Irish interest in world-leading parking system

Irish interest in world-leading locally made parking solution

The pioneering decision of Palmerston North to become the first city in the world to install locally developed solar powered parking technology is already attracting international interest.

Four directors from Irish company Advanced Parking Systems (APS) are in Palmerston North this week to meet with Frogparking, the developers of the sensor-based system that will be operating in the central city streets before the end of the year.

The APS directors will also meet with Palmerston North City mayor Jono Naylor and several councillors for a site visit to the initial test installation of 12 sensors operating in Broadway Avenue. Once final testing is completed over the next few weeks there will be a staged roll out across the central city.

Integrated Technology Solutions Limited (ITSL) which builds and services Metro parking meters in Palmerston North and in other centres around the country is involved in the testing phase. ITSL will be servicing and maintaining the integrated solution as part of a joint venture with Frogparking.

Frogparking has an agreement with Palmerston North City Council for the city to become its global reference site. The locally developed and designed system uses solar powered Frogs or sensors located in each parking bay to provide real time reporting on the status of parking.

Through a series of mounted internet gateways and a combination of wireless, cellular and global position systems (GPS) technology, Frogparking will deliver a citywide view of parking to a central management console and to parking wardens.

Frogparking director Shareena Sandbrook says developers have been trying to come up with a smart, environmentally sound solution for parking management for years but until now they’ve mostly involved battery operated sensors which cannot operate in real time.

She says the technology, designed by technology innovator Don Sandbrook, is a world first and Palmerston North is leading the way. Frogparking will supply the city with a complete system including back-end management and integration with the parking meters system at no cost.

The trade-off is the growing world interest in what Frogparking has been able to achieve. The company already has a relationship with Sharp Electronics to manufacture the small solar panels that power the sensors. Senior executives from Sharp Electronics in Japan have visited their offices regularly over the past year.

The interest from Irish company APS, through their relationship with the developers of the Metro meter, is another clear indication demand for integrated solutions to better manage parking, which has become a major problem in all the main cities of the world, says Sandbrook.

In the city to view the leading edge technology will be Advanced Parking Systems (APS) managing director Robin Lindsay, technical director Brian Lindsay, sales and marketing manager Michael Dale and sales and marketing director Sam Haylands. The company is interested in ITSL’s locally made parking meters and how they work with the Frogparking solution.

ENDS

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