12 December 2010
Armidale Dumaresq Council
Parking Technology
Final Report No: 002720
© ARRB Group Ltd 2010
Luxmoore Parking Consulting
a division of ARRB Group Ltd
ABN 68 004 620 651
www.luxmooreparking.com.au
191 Carr Place
Leederville
WA 6007 Australia
P: +61 8 9227 3000
F: +61 8 9227 3030
Ground Floor
12 Wellington Parade
East Melbourne
VIC 3002 Australia
P: +61 3 9417 5277
F: +61 3 9416 2602
2-14 Mountain Street
Ultimo
NSW 2007 Australia
P: +61 2 9282 4444
F: +61 2 9282 4455
123 Sandgate Road
Albion
QLD 4010 Australia
P: +61 7 3260 3500
F: +61 7 3862 4699
Unit 101, Al Safa Tower
Sheikh Zayed Road
PO Box 333790
Dubai, UAE
T: +971 4332 8532
F: +971 4332 8584
www.arrb-me.com
ARRB Group Ltd Head Office
500 Burwood Highway
Vermont South VIC 3133
Australia
P: +61 3 9881 1555
F: +61 3 9887 8104
www.arrb.com.au
Prepared by:
Document Register
Revision
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Reviewed by
Larry Schneider
Lauren Yarrow
Larry Schneider
Larry Schneider
Larry Schneider
Larry Schneider
Larry Schneider
Date
29/09/2010
30/09/2010
13/10/2010
24/10/2010
24/11/2010
03/12/2010
12/12/2010
Although the Report is believed to be correct at the time of publication, Luxmoore Parking Consulting and ARRB Group Ltd, to the extent lawful, excludes all
liability for loss (whether arising under contract, tort, statute or otherwise) arising from the contents of the Report or from its use. Where such liability cannot
be excluded, it is reduced to the full extent lawful. Without limiting the foregoing, people should apply their own skill and judgement when using the
information contained in the Report. © ARRB Group Ltd 2010
Armidale Dumaresq Council
Parking Technology
i
Summary
Armidale does not currently have a major parking problem in its CBD; however this is largely because
of the excess number of spaces currently available in two car parks serving privately owned shopping
centres. These car parks are utilised by commuters and other unauthorised users.
The level of compliance with parking time restrictions has not been measured but it is unlikely to be
high as Council Rangers are compelled by a lack of technology to undertake a very inefficient doublecheck system prior to issuing an enforcement. With an average of only 6 infringements issued a day,
many parkers appear to take a chance on compliance with posted user and time restrictions. A low
level of compliance can result in many long-term parkers using the best located parking in the city to
the detriment of short-term parkers. Consequently, there are many underutilised parking bays within a
reasonable walking distance of the city centre.
The cost of constructing more parking is expensive, especially as Council does not have much
available and suitably located land. Council should therefore make better use of the existing parking
supply before considering the building of new parking. This can be achieved by a combination of more
effective enforcement with the use of new technology, and by the implementation of some user pay
parking in certain high demand areas. The purchase of new technology will improve the effectiveness
of parking management in Armidale and will also create additional income for improving Council’s
parking and transport-related infrastructure. It will also allow Council to provide more efficient
enforcement to private areas of parking and to school areas.
It is recommended that:

Council endorses the proposals in this report.

Compliance with RTA regulations is obtained where necessary.

New handheld enforcement technology is purchased.

In-ground sensors are installed in areas of central Armidale to integrate with new handheld
enforcement machines.

User pay parking be introduced initially at the Regional Airport.

Some of the net income from pay parking be allocated to upgrading the presentation and
pedestrian access and safety and security at car parks and the balance reserved for parking
and transport infrastructure (including pedestrian and cyclist).

Consideration be given to the design and implementation of pedestrian and parking
wayfinding signage.

Council implements positive messages and easy to download brochures about parking
availability on its website.
Report No. 002720
© ARRB Group Ltd 2010
Armidale Dumaresq Council
Parking Technology
ii
Contents
1
Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 1
1.1 Glossary of terms ............................................................................................................... 1
2
Background ................................................................................................................................ 2
3
Review of current parking provision ........................................................................................ 2
Parking supply .............................................................................................................................. 4
3.1
Survey results .................................................................................................................... 4
3.2
Technology and management ........................................................................................... 5
3.3
Stakeholders workshops .................................................................................................... 6
3.3.1
First workshop............................................................................................................... 6
3.3.2
Second workshop ......................................................................................................... 8
3.4
4
Parking at the Armidale Regional Airport ......................................................................... 11
Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) ............................................... 12
4.1 Strengths .......................................................................................................................... 12
4.2
Weaknesses..................................................................................................................... 12
4.2.1
Compliance ................................................................................................................. 15
4.2.2
Information .................................................................................................................. 15
4.2.3
Additional supply ......................................................................................................... 17
4.3
Opportunities .................................................................................................................... 18
4.4
Threats ............................................................................................................................. 19
5
Cost of providing parking ....................................................................................................... 20
6
Technology trends and options .............................................................................................. 21
6.1 The focus of new technologies ........................................................................................ 21
6.2
Centralised interactive management ............................................................................... 21
6.3
Integration of parking control with compliance ................................................................. 22
6.4
Parking occupancy detection systems ............................................................................. 22
6.5
Mobile licence plate recognition ....................................................................................... 23
6.6
Alternative payment systems ........................................................................................... 23
6.7
Other methods of payment .............................................................................................. 24
6.8
Pay and display versus pay by space .............................................................................. 24
6.9
Pay by plate technology ................................................................................................... 26
6.10 Enforcement devices ....................................................................................................... 26
6.11 Issues for consideration ................................................................................................... 26
6.12 Regional Airport ............................................................................................................... 27
6.13 Investment, financing and payback.................................................................................. 27
7
Parking regulation and enforcement in NSW ........................................................................ 28
7.1 Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA) Guidelines ................................................................. 28
7.2
State Debt Recovery Office approved parking enforcement devices .............................. 29
8
Comparative review ................................................................................................................. 30
8.1 Comparison of parking regulation and enforcement at four NSW councils ..................... 30
9
Conclusions .............................................................................................................................. 36
10
Recommendations ................................................................................................................... 38
Report No. 002720
© ARRB Group Ltd 2010
Armidale Dumaresq Council
Parking Technology
iii
11
Prioritised action plan (with estimated costs) ...................................................................... 40
12
Appendix 1 – High-level requirements for an infringement issue and management
system ....................................................................................................................................... 41
12.1 Built into handhelds .......................................................................................................... 41
12.2 Functionality of infringement issue system ...................................................................... 41
12.3 Docking system ................................................................................................................ 42
12.4 Management software support ........................................................................................ 42
12.5 Servicing and maintenance requirements ....................................................................... 42
13
Appendix 2 – Reporting capabilities ...................................................................................... 43
13.1 Minimum training requirements ........................................................................................ 43
13.2 Occupational Health and Safety ...................................................................................... 44
13.3 Warranty/defect liability .................................................................................................... 44
13.4 Integration capabilities ..................................................................................................... 44
13.5 Payment options .............................................................................................................. 45
14
Appendix 3 – Indicative pricing .............................................................................................. 46
Report No. 002720
© ARRB Group Ltd 2010
Armidale Dumaresq Council
Parking Technology
1
1
Introduction
Armidale in northern New South Wales had an urban area population of 19,485 according to the 2006
population census. It is the administrative centre for the Northern Tablelands region and is
administered by the Armidale Dumaresq Council.
The Council’s Public Parking Policy, which was revised with effect from 30 August 2010, sets out
several objectives1:

To achieve an appropriate balance between public safety, traffic flow and equitable access in
the management and regulation of vehicle parking facilities available to the general public, for
the benefit of the community, business sector and visitors.
In this regard, public safety considerations will be paramount.

