Regulated parking management is evolving towards automated control models capable of reducing the operational burden, optimizing resources and improving the supervision of complex environments. PRM spaces, loading and unloading zones, time-limited areas or pay-per-ticket systems are some of the scenarios where this transformation is most urgent and where the margin for improvement compared to traditional models is greater.
According to the World Road Association (PIARC), the search for parking generates up to 30% of traffic in dense urban areas, making efficient management of regulated parking a strategic priority for any city that wants to improve mobility and reduce emissions.
In this context, Urbiotica expands the capabilities of its smart parking platform by incorporating new functionalities based on license plate reading (LPR) technologies, natively integrated with its space-by-space occupancy detection systems.
Detection, identification and evidence in a single automated workflow
The combination of both technologies allows to fully automate the control cycle: from the identification of a violation to the generation of valid evidence to initiate the sanctioning procedure, without the need for any manual validation in the field.
Thanks to this integration, the platform is able to automatically detect the improper use of a parking space, identify the vehicle involved by its license plate and record all the evidence associated with the infraction. This workflow eliminates the intermediate steps that until now required the physical presence of control agents, reducing operating costs and increasing supervision coverage.
The result is a more traceable, scalable and data-driven regulated parking enforcement process that allows cities and private operators to make decisions based on objective evidence rather than relying on manual interventions subject to error or human resource availability.
Use cases: where LPR control makes a difference
The integration of LPR with occupancy detection is particularly valuable in three zone typologies where manual management presents major operational limitations:
Reduced mobility seats (PRM)
The improper use of parking spaces reserved for people with reduced mobility is one of the problems with the greatest social impact on urban parking management. With LPR integration, the platform detects in real time whether the parked vehicle has a parking card, generates the corresponding alert and automatically records the photographic and license plate evidence necessary for the sanctioning procedure, without the need for an agent to go to the site.
Loading and unloading areas
Loading and unloading areas require a very precise rotation in strict time windows. Manual control of these spaces is costly and inefficient: an agent cannot be present continuously at every point in the city.
LPR automation makes it possible to monitor multiple zones simultaneously, detect vehicles exceeding the time allowed and generate evidence of the infraction with automatic time-stamping, which greatly facilitates the subsequent administrative process.
Time-limited zones and blue zones
In areas with maximum parking time (blue zone, ORA zones), the system combines occupancy detection with license plate reading to accurately calculate the dwell time of each vehicle. If the permitted limit is exceeded or if the vehicle has not made the corresponding payment, the platform automatically generates the alert and the necessary evidence.
This model eliminates the dependence on the traditional visual controls of time disc or parking meter ticket, moving towards a fully digitalized violation management model.
From manual control to automated validation: a scalable model
Beyond incorporating new LPR capabilities, the objective is to enable cities and operators to evolve towards more efficient operating models adapted to their real monitoring needs.
The platform allows the level of automation to be adjusted according to the project and the regulatory context:
- Assisted alerts and validations: the system generates alerts that an operator validates before acting.
- Automated control with evidence generation: the entire process is executed without manual intervention, with full traceability.
- Hybrid models: combination of both approaches depending on the type of infraction or area.
This flexibility is key for environments where local regulation or administrative processes still require a human validation step, but where the trend clearly points towards automated control of regulated parking as the operational standard.
In this way, control operations can evolve from manual supervision-based models to much more automated, traceable and data-driven strategies, without the need to redesign existing processes from scratch.
Urbiotica’s vision: flexibility and readiness for the future
“The management of regulated parking increasingly requires tools capable of automating processes that until now relied entirely on manual validations. With these new capabilities we help cities and operators to evolve towards more efficient, scalable control models adapted to their operational needs”, explains Marc Boher, COO of Urbiotica.
With this evolution, Urbiotica continues to strengthen its commitment to more flexible smart parking platforms, ready to respond to the new challenges of urban mobility and the digitization of parking operations. The integration of LPR with spot-by-spot occupancy detection represents a decisive step towards a complete data ecosystem, where every spot, every vehicle and every incident is automatically, accurately and actionable recorded.
Head of Marketing and Communications at Urbiotica
Leads the marketing and communications function at Urbiotica, driving brand visibility and the international growth of its smart parking and sustainable mobility solutions. Designs and implements strategies that generate qualified demand and support the partner network in more than 50 countries. Focuses on translating the company’s technological innovations into clear, relevant messaging for public administrations, system integrators, and private companies, positioning Urbiotica as a global leader in smart cities.
