Smart cities are about more than just technological advancement.
Whenever a council implements new civic infrastructure, it does so to improve the sustainability and livability of its local government area. From the smallest rural towns to the most congested city centres, new systems (like Duncan’s parking technology) are improving everyone’s day-to-day lives.
The Australian Government has put a lot of work into encouraging change. Recent projects funded with Federal money include renewable energy generation, charging stations for electric cars and even using mapping technology to find cooler routes home for pedestrians and cyclists.
At Duncan Solutions, we’re thrilled to be part of the smart city revolution – here’s how our work adds to this sustainability focus from governmental, environmental and enterprise perspectives.
Parking technologies help reducing circling, traffic jams and pollution.1) Back-end management for vehicles of the future
Our Parking Enterprise Management System (PEMS) is a comprehensive back-end managing and reporting system for Australian parking. It can integrate with a massive number of technologies and apps, from in-ground vehicle sensors to a council’s own information databases.
This level of integration is critical for the evolution of smart cities, particularly as vehicles evolve too. While electric and self-driving vehicles are yet to take off locally, their rise will undoubtedly come with in-car tech that can communicate with meters and sensors. By developing a future-proof system with strong integration capabilities, we ensure that councils can effectively engage with the fleet of the future.
2) Moving away from the paper trail
Traditional parking compliance teams deal in significant amounts of paper – a material that continues to be an issue for Australian waste. For example, Clean Up Australia’s annual survey found that paper rubbish increased by 3 per cent in 2017.
By adopting intelligent parking technology, councils can drastically reduce the amount of paper that goes into production. While many compliance teams use state-of-the-art Bluetooth printing devices for tickets, PEMS enables operators to issue digital tickets. We’re on the cutting edge with this, with recent projects seeing motorists avoid paper tickets altogether.
This extends to payment systems. Pay by phone applications mean that motorists can use Apple Pay, Android Pay and other digital wallets to minimise the circulation of cash and create a digital paper trail for all parking transactions.
3) Better corporate governance and insight
Sustainability goes beyond the environment – it includes the way businesses operate too. Smart spending, correct allocation of resources and understanding where employee’s efforts are concentrated (and if they are focused on labour-intensive work) is all part of improving sustainability from an operational perspective.
That all becomes possible with a system like PEMS. Parking information no longer sits in isolation, with tickets issued in a completely different system to your wayfinding or pay-by-plate data. Operators can see where cars park longest, where and when compliance teams issue the most tickets, and adjust workflows accordingly.
It’s sustainability from a big-picture perspective, and it’s made possible through smart parking technology.
4) Reduced inner-city congestion
Cars circling for parks, unsure of where the free spaces are, can be a significant contributor to congestion in metropolitan centres. But with Intelligent parking technology, operators can reduce this issue by a massive degree.
Real-time occupancy data can guide motorists to empty off-street parking spaces via on-street digital signage. This helps create better pedestrian and vehicle flows, which isn’t just good for business – it’s critical for busy public amenities like hospitals.
Faster routes to free parking spaces means less congestion, less stress, less traffic and a more sustainable city.
Improved transport infrastructure could increase business activities.Building sustainable smart cities on strong foundations
Transport infrastructure is the backbone of any metropolitan centre – and as Australia embraces smart cities, parking technology will have an increasingly important role to play. From higher levels of public transport to the adoption of sustainable vehicles, parking systems like PEMS will continue to evolve, adapt to and integrate with incoming trends in Australian transport.
Core to this is flexibility and forward-thinking – two key tenets of the Duncan Solutions way of doing things. From sensors to systems, we’re looking at how our cities are becoming smarter and more sustainable, creating solutions to match.
If you’re ready to look forward with us, get in touch today.
