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CAR PARKING
FIRST-EVER
GLOBAL PARKING
INDUSTRY SURVEY
REVEALS TECHNOLOGY IS
TRANSFORMING HOW WE
PARK AROUND THE WORLD
Innovative technology globally viewed as a top trend, and while decision-makers’
attitudes toward parking are improving, more collaboration is needed.
Do parking challenges and solutions differ
significantly around the globe? Are Japan’s
parking priorities the same as thos e in Great
Britain or Brazil? To answer these and other
questions and begin to build a knowledge base
that can benefit all countries, the Global Parking
Association Leaders Summit (GPALs), a group
comprised of parking associations around the
world, recently surveyed parking professionals
from 21 countries. The results, shared last week at
the European Parking Association (EPA) Congress
in Dublin, Ireland, revealed some universal
similarities along with a few interesting countryspecific differences.
Technology is revolutionising parking
Within the past few years, technology has
transformed the parking industry in many
countries, making it easier for parking
Govlink Issue 2 2013
professionals to meet the demands of drivers
who want to access, exit, find, and pay for
parking. The majority of parking facility owners,
operators, and managers polled listed the move
toward innovative technology as the leading
industry trend. Cited were GPS and mobile
phone technology, electronic payment, sensor
space-monitoring systems, and a shift toward
accommodating electric vehicles.
What cities are seen as having the most
progressive parking?
Asked to name up to three cities within or outside
of their own countries they would consider
trendsetting or progressive in terms of their
approach to parking, survey respondents most
often cited London (named by nine countries),
San Francisco (seven countries), Amsterdam
and Paris (five countries each), and Barcelona,