Tokyo cyclists get smartphone bike sharing
Whilst bike-sharing schemes are relatively commonplace in Europe, in Tokyo they are still a rarity, despite the fact that the Japanese are bike-crazy. The launch of a new bicycle-sharing service aims to change that, adding another layer of technological innovation to the existing model. The program, called Cosoado Cycles, not only places ‘cycle ports’ in […]
IBM launches city parking analytics system
IBM has announced the launch of a system designed to help ease parking congestion, collect more parking fees, and help motorists find parking spaces more easily in crowded urban areas. According to PCWorld, the system is being offered in conjunction with Streetline leveraging their remote sensor technology, combined with IBM’s analytical software which aggregates the […]
Mobile cashless payments by card and phone
Following our recent blog post about the launch of ‘Google Wallet’ and the emergence of secure payments by mobile phones using ‘Near Field Communications’ (NFC), one of the UK’s largest transport operators announced this week that it will be fitting contactless card readers to its fleet of approximately 5,000 buses across England in 2012. FirstGroup aims […]
Melbourne trials pay-by-phone technology in Carlton
The City of Melbourne will be trialling pay-by-phone technology in the Carlton area, allowing customers to pay using their mobile phones at on-street metered spaces. This is another step in the project announced earlier this year by the City of Melbourne to employ modern technologies to more effectively manage its on-street parking bays and improve […]
Newcastle considers variable car parking pricing
Newcastle City Council is currently considering a number of new on-street paid parking measures, including the possible introduction of a flexible pricing strategy, similar to the SFPark system currently being trialled in San Francisco. The new parking strategy is being driven by increased congestion in the city, and includes an extension of paid parking until […]
Car park challenge game
We thought we would finish this week’s blog with a little bit of fun. Australian road insurance company NRMA has released a ‘car park challenge’ game for budding iPhone finger parkers. Interestingly, if you scrape or crash your car whilst parking, the damage that you do to you car is able to be estimated, pulling […]
TED: Bill Ford discusses a future beyond traffic gridlock
We came across a TED Talk this week by Bill Ford, great-grandson of Henry Ford, who has spent over 30 years working for the Ford Motor Company. He recently delivered a speech at TED which discussed both his concerns about the impact of cars on the environment, as well as what, for him, is a […]
Congestion pricing – is it an option?
The Victorian Government has confirmed that it is not considering a congestion tax for Melbourne’s gridlocked roads, despite a submission by Acil Tasman (an economic consulting firm) proposing charging cars and trucks each time they enter the CBD and inner suburbs, saying the money could be used to improve roads and public transport. According to […]
Google Wallet’s potential effect on parking industry infrastructure
Google launched a product this week called ‘Google Wallet’ which uses ‘Near Field Communication’ (NFC) technology to enable secure credit card payments using a mobile phone. With Google Wallet, customers will be able to add their existing credit cards to the platform. Google Wallet can be locked via multiple levels of security, including a phone […]
The importance of the Car Parking Professional
The International Parking Institute (IPI) debuted a two-minute animated video called Parking Matters at the annual Conference and Expo held in Pittsburgh, USA, last week. The video is aimed at promoting the parking profession by connecting with new audiences unfamiliar with the industry. It’s a great overview of the contribution made by the large number […]
Interesting trends revealed by Parking Industry Survey
Also released at the IPI Conference were the results of the 2011 “Emerging Trends in Parking” survey of its members to examine the evolution of the car parking industry. The survey revealed that while parking professionals are finding increased pressure to boost parking revenue, significant trends centre on demand for sustainable parking solutions and advances […]
Mobile technology: changing the way drivers look for parking spaces
The recent emergence of location-based applications servicing the parking industry is having a significant (and very fast) impact on how drivers seek for available parking spaces and how owners/operators of those spaces monitor usage, provide information on their location to the public and, in some cases, enforce the regulations governing their use. With the largest […]
Google’s newest engine has no driver
Following our previous post, it seems that perhaps Google might have the answer, with the development of technology for cars that can be driven safely without human intervention – allowing the occupants to send text messages and use their mobile phones whilst behind the wheel. The search giant is currently lobbying for legislation that would […]
Does the uniform make the man?
