Parking & Access Control

The latest study by Research and Markets analyses smart parking systems and their influence on the parking industry through technology-enabled parking solutions. Strategic Analysis of Smart Parking Market in Europe and North America describes the ecosystem and market size for smart parking in Europe and North America, and analyses the strategies of major parking operators, and parking app, infrastructure, and parking management companies. It also evaluates the link between parking and automotive indu

Commuters in Wellington, New Zealand, will be able to pay and simply walk away from their cars as part of the new ‘pay by space’ parking trial in the city. Customers enter their parking space number at the pay machine and then can head off to work or go shopping, without the need to go back to their car to place a ticket on their dashboard. The first stage of the trial involved embedding sensors in parking spaces in Blair and Allen streets. The sensors have provided information on usage, turnover and oc

Following a pilot project, the city of Verona in Italy has integrated Nedap’s Sensit wireless parking sensors with Wes Park software from Project Automation in a bid to manage parking in the city’s narrow streets. By introducing Nedap’s Sensit sensors, which improve utilisation of the city’s existing parking spaces, AMT, the service company managing the Verona Urban Parking Plan is now able to optimise parking. The system consists of wireless parking sensors that detect in real-time whether or not a s

Parking in Boston is wet to get smarter and easier for people who part at the city’s 8,000 metered spaces, with the addition of new intelligent multi-space and single space parking meters. Drivers will be able to pay via mobile phone, a credit card, or pocket change. This next generation of meters will also provide real-time data to the City to help Boston Transportation Department (BTD) better manage the space at the curb. The information provided by an upgraded parking system and an analysis of current on

David Crawford mines the potential of joined-up parking. Drivers conventionally see parking as an isolated, often frustrating, action; but collectively their attempts to find a space impact hugely on traffic flows. But new analyses of parking events look set to deliver real benefits to motorists and cities alike. Initiatives getting under way around the world are highlighting the advantages of connecting up parking events and – eventually - parked cars. The hoped-for results include not only enhanced urban

As part of the Pozuelo Smart City project and to improve the usage of the new and existing parking capacity in the city, Madrid in Spain has implemented a new system which reduces search traffic by guiding motorists to free parking spaces. The real-time parking data is integrated with the Smart City platform from Wairbut, a CISCO certified partner. The city is using Nedap’s parking sensors which detect parking bay occupancy in real-time. Information on current availability is transmitted to the Pozuelo Smar

Swarco Traffic Systems has installed a total of 115 dynamic message signs at five parking areas along the A5 motorway in Germany to provided truck drivers with information about available parking spaces. The aim is to reduce the time spent in looking for parking spaces and increase traffic safety by enabling drivers to take mandated rest breaks. An online platform also provides drivers with real-time information on available parking spaces.

David Crawford parallel parks with innovations in two continents. Surveys of US cities indicate that drivers searching for parking can account for up to 37% of all urban traffic congestion. A 2011 study by IBM of 20 cities around the world found that nearly six out of ten drivers had abandoned their search for a parking space at least once; while motorists generally spent on average 20 minutes looking for a sought-after spot.

The city of Delft in the Netherlands is using Q-Free’s Intrada ALPR automatic number plate recognition software, combined with the ScanGenius mobile scanner from ARVOO to enforce parking regulations in the city, in a concept developed by Dutch company Taxameter Centrale. Drivers register their vehicle registration number with the parking authorities via the city website or at local payment stations. Six ALPR cameras in the ScanGenius rooftop box scan the registration numbers of parked vehicles, process the

Wellington City Council in New Zealand has begun to trial Smart Parking’s bay sensor technology with the installation of an initial 72 sensors. On completion of a successful trial, which is scheduled to run to the end of April, the council plans a US$1.05 million rollout of 4,000 sensors across the inner city streets. The parking solution will also include Smart Parking’s SmartApp which will allow motorists to identify streets with available bays and avoid driving around searching for a spot on roads which