Comment on ”The Future of Parking”

At Dimonoff we believe strongly in our responsibility to solve societal problems by developing responsible technological solutions. We work to cocreate cities that are sustainable, safe and enjoyable for every citizen. We also believe that intelligent parking management can contribute positively to sustainable mobility strategies for cities around the world. 

Mobility is a growing issue due to population growth in urban environments. Cities must therefore reorganize rapidly and develop or adapt their infrastructures and services in order to maintain and improve the quality of life of their citizens. 

Most vehicles traveling in the city will use at least two parking spots per day. In addition, a motorist loses up to 20 additional minutes while searching for parking which necessarily causes local braking events that weigh down the overall traffic. Parking is as much a productivity problem as an environmental issue. Parking owners and managers will have to adapt to the pressure of road users to maintain the level of satisfaction of the population.  

We also know that parking is an important cause of bad customer experience. It is also known that the stress of a user decreases if he knows in advance where to park or if he knows he will receive the information on the way. This is why transit systems now offer the next arrival time. 

This lack of information creates unnecessary waste of time. Take the case of hotels in urban areas. Stressed tourists who are tired and unfamiliar with the area go to the front desk of hotels to ask for nearby parking spots. Accurate information on the availability of parking space is unknown to reception staff and a staff member must travel to accompany clients. With the right information, this situation could easily be avoided and hotels could provide better service to their customers.  

Cities have already taken the technological turn and are posting information on the number of parking lots available on dynamic outdoor panels near some of the busiest parking lots. Not all technologies are the same and most are very expensive. It is known that loop technology or unique sensors installed under asphalt are not always effective. For example, many homeowners have told us that the information regularly leads customers to make a mistake, which can frustrate the client or deprive the owner of income. Unique sensors embedded in asphalt are costly for cities. In Nordic countries, snowplows occasionally break down asphalt and repairs are once again very expensive. Elsewhere in the world, it is impossible to change a faulty or failed detector. 

New detection technologies using Sonar and Lidar sensors have major benefits. These sensors are installed on existing parking signs and are equipped with batteries and a solar panel for increased durability. Parking owners and managers can provide high value real-time data to car users through mobile applications already in use by the population. As a result, motorists will reduce their search time, which will reduce urban traffic and improve the customer experience.

The manager, meanwhile, will be able to build a relevant database in order to develop his organisation’s business intelligence. It would be possible, among other things, to adjust the parking rate according to the use of available space in real time, to improve the customer’s experience by allowing automatic booking or through the dynamic display of available spaces, to plan maintenance periods, better management of staff, easier writing of reports for environmental certifications and simplifying the different parking management practices. In short, the manager will be able to improve his processes and make informed decisions based on precise data.