As parking enforcement continues to evolve with advancements in technology, the concept of ‘Digital Patrolling’ is quickly gaining traction. Moving on from traditional methods that rely on manual patrols and physical checks, Parking Operators and Landowners are using Digital Patrolling to leverage cutting-edge systems and technology.

Digital Patrolling enables them to monitor, manage, and enforce parking rules in near real-time – 24/7. This technological approach ensures a more efficient and effective way to oversee parking spaces, especially in complex or remote environments.

Digital Patrolling for multi-use spaces

Parking areas, especially large or multi-use spaces, are often difficult to manage using traditional methods. Having physical checks across large sites is not always viable and can be costly and open to human error. Think about a busy office parking lot, a university campus, or a shopping centre car park. With various types of parking spaces designated for specific users, such as disabled bays, parent-and-child spaces, staff-only areas, or visitor bays, ensuring that vehicles park in the correct spots requires a lot of coordination and oversight.

By using integrated technology such as Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR), ‘Bay Monitoring’ cameras, and kiosks, along with a cashless provider, digital patrolling brings together data from different systems to provide a comprehensive, unified solution.

Digital Patrolling software offers far more than basic Free Flow systems
The use of ANPR to enforce car parks is, of course, not new. Many parking operators have removed physical barriers from the sites and taken advantage of lower-cost cameras to enable ‘free flow’ (allowing vehicles to enter and exit parking facilities without stopping to interact with physical barriers or ticketing machines). Free flow is limited in its use as it requires clear ingress points and consistent site enforcement rules. Digital patrolling goes beyond basic free flow to offer the operator a suite of solutions that can be used individually or in tandem to provide far more granular automated, insight-driven patrolling solutions.

How Digital Patrolling Works

At the heart of digital patrolling is the integration of multiple technologies that allow operators to monitor entry and exit points, track parking spaces, and verify user permissions. For example:

• ANPR Cameras: These ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) cameras automatically capture license plate information as vehicles enter or leave the parking area, ensuring that only authorised vehicles are granted access.
• Bay Monitoring Cameras: These cameras monitor individual parking bays to ensure compliance with regulations. They can identify whether a vehicle is parked in a designated spot and whether it adheres to the specific rules, such as parking in a disabled or parent-and-child space.
• Zatpark Kiosk App: The kiosk platform allows for checking in and out of spaces, perfect for managing temporary spaces such as visitor parking.

   

5 Key Benefits for Parking Operators and Landowners 

1: Enhanced Efficiency & Automation

• Monitoring and Enforcement is there 24/7: Regardless of weather conditions ANPR cameras operate continuously, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You have constant monitoring of the car park without the need for constant human presence.
• Dynamic Enforcement for multi-use sites: Digital Patrolling is the easiest way to manage a site that houses different types of parking bays. For example Parent & Child, Blue Badge, Visitor, Resident, Reserved, Commercial and EV Charging bays can all be monitored in one site at the same time, with rules and tariffs configured as required.
• ANPR based enforcement is ideal for remote sites: ANPR cameras can be installed in sites in remote locations. The cameras can be solar-powered where there is no available mains power supply.
• Staffing Costs can be Reduced: By automating tasks like vehicle entry/exit tracking, overstay detection, and evidence collection, an ANPR based system significantly reduces the need for on-site parking attendants and manual enforcement. This leads to potential re-allocation of the workforce to other tasks or substantial labour cost savings.
• Streamlined Operations: Digital Patrolling creates a smoother, more convenient experience for motorists. ANPR eliminates the need for manual (printed) car park ticketing and physical permits, reducing queues and bottlenecks at entry and exit points, especially during peak hours.
• Captures Accurate Data: ANPR systems accurately record vehicle entry and exit times, providing precise data for calculating parking durations and identifying contraventions. This reduces human error and provides clear evidence.

2: Increased Revenue & Profitability

• Compliance is Encouraged: ANPR automatically identifies and records vehicles that contravene parking rules (e.g. overstaying, parking without payment or a valid permit, parking in restricted bays). This allows for efficient issuance of Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs), deterring misuse and encouraging compliance.
• Makes Spaces Available to those that really need them: By effectively deterring unauthorised parking and ensuring compliance with maximum stay rules, Digital Patrolling helps ensure that legitimate customers or authorised vehicles have access to available spaces, optimising the car park’s capacity.
• Revenue is Maximised: ANPR helps minimise revenue loss from unpaid stays or unauthorised parking, ensuring that operators collect what’s owed for the use of their facilities.
• Flexible Pricing and Payment Integration: ANPR can be integrated with various payment systems (e.g. mobile apps, online payments, payment terminals), allowing for flexible tariff structures, pre-booking options, and accurate billing based on actual usage. This can unlock new income streams.

3: Improved Customer Experience

• Non-Confrontational Enforcement: Digital Patrolling creates a less stressful experience for both Parking Operators and motorists. Parking charges are issued through the post, removing the need for any direct confrontation between parking attendants and motorists.
• Convenience for Motorists: Ticketless parking and automated entry/exit mean drivers don’t have to worry about physical tickets or barriers, enhancing the overall convenience and ease of parking.
• Improved Availability of Spaces: By managing and enforcing parking rules effectively, Digital Patrolling helps ensure that legitimate customers can more easily find available parking spaces they need, leading to greater satisfaction.

4: Enhanced Security & Data Insights

• 24/7 Security Monitoring: The overall security of your car parks is improved as the continuous operation of ANPR cameras acts as a deterrent to anti-social behaviour, theft, and vandalism.
• High Accuracy of Evidence: ANPR systems provide high-quality photographic evidence of vehicle movements and contraventions, which is crucial for handling appeals and disputes, ensuring transparency and accountability.
• Valuable Data Insights through Analytics: ANPR systems collect extensive data on vehicle movements, occupancy rates, peak usage times, and customer behaviour. This data provides valuable insights for operators to:
  
  – Optimise car park layout and space allocation.
  – Identify problem areas and make informed business decisions for future          planning and investment.
  – Inform pricing strategies and promotional offers.

   

• Tech Integration Capabilities: ANPR systems can integrate with other technologies, such as access control systems (e.g. whitelists for authorised vehicles), payment platforms, and security systems, creating a comprehensive and intelligent parking management solution.

5: AI Enhanced Appeals Process

• Compliance with Regulations: Reputable ANPR parking enforcement systems are designed to comply with relevant UK regulations, such as the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 and GDPR, ensuring lawful and transparent data processing and enforcement practices.
• Reduced Disputes: The accuracy of ANPR data and photographic evidence can help to reduce the number of disputes and appeals, as well as streamline the appeals process when they do occur.
• AI enhanced software: The market-leading software providers such as Unity5 offer an AI (Artificial Intelligence) powered Chatbot service to help motorists with their appeals process, reducing hassle and staffing costs for Parking Operators.

In essence, Digital Patrolling is the future of parking management. It leverages technology to make enforcement smarter, more efficient, and less intrusive. As parking becomes increasingly complex, digital solutions like those offered by Unity5 will continue to shape the future of parking enforcement. Unity5 is an HM Government G-Cloud supplier and the creators of digital patrolling solutions including Zatpark, Zatpermit and Zatenviro enforcement software.

Click here to contact our friendly Unity5 Enforcement experts and book a no obligation discovery call.

Discover more about how Unity5 are using the latest AI enhancements to make life easier for Parking Operators: https://unity5.com/articles/how-ai-for-parking-enforcement-is-making-life-easier-for-parking-managers/