Gone are the days when you have to spend a lot of time and money to find parking because the parking systems now have become truly smarter. The number of required parking spaces in major cities fluctuates, causing frustration and concerns about introducing efficient parking systems.
Technology has solved many global problems, and it is time to revolutionize the parking industry. Many technological trends might redefine the future of parking. Such trends include automated parking or smart parking, which uses IoT technology and help the drivers in finding an available parking spot. These technologies are found to be promising for the future of parking. The following article discusses automated parking trends and how they will impact the current aspects of the parking industry.
1.Automated Parking Lots
The use or trend of automation is glorifying a wide range of industries and changing how we perceive parking in big and crowded cities. Automated parking systems or APS is the technologically advanced system that stacks the cars vertically to save space.
In such systems, whenever the vehicle enters the automated parking lot, it is scanned with a laser, and all information is stored in the database before elevating the platforms and moving the vehicle to a vertical parking space. The platform’s working is similar to the mechanism of an automated storage bracket, and it can conveniently hold up to four times the number of vehicles as compared to the traditional parking lots.
This type of parking facility can fit more cars in compact areas and provides better personal property security. With the automated parking systems, there will be less need to construct new parking lots, and the existing lots will become smaller, saving the city’s space.
2.IoT Enabled Smart Parking Systems
Internet of Things or IoT is the technology that has remained instrumental in many ways, and many industries have utilized this technology for automation. IoT has made processes easier and smooth, and the parking industry also has the potential to avail its advantages.
For parking, IoT-enabled sensors are embedded in the ground. IoT basically works on the sensor network, which sends real-time data to the web application or mobile website. Whenever the vehicle is parked, the mobile or web application shows parking spots to be occupied and vacant parking spots when none of the vehicles is parked. ParkSmart is working on the same mechanism as it allows the drivers to know which parking spots are available so they can comfortably reach that spot without worrying about wandering here and there to search for parking.
As per the research, IoT-enabled smart parking systems reduce the parking search time by 43%, reducing carbon emission. Park Smart is a highly effective and easy-to-use parking solution as it provides a hassle-free parking experience to drivers. It is suitable for hospitals, universities, airports, and city parking spaces.
3.Autonomous and Self-Driving Vehicles
Self-driving technology is one of the latest technology trends in transportation. This technology has the ability to run on the streets with minimal human interaction. The self-driving cars in the market also have an in-built functionality that can help drivers automatically park the car regardless of the circumstances. If the trend of self-driving cars continues, then self-parking and self-driving vehicles will become standard.
It has also been observed that self-driving technology effectively utilizes the available space in the parking lots. However, many vehicles do not have this technology, but these vehicles can utilize the sensor-based technology for parking.
In the future, if autonomous vehicles become mainstream, it will allow the municipalities to re-examine the existing parking lot and infrastructure to make parking lot much smaller and build up the required road mass.
How Will These Trends Impact the Parking Industry?
These trends are speeding up at a dramatic pace. Hence, parking lot managers, companies, and planners need to accept the current reality and try to adopt new technology for parking as soon as possible. Here are a few ways in which the trends mentioned above can impact the current parking industry.
1. Pricing
Instead of making new parking lot, managers and parking lot companies can adjust the parking prices and provide new and easy payment solutions. For instance, ParkSmart uses Flowbird and Park Mobile as payment gateways. This can help the drivers in making contactless payments. Managers can also adjust the prices as per the peak and off-peak times to generate revenue. Additionally, parking managers can charge extra for prime locations and lower prices for less competitive parking spaces.
2. Reusable Parking Lots
A reusable parking lot is undoubtedly the most convenient method to resolve parking infrastructure problems. For instance, in off-peak hours, parking lots can be transformed into community zone or sports areas. This is a costly approach but can significantly improve space use.
3. Customer Experience
Provision of data through feedback is one of the best things that the parking trends have given to public agencies and parking managers. With parking technologies, a lot of data can be gathered, which can be made available to vehicle drivers and parking lot owners so that they can work together to develop a better customer experience.
4. Data Analytics
Data analytics and the latest IT infrastructure can ensure real-time tracking and end-to-end visibility, drastically improving the parking industry. However, it is the duty of the major players in the market to explore technological capabilities that are already on the ground. For instance, crowdsourcing, blockchain, IoT applications, mobile payments, and telematics.
5. Location Management
Choosing a parking site location and effective selection is critical in parking. The location helps predict and plan the traffic and customer behavior. Hence, to adopt the new parking trends, parking companies can collaborate with government agencies to cater to parking demand. In this manner, parking costs will reduce. This will also eliminate the risk of underutilized and unneeded facilities.
In a nutshell…
Many parking management technologies are on the rise and have the potential to shape the future of parking, which will be highly beneficial for urban development. It has become imperative for parking management companies and parking lot owners to embrace parking technologies with both hands to retain their competitive edge.
