20 July 2004

New technology set to transform parking management

Auckland City has set national standards in parking management this week with the introduction of new technology for parking officers and a new-look parking ticket which is bigger and easier to read.

In a first for New Zealand, parking officers hit the street with watertight hand-held computers - weighing a mere 300 grams and able to withstand a four-foot drop onto concrete. Officers also have wireless printers attached to their belts, working in conjunction with faster, more stable software.

Bob Stanton, Auckland City’s parking operations manager, says the new technology is more intelligent than anything New Zealand has seen previously.

“Parking technology has moved forward significantly since we last went out to tender five years ago,” he says.

“We can now automatically download information to our network at the end of each day, so people will usually be able to pay their tickets within 24 hours of issue.”

The new hand-held computers, known as Symbol 8800, were chosen for their reliability and increased ease of use, and are one third of the weight of previous parking equipment. Separating hardware and software allows for a more robust service and provides a strong wireless communication platform for the future.

The new-look ticket complements the advanced printers which can handle larger, better quality tickets and outline all payment options available, including a new online service through Auckland City’s website.

“The larger ticket is an added bonus. The legalities haven’t changed, but we’ve certainly acknowledged feedback that the previous ticket was hard for some people to read,” says Mr Stanton.

With over 73,000 cars entering Auckland’s CBD each weekday, parking officers play an integral role in managing parking turnover in the city.

“We’d really just like drivers to be considerate and park legally so that everyone gets a chance to park and the impacts on traffic flows are minimised, ” he says.

ENDS

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