To manage and regularly review public parking in central Armidale so that safe and effective
vehicle parking spaces are provided to meet the varying needs of users including consumers,
business operators, employees, residents, visitors and service providers.

To pursue a more sustainable approach to the recovery of costs for the provision, maintenance
and regulation of public parking facilities, including the imposition of fines for non-compliant
parking, in accordance with relevant NSW Government legislation and guidelines.

To provide an enabling mechanism through which Council can regularly review and if appropriate
implement suitable technology to support regulation of safe and compliant parking practices.

To make Council’s practices and intentions in relation to public parking issues a matter of public
record and accountability.

To ensure that safe and effective parking practices are promoted to the community.

To ensure that local law enforcement officers have the necessary skills and resources to
undertake parking surveillance duties in a safe, fair, transparent, consistent and accountable
manner, with appropriate training.
Council requires an investigation and evaluation of options for new technology systems for either
parking time limit surveillance or pay parking or both. The work should be compatible with Council’s
existing Information Technology Platform and cover that part of the Armidale urban area currently the
subject of time limited parking restrictions and the Armidale Regional Airport car parks.
1.1 Glossary of terms
ANPR - Automatic Number Plate Recognition
GPRS - A type of mobile phone and data service
LPR - Licence Plate Recognition
Multibay - Payment to a meter according to the number of the space marked on the ground or the kerb
usually without a ticket
Pay by Plate - payment by inserting the registration number of the vehicle
Pay and Display - Ticket parking issued by a meter and displayed in the vehicle
PCI - Compliance - Payment Card Industry Compliance
PODS - Parking Occupancy Detection Systems
RTA - Roads and Traffic Authority of NSW
SDRO - State Debt Recovery Office of NSW
3G - Third generation of mobile phone
VDS - Vehicle Detection Systems.
1
POL192-Regulatory PUBLIC PARKING POLICY July 2010
Report No. 002720
© ARRB Group Ltd 2010
Armidale Dumaresq Council
Parking Technology
2
2
Background
In August 2010, Council appointed Luxmoore Parking Consulting (Luxmoore) to undertake the
investigation.
Luxmoore visited Armidale and engaged in stakeholder meetings and extensive site visits to
determine current and potential parking issues. These have been incorporated into a strengths,
weaknesses, opportunities and threats analysis (SWOT). Contemporary parking technologies and key
suppliers have been examined and a comparative review undertaken with Tamworth, Coffs Harbour,
Wollongong and Newcastle. Airport parking management has been reviewed at Ballina, Coffs
Harbour, Port Macquarie, Dubbo and Newcastle Airports.
Various options appropriate to Armidale have been considered leading to recommendations which
have been classified as necessary and urgent. A prioritised action plan with indicative costs has then
been prepared.
3
Review of current parking provision
Parking serving the Armidale city centre comprises:

on-street (kerbside) parking bays

off-street public parking in Council owned sites, e.g. Cinders Lane

off-street open air parking in privately owned sites

undercover deck parking in privately controlled sites, e.g. Centro shopping centre

