For many drivers, a parking garage can be a house of horrors, especially when running late for work, a doctor’s appointment, or another critical event.
Finding an open space, fitting into tight stalls or dealing with aggressive drivers can spark stress verging on angst.
The good news is, automated parking guidance systems (APGS) are making parking safer, less stressful and more efficient.
The technology is being installed in parking garages and surface lots throughout the region and country.
And now the technology is in one of downtown Cincinnati’s most popular parking places, the Central Riverfront Garage, which spans The Banks between Great American Ballpark and Paycor Stadium.
OKI provided $2.7 million for the project.
Sensors detect if a parking space is open (green light), occupied (red light), or reserved for people with disabilities (blue light). Indicator lights installed in a portion of the garage and are expected to be completed at the end of the summer for all 4,500 parking spaces.
The technology is intended to turn drivers into pedestrians as efficiently as possible.
“When completed, the project will expedite movement into and within the Central Riverfront garages enabling patrons to find available parking spaces easily,” said Bob Koehler, OKI’s deputy executive director.
He added, “Traffic flow to the area on connecting surface streets will be much smoother, thus reducing the likelihood of crashes in the area due to stop-and-go conditions.”
A groundbreaking whitepaper carried out in collaboration with Brisbane Airport Corporation showed the transformative impact of APGS on customer experience and garage operations. The study looked at nearly 1.2 million data points and found up to a 63% reduction in parking time using camera-based smart sensors. This streamlined parking, improved consistency, and enhanced overall satisfaction for parkers and operators.
As the parking industry evolves, traffic experts say these systems will play a critical role in ensuring seamless experiences for all parkers.
-Jim Pickering
