiti. Tests in New York have turned out that the immediate removal of graffiti, at least the same day, discourages further graffiti. Besides, the subway of New York is guarded closely, so it has become difficult for vandals to create their painting.
To create something beautiful is mostly not the aim of the sprayers. Most painters do it for the ‘thrill’. The first thrill is to finish their work before they are noticed. The other is to see their work travelling the next day, knowing it will travel the whole country. There are solo-sprayers. But mostly, sprayers work in groups. Actions are being planned, to out-smarten the (railway) police.
Nowadays, public transport companies have guidelines when graffiti is noticed: an employer (e.g. the train manager notices the painting, signs a cleaning company and this company cleans the graffiti the same day with a mobile team.
But as the saying goes: prevention is better than curing! How can you diminish the change of graffiti paintings? Track & Trace solutions help.
Know if someone enters your shunting yard unwanted
The shunting yard is a known spot for graffiti painters. At night, or just on the day itself because it’s easy to enter the premises.
Most marshal yards are guarded by security. However, because they are quiet places, it is rather easy to enter the site and hide from security. Besides, most graffiti painters operate in groups. So, they are practiced to paint a wagon in no-time.
The Dutch regional TV broadcast OogTV: “Meanwhile I know, also from stories that I hear from colleagues from the country, that such artists are unstoppable. We can make the gates so high, and the locks so wide, but if these people want to, they will succeed.”
How Tracy can help: perimeter and object guard
Track and trace can help preventing graffiti in 2 ways:
- Perimeter detection
- Object guard
Know if someone enters the marshal yard or any other perimeter. Act immediately on ‘strange’ behavior, such as: unidentified persons on the premises. Or persons at times when you expect nobody will be there. Another option is to guard the object itself, such as a train wagon itself with a sensor. An alert is being send when persons approach the object.
So, you can prevent graffiti to take place or at least, to prevent the painter from finishing his ‘artwork’.
Find out how we can help you: https://www.advsolned.com/tracy-home/
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