deck parking (partly undercover) owned by Council and leased on an annual basis, e.g. Hanna’s
car park.
The above parking also includes the specific allocation of bays for parkers with a disability and for
loading.
With the exception of Council’s deck car park (‘Hanna’s’), and some other private parking areas, all
parking is provided free of charge and is generally available to the public, subject to posted time
restrictions.
In the case of the large privately owned car parks, the intention of the owners is to provide some
limited parking for employees at the centre served by the car park, but mainly to provide parking for
bona fide patrons particularly for the two large shopping centres, Centro and Armidale Plaza.
However, the abundant supply of bays, the labour intensive method of enforcement and the low level
of control on unauthorised parking, especially in private parking areas, allows many staff who work
elsewhere in offices and shops in the city centre to park in these private car parks. There is little to
encourage long-term parkers to park further away from the city centre core and thus free up more
central bays for short-term shoppers and visitors.
It is significant that passenger vehicle numbers in Australia have grown by 13% over the 5 years since
2004. Nationally this is equivalent to > 5,000 additional vehicles per week, every week needing
parking. Armidale Dumaresq vehicle registrations grew by 12% from 2005 to 2009, compared with a
5% growth in population2. Table 1 below shows the increasing ratio of vehicles per person in Armidale
Dumaresq.
2
ABS 1379.0.55.001 accessed 22/11/10
Report No. 002720
© ARRB Group Ltd 2010
Armidale Dumaresq Council
Parking Technology
3
Table 1: Increasing ratio of vehicles per person, Armidale Dumaresq LGA3
30 000
25 000
Population
20 000
Vehicles
15 000
10 000
5 000
0
2005
3
2006
2007
2008
2009
Source: ABS 1379.0.55.001 accessed at 22.11.10
Report No. 002720
© ARRB Group Ltd 2010
Armidale Dumaresq Council
Parking Technology
4
3.1 Parking supply
The following map shows the supply of 1,844 bays of off-street parking in the Armidale CBD.
Approximately 42% of these bays are policed by Council under private arrangements with the owners.
Figure 1: Off-street parking in the Armidale CBD
3.2 Survey results
In July 2010 Council undertook a survey of parking at 2,133 parking bays across 10 sites and the
marked bays in Civic Park. The survey was undertaken between 8.30am and 4pm. It provided
valuable, current data on parking demand showing inter alia that peak demand occurs on a Thursday.
Table 2 shows that 57% of cars stay for less than 1 hour (short-term parking), 28% for 2-4 hours
(medium-term parking) and 15% are parked long-term.
Report No. 002720
© ARRB Group Ltd 2010
Armidale Dumaresq Council
Parking Technology
5
The most significant result is that on average more than 940 bays are vacant. Even at the time of peak
demand, the minimum vacancy was 498 parking bays, 23% of the total. This counters any view that
Armidale suffers from a shortage of parking supply and the results lead to the consideration of how the
city can make more effective use of its existing parking capacity, before considering increasing parking
supply.
A consistent result of all the surveys is that there are high levels of parking underutilisation in
Armidale. The focus should therefore be on the management of existing parking supply. The
management of restrictions and application of fee regimes should be used to manage car parking to
best benefit the CBD and make sure all parking is being used efficiently.
Most of the vacancies occur in private retail car parks and in the Section 6 (old Woolworths) car park;
the latter will become more heavily used once new retail tenants open in the former Woolworths
building in 2011.
There also seems to be general concurrence among stakeholders that alternative management
practices are needed to make more efficient use of short stay on-street and at-grade parking and
encourage longer-term users to use other facilities. The current provision and use of on-street parking
does not involve appropriate levels of enforcement or fines compared to other centres where
technology is used to promote a greater level of compliance with posted time limits.
Table 2: Summary of survey
Armidale Car Park Survey July 2010 - Summary
Weekly average
Car park name
Primary use
Total
bays
Duration of stay week 2
(no. of vehicles)
<1 hr
2-4hrs
>4 hrs
Peak
occupancy
Min vacancy
(bays)
Avge
vacancy
(bays)
Tingcombe Lane
All day
95
6
19
66
99%
0
8
Section 6 (Old Woolworths)
2 hour
165
179
133
10
60%
66
101
Cinders Lane
1 hour
53
118
29
1
96%
2
20
Civic Video & Parking Station
2 hour
111
136
72
14
77%
25
34
Naughten Avenue
All day
57
14
23
18
73%
15
28
East Mall Shopping Complex
2 hour
230
424
102
37
69%
33
85
Visitors Centre
All day
140
48
31
40
75%
35
84
Civic Park - combined on-street
All day
66
9
16
25
77%
15
33
Armidale Plaza
56% all day/44% 2 hr
559
564
389
211
94%
33
167
Centro Armidale
Unrestricted
614
545
202
97
61%
239
343
Allingham/Beardy
All day
43
2
3
2
18%
35
40
2133
2045
57%
1019
28%
521
15%
498
943
Totals
3.3 Technology and management
The current system of parking enforcement in Armidale reflects older style approaches and has
become inefficient and ineffective in comparison with systems used in other centres. The labourintensive method of chalking tyres and then having to return a second time to see whether a car has
remained stationary is easily thwarted by fast communication such as SMS and email which quickly
advises city employees to shift their car when a Ranger is seen in the area.
While Council’s enforcement policy is primarily focused on achieving its Public Parking Policy
objectives4 rather than raising revenue, it is clear that the average of less than 6 parking infringements
issued per weekday in 2009/2010 is not an effective method of ensuring compliance with parking
regulations. There are significant percentages of vehicles parking for more than 4 hours in 2 hour
parking areas such as the East Mall complex and Naughten Avenue. Parking enforcement in Armidale
4
POL192-Regulatory PUBLIC PARKING POLICY July 2010
Report No. 002720
© ARRB Group Ltd 2010
Armidale Dumaresq Council
Parking Technology
6
suffers from a lack of resources, including technology. Furthermore, Council staff have advised that on
approximately 90 days a year during wet weather, they are unable to accurately monitor parking
compliance.
While the surveys confirm there is a high level of excess parking capacity available in the CBD at peak
demand time, this figure would be even higher if the rate of compliance with regulations was improved.
3.4 Stakeholders workshops
3.4.1
First workshop
A workshop was held on 24 August 2010 with attendance by a Council Working Party established to
oversee this project, as well as representatives of businesses and retailers in Armidale. A meeting
note of the workshop is set out below.
ARMIDALE DUMARESQ COUNCIL
MEETING NOTE
DATE:
24 August 2010 at ADC Civic Administration Building
FILE NO:
A10/4950
SUBJECT:
Parking Technology Inception Meeting
PRESENT:
Larry Schneider (Luxmoore Parking Consulting) - Presenter
Stephen Gow, Steve Sauer, Ambrose Hallman, Bernard Maurer, Janine
Carson, David Steller, Regina Hooper (Armidale Dumaresq Council)
Rob Richardson (Councillor)
APOLOGIES:
Alan Harvey (Armidale Dumaresq Council)
Meeting opened at 10am.
Introductory meeting concerning parking technology options for Armidale Dumaresq Council.
Mr Schneider praised Armidale for:
•
being a clean city
•
having a practical parking policy in place
•
having a recent and accurate parking survey (conducted by Mark Wilson).
He made three key observations:
•
There is no shortage of parking in Armidale, but it is not used properly.
•
Current parking patrol methods are outdated and need to become more efficient in order to improve
compliance.
•
Parking-related signage around town is very negative and should be changed to be more welcoming
and positive in tone.
This was followed by a set of questions:
1. What is the amount of rates raised by ADC? – A: $22 million growing at a rate of 2-3% pa.
2. What makes up the bulk of that amount? – A: Rates from residential properties.
3. How much extra is generated by parking fines? - A: About 1%.
Mr Schneider then went through the existing parking policy and asked: Is paid parking needed in
Armidale? Which was answered with: Yes, it will be needed some time in the future.
These points need to be kept in mind:
•
Inconsistent policing favours low compliance – Council needs to look at technology options to
improve compliance.
Report No. 002720
© ARRB Group Ltd 2010
Armidale Dumaresq Council
Parking Technology
•
•
•
7
If Council polices only Council car parks it pushes non bona fide users into the unpatrolled car parks
of shopping centres which will force their owners to take action.
In larger cities, shopping centres already charge for parking, with a variety of tariff structures, e.g.
first 2 hours free.
Elected Councillors would have to agree to the introduction of paid parking.
A pay for parking system was introduced in Tamworth a few years ago and is working well. The parking
meters pay for themselves in 1 to 2 years and should last 10 years.
A recently completed assets review for Armidale Dumaresq Council recommended the introduction of
paid parking to help with Council’s assets becoming sustainable and the Councillors agreed with that
recommendation. However, paid parking should not be seen as revenue raising, so the emphasis should
be on the positive effect.
Armidale Dumaresq Council tried to introduce paid parking 10 years ago but this was abandoned due to
political events at the time. Since then the University has introduced paid parking with the revenue reinvested in related infrastructure, e.g. lighting or surfacing. The inhabitants of Armidale are used to some
paid parking, which utilises prepaid stickers or permits.
•
•
Q: How much do annual permits for parking in the two-level Hanna’s car park cost?
A: $300 pa in the open deck and $500 pa in the secure deck.
Q: What could happen following amalgamation? Does Luxmoore Parking have any experience in
dealing with an administrator?
A: Luxmoore worked with an administrator in Wollongong and the decisions were made more quickly
and were more inclusive than in Councils with elected Councillors.
The objectives listed in the parking policy have largely been achieved, except:
•
‘To pursue a more sustainable approach to the recovery of costs for the provision, maintenance and
regulation of public parking facilities, including the imposition of fines for non-compliant parking, in
accordance with NSW Government legislation and guidelines.
•
To ensure that safe and effective parking practices are promoted to the community.
•
To ensure that local law enforcement officers have the necessary skills and resources to undertake
parking surveillance duties in a safe, fair, transparent, consistent and accountable manner, with
appropriate training.’
A lively discussion followed:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
LS: How can we promote paid parking in Armidale?
SS: Unpatrolled car parks in shopping centres undermine Council efforts at effective policing.
DS: There was an information campaign 5 years ago with flyers.
LS: Is any media involved in the promotion of paid parking so far?
SG: No, Council wanted to know the outcome of the Parking Technology Investigation first. Also it is
felt that better surfacing and lighting are required.
BM: A lot of car parks are under camera surveillance.
RR: Moore Street car park is leased from the crown. It is usually more than 50% full before 9am.
Council’s car park in Allingham Street could provide up to 100 spaces.
LS: What is the parking code applied to planning, does it only relate to supply of spaces or also the
management? The parking policy should include requirements for detailed management strategies.
Does Council have cash in lieu provision for developments?
SG: Yes, there is a fund with a current balance of $140,000. But new developments are not a
problem, often providing for more parking spaces than required by Council; however, the
intensification of use of existing buildings creates a problem as more spaces are required but the
planning rules can’t enforce this.
LS: Does Armidale have a Bicycle Strategy? Does it include end of trip facilities?
SG: There is a strategy but there are few facilities; however, these seem sufficient at this time.
DS: Armidale’s topography does not favour bicycles.
LS: Experience in other places has shown that the compulsory wearing of helmets is a strong
deterrent to cyclists in Australia.
Following this inception meeting, which was a fact-finding exercise to identify problems and perceptions,
Larry Schneider will conduct a SWOT analysis and write a draft report. This report will be sent to Council
for comments and once they have been evaluated a follow-up meeting will be held.
Report No. 002720
© ARRB Group Ltd 2010
Armidale Dumaresq Council
Parking Technology
8
David Steller added that Council can’t build new car parks close to the CBD not only because of a lack of
funds but also because of existing limitations, such as heritage listed buildings or structures.
The charges for paid parking should be reviewed from time to time and prices increased when 85% of
parking spaces are full at peak demand time, as this rate is an indication that available spaces are
approaching capacity. The aim should be to have at least 15% of spaces available at all times.
For the time of Steve Gow’s leave Steve Sauer will be the primary contact for parking investigations at
Council.
The meeting closed at 11am.
Stephen Gow
Director Planning and Environmental Services
25 August 2010
3.4.2
Second workshop
Second workshops were held on 11 November to update attendees on the findings, key elements and
steps to progress the project.
Meeting notes of the workshops are set out below.
ARMIDALE DUMARESQ COUNCIL
MEETING NOTE
DATE:
11 November 2010 at ADC Civic Administration Building
FILE NO:
A10/4950
SUBJECT: Second Parking Technology Meeting
PRESENT:
Larry Schneider (Luxmoore Parking Consulting) - Presenter
Stephen Gow, Steve Sauer, Ambrose Hallman, Bernard Maurer, Janine Carson, David Steller, Regina
Hooper (Armidale Dumaresq Council)
Rob Richardson (Councillor), Lee McDougall (Media Liaison Officer)
APOLOGIES:
Alan Harvey (Armidale Dumaresq Council)
Meeting opened at 11am
Follow-up meeting concerning parking technology options for Armidale Dumaresq Council.
Mr Schneider spoke to the report he has submitted to Council (TRIM ref.: I/2010/25541) and went
through the PowerPoint presentation he put together for this meeting (TRIM ref.: I/2010/26041).
Most of the slides were self-explanatory, but he elaborated on some.
To the slide titled ‘examples’ he added that the public must be made aware that the revenue from paid
parking will only go towards parking or supporting infrastructure, not into general funds.
‘Make better use of current facilities’ sparked a discussion of whether the nominal centre of the city
should be moved west from the Post Office on any published maps to include Albion Park parking area in
the inner city parking areas.
‘Conclusions’: a minimum of 25 – 30 sqm are required per parking bay. This figure includes an allowance
for aisles and roadways.
Report No. 002720
© ARRB Group Ltd 2010
Armidale Dumaresq Council
Parking Technology
9
‘Recommendations – Necessary’:
LS: Parking occupancy detection system (PODS) are available in a variety of models, including a fully
embedded version. PODS have not yet been challenged in court.
The Airport needs paid parking and once introduced may act as an example of a successful and effective
system.
Suggested strategy for parking at airport:
Top of the range parking meters: 4 machines at a cost of $40,000.
If fee is $1 ph the machines will be paid off in 6 months.
After that the $40,000 raised every 6 months can be utilised to improve parking-related infrastructure.
Options for enforcement in the city centre:
3 handheld readers at $9,000 should increase issue of infringement notices from 6 to 10 a day and would
then pay for themselves within a year.
PODS would cost around $150,000 and should pay for themselves in 2 years.
DS: Can Council use Section 94 money (currently at $200,000) to provide improved rather than
increased parking?
SG: Section 94 Plan would need to be re-written.
Larry Schneider will help to write any Tender Specifications. Finance options for purchases are available
due to competition amongst providers.
There should be no free time at the airport but a maximum daily fee should apply. The level of
enforcement will determine the level of compliance.
Action: Working Group to investigate if the car rental companies pay for car parking spaces as
part of their rental agreements
‘Recommendations – Desirable’
SG: Should Council introduce a Pay & Display system at the airport or look at an integrated parking
system with boom gates?
LS: An integrated system might eventually need to be installed, but the costs are 4 to 5 times as high as
a metered system.
The parking report will be discussed at a Council Workshop on 29 November 2010.
The meeting closed at 12.15 pm.
Stephen Gow
Director Planning and Environmental Services
11 November 2010
Report No. 002720
© ARRB Group Ltd 2010
Armidale Dumaresq Council
Parking Technology
10
ARMIDALE DUMARESQ COUNCIL
MEETING NOTE
DATE:
11 November 2010 at ADC Civic Administration Building
FILE NO:
A10/4950
SUBJECT: Second Parking Technology Brief
PRESENT:
Larry Schneider (Luxmoore Parking Consulting) - Presenter
Stephen Gow, Steve Sauer, Bernard Maurer, Janine Carson, Regina Hooper (Armidale Dumaresq
Council)
Lee McDougall (Media Liaison Officer)
Brett Varcoe (Centro)
Judy Brown (Armidale Plaza)
Roy Wheatley (IAC) and President of Armidale Chamber of Commerce
Briefing commenced at 1pm
Larry Schneider introduced himself to those attendees he had not met before and explained his task: to
investigate available technologies for regulating parking.
Then he spoke to the slides of a PowerPoint Presentation (TRIM ref.: I/2010/26041).
Most slides were self-explanatory but he elaborated on some:
‘Summary of July 2010 survey’: the statistics show that Armidale does not need metered parking in the
CBD at present but that it does need improved compliance with parking restrictions.
Ms Brown and Mr Varcoe requested a copy of the PowerPoint presentation to be able to have a closer
look at the numbers of the survey.
Mr Wheatley stated that Armidale needs improved signage for visitors and commuter car parks. He asked
if Luxmoore Parking was involved in the parking arrangement for Tamworth.
Mr Schneider replied that Luxmoore had not done the survey but had written the tender for the installation
of parking meters.
Mr Wheatley observed that the Tamworth parking strategy was not working.
Mr Schneider: Move signage from desirable to necessary recommendation.
Mr Gow: Use income from parking to improve infrastructure and signage.
Mr Schneider: How do businesses feel about paid parking at the airport?
Ms Brown: She personally approved of it.
Mr Wheatley: Paid parking is ok as long as there are visible benefits.
Mr Varcoe: How can Council improve uptake of more outlying parking areas? Can Council only improve
the infrastructure and hope that it will have the desired effect?
Mr Schneider: Possibly the best inducement would be the introduction of restricted and patrolled parking
in shopping centres.
The briefing closed at 2 pm.
Stephen Gow
Director Planning and Environmental Services
11 November 2010
Report No. 002720
© ARRB Group Ltd 2010
Armidale Dumaresq Council
Parking Technology
11
3.5 Parking at the Armidale Regional Airport
Parking demand at the Regional Airport is increasing and drivers are using open paddocks for parking
with apparent disregard for the designated short and long-term parking areas. A survey undertaken in
November 2010 noted that less than 6 spaces were vacant during the morning on Wednesday,
Thursday and Friday (3-5/11/2010) and at least 8 vehicles were parked outside the marked spaces.
The increased demand is due to a combination of reasons including:

