Today’s sustainable urban mobility policies must take into account all aspects of driving. A very important one is parking management. That is why it is necessary to give some notes on how to reduce traffic congestion in cities with smart parking.
What is smart parking? It is the use of advanced technologies to offer drivers a simple and satisfactory driving experience to find parking in a short time. So as to reduce the traffic agitation through technology and achieve the traffic fluidity so necessary in modern cities, where there are mobility problems, caused in part by fraudulent uses of regulated parking spaces or a lack of parking infrastructure to meet the demand of vehicles.
And for this, smart parking, with technologies based on Artificial Intelligence, the Internet of Things (IoT) or real-time information management, shapes solutions aimed at improving parking and mobility, among which the following fundamental tools stand out:
- Occupancy data collection
- Guidance Apps
- Variable signage panels
3 TOOLS TO REDUCE TRAFFIC CONGESTION WITH SMART PARKING
At Urbiotica we are experts in the development of technologies with the clear objective of facilitating circulation and improving mobility in cities. Through the technologies and solutions mentioned above, we make available to all the agents of the sector the most advanced technologies to achieve a sustainable, orderly and fluid mobility.
As part of this objective and comprehensive technological work, we are able to explain the following three tools to reduce traffic congestion in cities with smart parking. As we will see, this is a global strategy or solution, and to carry it out, it is best to do it in a comprehensive manner.
1.- Collection of data on the occupancy of parking spaces
In order to decongest traffic in cities with smart parking, we will need to detect the entry and exit of vehicles in each parking space using U-Spot parking sensors installed in each parking space, or using U-Spot VISIO that performs the detection through installed cameras and a space-by-place detection software that works with Artificial Intelligence. The objective is to record in real time the number of free spaces in a parking lot through two actions: certifying the presence of a parked vehicle or counting the number of vehicles entering and leaving the lot if it is a delimited parking lot.
These devices communicate information in real time via the Internet of Things and different systems, such as NB-IoT mobile networks(U-Spot M2M sensors) or LoRaWAN(U-Spot 3.0 sensors).
As we are talking about several methodologies or types of devices that form a whole, a set of digital solutions, the detection sensors must be accompanied by guidance systems to the areas where there is free parking.
On the other hand, by working with smart parking platforms such as Urbiotica’s, it is also possible to integrate data from off-street parking lots and other third-party systems to provide a 360º global solution of the occupancy of all available monitored parking lots, thus offering a better user experience. This means that centralized real-time information on parking availability at different locations can be accessed, facilitating decision making and route planning.
2.- Guidance APPS for drivers
Apps to guide drivers to areas with available parking spaces are another leg of the table of digital solutions to decongest traffic in cities, avoid traffic jams and traffic chaos. Especially in tourist areas with a large influx of tourists and the center of large cities, which are the areas that are usually more problematic.
These mobile apps allow, once the users are registered, to consult the parking occupancy in real time to know where to go to park. This information is transmitted in the apps, thanks to the data capture performed by the detection described in the first point.
GPS geolocation systems show the location of free spaces exactly and show drivers the way. This reduces the time spent by vehicles looking for a parking space, a considerable challenge for public administrations because it is estimated that 30% of traffic in cities is vehicles looking for parking.
3.- Up-to-date information with variable signage panels.
For those drivers who do not have mobile apps installed on their smartphones to guide them to parking spaces, there are also road solutions that are just as easy to use. Variable signage panels located in different areas of the cities show the number of free parking spaces in real time.
The parking lot managers thus provide up-to-date information at all times on the areas where drivers can park their vehicles, thanks to the data captured during detection.
In line with guidance apps, variable signage panels considerably reduce the time drivers spend looking for a parking space. The environmental benefits are notable, reducing driving time, noise pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. And city dwellers gain in quality of life in every way.
On a personal level, it also reduces the stress that drivers feel when they can’t find a parking space for a long time. The greater peace of mind when driving is also a way to reduce traffic accident rates because you are driving safer and focused only on the road, not on looking where there is a parking space.
Control of regulated parking spaces
To reduce congestion in cities with smart parking, it is also necessary to control the use of regulated and reserved parking spaces. This control ensures that only authorized drivers park in these spaces and for the time allowed to do so, and therefore favors the rotation of vehicles in these spaces, increasing the availability of parking spaces. We will explain three clear examples in the three areas mentioned above:
- First, smart payments can be implemented in regulated parking services to enable faster and more efficient transactions, as well as identification of drivers authorized or not to park. If a vehicle parks and does not pay or exceeds the time allowed to do so, warnings are triggered so that surveillance services can proceed to manage the corresponding fine.
- Second, in spaces reserved for people with reduced mobility, a warning or alert is also launched through the app when the intelligent parking systems detect fraudulent parking.
- Third, in the loading and unloading bays, only carriers andThirdly, only carriers and delivery drivers are allowed to park. Thanks to an app, they can be identified as authorized and also receive alerts about the remaining time. Through real-time alerts, the parking attendants perform a much more efficient control and greatly reduce indiscipline in these places.
Loading and Unloading
These three examples show how efficient control of these parking spaces reduces indiscipline as the user makes good use of the spaces by feeling controlled and this increases the availability of parking.
In short, at present and in order to promote smart and sustainable mobility in the future, we have several digital solutions to reduce traffic congestion in cities with smart parking, such as those developed by Urbiotica. Its environmental, economic and touristic advantages are many, so the economic investment is easily amortized and serves to achieve a healthier life and an orderly mobility in urban centers.
