Parking management is an important aspect in the overarching context of transport infrastructure. Even if it is a small piece of the puzzle in the overall transport system: Wherever parking spaces are scarce and cannot meet the demand for parking spaces in purely quantitative terms, parking management plays an important role.
It is about creating a system and developing strategies for an improved parking situation. On the one hand, this is intended to help people find a parking space. On the other hand, institutions and companies should receive practical solutions to manage their parking spaces efficiently. This is now mostly digitally controlled.
Efficient parking management comprises two core elements. First, it means that companies can free up more parking capacity without having to create more parking spaces. The aim is to optimally utilize the existing parking resources. In addition, parking management aims to improve the quality of the "parking" service.
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What Must Parking Management Achieve?
The requirements for parking management systems are not always the same. Depending on whether the parking spaces are in public hands, open-air parking spaces or commercial parking spaces, different strategies and functions must be provided.
The first step is therefore to identify the causes of the parking problems in order to then offer suitable digital solutions. The analysis of the parking situation usually refers to the following areas:
Parking behavior
Utilization
Payment methods
Access control
Current status of data collection
The results of the analysis are compared with the specific expectations of parking management. All requirements for what the parking system should achieve are, of course, different from case to case. However, there are some central core topics that have emerged as typical problems of commercial parking. Accordingly, efficient parking management should cover the following areas:
Parking should be predictable and plannable for users.
Motorists currently lose a lot of time every day searching for parking spaces and are at a clear disadvantage compared to colleagues with shorter journeys or alternative means of transport. The journey should be shortened by parking management.
In order to utilize parking spaces as fully as possible, it should be possible to distribute the parking spaces to several users per day (so-called Shared Parking).
Especially for security reasons, foreign parking or overnight parking is undesirable or inadmissible on commercial parking lots and company-owned parking areas. There must therefore be a form of access control by means of identification. This must be designed to be both effective and in compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
Payment should be digital and as automated as possible in order to simplify and make the processes more transparent for operators and users.
When allocating parking spaces, parking facilities and parking spaces for special needs such as electric parking spaces should be taken into account.
Opportunities for economical carpooling should be created.
Components of Digital Parking Management
A modern complete solution like the parking management system from ParkHere must have three components.
Operators or mobility managers of a company need a dashboard for the admin area. Administrative tasks include, for example, creating new users (such as visitors or suppliers), assigning rights or analyzing needs. Users can also be divided into different booking groups with graduated usage rights and priorities. The dashboard also makes it possible to assign QR codes to occasional users, which are used at the entrance instead of license plate recognition.
Then it needs appropriate hardware at the parking lot itself to regulate access to the parking spaces. In particular by means of license plate validation and physical barrier. The ParkHere terminal, for example, enables GDPR-compliant authentication and also meets increased security requirements such as those that exist in the financial sector.
Finally, a mobile app is required on the user side. Elementary functions are the registration together with license plate storage and the parking space reservation. If the parking spaces are subject to a charge, digital, preferably automated payment services must not be missing. Additional convenience is provided by automatic space allocation and convenient navigation to the parking space.
Advantages of Digital Parking Management Compared to Classic Barrier Systems
The benefits that can be derived from the extensive functions of digital parking management far outweigh the possibilities of a simple, analog parking system.
Employee Satisfaction
Parking management, which relies only on payment barriers, organizes parking exclusively according to the "first come, first served" principle. This scheme does not take into account the actual need in any way and also promotes unfair parking distribution. Anyone who already knows the possibilities of comprehensive digital management and has enjoyed its advantages, the outdated payment barriers must seem almost archaic.
From the perspective of personnel management, the switch to digital parking systems is worthwhile in any case, as fairer, more transparent parking space allocation can lead to significant improvements in the working atmosphere and a significant increase in employee satisfaction.
Increase in Parking Capacities
Pure payment barriers are also not efficient, as they offer no way to absorb fluctuations in demand and distribute parking spaces flexibly. Strategic parking management, on the other hand, aims to make optimal use of parking spaces.
In this way, spaces can be booked as needed via app and parking spaces that have become available at short notice are visible. The daily search for a parking space, which used to be more like a nerve-wracking and often lengthy treasure hunt, is a thing of the past with modern parking management.
Sustainability
If the average travel time is shortened in this way, this also has ecological advantages. First of all, exhaust emissions are reduced. If the range of functions of a parking management system can then be extended by carpooling and electric parking spaces, the advantage of parking management also becomes all the more clear in terms of sustainability.
Data Analysis and Planning
Digital parking management makes (of course GDPR-compliant) data collection possible. While analog management of parking spaces does not go beyond simply counting visitors, digital solutions can, for example, allocate parking utilization to user groups and adjust usage rights according to demand.
Security
Security aspects are completely neglected with payment barriers. A form of access control, as possible by means of license plate recognition and user registration, basically does not take place at all.
Digital parking management, on the other hand, provides control methods and prevents foreign parkers and generally unwanted visitors from even gaining access to the parking area. Thanks to automated processes, there is no increased need for personnel.
Finances
Comprehensive strategic parking management brings not only time-saving aspects but also economic advantages. The higher utilization of parking spaces means additional income, while the fees for users are calculated fairly according to demand and usage. The constant control over one's own parking costs can also have the positive effect that employees increasingly form carpools or resort to alternative means of transport in order to save costs.
Conclusion
Parking management efficiently utilizes existing parking resources, so that it may not even be necessary to provide more parking spaces. In addition, digital solutions bring numerous other advantages for companies in terms of security, economy and sustainability. Since the benefits of analog parking management compared to modern parking management are vanishingly small, payment barriers will probably become obsolete in the near future and will gradually disappear from the parking garages. If the precarious parking situation becomes a permanent problem in the company, the first thought should not be to invest in new parking spaces. Rather, it is time to switch to modern parking management like ParkHere or expand existing systems with digital modules.
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