increased airport passenger numbers*

additional demand has also arisen from other airport users such as car hire companies

additional employees parking at the airport

the car park is also understood to be being used for car pooling by road commuters.
*In the 2009/2010 year, passenger numbers at 99,254 showed a 4% increase on the previous years.
However in the 4 months July-October 2010, there has been an 8% increase in passengers compared
to the same period in 2009.
The Airport Manager advises that there are 105 public parking spaces plus 3 spaces for disabled
permit holders, 5 drop off spaces and 30 spaces for car rental companies. The public spaces are
regularly full, resulting in parking along the roadways and in nearby grassed open areas.
Demand for more and better parking at the Regional Airport will increase. This is confirmed by a
private sector enquiry to lease an area in order to provide approximately 100 spaces undercover.
There is also some pressure from the car rental companies for additional undercover spaces for both
storage and delivery.
Given past trends and especially if a further passenger carrier is reintroduced to the Airport (e.g. for a
Brisbane service), it appears that demand at the Regional Airport will increase and management
intervention is now urgently required.
Report No. 002720
© ARRB Group Ltd 2010
Armidale Dumaresq Council
Parking Technology
4
12
Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT)
After a review of documents available from Council, input at the stakeholder meeting and other meetings
with Council staff, as well as a comprehensive site visit in August 2010, the following issues are identified
in a SWOT analysis of parking supply and management in the Armidale CBD and at the Regional
Airport.
4.1 Strengths

