Smart and flexible parking using new technology

Summary

Emerging technical solutions with a high degree of innovation will be investigated and demonstrated. Solutions as a cost efficient monitoring tool of multiple parking spaces and smart vehicle detection will be piloted in a real environment in the Årsta Living Lab area. The ambition is to incorporate data generated from the trial into parking applications for the provision and publication of information to users. Results from the demonstration will provide a basis for a possible full-scale implementation and significantly reduce search time, reach optimum parking occupancy, and provide experiences from the use of emerging technical equipment in a real life environment.

Implementing sustainable mobility

Stockholm has recently implemented a new parking plan, including a major extension of flat rate on-street parking for residents in areas outside the inner city. In these areas, parking earlier was free of charge. This means parking surveillance must cover a considerably bigger area.

Stockholm is now trying two semi-automatic systems for this on-street parking surveillance. The tested systems will also gather and process data to provide citizens with real-time information on where to find available parking. To develop this measure, the Stockholm Traffic Department launched a public innovation procurement procedure where suppliers were invited to give innovative suggestions on how to solve the task. A jury from the traffic department selected two out of twelve contributions for a test.

The winning contributions uses technology from Brickyard, a company from the Netherlands. and Parkling, and company from Germany. Both systems use vehicles cruising the streets gathering data about occupied and available parking spaces along the roads. Data are combined in real time and streets with available parking spaces are marked green in an app, thereby guiding drivers to streets more likely to have available parking. As the car leaves the parking spot, the app reports the spot as available again. Hence the more drivers that use the app, the more accurate the information is.

In Brickyards system, the parked cars are identified with plate recognition. Information about the parked cars is combined both with the system registering paid fees and with the system keeping track of where parking is allowed. To function effectively, Stockholm's most modern parking payment system must be in place since the plate number must be registered in connection with the payment.

The demonstration will contribute to a more liveable suburban environment by reducing parking search time, improving traffic conditions and traffic safety, reducing emissions, and optimising the available road space. It will also indicate possibilities for reducing the number of parking spaces and increasing parking occupancy. New knowledge gained from the use of the tested solutions will provide a basis for possible full-scale implementation.

Contact details:
Thomas Sjöström
Traffic Administration
City of Stockholm
thomas [dot] sjostrom [at] stockholm [dot] se