How frustrating it is to drive around a parking lot or garage, trying to simply find an empty space, only to find that none are available. Especially when you are in a hurry or late for a meeting. Even assigned parking areas at colleges and universities are so overcrowded that students sometimes must arrive on campus and hour or even two-hours early, just to have time to find a parking space before their scheduled class begins. Students are sometimes fined for parking in an unauthorized area. What alternative do they have? How are they going to explain the fines to Mom & Dad?
We have all used ticket machines and card readers to open gates at the entrances and exits to parking lots and garages. We’ve seen the little green & red lights mounted along the ceiling above rows of parking spaces or above each parking space that signal approaching drivers that there is an empty space. In these systems, electronic signage is most often provided on entrance ramps or various rows that illustrate the number of empty spaces in the various areas and direct parkers with arrows. The different systems incorporate various technologies, software platforms and installation requirements that result in the ‘Installed Cost’ of one system to vary widely from another. Many times, the infrastructure required to support a system can cost much more than the system itself. Some systems do not work well on roof parking areas or surface lots because of the technology or installation requirements.
New technology has been developed that allows the control system in a particular parking area to ‘know’ the student’s real-time location, current class schedule and that specific student’s authorized parking area(s) during those class hours. The system also can control who is allowed into each area at that particular time. Should an area be full when the student arrives, he or she might park in an unauthorized area but be given a reduced fine or have the fine forgiven altogether because no parking space was available in the authorized area during the time the student had to be in class. Specifics are recorded in an activity log for reference.
Übertas Parking Design Consultants have the knowledge and experience to integrate hardware with software technology that will provide the customer with the most cost-effective and operationally efficient system possible.
