Parking & Access Control

Swarco Traffic has installed a new parking guidance system at one of Northern Ireland’s premier shopping centres, Abbey Centre, Belfast. A combination of seven variable message signs (VMS) and seven car parking count sensors were commissioned and installed as part of the contract. The technologies combine to alert visitors to where spaces are available, helping to reduce congestion and improve convenience. Abbey Centre attracts some 115,000 visitors every week, and provides 1,265 free car parking spaces. Th

According to the Parkopedia 2017 Global Parking Index, New York, US, and Sydney, Australia, are the most expensive cities in the world to park for two hours with an average cost of US$30, while London tops the list of the most expensive cities for monthly parking charges.

APT Skidata’s new software services include SwappAccess, a mobile App that enables users to plan, park and pay for their parking, whether on street or off-street. The range also includes SWEB.Validate, an electronic validation management hosted service with options including a web browser for attended use, an unattended validation terminal and a mobile app. For system operators, INS Reporting is the company’s the latest cloud-based reporting and management information system. This enable car park operators

UK car parking equipment manufacturer WPS has installed its ParkAdvance technology at five Q-Park car parks in Sheffield’s city centre. ParkAdvance is a pay-on-foot system that features a new IP-based operating system architecture that enables the parking system to simply and directly connect with multiple technologies being deployed in car parks both now and in the future.

Colin Sowman hears about a new truck parking information system being piloted across eight states. Legislation limits truck drivers’ hours with the result that they are often caught in a situation where they need to stop either for a break or an overnight rest. But as truck parking is in short supply, truck drivers spend an average of 56 minutes a day searching for available spaces and are often faced with the choice of driving beyond their permitted hours or parking illegally.

The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) has awarded a contract to WSP/Parsons Brinckerhoff to design the next phase of intelligent transportation system (ITS) deployment for the state’s University Region. The project will plan, design and construct new CCTV cameras, dynamic message signs and vehicle detection systems across the University Region to improve incident response and information dissemination to motorists on the state’s freeway system. WSP/Parsons Brinckerhoff will provide ITS design ser

US-based transmission and networking equipment manufacturer ComNet is to enter the access-control market, with the introduction of two systems in the CNAccess range; the CNA100, a two to eight door solution for smaller applications and the CNA200 for up to 32 doors for bigger applications. CNAccess utilises embedded intelligence and does not require special software or a dedicated PC, providing users with the flexibility to manage a system from any location with internet access. Both products support standa

Parking terminals could soon be monitoring air quality in towns and cities across Britain as local authorities consider ways to tackle roadside pollution. Parking technology company Parkeon has developed a module for its Strada range of terminals that will capture air quality data and enable authorities to monitor levels of particulate matter and emissions such as CO2. The company says its parking terminals are open platform multi-service kiosks capable of integrating with smart third party systems, inc

UK ticketing payment solutions supplier Metric has partnered with wireless transaction processing solutions provider Apriva in the US to achieve EMV (Europay, MasterCard and Visa) integration and certification. This has allowed Metric to offer an unattended EMV payment solution in the US through local partner Amano McGann.

Automated parking offers optimised space utilisation and fewer damage complaints as David Crawford discovers. As cars become smarter, technology designed to make parking them more straightforward is developing in parallel. In turn, it is becoming clear that the places where vehicles spend much of their time will need to respond – more comprehensively than by supporting established aids such as smartphone-based parking location and reservation, or payment for time used.