SMART PARKING SOLUTIONS
Real-Time Availability Parking Solution for Disabled Spaces in London by Nwave
Nwave’s smart parking technology was selected to provide disabled parking permit holders with real-time information on vacant parking spaces in the capital city.
Problem
The Blue Badge initiative, aimed at creating a more inclusive society for people with disabilities, plays an important role in the lives of over 2.4 million people across the UK. Over 75% of the holders of a Blue Badge, disabled parking permits, state that without it they would be forced to go out less, as it would create significant inconveniences in their everyday lives.
Accessible parking in London has strict time limits and some areas employ varied parking rules, which affects everyone but especially disabled drivers and passengers. With increasing urban population, growing e-commerce deliveries and the overall congestion, non-eligible parking in disabled spaces has increased dramatically. The disabled drivers’ ability to find parking is an ever-increasing challenge.
Solution
To overcome these challenges, motorists holding Blue Badges need easy access to real-time parking availability data. On the operator’s side, there is a need to have a centralized system, allowing operators to gather and analyze parking data and share that data in real-time with navigation apps.
Nwave partnered with AppyParking to work with the City of London Corporation to deliver a solution that would address these needs and improve the parking experience for Blue Badge holders.
Using a simple mobile app, disabled drivers and passengers can now see the location, rules, and prices for all on and off-street parking in the Square Mile. As an added bonus, parking managers using the same data can now have access to real-time parking availability information, historic occupancy levels, rules compliance reports and violation alerts.
The system can be easily integrated with the most popular navigation apps like Waze or Google Maps, showing accessible parking spaces and their availability, all in real-time on your smartphone
Alastair Moss, Chair of the Planning and Transportation Committee at the City of London Corporation called Nwave’s solution, ‘An important part of our Transport Strategy is to use smart technology to improve accessibility in the Square Mile.’
Benefits
Nwave’s SDI and Parking Occupancy datasets provide multiple benefits to Blue Badge Holders, drivers and local municipalities alike.
Green
Easy access to parking availability reduces fuel use, air pollution, global warming and noise while creating a more enjoyable environment for us all.
Efficient
Parking usage information reduces congestion across the city by reevaluating and readjusting the infrastructure investments with accurate parking data.
Secure
SDI digital permits eliminate Blue Badge theft and misuse while enhancing the overall experience to Blue Badge Holders.