There is currently an oversupply of parking in Armidale (excluding the Regional Airport)
incorporating on-street, at-grade, off-street and undercover parking.

Although a large proportion of this parking is privately owned (> 70%) it is generally available to
the public. The excess supply provided at the Centro and Coles shopping centres and at
Armidale Plaza provides a bonus of parking to the city centre.

Armidale has up-to-date data on the available parking supply on and off-street, and in privately
owned car parks.

Armidale has recently implemented a comprehensive survey of parking utilisation in the city centre.

Even at times of peak demand, there are still around 250 vacant parking spaces in the CBD,
(excluding another 239 in the Centro car park).
4.2 Weaknesses
This section is grouped into several categories:
Utilisation

The parking is not used effectively as many spaces (23%) close to the city centre are utilised for
long-term parking particularly by employees.

A high percentage of city employees use the undercover parking provided by the two shopping
centres and occupies a significant portion of the available spaces before 9am on weekdays.

Many spaces located within 400 m (less than a 5 minute walk) from the city centre (the GPO) are
infrequently used e.g. Rusden Street and Allingham/Beardy Street car park (Figure 2).
Report No. 002720
© ARRB Group Ltd 2010
Armidale Dumaresq Council
Parking Technology
13
Figure 2: Example of underutilisation
Figure 3 shows walking distances within 5 minutes (<400 m), 3 minutes (<200 m) and 2 minutes
(<100 m) of the Mall.
Report No. 002720
© ARRB Group Ltd 2010
Armidale Dumaresq Council
Parking Technology
14
Figure 3: Parking within a 5 minute walk of city centre
Report No. 002720
© ARRB Group Ltd 2010
Armidale Dumaresq Council
Parking Technology
4.2.1
15
Compliance

Due to outdated methods of enforcement and limited resources, the level of compliance is
unlikely to be high. The Ranger staff are compelled to use a labour intensive and inefficient tyre
chalking system, and thereafter, infringements are written out manually. Few councils still expect
their staff to use this obsolete system in high activity areas.

Enforcement cannot be undertaken for approximately 3 months of the year because of the
inability to chalk wet tyres.

Many users shift their cars when a Ranger is seen in the area.

Parking supply at the Regional Airport in particular is non-compliant because of the lack of any
parking management control.

Some shopping centres undermine Council’s efforts at effective enforcement because they do
not discourage long-term parking.
4.2.2

Information
The Council-owned car parks generally could present in a more customer-friendly manner with
positive instructions, clearly marked entry and exit points and some pedestrian pathways.
Compare the entry to the Jesse Street car park in Figure 4 with the entry to the Coles’ car park
in Figure 5.
Figure 4: Jesse Street car park
Report No. 002720
© ARRB Group Ltd 2010
Armidale Dumaresq Council
Parking Technology
16
Figure 5: Coles’ car park

Car park identification is lacking and there is little wayfinding signage to public parking (refer to
Figure 6).
Figure 6: No sign to entry to Cinders Lane

Signage at the car parks is poor - it does not identify each location and is sometimes unclear as
to which site the regulations apply (Figures 7 and 8).

The Council website can be improved in relation to messages about parking availability in the
CBD or at the Regional Airport. The Tamworth Regional Council website is clear and precise on
its parking5 and Newcastle City Council has an excellent brochure for download 6. Refer also to
Adelaide City Council’s website.7 Council has already started to examine this issue as a result of
this project.
5
6
7
http://www.tamworth.nsw.gov.au/Council/Parking/default.aspx
http://www.newcastle.nsw.gov.au/my_community/parking__and__transport
http://www.cityofadelaide.com.au/get-around/parking-in-the-city/upark.html
Report No. 002720
© ARRB Group Ltd 2010
Armidale Dumaresq Council
Parking Technology
17
Figure 7: Example of negative signage
Figure 8: Example of poor presentation of car parking
4.2.3
Additional supply

Council does not own land suitable for the construction of additional parking.

The current balance in the parking cash in lieu fund is less than $150,000. The fund is
comprised of developer contributions to Council under the NSW Environmental Planning and
Assessment Act where parking cannot be provided at a development site. Sub-section (3) of
Section 94 of the Act provides for a contribution towards provision or improvement of amenities
or services specifically the recoupment of the cost of providing the public amenities or public
services. It is intended to be used for developing parking facilities.

Council does not have sufficient funds (cash in lieu) to construct deck parking which would be at
a cost of more than $30,000 per bay (see details of parking costs in Section 5).

Very few end of trip facilities are provided for cyclists, although Council’s Parking Code now
requires such facilities in connection with new developments.
Report No. 002720
© ARRB Group Ltd 2010
Armidale Dumaresq Council
Parking Technology
18
4.3
Opportunities

Improved systems of enforcement will increase the level of compliance and thereby increase the
‘churn’ (turnover in use) of bays. This will improve the availability of short-term parking supply
close to the city centre.

Compliance technology will permit Council Rangers to provide a more comprehensive and
efficient service including improved monitoring at schools and, where required, the provision of
enforcement services at private car parks.

Council already charges $300 and $500 per annum for parking at Hanna’s multideck. The
principle of user pay could be extended to other highly utilised facilities such as Cinders Lane
and the Regional Airport.

Over time, parking income from fees charged at the Regional Airport can be used to expand
supply and upgrade and maintain the facilities including items such as improved lighting, and
possibly hail net cover to some bays, fencing and/or CCTV surveillance. The opportunity for
undercover parking is already being pursued by the private sector.

There are opportunities for Council to licence for a fee, long term undercover parking at
locations that are not suitable for short term parking, such as at Allingham Street. Income could
be utilised to upgrade parking facilities and provide covered parking.

The implementation of user pay parking in some on and off-street parking locations will not only
ensure more efficient use of the available parking supply, but will also generate income which
may be used by Council to upgrade car parks and improve pedestrian access, lighting and
security. The cost of these upgrades would otherwise be paid for from a restricted rates pool by
all ratepayers, some of whom do not drive. Rates expenditure also subsidises parking by
visitors from outside the local government area.

Intensification of use of some existing buildings requires more provision of spaces according to
Planning Regulations. This type of redevelopment could be encouraged if the parking provision
was relaxed. If the current parking supply in the immediate vicinity of a proposed development
was used more effectively, there would be more available parking capacity. In consequence,
discretion could be granted on current planning rates, possibly requiring less parking spaces
and therefore making a development more attractive for investors.