A pensioner in Collingwood, Victoria, has challenged her parking fine after an ‘unidentified passer by’ photographer her car whilst parked in a no standing zone. Her complaint is based not on the fine, but on the fact that the parking officer was not wearing a uniform or driving a marked car. Yarra City Council said […]
New car parking technology for City of Melbourne
On April 20th the City of Melbourne formally approved a $5.48 million project to modernise the way parking is managed across the city which had been unveiled earlier this year. The new technology, which will be rolled out between 1 July and 30 October this year, includes the installation of in-ground sensors in more than […]
Honk For iPhone
The parking app business is booming at the moment, with the release of another great parking application for iPhones, called ‘Honk’. It includes a range of features to help with the management of the parking process – from a timer which can be set when parking, with minute by minute updates of remaining time on […]
San Francisco switches to demand-based parking fees
The implementation of demand-based parking fees (on city streets and public parking garages), which is an integral part of the SFpark project in San Francisco, is starting on April 21. Sensors installed at each parking space will track where parking is available in real time and uploaded to signs and smartphone applications. According to the […]
Parking mobile technology takes off
This week we have come across three new mobile phone applications, all designed to assist with parking in some form or another. Help2Park is an Android smart phone app that allows users to locate nearby parking stations. The user can set the radius within which to search from their current location, and they receive a […]
Parking Sensors may be coming to Melbourne’s Moreland Council
Melbourne’s Moreland Council is considering a proposal to install electronic sensors in nearly 4,000 parking bays. The technology, designed to increase the turnover of cars, sends an alert to parking officers if a car has overstayed its time in a parking spot. However, critics of the scheme claim that turnover of the spaces is already […]
iPhone app targets misuse of handicap parking spaces
A new iPhone app has been developed by a Canadian non-profit company, designed to both help handicapped people find accessible parking spaces – as well as report inappropriate use of the reserved spaces by drivers without a proper permit. Called Parking Mobility, it was developed by Vancouver resident Campbell MacDonald and his Calgary business partner […]
Melbourne City announces new automated parking monitoring system
This week, the Melbourne City Council announced the introduction of an electronic parking detection system throughout Melbourne’s CBD and Southbank. Utilising sensors installed in the ground beneath the parking spaces, and in conjunction with technology able to automatically read license plate numbers, the system monitors the length of time a car spends in a space. […]
Find Your Car system launched in LA
A camera-based ‘Find You Car’ system has been launched In Los Angeles’ Santa Monica Place. Shoppers can simply type in their registration number into a kiosk touch screen, which then displays a photo of their car and its location. According to system developers, consumers are more likely to return to shopping centres if they don’t […]
Westfield launches virtual shopping mall
Over the past few weeks the Australian media has been following closely over the past weeks the push from prominent goods retailers to lobby the government to ban tax-free online shopping in Australia, which has seen a significant public backlash against the retailers. This week, Westfield announced the launch of a new ‘virtual mall’, grouping its […]
Parking Consultants: 2010 in review
2010 was an exciting year for us and, although it seems to have flown by, when we look at what we have achieved it looks like at least we were not idle! Working back, we close the year with a new name “Parking & Traffic Consultants” to reflect our additional service offering. As you may […]
From the blog: Parking news in 2010
Where did 2010 go? As we once again reach the end of another year, we take a few minutes to look back on the main events of the year that was. In 2010 we started recovering from the GFC, with the industry as a whole innovating and searching for new ways to deliver a more […]
Monetising bicycle sharing schemes
Whilst there has been growing attention paid to bicycle sharing schemes around the world, one of the biggest challenges they face is that they rely exclusively on the self-motivation of the users, reassuring themselves as to the health and mental outlook benefits of biking as an alternative to driving. An innovation from a New York […]
VicRoads launch SmarkPark application
We have posted several articles recently about a range of new mobile technologies and location-based applications for parking. For the most part, these have been built as open software, from consumers, for consumers, to aggregate parking information – either by pricing or by availability. Until now, at least in Australia, we were not aware of […]
Cheap parking phone application
Another phone application has recently launched: ‘Cheap Parking’ is designed specifically as an independent car park comparison app for Australia, New Zealand and Singapore. It covers all private operators including Secure Parking, Wilson Parking, Interpark and Grimes, as well as council, shopping centre, hotel and hospital car parks. The app allows you, the user, to factor […]
Port Macquarie parking meters consultation process
As the Port Macquarie on-street parking sensors project gets under way (see last week’s blog post, Port Macquarie sensor installation begins), we have been following the consultation process approach adopted by Port Macquarie Hastings Council. A significant number of opportunities and forums have been made available, both online and offline, for the public and the stakeholders […]
Port Macquarie parking sensor installation begins
This week marks the start of the project by Port Macquarie – Hasting Council to install sensors within CBD parking spaces in Port Macquarie. The technology will be able to record how long a car has been parked, with notifications sent to a ranger when a car exceeds the permitted time limit – but with […]