The technology fixing Britain’s parking problem

Sign up to our free weekly IndyTech newsletter delivered straight to your inbox Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “This kind of big data simultaneously provides a solution to the problem it’s monitoring,” says Jim Short, technology sales manager at Smart Parking Limited, the company responsible for the schemes in Westminster and Cardiff. “Real-time data displayed through a car’s on-board navigation system is our preferred method of finding a parking space because it minimises driver distractions,” says Parkopedia’s head of operations Christina Onesirosan Martinez. There are very few cars being manufactured now that don’t include this kind of technology – it’s basically standard in new vehicles.” Of course, new vehicles now boast technology far more futuristic than built-in navigation systems, and the role of park assist technology and autonomous driving can’t be overlooked in the UK’s ongoing parking battle. Audi is working on such a concept in Massachusetts and has found these garages require 60 per cent less space than traditional car parks, while ParkPlus in Colorado is working on deploying a fully automated parking garage serviced by a ‘robotic valet’ which can park up to four times as many cars in the same amount of space as a human-led counterpart.