Pay parking improves compliance as the majority of users adhere to the time allocation for
which they have paid. This will force longer-term parkers into sites that are not time restricted or
monitored. This shift to uncontrolled parking will eventually encourage the private sector to
follow suit and either engage the Council to enforce, or introduce their own monitoring, or they
will charge unauthorised users. In all cases, the outcome will be the better use of available
parking supply, delaying the need to incur the cost of building more spaces.

Parking churn and the income from parking enforcement will increase with the use of new
technologies.

Increased parking-related revenue in the city centre would also enable the Council to establish a
dedicated income stream for CBD parking and transport infrastructure and thus reduce reliance
on rate revenue which has been reduced in real terms over time due to rate pegging.

Machine-controlled ticket and permit parking is well established and appears to be accepted by
staff, students and visitors at the nearby University of New England campus, where funds
obtained are dedicated for use in relation to parking facilities at the campus and their ongoing
maintenance and improvement.
Report No. 002720
© ARRB Group Ltd 2010
Armidale Dumaresq Council
Parking Technology
19
4.4 Threats

The continued provision of uncontrolled free parking by the shopping centres cannot be taken
for granted.

Increasing car ownership levels and the high level of car dependency for work trips.

The Regional Airport urgently needs more parking capacity. Unless this is provided, more and
more people will park their cars in unauthorised areas, including possibly on the adjacent
Highway verge.

There is a need to reduce risk to Council with better surfacing and lighting of some parking
facilities.

There is a lack of funds to upgrade parking facilities, wayfinding and general parking information
or provide more parking.

There is a risk of adverse reaction to the implementation of user pay parking if the community
and stakeholders are not kept fully informed during the investigation and review process. The
importance of early and ongoing communication about investigations into the supply and control
of parking cannot be overstated.
Report No. 002720
© ARRB Group Ltd 2010
Armidale Dumaresq Council
Parking Technology
5
20
Cost of providing parking
The supply of parking has both a direct and an opportunity cost.
following land area is required per parking space:
According to Rawlinsons 8 the
Table 3: Land area per car space
Type
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
Construction method
At-grade Parking Areas
Above Ground Parking Stations – 2 storeys
Above Ground Parking Stations – 3 storeys
Ground Level Under Croft Parking (3 storey office building)
Above Ground Parking Stations – 4 storey
Above Ground Parking Stations – 5 storey
Above Ground Parking Stations – 6 storey
Partially Underground Undercroft Parking (3 storey office building)
Underground Parking – 1 level
Underground Parking – 2 levels
Under Croft Parking – 2 levels (6 storey office building)
Land area per
car space
(m2)
35.70
14.60
9.73
32.00
7.10
6.58
4.73
32.00
32.00
16.00
16.00
The direct construction cost of providing an at-grade bay is at least $3,000 and probably higher in
regional NSW. The cost to construct deck parking is at least $34,000. 9 If a minimum land cost of
$500/m2 is assumed in the Armidale CBD and the cost of at-grade parking requires 35.7/m2 per bay
(inclusive of the necessary aisles, driveways and pedestrian areas), then the cost of replicating the 53
bay Cinders Lane car park would exceed $1.1 million.
Parking also has an opportunity cost in that it degrades the environment and warps urban form and
the land could be applied to alternative uses. A car park does not provide an attractive street-front.
Better use of existing parking supply instead of constructing additional parking is far easier, more
flexible and less expensive.
It should no longer be assumed that access to parking in the Armidale city centre will always be free.
8
9
Rawlinsons. Australian Construction Handbook 2009. Edition 27. Rawlhouse Publishing P/L, Perth. 2008
Rawlinsons. Australian Construction Handbook 2009. Edition 27. Rawlhouse Publishing P/L, Perth. 2008
Report No. 002720
© ARRB Group Ltd 2010
Armidale Dumaresq Council
Parking Technology
6
21
Technology trends and options
There are a large range of technology options available to achieve better parking compliance, parking
management and the more efficient use of parking areas. These are in addition to systems available
for the implementation of user pay parking. It is worthwhile to first consider the international direction
and trends in technologies associated with parking control.
6.1 The focus of new technologies
New technologies in parking management in the next few years will focus on 5 main functions:

Providing data which can be easily utilised to monitor parking volumes, duration, payments and
driver behaviour to enable more effective use of limited parking capacity.

Offering web based centralised interactive management available 24 hours a day.

Increased integration of parking space control with compliance.

Greater use of digital cameras and Licence Plate Recognition (LPR).

Providing parking guidance systems to reduce the time spent by motorists searching for a
vacant space.
In order to accommodate these functions, car parks and parking machines will all incorporate GPRS
and 3G10 technology where the internal modem is ‘live’ at all times and the transmission of data is fast
and inexpensive. The new communication technology permits the wireless transfer of substantial
amounts of data at any time and allows for control in a virtualised environment. Whether all of the data
will actually be utilised by parking providers is debatable, but a considerable amount of valuable data
is made available.
6.2 Centralised interactive management
New centralised management systems provide advanced databases which reconcile all financial
transactions and statistical data in a common report format, offering several parking management
solutions. Open-ended system architecture will allow further applications to be added easily and costeffectively, while providing an open interface for enforcement providers.
Management applications, databases and analytical tools will be used to facilitate a comprehensive
analysis of parking usage in real-time. They will be developed around 5 key areas of functionality:

Alternate Payment Processing (payment gateway to other financial systems for the processing
and reconciliation of electronic payments).

Asset Management (on-line fault reporting and routing, fault categorisation and histories,
equipment performance analysis, fault/revenue impact correlations).

Revenue Management (revenue trend reporting, audit, payment method breakdowns, statistical
reporting by volume, time of day, duration of stay, compliance and overstay).

Performance Management (maintenance services such as frequency of visit and time to repair
faults, regulatory services, cash collection services).

