Smart Cities and the Role Parking Technology Will Play
Posted: Aug, 28, 2020 11:23AM ET • 3 min read
Smart cities of the future will be largely built around data. It will guide cities to analyze traffic flow, suggest more effective times for daily tasks and errands, and even save people money along the way. With parking being one of the largest revenue sources for a city, parking technology will play a large role in the creation of smarter infrastructure to give you the analytics you need to grow operations accordingly.
What is parking’s role in a data-driven smart city?
At its core, a smart city relies on infrastructure like broadband and 5G cellular connectivity to link Internet of Things—or IoT—devices. Smart parking solutions, feature an array of connected devices to monitor and inform users and management of parking availability. These tools include licence plate readers, park assist sensors, and mobile apps that offer real-time information on whether a lot is available, the number of spaces open, and ability to easily scan a lot to efficiently find a free spot.
For smart cities, this connected infrastructure reduces parking time while at the same time offers up big data on occupancy, volume statistics on traffic flow in lots in relation to streets, and dispatch employees to various lots that need maintenance as required. This allows for smarter urban planning while also helping managers find incentives for customers parking during low-peak hours to ease congestion.
Building better smart cities
Being part of a large smart city network of data means city managers and planners can effectively deliver on core pillars of service and effectively allocate resources to areas that need them most. For example, if there are clusters of a city where data’s proven parking is a challenge during a certain time, perhaps future builds consider mixed-use real estate that considers a solution to congestion. Open-source data can be compiled and provided to developers to create tools for consumers so they have the most effective routing and can access affordable parking based on demand and availability.
Smart cities take frictionless parking to the next level by connecting lots to provide an even bigger picture on usage trends. The technology and concept will change the way we build our cities from the ground up, while changing the way we think about getting from point A to B. The days of aimlessly driving around looking for a parking spot in a crowded garage will be a much more targeted experience, while big data will enable infrastructure designers to add where demand is high and refocus resources where usage numbers are low.
Bottom line
Analytics give staff a look at traffic flow and make it easy to incorporate premium pricing or other pricing strategies. Licence plate reader advancements increase accuracy while improving on customer experience and payment ease, while simplifying renewals for contract and monthly customers. This coupled with IoT sensors that help make parking more efficient will centralize parking management operations and automate administrative tasks so precious resources can be directed at maintenance and enforcement while contributing the larger data pools to help make commuting easier.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Winston Sih
Journalist
As a multi-platform broadcast journalist, Winston Sih helps audiences disseminate an all-too-confusing 21st century. From breaking news to entertainment, technology news and what’s trending, he was a daily television host for Breakfast Television, digital correspondent for CityNews, and Coordinating Producer, Digital, for Citytv—helping develop and bolster the network’s digital strategy.
Winston is currently a freelance technology and travel broadcast journalist, consultant, and is the creator and founder of Master Travellr—Canada’s destination for travel news, guides, and budget recommendations.
He specializes in strategic partnerships with leading consumer brands, event hosting, speaking, and digital strategy consulting. Winston has worked as Citytv’s technology correspondent on Cityline, syndicated across Canada and U.S., and contributed to CTV, CBC, CP24, BNN Bloomberg, 680 NEWS, Toronto Star, and The Globe and Mail.
Winston holds a Bachelor of Journalism from Ryerson University. He is a proud Canadian and currently lives in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
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