Spaces for improvement
In our connected world the most efficient way to find
a parking space isn’t by keeping an eye on the kerbside
– instead your search begins on a smart device. Jason Barnes
looks at ways in which we can solve many of a modern city’s
mobility issues by making parking smar ter
Smart Parking |
A smart city brings about
increased efficiencies,
better working and cost
savings through greater
knowledge. That knowledge is gained
through universal connectivity and
near-constant electronic dialogue
with sensors and smart devices.
This is the Internet of Things (IoT),
which recognises that more and more
of the objects in our lives will feature
some level of innate intelligence. They
can communicate what’s happening
–“I’m an in-ground sensor, the area
above me is full and this parking
space is therefore occupied” – and also
their intentions – “I’m a consignment
of perishable goods and I need to
move from location A to B in
the next few hours”.
Both of those examples
illustrate important sub-sets
of the IoT: the Internet of
Mobility and the Internet of
Logistics. That should be no
surprise, as much of the increased
efficiencies, better working and cost
savings mentioned above is about
seamless movement of people or
goods. But, they illustrate how if
The traditional parking business
model which saw queues as
positive and representative of
more business. It’s now recognised that
queues are bad news.
Andy Souders, CEO, All Traffic Solutions (ATS)
we’re looking to make a town, city or
any other settlement smart, mobility
is a very good place to start.
In fact, says Andy Souders – CEO
of All Traffic Solutions, which
develops cloud-based solutions for
the parking and traffic safety sectors
– a lot of improving mobility can be
achieved by sorting out immobility.
He means parking.
Sophisticated apps
can take care of all
aspects of journey
planning, including
parking
“If we can make parking smarter,
we’ll remove many of the issues
which prevent mobility from getting
better. There’s good reason for basing
a smart city on smarter parking,” he
says. “We’ve got past the historical
mismatch between traffic
management and the traditional
parking business model which saw
queues as positive and representative
of more business. It’s now recognised
that queues are bad news.
“The online existence has spilled
over into the physical world and
people’s expectations have shifted.
They’ve become more demanding.
Retail and leisure venues emphasise
personal experience but the overall
trends in parking impact all
providers and users to some degree.”
Those trends mirror developments
elsewhere in mobility/Mobility as
a Service, with the increasing use
of smart devices together with
sophisticated apps that take care of all
042 Traffic Technology International March/April 2020
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