Smart solutions make parking less of a beach
The City of Santa Monica has developed a Real-Time Beach Parking programme as one of several tactics the city is using to improve access to a popular amenity while smoothing traffic flow and easing congestion.
Real-Time Beach Parking is designed to be a first step in a parking system that will be built on and expanded over time, both through more dynamic message signs, and more “smart logic” responsiveness built into the system.
At the beginning of summer 2015, visitors and residents to Santa Monica looking for parking in any of the six municipal beach parking lots will see signs displaying how many parking spaces are left. Soon, a series of larger signs in the vicinity will direct visitors to the next lot available. As the programme expands, it will cover a larger area to include more city-owned parking lots. The network of interconnected lots will redistribute traffic and increase the efficiency of parking resources.
The signs are not in front of residential homes and their embedded sensors allow the signs to adjust how much light to emit to minimise the impact of light pollution on the street. Andrew Maximous, Santa Monica’s acting city traffic engineer, says that providing real-time traffic counts and real-time traveller information will be especially useful during special events and other times the city’s parking and traffic capacity is stretched.
Maximous says privately-owned lots may play a role in the overall parking picture but will not be integrated initially. “Those assets are important but we don’t have full cooperation or integration with the privately-owned lots,” he explains. “It’s up to their business plan and whether the revenue makes sense to open their lots when ours are really busy. We also can’t control the rates they charge, their cleanliness, or other aspects of how they run their lots.”
Maximous does say, however, that private lots are integrated into the city’s real-time system through a third-party company called ParkMe. It provides parking availability information for both private and public lots in Santa Monica on a mobile phone app, and on a website linked to the city’s website. Drivers can use the app to reserve spots in private lots in the city, and to pre-pay for parking with their credit cards, on their phones.
Dungeons designs: seamless structure parking ahead?
Lia Reyes, principal of Los Angeles-area based parking consulting firm LVR International, says the future of parking technology should be seamless thanks to updated parking availability notifications, reservations, multi-modal updates, pay-by-phone, pay-by license plate, and pay-by-car.
These options will support a more comprehensive, integrated mobility system. The system includes design breakthroughs for parking facilities, better alignment between messaging and connectivity for traffic flow on streets and highways, and route finding as part of first- and last-mile planning.
To take advantage of innovations, there will need to be new cooperation between property owners, parking operators, and tenants, and between vehicle manufacturers and technology companies. Parking customers will also have to be better informed to keep up with the changes.
“Imagine, you enter a parking structure and you know before you even arrive at the location that there are spaces available without taking a ticket and without stopping,” Reyes says. “Upon leaving the garage, you exit without stopping since the payments are processed through a signal in the vehicle that deducts payment from your assigned bank account. You have avoided circling in traffic, emitted less pollution and saved yourself from the headache of finding and paying for parking.”
According to Reyes, digital features for parking that have been used in Asia, Europe and elsewhere for years, or sometimes decades, are still not common in the US. For example, the loop system that counts vehicles to measure parking space availability has been around for over 30 years.
What’s new in the US is that system integrators have positioned the loop counters far from the LED displays so that the number of available space signs can be seen from the street corner or as far as the nearby highway exit. Many parking operators are able to implement these systems by either using conventional conduits for nearby streets or the Cloud. Cities like Santa Monica are making the most of the outdoor sign placements as part of a better notification and navigation system.
Reyes said: “Parking should be as seamless as possible, making it easier for parking customers to locate spaces and driving less to access them. Many years ago in Asia, the telecommunications industry began exploring the use of the mobile phone for making payments for parking and other vending. It has only been recently that park-by-phone features have made their appearance in the US to find parking, reserve and pay for parking. Telecommunications and the automotive industry are finally in the parking business in the US. “
In the 1990s, Reyes implemented automated parking garage structures in Japan and the Philippines. These robotic systems are fully automated floorless garages built in steel frames. They automatically park and retrieve each vehicle with minimal supervision. However, because they are designed without floors, the building code regulations in California, like in many states throughout the US, prohibit these types of structures.
Reyes predicts that after some time and design changes, the US market will accept floorless automated parking structures. Some modified versions, with floors, are already being designed and installed in California. Even without new types of parking structures, Reyes sees a more efficient parking future in the U.S. with improved integration between parking systems, different modes of information, and different methods of travel.
Noting her extensive experience in “the dungeon”, Reyes’ own pet term for the space inside parking structures, she is able to describe the evolution of automated entrance and exit systems the way only a true expert and enthusiast could.
Although hole punch ticket systems have been mostly replaced by barcodes, magnetic stripe or proximity sensors, the customer still pays at the exit. The more efficient central pay or pay-on-foot parking payment system is a new process that has been gaining popularity for the past 15 years.
Central pay means customers pay for parking before returning to their car, allowing a more efficient exit. However, central pay system can cause confusion for some users. Because customers have to understand where to pay, central pay can be a challenge at locations where parking customers are always changing.
Reyes explains: “Central pay at these locations, as for any changes to parking processes, relies on effective marketing campaigns, messaging, and strategic planning.”
