Did you know that, on average, drivers spend 17 hours a year looking for parking spots in cities? It’s a statistic most people have experienced themselves — driving around in circles trying to find a place to cut their engine. It can feel like there are no open spots in the whole city.

Now, imagine what people could do if they got those 17 hours back: catch up on sleep, hang out with friends, design a new invention? That may be possible. Smart parking is the answer, and the Internet of Things (IoT) can get us there. Let’s dive into what that means.

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What is smart parking?

What technology is needed for smart parking?

• Smart parking maps
• Smart parking meters
• Smart signage
• Smart detectors for vehicles
• Smart parking spaces

What are the benefits of smart parking?

• Advanced parking reservation
• Space optimization
• Streamlined security processes
• Easier parking payments
• Cleaner and more efficient parking lots

Why the world needs smart parking

What is smart parking?

Usually, when someone says ‘smart parking,’ they mean the use of technology to help drivers find vacant spots quickly and efficiently. A smart parking system includes various internet-enabled or “smart” devices deployed across cities to achieve this outcome. Sounds nice, right? So what does this look like in practice?

Consider a parking garage. In a smart parking garage, there would be sensors in all of the spots that could tell the driver if there were any open spaces (and where they are) before they pull in. Smart parking can also be deployed to do the same thing with street parking in busy metropolitan areas. In some cases, it might mean using an app that lets the driver book and pay for a parking spot before they start driving.

While this might sound nice, you may be wondering whether it’s worth the financial cost of setting up the sensors and getting the system in place. But the reality is, it’s not just time that smart parking systems save.

Remember that 17-hour statistic? The other half of that research explains that looking for parking costs Americans more than $20 billion a year. Drivers in the United States spend an average of $345 a year between the lost time and the fuel they waste. Congested roads also lead to more accidents and increased carbon emissions.

The parking problem is more than just a nuisance. It taxes resources and is bad for the environment.

Suggest reading: Digital connectivity on the move: micromobility and IoT

What technology is needed for smart parking?

Knowing smart parking isn’t just a helpful solution, but a necessary one, let’s look at what it would take to put a smart parking system in place.

1. Smart parking maps

Similar to the way Waze and other services use data to determine the fastest routes in real-time, a smart parking map uses real-time data to show drivers where vacant parking spaces are.

Usually, the system would involve a mobile application on which users could find open spaces based on different criteria such as the size of the vehicle or the distance from their destination. IoT sensors such as cameras or motion detectors would be placed in all of the parking spots represented on the map, and as cars pull into and out of spaces, the map would update in real-time.

2. Smart parking meters

Smart parking meters are another innovative way to make parking easier, and many cities are already putting them to use. Instead of needing to keep a box of quarters in the car for the parking meters, smart meters allow users to pay with a credit card or even an app from their phone. The mobile app may even notify a user if their time is about to expire so they can automatically pay for another hour or two if necessary without having to run back to the meter.

The meter may also collect parking data, such as when people are using the space most frequently, for analysis by city planners who can use it to make better decisions down the road. Cities across the United States are already taking advantage of this technology.

3. Smart signage

Smart signage connects to a facility network and enables parking garages or other locations to update digital signage in real-time. This can be a notification that tells drivers if there are any parking spaces available or even directions that direct the flow of traffic through the facility when it’s particularly busy. This makes parking easier for the drivers, but it can also reduce accidents and congestion within tight facilities.

4. Smart detectors for vehicles

The key to many smart parking systems is the meters that can actually detect when a car is in a space or not and then send that information to a cloud-based or central control system. Though in-ground sensors remain popular in smart parking applications, various sensors can achieve this. Many of these sensors use radar technology to determine if a car is in the parking spot or not.

Overhead sensors can also work to enable the smart parking system. These sensors are placed above cars and use an infrared system to detect open spaces.

5. Smart parking spaces

Smart parking spaces combine many of these technologies into a functional smart parking system. Any parking space that is enabled with a sensor or uses a smart meter could be considered a smart parking space; however, these spaces could do more than just let drivers know where vacant spots are.

The real-time data these spaces collect could be used for future planning purposes to alleviate other problems cities face regarding traffic management.

Suggested reading: 7 Ways IoT can improve traffic management

What are the benefits of smart parking?

We’ve already touched on many of the benefits of smart parking — things like saved time, money, and resources — but let’s look at them and a few others in more detail.

1. Advance parking reservation

Imagine showing up for a flight at the airport, and the whole plane is just on a first-come, first-serve basis. You’d be lucky if you got to where you were going at all, and even more so if you got there on time. While parking a car might not be as big of an undertaking as a commercial flight, why aren’t we given the same luxury when it comes to where we leave our cars?

With smart parking, advanced parking reservations are possible. When people leave their house, they know where they’re going and exactly where their car is going. Having a reserved parking spot saves people time, stress, and money.

2. Space optimization

A parking lot or garage may only have so much physical space, so the companies that own them have to make sure they’re getting the most out of it. Smart parking can help with this undertaking in many ways. Utilizing IoT technology allows the parking garage operators to have access to a lot of data, including when people's cars come, how long they stay, maybe even their make and model. City planners or parking lot owners can use this data to optimize the parking garage’s space to ensure the most people possible can park.

3. Streamlined security processes

The use of smart technology in parking garages also means safer and more secure parking spaces. Because IoT devices collect so much data, they’ve even been used in the past as evidence in court cases. And while smart parking technology can be useful retroactively if a crime is committed — the use of smart devices may also help deter crime from happening to begin with.

IoT-enabled parking lots or garages could leverage technology that only allows certain people to come in and can detect when unauthorized vehicles or people enter the space.

4. Easier parking payments

In the past, if people wanted to pay for a meter, they usually needed quarters to feed the machine. It also meant the city or company that owns the meters would have to pay someone to go out and collect all of the money and take it to the bank.

With smart devices, patrons can pay using their credit cards or even their phones, streamlining the payment process on both ends. For customers, this also means they’re assured that they’re only paying for the time they’re using.

5. Cleaner and more efficient parking lots

When owners or operators are empowered with data and, therefore, knowledge about their facility, they can make better decisions about how to run it. With smart technology, parking lots will be cleaner because owners will know when and how often the spaces are used, giving them the ability to know when it makes the most sense to clean the lot.

The facility will also be more efficient because customers will know when there is space available for them to park. From an environmental perspective, when people aren’t driving in circles for hours on end looking for a place to park, fuel will be saved, and cities will become greener.

Why the world needs smart parking

While there are clearly a lot of benefits to implementing smart parking in cities, it mainly comes down to two things. Smart parking technology is good for people and good for the planet. According to a report from UCLA, 30% of traffic congestion comes from cars looking for a place to park. ParkSmart, a certification system that uses smarter parking design and operation to advance sustainable mobility, calculated that this statistic equates to 930 million gallons of gasoline and 18.6 billion pounds of carbon dioxide emissions annually.

Smart parking drastically reduces that number and makes for a cleaner, greener world. And at the end of the day, who doesn’t want just a little of their time back?

Suggested reading: Everything you need to know about IoT smart cities

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