The Rye Smart Parking Trial is already having a major impact, with an estimated 30 per cent of drivers finding a car park easier and quicker, according to a recent survey.
“Close to a third of those surveyed said the real time parking availability data helped them save time finding a place to park,” Mornington Peninsula Shire Mayor Councillor Sam Hearn said, citing the austtraffic survey conducted on the 25 and 27 January this year.
“This is a great kick off to the trial and shows the immediate impact real time parking data is having on getting cars off the street and into a parking bay during peak times.
“While the majority of those who found parking quicker reported saving one to five minutes, some drivers reported saving up to 10 minutes in finding a park on this busy Australian Day long weekend,” said Mayor Hearn.
Launched in early January, Smart Parking helps drivers find a place to park using live information from the inground sensors and cameras installed in 617 parking spaces around the Rye foreshore, on Pt Nepean Road and in commercial areas.
The real time parking information is then displayed on four VMS signs, situated on either end of Pt Nepean Road approaching Rye and one on Dundas Street. The information is also available via a free phone app.
Nepean Ward Councillor Hugh Fraser said being a trial there is more work to be done, including refining what we display on the VMS board. The Shire is committed to improving the user experience of Rye and want to help visitors pre-plan their trip and help locals find a park. I encourage you to download the app and you will see real time information to guide to the best place to park for you, with timed and all-day parking available.”
“Another goal of the trial is to see if Smart Parking sensors can provide increased access to bays through better management of overstayed vehicles. We want to use technology to improve user experience and help provide fairer access to the limited number of parking bays, especially during warmer months. Overstaying your time creates more congestion as another customer can’t park in front of that shop, denying that business exposure,” concluded Councillor Fraser.
Mayor Hearn added “we’re surprised by the amount of overstayed parking and are continuing to monitor the situation. The average overstay time for some bays is over an hour; this means in areas like Pt Nepean Road someone might stay two hours in a 1-hour bay.”
Smart parking data collected on parking events does not identify individuals and will be used to better plan the delivery of the parking service in Rye and the Shire.
