Parking technology The future is flexible Danny Hassett, managing director at Flowbird Smart City UK, looks at how technology can create more flexible car parks to adapt to changing parking patterns fter a decrease during the pandemic, car park occupancy is rising faster than expected. Whereas some workers have reduced their working days, others have decided they prefer driving to travelling on trains full of unmasked commuters. Overall occupancy may even end up similar to prepandemic levels, but it will follow different patterns. A Changes to the way we park With flexible working, some drivers will reject season tickets in favour of parking two or three days per week. Train companies have issued flexible season tickets for a number of days each month, and car parks could do the same. But there are other shifts under way. More people need electric vehicle (EV) charging points when they park, and there is more multimodal transport (where people drive to a car park and then take a bus, bike or scooter to their destination). Lots of people still want the traditional model of paying for a fixed period of parking, but there is a growing expectation for car parks to have different options for different needs, which must be achieved in a cost-effective and accessible way. Flexibility and inclusivity are the watchwords. How we can respond something like the London transport network, where users pay with a phone, card or Oyster card, and journeys are combined, capped and charged at the end of the day. We could see the same for parking. A vehicle that parks in several car parks throughout a month, on ad hoc days, could be charged a monthly fee according to use, with a cap and a discount as usage increases. This requires account-based payment using a personal identifier: a registered app, card or number plate. The operator applies all the tariffs and charges that persons account. If they also want to charge their EV, they plug it in and pay for combined parking and charging. The same goes for multimodal parking. If the driver parks and then jumps on a bike, they could scan their card or app in the car park at the bike access point and the system would work out the cost or theyd pay for both at the terminal and get a QR code to unlock the bike. The key is integration. All the endpoints apps, terminals, automatic number plate recognition, bike hire, buses, enforcement need to be connected to the same system as the tracking and payments software, so that it can anonymously track users and charge accordingly. New technology is not just about end-user convenience. It is about taking a coordinated and data-driven approach that enables parking operators to monitor their estate and offer varied payment options to meet a growing and diverse range of needs, and so maximise their revenue in an increasingly complex environment. If the driver parks and then jumps on a bike, they could scan their card or app in the car park at the bike access point and the system would work out the cost The obvious solution is new tariffs: a monthly pass for flexible working and/ or a combined park and bike or park and charge tariff. If these are clear and transparent, they can be paid for via an app or terminal. Its worth noting that, while apps are growing in popularity, terminals remain a popular way to pay especially for older and lower-income demographics despite what affluent digital natives may tell you. In fact, thanks to contactless technology and Apple/Google Pay, transaction numbers are actually increasing. But as services become more diverse, terminals are becoming more sophisticated. Newer options have touch screens that let users easily navigate to and pay for the option for them. Many are open-source so third-party services such as bike hire can be integrated. New challenges The complex bit is making these varied options work, regardless of payment preference. In an ideal world this would mean 30 britishparking.co.uk PN Apr 2022 pp30-31 Flowbird.indd 30 24/03/2022 11:05