The City of Santa Monica has developed a Real-Time Beach Parking programme as one of several tactics the city is using to improve access to a popular amenity while smoothing traffic flow and easing congestion.
Real-Time Beach Parking is designed to be a first step in a parking system that will be built on and expanded over time, both through more dynamic message signs, and more “smart logic” responsiveness built into the system.
At the beginning of summer 2015, visitors and residents to Santa Monica looking for parking in any of the six municipal beach parking lots will see signs displaying how many parking spaces are left. Soon, a series of larger signs in the vicinity will direct visitors to the next lot available. As the programme expands, it will cover a larger area to include more city-owned parking lots. The network of interconnected lots will redistribute traffic and increase the efficiency of parking resources.
The signs are not in front of residential homes and their embedded sensors allow the signs to adjust how much light to emit to minimise the impact of light pollution on the street. Andrew Maximous, Santa Monica’s acting city traffic engineer, says that providing real-time traffic counts and real-time traveller information will be especially useful during special events and other times the city’s parking and traffic capacity is stretched.
Maximous says privately-owned lots may play a role in the overall parking picture but will not be integrated initially. “Those assets are important but we don’t have full cooperation or integration with the privately-owned lots,” he explains. “It’s up to their business plan and whether the revenue makes sense to open their lots when ours are really busy. We also can’t control the rates they charge, their cleanliness, or other aspects of how they run their lots.”
Maximous does say, however, that private lots are integrated into the city’s real-time system through a third-party company called ParkMe. It provides parking availability information for both private and public lots in Santa Monica on a mobile phone app, and on a website linked to the city’s website. Drivers can use the app to reserve spots in private lots in the city, and to pre-pay for parking with their credit cards, on their phones.
Dungeons designs: seamless structure parking ahead?
Lia Reyes, principal of Los Angeles-area based parking consulting firm LVR International, says the future of parking technology should be seamless thanks to updated parking availability notifications, reservations, multi-modal updates, pay-by-phone, pay-by license plate, and pay-by-car.
These options will support a more comprehensive, integrated mobility system. The system includes design breakthroughs for parking facilities, better alignment between messaging and connectivity for traffic flow on streets and highways, and route finding as part of first- and last-mile planning.
To take advantage of innovations, there will need to be new cooperation between property owners, parking operators, and tenants, and between vehicle manufacturers and technology companies. Parking customers will also have to be better informed to keep up with the changes.
“Imagine, you enter a parking structure and you know before you even arrive at the location that there are spaces available without taking a ticket and without stopping,” Reyes says. “Upon leaving the garage, you exit without stopping since the payments are processed through a signal in the vehicle that deducts payment from your assigned bank account. You have avoided circling in traffic, emitted less pollution and saved yourself from the headache of finding and paying for parking.”
According to Reyes, digital features for parking that have been used in Asia, Europe and elsewhere for years, or sometimes decades, are still not common in the US. For example, the loop system that counts vehicles to measure parking space availability has been around for over 30 years.
What’s new in the US is that system integrators have positioned the loop counters far from the LED displays so that the number of available space signs can be seen from the street corner or as far as the nearby highway exit. Many parking operators are able to implement these systems by either using conventional conduits for nearby streets or the Cloud. Cities like Santa Monica are making the most of the outdoor sign placements as part of a better notification and navigation system.
Reyes said: “Parking should be as seamless as possible, making it easier for parking customers to locate spaces and driving less to access them. Many years ago in Asia, the telecommunications industry began exploring the use of the mobile phone for making payments for parking and other vending. It has only been recently that park-by-phone features have made their appearance in the US to find parking, reserve and pay for parking. Telecommunications and the automotive industry are finally in the parking business in the US. “
In the 1990s, Reyes implemented automated parking garage structures in Japan and the Philippines. These robotic systems are fully automated floorless garages built in steel frames. They automatically park and retrieve each vehicle with minimal supervision. However, because they are designed without floors, the building code regulations in California, like in many states throughout the US, prohibit these types of structures.
Reyes predicts that after some time and design changes, the US market will accept floorless automated parking structures. Some modified versions, with floors, are already being designed and installed in California. Even without new types of parking structures, Reyes sees a more efficient parking future in the U.S. with improved integration between parking systems, different modes of information, and different methods of travel.
Noting her extensive experience in “the dungeon”, Reyes’ own pet term for the space inside parking structures, she is able to describe the evolution of automated entrance and exit systems the way only a true expert and enthusiast could.
Although hole punch ticket systems have been mostly replaced by barcodes, magnetic stripe or proximity sensors, the customer still pays at the exit. The more efficient central pay or pay-on-foot parking payment system is a new process that has been gaining popularity for the past 15 years.
Central pay means customers pay for parking before returning to their car, allowing a more efficient exit. However, central pay system can cause confusion for some users. Because customers have to understand where to pay, central pay can be a challenge at locations where parking customers are always changing.
