January 20 2022
For municipalities, the availability of parking to residents and visitors can have a much larger impact on them simply having a place to park the car:
Benefits provided through implementation of an Intelligent Parking System include:
- Ability to utilize data to make strategic decisions
- A smart parking system provides the integration required to view your parking operation holistically.
- For example, this perspective allows you to make more informed decisions based on real-time and historical occupancy and compare with the payments received for the same time.
- Data on parking occupancy, payment, and compliance rates can support better decision making on parking policy like time limits and pricing.
- For example, if city officials can see patterns in specific neighborhoods where compliance is low and citations are high, they might be able to make better informed pricing and time changes to help create more affordable parking in that area, which will ultimately lead to higher compliance rates.
- With a smart parking system, the affects of adjusting parking policy can be observed, measured, and learned from.
- Data on parking occupancy, payment, and compliance rates can support better decision making on parking policy like time limits and pricing.
- For example, if city officials can see patterns in specific neighborhoods where compliance is low and citations are high, they might be able to make better informed pricing and time changes to help create more affordable parking in that area, which will ultimately lead to higher compliance rates.
- With a smart parking system, the affects of adjusting parking policy can be observed, measured, and learned from.
- Rich historical data can identify trends that provide invaluable insights towards city planning and spending
- For example, understanding the peak demand versus average demand for time of day, days of the week, and seasonal trends will enable the best possible decisions on major expenditures such as multi-level parking garages. The difference between 3 levels and 4 levels can be millions of dollars.
2. Improved Safety – creating an environment that promotes safety for residents and visitors
- Safety and security can be achieved easily by smart parking as availability and demand become more predictable.
- Data can be provided to parking lot employees for better management and lookout for violations and suspicious activities.
- With decreased density of vehicles within a certain area, the likelihood for incidents also decreases.
- 1 in 5 accidents where vehicles collide with pedestrian accidents are caused by drivers
3. Reduced Operational and Management Costs
- Automating the enforcement process of checking for vehicles in violation is more efficient and cost-effective than manual monitoring.
- An automated, data driven approach allows efficient use of scarce resources.
- As population rises, we will witness more growth and urbanization which will result into a higher number of vehicles, this increase is not likely to be matched by existing operational budgets.
- With the expected increase in demand, there will only be increase in constraints for limited amount of parking spots, payment methods and enforcement officers, a smart parking solution allows these resources to be deployed in an efficient manner.
4. Reduced Pollution and Green House Gases
A Smart Parking system that allows visitors and residents to be informed of available parking in real-time, enables the option of quicker parking and decreases the emissions by cars circling and looking for space.
5. Enhanced User Experience
- Smart Parking Solutions ability to help drivers find a parking space goes beyond efficiency and can help transform the whole experience.
- The positive results of getting people to where they want to be faster can have a domino effect on parking lot owners and local businesses as well.
- Smart parking also opens the potential for a seamless experience, from locating to time notification to paying, all in one place.
- Distress associated with finding and paying for parking is reduced.
- Parking management solution will expand and enhance the experience for a user by giving them a unified procedure.
- Driver’s payment, spot identification, space search and time notification all become convenient with a smart parking solution.
6. Reduced Congestion
- Reducing circling time to find a parking spot is reducing a frustrating experience for all and a great benefit from smart parking solutions.
- Traffic congestion can also negatively impact the experience visitors and residents have when visiting business or facilities available within the area.
- Smart parking solutions can also address congestion causing increased commuting and travel times.
7. Equitable Access to facilities
- With the increased adoption of EV vehicles, parking spaces with charging abilities are in higher demand than ever. A smart parking system allows demand for these spots to be quantified historically and in real time, ensuring adequate measures are being taken for the required availability.
- Highlighting the availability or unavailability of accessible parking spots ensures these spaces are required when needed.
- Using a smart parking solution for the management and enforcement of parking limits in delivery and loading zones ensures these assets are fairly utilized.
8. Economic Development
- Parking availability for visitors of retailers and merchants will ensure local business are able to provide their customers with required facilities.
- This positive experience is likely to generate higher foot traffic and sales for businesses who have invested in establishing a location in your community.
9. Dynamic Pricing
- New revenue opportunities: smart parking offers the potential for variable rate options based on demand or location, as well as loyalty program participation.
10. Marketing and Branding Opportunities
- Parking Guidance Signage and Apps allow for integration of marketing activities and branding or awareness campaigns
- Messaging on road closures and upcoming events can easily be communicated to the user group.
- Adopting smart technology to brand the community as innovative, high tech, and caring of eXactpark.com
Smart Parking Deployment Example:
Who: The Smart Parking project was a collaborative effort between eleven-x and the Town of Oakville Information Technology Services and Parking Management teams.
What: eleven-x has deployed a stall sensor-based solution for 1,200 parking stalls throughout the paid parking area in the Town’s downtown core.
The sensors included with the eleven-x solution, provide real-time and historical utilization data on each stall within their parking inventory. This data and information are then compared to the actual payments received for the same period to understand initial parking compliance trends.
The project resulted in increased parking revenues through increasing paid parking compliance along with tangible results and the data to support the effectiveness of strategic efforts.
When: From a contract award in September 2021, the 1200 sensor smart parking solution provided by eleven-x was fully deployed in December 2021.
Where: Oakville, Ontario. Located along the shores of Lake Ontario, the town of Oakville is home to over 200,000 residents and visitors who visit the town’s unique downtown retail and dining district.
Why: The occupancy data provided by the eleven-x solution is compared against payment data from all existing revenue streams. These revenue streams include permits and staff deductions, a mobile payment app from HONK and from Flowbird parking meters installed throughout the area.
This comparison is used to determine:
- Actual utilization of the parking assets
- Payment and Compliance by visitors and staff to various bylaws and regulations
- Where there are excess parking supplies which are underutilized and can be made available to market and advertise
- Where additional enforcement is required to ensure payment and bylaw compliance
Using the eleven-x solution, the town was able to tailor a data-driven approach for their enforcement and marketing strategy which included the approach for scheduling and directing enforcement staff along with targeted digital signage and messaging for visitors. The utilization data is also being provided to the Town’s parking consultants on record for an ongoing commercial parking utilization study and planning efforts.
To learn more about what the solution entails, check out my colleague John Cherewko’s blog.
About the author:
My name is Kuljit Saggu, I have been a professional in the parking industry for over (10) years, helping municipalities and other organizations implement parking access and revenue control systems in their communities.
I have firsthand seen the shift from capital equipment-based parking controls to the usage of apps and software-based solutions. This includes entirely cloud-based solutions that not only limit dependence on on-site infrastructure but can also help avoid costly maintenance required with physical payment meters or barrier gates.
I am now working with several municipalities on the next stage of this technology shift, which is the ability to integrate data from multiple systems and use this data to drive strategy for a measurable return on investment.
