Smart Parking Solutions

Smart parking solutions in large cities are transforming parking from one of most entrenched urban problems to a source of economic vitality.

Parking problems are the cause of many municipal woes. For drivers, a lack of parking spaces makes for longer and more frustrating commutes and less productive work days. As drivers circle endlessly looking for spots, they contribute to greater traffic congestion and pollution while making it harder for emergency response vehicles to reach their destination. Parking problems can be a black mark on a city’s reputation, and they make it harder for citizens and tourists to frequent local establishments.

Smart parking solutions address these concerns by using Internet of Things (IoT) sensors and cameras to identify open parking spots and communicate with drivers via mobile apps, digital signage and vehicle infotainment systems. Smart city parking solutions may also communicate with city officials to increase the revenue from parking enforcement. And the technology used in an IoT parking system can be combined with data from other smart technologies such as smart street lighting, air quality sensors and traffic sensors to make additional improvements that affect quality of life within an urban area.

Advantages of smart parking solutions

In addition to the obvious benefit of helping drivers find parking more easily, smart parking solutions offer a variety of secondary benefits:

• Increased revenue for cities. Smart parking solutions can increase revenue from parking by enabling faster turnover of parking spaces, more efficient enforcement of parking regulations, and dynamic pricing that adjusts the cost of parking based on demand, location and time of day.
• Fewer vehicle emissions. By getting drivers to parking spots faster, smart parking solutions help to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases and pollutants emitted by vehicles.
• Reduced congestion and commute times. In addition to minimizing or eliminating the time spent looking for parking, smart parking solutions get cars off the street faster to relieve congestion and enable drivers to make their way through the city more efficiently.
• Greater economic vitality. Cities with smart parking meters, smart garages and airport smart parking inevitably develop a reputation as a more forward-thinking destination, helping cities attract more tourist dollars and helping companies attract employees. Additionally, local businesses benefit when drivers spend less time looking for parking and more time shopping and dining.

Delivering connectivity for smart parking solutions

In addition to smart parking IoT sensors and cameras, smart parking systems require a network infrastructure and diverse connectivity that can transmit data from thousands or millions of sensors to data management and analytics platforms in real-time or near real-time.

To enable cities to implement smart parking solutions more easily, Spectrum Enterprise provides a foundation of fiber connectivity and network infrastructure that spans more than 840,000 miles nationwide. With a two-way, fully interactive digital network, Spectrum Enterprise offers connection speeds up to 100 Gbps for local governments and large enterprises, along with gigabit connections for homes and businesses. Additionally, Spectrum provides thousands of WiFi hotspots and one of the nation’s largest LTE cellular networks, delivering the diversity of connections cities require for successful smart parking solutions.

Learn more about Spectrum Smart Cities at www.spectrumsmartcities.com.