Reyes explains: “Central pay at these locations, as for any changes to parking processes, relies on effective marketing campaigns, messaging, and strategic planning.”The City of Santa Monica has developed a Real-Time Beach Parking programme as one of several tactics the city is using to improve access to a popular amenity while smoothing traffic flow and easing congestion.
Real-Time Beach Parking is designed to be a first step in a parking system that will be built on and expanded over time, both through more dynamic message signs, and more “smart logic” responsiveness built into the system.
At the beginning of summer 2015, visitors and residents to Santa Monica looking for parking in any of the six municipal beach parking lots will see signs displaying how many parking spaces are left. Soon, a series of larger signs in the vicinity will direct visitors to the next lot available. As the programme expands, it will cover a larger area to include more city-owned parking lots. The network of interconnected lots will redistribute traffic and increase the efficiency of parking resources.
The signs are not in front of residential homes and their embedded sensors allow the signs to adjust how much light to emit to minimise the impact of light pollution on the street. Andrew Maximous, Santa Monica’s acting city traffic engineer, says that providing real-time traffic counts and real-time traveller information will be especially useful during special events and other times the city’s parking and traffic capacity is stretched.
Maximous says privately-owned lots may play a role in the overall parking picture but will not be integrated initially. “Those assets are important but we don’t have full cooperation or integration with the privately-owned lots,” he explains. “It’s up to their business plan and whether the revenue makes sense to open their lots when ours are really busy. We also can’t control the rates they charge, their cleanliness, or other aspects of how they run their lots.”
Maximous does say, however, that private lots are integrated into the city’s real-time system through a third-party company called ParkMe. It provides parking availability information for both private and public lots in Santa Monica on a mobile phone app, and on a website linked to the city’s website. Drivers can use the app to reserve spots in private lots in the city, and to pre-pay for parking with their credit cards, on their phones.
Dungeons designs: seamless structure parking ahead?
Lia Reyes, principal of Los Angeles-area based parking consulting firm LVR International, says the future of parking technology should be seamless thanks to updated parking availability notifications, reservations, multi-modal updates, pay-by-phone, pay-by license plate, and pay-by-car.
These options will support a more comprehensive, integrated mobility system. The system includes design breakthroughs for parking facilities, better alignment between messaging and connectivity for traffic flow on streets and highways, and route finding as part of first- and last-mile planning.
To take advantage of innovations, there will need to be new cooperation between property owners, parking operators, and tenants, and between vehicle manufacturers and technology companies. Parking customers will also have to be better informed to keep up with the changes.
“Imagine, you enter a parking structure and you know before you even arrive at the location that there are spaces available without taking a ticket and without stopping,” Reyes says. “Upon leaving the garage, you exit without stopping since the payments are processed through a signal in the vehicle that deducts payment from your assigned bank account. You have avoided circling in traffic, emitted less pollution and saved yourself from the headache of finding and paying for parking.”
According to Reyes, digital features for parking that have been used in Asia, Europe and elsewhere for years, or sometimes decades, are still not common in the US. For example, the loop system that counts vehicles to measure parking space availability has been around for over 30 years.
What’s new in the US is that system integrators have positioned the loop counters far from the LED displays so that the number of available space signs can be seen from the street corner or as far as the nearby highway exit. Many parking operators are able to implement these systems by either using conventional conduits for nearby streets or the Cloud. Cities like Santa Monica are making the most of the outdoor sign placements as part of a better notification and navigation system.
Reyes said: “Parking should be as seamless as possible, making it easier for parking customers to locate spaces and driving less to access them. Many years ago in Asia, the telecommunications industry began exploring the use of the mobile phone for making payments for parking and other vending. It has only been recently that park-by-phone features have made their appearance in the US to find parking, reserve and pay for parking. Telecommunications and the automotive industry are finally in the parking business in the US. “
In the 1990s, Reyes implemented automated parking garage structures in Japan and the Philippines. These robotic systems are fully automated floorless garages built in steel frames. They automatically park and retrieve each vehicle with minimal supervision. However, because they are designed without floors, the building code regulations in California, like in many states throughout the US, prohibit these types of structures.
Reyes predicts that after some time and design changes, the US market will accept floorless automated parking structures. Some modified versions, with floors, are already being designed and installed in California. Even without new types of parking structures, Reyes sees a more efficient parking future in the U.S. with improved integration between parking systems, different modes of information, and different methods of travel.
Noting her extensive experience in “the dungeon”, Reyes’ own pet term for the space inside parking structures, she is able to describe the evolution of automated entrance and exit systems the way only a true expert and enthusiast could.
Although hole punch ticket systems have been mostly replaced by barcodes, magnetic stripe or proximity sensors, the customer still pays at the exit. The more efficient central pay or pay-on-foot parking payment system is a new process that has been gaining popularity for the past 15 years.
Central pay means customers pay for parking before returning to their car, allowing a more efficient exit. However, central pay system can cause confusion for some users. Because customers have to understand where to pay, central pay can be a challenge at locations where parking customers are always changing.
Reyes explains: “Central pay at these locations, as for any changes to parking processes, relies on effective marketing campaigns, messaging, and strategic planning.”
