Smart Parking Innovations to Look Out for in 2022
By: Eddie Westerfield
Parking is a problem in every major city. For example, in New York City alone, about 6 million cars need a parking space on any given day. While some people have the luxury of renting an apartment with dedicated parking, many more do not.
Parking shortages result in long wait times at meters or leave people driving in circles until a spot opens within walking distance of their destination. It’s no wonder that so many drivers give up and park illegally or take public transportation instead.
The good news is there are several emerging solutions designed to help drivers cut down on the time they spend looking for parking spots and help cities keep up with growing parking needs. The emerging smart technologies in development for parking will benefit drivers, cities, and the environment alike.
#1 Driverless parking
As the name suggests, driverless parking technology enables cars to locate available parking spaces and park themselves. Cars with driverless parking capabilities use sensors and cameras to detect their surroundings and park appropriately. This technology is a huge time-saver, as drivers don’t have to worry about finding a parking spot or getting lost in a large parking lot.
The smart parking technology for driverless parking works through laser sensors, scanning the surrounding environment and detecting an available parking space. Then, cameras verify that the car has properly parked itself. This technology is currently in development by companies such as Bosch and Daimler.
Fully-automated smart parking systems will drastically improve the parking experience for everyone. Driverless cars can drop passengers off and go on to park themselves. Smart sensors guide people with no knowledge of the area to available parking spots close to their destination, so they don’t have to drive around aimlessly looking for a parking space or spend extra money on a more expensive one.
Car parking innovations will also help reduce congestion and pollution, as driverless cars can park in tight spaces more easily and efficiently than most human drivers— which means less time circling the lot, waiting for a space, or adjusting your vehicle several times to fit into a tight space.
As smart parking becomes more popular, smart garages will likely start to pop up in major cities. In these cases, drivers will pay for a smart space when they exit their vehicles, and cars will park themselves.
#2 Smart sensors
Smart sensors are a technology that can detect empty spaces and guide drivers to them. This parking technology uses GPS to see the driver’s location, then give them directions to the nearest available parking space in real time by sending notifications and traffic to drivers’ smartphones.
Smart sensors virtually eliminate the arduous process of slowly scanning each row in the lot for an open spot or circling the lot several times while you wait for a space to open up. They also help prevent people from parking illegally in loading zones, handicapped spots, and other restricted areas by notifying drivers when they park in an illegal space.
While driverless parking technology resides inside certain vehicles, these sensors will be installed in parking lots and on parking meters, making them applicable to a broader audience.
But smart sensors can do more than tell you if any open spaces are available in real-time. They can also tell you where open spaces are and send traffic updates to your smartphone to know which route to take.
This smart sensor technology already exists in some cities, such as Santa Monica, CA. The city has installed smart sensors on smart parking meters, which detect when a car has parked and notifies city workers. These smart sensors help ensure people aren’t using the same meter all day and provide the city with data about where most visitors are parking, such as Santa Monica park.
#3 Parking Apps
App-based technology is another emerging trend drivers are using to simplify the parking process. Smart parking apps work with other smart technology, like on-meter sensors, to help drivers find the closest available parking spot without having to drive around aimlessly. These smart mobile apps use smart meter data and smart sensor updates to provide drivers with information about parking spots, opening up many possibilities and saving time and money across the board.
These apps also allow users to pay for parking on their mobile devices, where they can enter license plate and payment information, manage park time, and even apply more payment when their meter nears expiry. Some even use the zones and lot numbers to help drivers find their cars after a long day of work, shopping, etc.
The smart technologies in development for parking have several advantages that will benefit drivers, cities, and the environment. Driverless parking will allow cars to park themselves, a time-saving feature. Smart sensors can detect empty spaces and guide drivers to them, so there is no need to waste time driving around looking for a spot. New apps in development will help drivers find parking spots in real-time.
Driverless parking, smart sensors, and new parking apps all work together to improve the parking experience for drivers. Plus, smart parking technology supports sustainability by reducing the drive time spent searching for a parking space—and the greenhouse gasses and emissions associated with extra time behind the wheel. They will also reduce traffic and pollution in smart cities by directing drivers to available spots more efficiently than smart sensors can currently do.
Smart parking technology is environmentally friendly by reducing the time spent searching for a parking space, thus reducing greenhouse gas emissions and urban traffic. Driverless cars can park in tight spots more efficiently than a human-driven car could ever do, and smart sensors help drivers find the most efficient routes to their destinations.
The future of parking looks bright, as many car parking innovation technologies are in development across the globe.
At GET IT, we leverage the power of emerging smart technology to provide ticketless parking solutions for self-park and valet operations. We help transform the customer parking experience by saving drivers time, money, and hassle.
Our tools help parking managers streamline management operations, increase efficiency, and improve their bottom line, all while contributing to a more environmentally friendly approach to transportation.
Explore our solutions or contact our team today to learn more!
Eddie Westerfield
As Chief Product Officer at GET IT, Eddie is relentless in how to develop technology solutions that deliver the desired results that meet customer needs.
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