Digital parking space monitoring creates transparency in your parking spaces
Parking space monitoring refers to the systematic control and management of parking spaces to ensure that they are used efficiently and that the applicable parking regulations are complied with. The aim of parking space monitoring is to optimize the availability of parking spaces, improve the traffic situation and ensure compliance with parking fees and times.
Parking space monitoring can take place in both public and private parking areas and includes various measures and technologies.
Parking enforcement is also an important aspect of municipal traffic planning, improving traffic flow and making more efficient use of parking space. Overall, effective parking enforcement can improve the quality of life in cities and make traffic more sustainable. Retailers, restaurateurs and health centers that offer parking space to their customers, guests and patients can use seamless enforcement to ensure that parking spaces are actually available for their visitors and are not occupied by long-term parkers.
If parking space monitoring is carried out digitally, it provides parking space owners with additional information, for example on the utilization of the spaces.
What types of parking space monitoring are there?
With digital parking space monitoring, parking areas are monitored automatically, i.e. without mechanical barriers or staff patrols. Solutions such as the Peter Park system measure the parking duration using data protection-compliant, automatic license plate recognition at the entrances and exits of off-street parking areas. The system compares the parking time of each vehicle with the applicable free parking time. If parking is subject to a charge, the system automatically checks whether the parking fee has been paid in the required amount.
Another method is to have people regularly patrol the parking areas to ensure that vehicles are properly parked and that parking fees have been paid and the maximum parking time has been observed. The enforcement staff can also provide support in the event of problems or questions from parkers.
Regardless of which parking enforcement method is used, fines or contractual penalties are due for violations of parking regulations. This includes parking without a valid parking ticket or exceeding the permitted parking time.
Costs and benefits of parking space control
Parking space is expensive and in demand. The more centrally located a free parking space is, the more likely it is that people for whom the parking space is not actually intended will park there permanently. It is in the interests of business owners, for example, to make parking space available to their customers free of charge: Drivers doing the weekly shopping for a large family or buying a new sofa are dependent on parking on site.
However, if there are no parking spaces available for such paying customers because they are occupied by other parkers, the revenue may end up with competitors who offer free parking spaces.
Efficient parking space monitoring can therefore protect against loss of revenue. With the help of parking space monitoring, private parking space operators can ensure that their parking spaces are available for those for whom they are intended.
However, parking space monitoring also involves effort and costs. For example, parking customers have to display parking discs clearly visible in their vehicles and employees have to be paid to check them regularly.
When choosing a parking enforcement method, it is therefore worth weighing up the costs against the benefits. Staffed patrols are not only expensive, they are usually patchy, as the enforcement officers are not permanently on the move in a parking area.
A digital solution, on the other hand, requires hardly any investment, because apart from scanners and clear signs informing parkers about digital parking space monitoring, the maximum free parking period and the contractual penalty, no hardware is required in the area. This means that a solution such as the Peter Park system can be implemented within a short space of time - often within a day. Even if it is a managed parking area where a parking fee is due, the system can be set up within a day. If required, user-friendly pay stations can also be installed. Peter Park also cooperates with the well-known parking apps and enables online payment
During operation, the solution generates hardly any costs and does not tie up any staff. It also provides parking lot operators with information about where visitors' vehicles are registered or about the utilization of the parking space. Parking space owners can thus identify optimization potential and, for example, use their marketing measures in a more targeted manner.
Find out how you can benefit from parking space management with just a few clicks.
ContactLearn more herePeter Park also relieves its partners with a comprehensive service from a single source. Parkers who stay in a parking space for longer than the maximum parking time or do not pay the parking fee receive a contractual penalty. The owners are tracked down using the license plates scanned at the entrance and exit. Goodwill arrangements ensure that loyal customers remain loyal customers.
How the digital parking space monitoring system from Peter Park works at the OBI store in Bremerhaven
There is only limited parking space available at the OBI store in Bremerhaven. Providing its customers with sufficient parking spaces was a challenge for the store manager, as visitors to nearby events often occupied the parking spaces, which affected the store's visitor numbers and led to resentment. The regulation that drivers should place parking disks in their vehicles did not fulfill its purpose of keeping out third-party parkers.
This is why the DIY store introduced the digital, barrier-free parking management system from Peter Park in August 2023:
"The satisfaction of our customers always comes first at OBI, and this promise applies not only in the store, but also when looking for a parking space. By installing the barrier-free parking management system, we hope to achieve a more organized process and at the same time a more relaxed shopping experience for our customers," explained Ludwig Hertlein, store manager of OBI Bremerhaven, on the introduction of the new system.
Digital parking space monitoring now makes it very easy to determine the parking time. To do this, the system scans the license plates at the entrance and exit in compliance with data protection regulations. If parkers who are not customers of the OBI store exceed the maximum parking time of two hours, they receive a contractual penalty.
The digital parking management system makes it possible to control the maximum parking time without the need for staff patrols. For third-party parkers who want to park for longer than two hours, the area is no longer attractive thanks to reliable tracking. As a result, more parking spaces are now available for OBI store customers, ensuring a relaxed shopping and parking experience. If a visit to the DIY store takes longer than two hours, customers can have the maximum free parking time in the store extended.
The operator of the Edeka supermarket on Messe-Allee in Leipzig also had many third-party parkers in its parking lot and is now successfully using the Peter Park system.
Smart system makes customers happy and keeps third-party parkers away
Parking space monitoring contributes to a positive customer experience. In stationary retail, for example, the "customer journey" is to be taken literally and the search for a parking space is an important part of it. In order for customers, museum visitors or restaurant guests to come (back), they should therefore have sufficient free parking spaces available. However, as parking spaces cannot be enlarged indefinitely, the only lever left is to keep out third-party parkers. This can be easily achieved with the digital, barrier-free parking management solution from Peter Park . It does not matter whether the parking space is free of charge or managed. The system and service provider develops a suitable solution for every parking area. Further information on digital parking space control can be found here.
