Parking space management for efficient use of parking spaces

Parking management: solutions to the challenges of running parking areas efficiently

Parking management – what does it actually mean?

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Parking management refers to the deliberate organisation and control of the supply of and demand for parking spaces in the public highway. It forms part of parking administration and covers paid parking on public roads and parking areas in particular. It is generally used where vehicles regularly look for more parking spaces than are actually available. That can lead to more circling traffic, greater noise and environmental pollution and to parking violations.  Parking management works through the individual administration of spaces or of controlled parking zones, in which parking is regulated by requirements such as parking charges or time limits in order to make more efficient use of the space available.

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Objectives and fields of application

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Besides commercial sites, which are mostly run by private companies, parking management is also used on municipal parking areas. The focus is on making efficient use of limited parking space, reducing the burden on traffic and improving quality of life at the same time. Where parking areas are managed successfully, they can generate additional income. 

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Commercial parking areas

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With airports and railway stations, parking garages, leisure facilities such as swimming pools and also shopping centres, commercial parking areas cover the widest range. Efficient occupancy of these sites comes from refined operation and administration, and operators are the ones who benefit. Not only can revenues be increased, costs can also be reduced through the best possible management. Optimal occupancy not only raises the productivity of a site, better management can also reduce circling traffic and queues and deter drivers from leaving their vehicles in prohibited areas. Where the parking process as a whole runs smoothly, users have a positive experience and their satisfaction increases.

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Municipal parking management

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Municipal parking areas are provided and administered by local authorities. They are usually located in urban areas where demand for parking is high, for example at public squares, near local recreation areas or in residential neighbourhoods. The purpose of managing municipal parking areas is to provide residents and visitors with safe, regulated parking, to guide traffic, to reduce parking problems and circling traffic, and to promote public transport and make it more attractive. 

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Parking management systems 

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To ensure orderly use of parking space, various types of parking management system are used on private and municipal sites, intended to make it easier for operators to run their areas. The different systems – based for instance on barrier installations, parking meters or parking sensors – carry challenges and risks that stand in the way of efficient and profitable operation.  

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Management using barrier systems

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Barrier installations are the main component of a widely used system for running parking areas. They require vehicles to stop on entry and exit. That often leads to congestion and waiting times, especially at peak periods, which is not only frustrating for drivers looking for a space but also impairs the flow of traffic and so contributes to higher CO2 emissions. For operators, management systems based on barriers mean high outlay, not only on purchase but also on servicing. If the installation fails, operators face further costs for repairs. They may also lose revenue during the outage, when vehicles can enter and leave the site unchecked. 

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Parking tickets or meters and staff patrols

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Buying a parking ticket or using a parking meter is another way of managing parking areas. Drivers can freely choose how long they want to park, but if they exceed the paid period without paying a further fee, the operator suffers a financial loss. In addition, spaces that other users need and that would generate further income remain blocked. Operators incur costs for the staff patrols required to check the sites regularly. Even so, this does not guarantee that unauthorised parkers are identified and subsequently pursued. 

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Parking sensors

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Parking sensors provide real-time information on the availability of individual spaces. Parking management systems based on sensors generally involve a very high investment. Implementing parking sensors usually requires considerable initial outlay for purchasing and installing the sensors as well as for the infrastructure that has to be created on site. To work correctly and transmit accurate data, parking sensors have to be calibrated regularly, which adds further financial burden. 

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Digital parking management

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Digital parking management replaces conventional, hardware-intensive systems such as barrier installations or parking meters and offers operators of commercial and municipal sites many advantages. Through automatic licence plate recognition using cameras, ANPR technology captures licence plates in a GDPR-compliant way as vehicles enter and leave the site. This saves operators high purchase, servicing and repair costs, not least compared with conventional barrier systems. Doing away with barriers also eliminates queues and reduces circling traffic, which lowers CO2 emissions and improves quality of life at the same time.

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Precise, real-time recording of parking transactions makes it possible to optimise the availability of spaces and thereby improve how parking space is used. That reduces negative factors such as circling traffic and queues, which the absence of barriers reduces further still. Digital parking management makes sites more efficient and increases their profitability, since operators not only cut purchase costs considerably but also minimise maintenance and downtime costs. Digital parking management can also automate the pursuit of unauthorised parkers and represent an additional source of income without the need for extra staff.  Operators under strong pressure to optimise costs in particular can assign employees to more value-adding tasks instead of chasing unauthorised parkers.

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Examples of successful parking operations

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The operator of the commercial car park at the Munich shopping centre das Einstein,  with its various user groups, faced numerous challenges. In 2021 the barrier installations in the parking garage and the underground car park, which frequently caused congestion and long waiting times, were replaced by the barrier-free system solution from Peter Park. Introducing the digital parking management system eliminated the high servicing and maintenance costs of the barrier installation. For the various customer groups of das Einstein the experience has been more pleasant ever since, as long waits at the machines and queues in front of the barriers have disappeared. The pricing structure tailored to the different user groups is an attractive plus for operators and drivers alike. Visitors to the gym within the shopping centre, for example, simply receive a digital discount on their parking time via an individual activation screen on a tablet installed there.

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