Smart parking has become a popular trend among motorists who want to help do their part to use the fewest resources possible, while still driving their cars. The idea is that by combining technology and innovation that it will be possible to park more people more quickly, thus minimizing the amount of resources we all spend trying to find the right place to leave our vehicles.
While it’s convenient for users, smart parking can have a big impact on the environment, as well. For example…
#1: It Minimizes Time Spent Searching
The sheer amount of time one can spend driving around looking for a parking spot, particularly in an urban area, is problematic in a lot of ways. It contributes to traffic jams (as many as 30 percent of cars in urban areas are estimated to be cruising for parking according to Boston University), can cause frustration behind the wheel, and is responsible for more missed meetings and deadlines than people often think. Smart parking connects a driver with a parking spot, allowing them to head straight for a designated area that’s been reserved for them, rather than hoping to find somewhere to park as part of an ever-widening search pattern.
#2: It Cuts Emissions
Every minute that a driver circles the block looking for a new spot is a minute they’re burning fuel. This pumps more emissions into the atmosphere, and the problem just gets bigger the more drivers there are. As Ed Tech points out, using a simple app to go straight to an open parking spot means you cut your drive time to the absolute minimum. And the more people going right to their designated parking spaces, the fewer overall emissions are being created by people circling round and round, trying to find a spot to leave their vehicle.
#3: It Reduces Paper Use
When people have trouble finding parking spots, this often results in people parking illegally. Whether it’s using spots they’re not supposed to, or staying longer than they should, this leads to more tickets being issued more often. That is a lot of paper use that could be eliminated through smart parking solutions. With technology finding someone a proper place to park, and making sure they get a warning in case they need to leave before there’s an issue, it could save a lot of people a lot of fines. And, since the system is already in place, it would also allow for the fines that do occur to be assessed digitally rather than with hand-written citations.
#4: Space Optimization
It isn’t that we don’t have enough parking; rather it’s that people often don’t know where it is, and how to utilize it. Smart parking handles those issues for us, making parking as efficient as possible based on people’s needs. It takes the guesswork out of the equation, and makes sure that all drivers have access to the same platform, and to the same ability to find and use spaces. This ensures that existing parking is used to its best, possible extent, reducing the need for additional vehicle storage, and even helping to reduce urban sprawl, which can be driven by the interaction between parking costs and land affordability according to ISOCARP.
#5: It Provides Data We Need To Improve
As Access Magazine points out, there is surprisingly little information about parking infrastructure and how it’s used. This often leads to confusing construction, and incorrect assumptions about what the needs of an area actually are. Smart parking allows engineers to track people’s driving habits and parking use, providing real data that can be used to make even more efficient systems, reducing the environmental strain of transportation costs even further.
For more information on how smart parking can help all drivers be a little greener, simply contact us today!
Originally published at www.parqex.com on March 22, 2019.