Driver behaviour patterns providing data for improved management of operating times,
restrictions, pricing and demand.
10
Refer to Section 1.1. Glossary of terms.
Report No. 002720
© ARRB Group Ltd 2010
Armidale Dumaresq Council
Parking Technology
22
Whereas previously, parking management tended to focus on contract compliance by the supplier and
maintenance provider, the new trend is towards effectively providing providers of controlled parking,
total visibility of their parking operation.
Firstly, there will be the opportunity for regular access to accurate and relevant business data.
Secondly, the data will be in easy to understand format which will be tailored to suit Council-specific
requirements. Thirdly, the financial data and reports will be compatible with different internal reporting
systems such as Council’s ‘Finance 1’ and ‘Pathway’ software systems. These elements will enable
Council to focus on different aspects of parking at different times and thereby optimise the operation
and control of its parking resources.
The benefits of using a centralised system will be the monitoring of the bays at all times that they are
being used and their performance, and the regular provision of software updates based on the
consolidated requests of several different providers. Additionally, the availability of continuity in
reporting will not be dependent on a few members of Council’s staff that ‘know the system’.
6.3 Integration of parking control with compliance
More efficient integration of compliance with time or user restricted zones or fee paying parking has
been implemented by parking equipment and software suppliers.
Currently pay and display parking meters provide a ticket which indicates that a parked vehicle has
either paid or not paid for the period of time parked, or is authorised to be parked in that zone. Once
this is checked by physical inspection, a compliance officer uses another type of technology to issue
an infringement. Often, a third software program is required to process and follow-up the payment of
the infringement. Trials are being undertaken and development is fairly advanced to provide a parking
meter which automatically generates a wireless advice to compliance staff when a vehicle has
overstayed its paid-up time. This advice may stem from the meter itself such as a multibay meter
which resets itself to zero each time a driver pushes a bay number, or from a link with an in-ground
sensor often known as a POD, a Parking Occupancy Detection device or a Vehicle Detection System
(VDS) (refer to Section 6.4).
Compliance staff will still be required to attend the vehicle, but an integrated system will allow quicker
notification of unauthorised parking and much speedier issue of the infringement notice as the
infringement hardware and software will seamlessly communicate with a meter if this is installed.
Digital photography will assist with quick insertion of the vehicle’s colour, model and registration
number onto the notice, thus reducing the time spent by staff at the parked vehicle. The third step to
improve efficiency in this process will be the immediate wireless transfer of the infringement details to
a database which automatically generates the infringement notice. This need not be delayed until the
infringement officer returns and downloads the data.
It is further anticipated that the vehicle owner’s email details will eventually be made available to
authorised parties; only privacy issues need to be resolved for this to occur. When this is
implemented, the owner can be sent an electronic infringement notice within a few minutes of the fine
being issued. It is therefore conceivable for a driver to receive an infringement notice by email before
the driver even returns to their vehicle. The driver will then be able to pay it on-line, and may be
motivated to pay early by the offer of a discount.
6.4 Parking occupancy detection systems
Commonly known as PODS or VDS, these products detect vehicles in parking bays by using magnetic
fields, infrared or sonar beams. They are battery powered and send data to a central computer which
can identify the parking space, together with its associated time restrictions and the commencement
time when the vehicle arrived. The software will then calculate when occupancy has exceeded the
particular restriction applicable and will issue a warning to another machine carried by a Ranger, such
as a handheld infringement device or mobile phone. If the Ranger is within the vicinity, action can be
taken quickly instead of merely relying on a routine patrol.
Report No. 002720
© ARRB Group Ltd 2010
Armidale Dumaresq Council
Parking Technology
23
The major advantage of PODS is where time restrictions apply but meters are not installed. The
technology eliminates the laborious task of chalking tyres. Rangers do not need trips to an offending
vehicle as the PODS confirm the time when the vehicle first arrived.
By providing real-time information on vehicles that have exceeded allowable time limits, PODS not
only increase the effectiveness of enforcement, but better facilitate the management and turnover of
available parking spaces.
Many successful trials of PODS have been undertaken in Australia and other countries. Problems in
the field are being resolved, and the cost per space is gradually falling below the current capital cost of
$450. The legality of infringements based solely on the wireless data transferred by the PODS has yet
to be tested in court.
6.5 Mobile licence plate recognition
Vehicles with LPR cameras offer another means of ensuring compliance and the ability to issue
infringements for contravention of regulations. This technology can be applied to time-restricted
parkers, or to other users such as taxis, or drivers in school zones. It is often used at remote parking
areas such as airports where a daily drive past will show registration numbers that have parked for
more than a given period.
6.6 Alternative payment systems
The current options available in Australia for payment at parking meters include coin, note, credit card,
smart card and mobile phone. All of these are used by different providers and councils. With minor
exceptions, the different systems work accurately and reliably; however, their popularity among users
varies considerably.
Coin payment is mandatory for all on-street meters and constitutes the major means of payment. It is
reliable and easily understood, but requires regular and laborious cash collection, plus the additional
cost of coin counting. This cost can be as high as $600 per meter per annum.
Bank note readers are only popular where fees are high e.g. above $5 per hour, or where long-stay
parking will cost more than $10 such as at an airport. The bank note readers are an expensive option.
When new, they add additional cost of approximately $1,800 (20%) to the price of the standard meter.
Credit card usage is growing in popularity and most providers of paid parking report that an
increasing number of all parking payments are made by credit card and the number of transactions is
increasing each month. Credit card payment is easy to understand and use. It is more convenient for
drivers, as they do not have to worry about having the right change to pay for parking. The majority of
drivers and students carry a credit card.
Processing of credit card payments is available in two methods: either batched or on-line.
The batched system stores the credit card information in each meter and downloads it to a server on
a scheduled basis (nightly or weekly). Transaction speed for the parker at the meter is several
seconds faster than with the on-line system as batching does not require a connection to a remote
server or a clearing house.
The on-line system is more secure, as no information is kept in the meter. Fraud is eliminated as the
blacklists are kept up to date by a clearing house; therefore the card is checked against live data.
Neither system is perfect. The need for simple and quick customer service needs to be balanced
against the potential penalty fees that may be incurred for reversing invalid credit card payments.
Organisations that currently provide credit card payment at parking meters are split approximately
60:40 in favour of on-line verification. Some of the meter suppliers promote the on-line method as
Report No. 002720
© ARRB Group Ltd 2010
Armidale Dumaresq Council
Parking Technology
24
being much more secure, but they have a vested interest as the system allows them to generate the
additional fees.
It is recommended that Armidale introduce credit card payment if parking meters are implemented.
Smart card usage is popular as an alternative form of identification and payment. Commuters who
prepay for their parking at a fixed rate per week/month can use their smart card to identify themselves
to the machine, and if that card is authorised for that zone or that operating time, the machine will
issue a ticket. Smart cards can also be allocated to special users such as disabled drivers.
Mobile phone payment options are offered by several meter suppliers as well as many specialist
m-commerce payment companies. It is unlikely that any single system will become the universal
standard in Australia. The main drawback is the requirement for pre-registration and linking the mobile
phone with a credit card (the fee is not attached to the user’s mobile phone account). As most meters
that offer payment via mobile phone also offer credit card, it is faster, easier and more convenient for a
parker to use a credit card.
The implementation of this option at Armidale is not recommended due to the fees and complexities
involved in implementing this technology, and the low return on the investment.
6.7 Other methods of payment
Web-based payment schemes, including digital permits and on-line tickets are available for certain
types of user e.g. for drivers attending a pre-booked event.
Disposable and rechargeable e-purse cards will become popular as they can be used to create a
range of tailored parking solutions, e.g. for drivers who need to visit the hospital regularly over a
defined period.
While all of these non-cash options will be available, the popularity of their use will depend on public
acceptance and the commonality of use across many parking providers. For example if the proposed
NSW transit card becomes widely accepted as a means of payment for parking at many councils, train
stations and at private parking stations, there may be an opportunity for Armidale to implement it.
As many of these options will require expansion of software rather than adjustment of hardware, it will
not be difficult to add the capability of these options to parking meters at a later stage. Suppliers
regularly upgrade and update their products. Retro-compatibility is usually incorporated in supply
contracts.
6.8 Pay and display versus pay by space
Best practice on street parking technology in Australia is the ‘pay and display’ ticket parking machine
system that uses solar powered batteries with wireless communication to a Communication and
Management System (CMS).
However, there are some councils that have installed ‘pay by space’ whereby the driver inserts their
bay number into the machine and then makes a payment.
Pay and display and pay by space is compared in Table 4.
Report No. 002720
© ARRB Group Ltd 2010
Armidale Dumaresq Council
Parking Technology
25
Table 4: Pay and display versus pay by space
Advantages
Pay and
display
Disadvantages
Paid time overlap (> 10% revenue)
Extra walking distance
Unlimited layout of spaces
Uses more paper
Spaces need not be marked
Automatic issue of receipt (ticket)
Easily relocated /expanded to additional spaces
Alternatives available if a machine is not
working
Can be used on and off street
Easily understood by the public
Less queries on infringements
More detailed transaction data available
from every ticket issued
Pay by
space
Shorter walking distance
Overlap is used, unless machine resets to zero
Paperless, more environmentally friendly
Restricted number of spaces
Less moving parts therefore less
maintenance
Spaces must be marked and numbered
Quicker for enforcement
Inconvenient to relocate
Receipt can be generated on demand
No alternative if a machine is not working
Not used off street
Confusing for some parkers especially elderly
Bay numbering requires maintenance
Fixed fee structure encourages overlap
Pay and display is recommended as preferable for a location such as Armidale city centre because:

many streets have unmarked parking spaces

the same system can be used in off-street, at-grade car parks

the paid parking overlap will generate more revenue

if a machine is not working, drivers may use alternative nearby machines

a receipt (for tax, credit card and FBT records) is automatically generated

there is greater clarity of the paid parking time for drivers who query an infringement

local and international tourists and older drivers are generally more familiar with this method
than pay by space.
Report No. 002720
© ARRB Group Ltd 2010
Armidale Dumaresq Council
Parking Technology
26
6.9 Pay by plate technology
Successful trials have recently occurred in Brisbane where drivers insert their vehicle registration
number onto a touchpad instead of a bay number or a request for a ticket. The system saves time and
the cost of consumables, unless a receipt is required.
It is important to note that pay by plate technology can significantly impact the operational efficiency of
parking enforcement staff. Firstly, it is extremely difficult for a parking Ranger to know the location of a
vehicle that has not paid or whose time has expired. Though the machine may confirm that the paid
time has finished there is no indication as to where that vehicle is parked and therefore the Ranger
may need to search for the vehicle. Secondly, the system may require the Ranger to enter the
number plate of every vehicle in the street to ascertain whether it is legally or illegally parked. Even
using a PDA, this is extremely time consuming. The only way to have an effective pay by plate
technology is to incorporate real-time integration of mobile licence plate recognition technology.
6.10 Enforcement devices
Infringement hardware and software has become increasingly sophisticated allowing speedy electronic
issuing of infringements and uploading for processing. Smaller and lighter devices make it more
flexible for enforcement officers and allow for the input of supplementary information. This improves
efficiency and eliminates data transcription errors.
Some of the benefits available include:

multiple lists to select data from – saving time

photos attached automatically to infringement

photo date and time stamped

barcode reader to read permit barcodes

integration with permit database

printer integrated with PDA so only one piece of equipment to carry

satellite determination of location of the officer thus allowing automatic population of data into
the ticket.
6.11 Issues for consideration
For Armidale there are several important issues for consideration prior to embracing any of these
sophisticated systems for parking enforcement, pay parking and permit use, namely:

Will products be available for purchase individually or as a packaged solution that compels
Armidale to use only one supplier and therefore have ‘all its eggs in one basket’?

Will products purchased individually have the capability of being integrated with other products
at a later date? A purchase from one supplier would be expected to ensure seamless
integration but the suppliers often source products and software from different manufacturers.

Will it become difficult to trial or tender for hardware or software that is not totally compatible
with another type of data application in Armidale’s overall system?

As Armidale may become solely dependent on one supplier for all elements of parking
management and infringement control including software upgrades, maintenance and overall
Report No. 002720
© ARRB Group Ltd 2010
Armidale Dumaresq Council
Parking Technology
27
reporting, the supplier’s ongoing ability to provide a high level of after-sales service and support
to Armidale will be critical.

What is a reasonable level of sophistication required in Armidale in the next 1-10 years?

What options are available to Armidale to fund the technology out of income generated?

The most important restriction for Armidale is that in NSW, only machines and suppliers that
have been approved by the RTA (in the case of pay parking machines) and by the SDRO (in the
case of infringement machines) may be purchased and used by local authorities.
6.12 Regional Airport
The two options for the introduction of pay parking at the Regional Airport are pay in advance using
pay and display machines as described in Section 6.8. The driver walks to a machine and pays for a
period of time and then places a ticket on the car dashboard. This system however requires regular
and continuing enforcement patrols.
The second option is to introduce boomgate control with payment in arrears, whereby the driver
takes a ticket on entry and pays just prior to returning to the vehicle.
The pay in arrears/boomgate system is considerably more expensive (approximately $200,000 for a
single entry and single exit lane) compared to $40,000 for four pay and display machines. Additionally
a boomgate system has a high ongoing maintenance cost and is prone to more vandalism.
It is recommended that further investigation is undertaken to determine the best technology option for
the Regional Airport.
6.13 Investment, financing and payback
Funding for parking enforcement or payment equipment can be undertaken in different ways including
upfront payment, leasing and payment out of income earned. Suppliers are very willing to
accommodate different options and will suggest some of their own. While it is not necessary for
Council to fund the purchase with an upfront payment, common terms are:

30% deposit

60% after installation

10% at the end of a 24 month defect liability period.
The payback on enforcement machines, or parking meters, or boomgates, or PODS is dependent on
the purchase and recurrent costs, but more particularly on the fees to be charged and the net income
received. Generally, payback on parking meters is within six months, enforcement systems within one
year and within two to three years for boomgate systems.
Report No. 002720
© ARRB Group Ltd 2010
Armidale Dumaresq Council
Parking Technology
7
28
Parking regulation and enforcement in NSW
7.1 Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA) Guidelines
In New South Wales the Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA) has mandatory pay parking guidelines.11
These guidelines:
‘provide the policy and operational framework within which parking authorities may
establish and operate pay parking schemes on roads and road related areas….It outlines
aspects of responsibility, planning, pricing principles, establishment, operation, approval
process, signs and markings, funding and enforcement.’ (p.1)
Enforcement is detailed in the guidelines to be undertaken through the issuing of an infringement
notice and the administration of these infringements is undertaken by the State Debt Recovery Office.
State Treasury sets the parking infringement amounts.
The pay parking guidelines provide a list of requirements of Councils when implementing paid parking
schemes or Vehicle Detection Systems (VDS). One of these is to seek approval from the RTA before
implementing pay parking technology.
The RTA also has a list of approved devices which are provided on its website and are tabulated
below. Any machine that is not listed can be submitted for approval by the RTA.
Table 5: Roads and Traffic Authority of NSW Approved Parking Meter Technology
Manufacturer /
Distributor
Cale
CDS
CHS
Epark Australia
Hectronic
Parkeon / APARC
(Australian Parking
& Revenue Control)
Model Name / Number
Approved Payment Options
MP101 ticket parking machine
MP102 ticket parking machine
CDS P&D ticket parking machine
EZIPark Classic ticket parking machine
EZIPark Global ticket parking machine
EZIPark Metro ticket parking machine
Easypark Smart Card ticket parking
device
PA2 ticket parking machine
PA2 CITEA SMART ticket parking
machine
Strada ticket parking machine
Strada BNA ticket parking machine
Coin
Coin
Coin + credit card + mobile phone
Coin
Coin + credit card + mobile phone
Coin + credit card
Cash (coin + notes) + credit card +
smart card
Coin + credit card + smart card
Coin + credit card + smart card
Strada Rapide ticket parking machine
Reino
Vialis
11
Stelio ticket parking machine
Stelio contact-less ticket parking machine
RMV1 digital multibay parking meter
RSV2 digital multibay parking meter
RSV3 digital multibay parking meter
PSA 2000 ticket parking machine
MX ticket parking machine
ViaPark ticket parking machine
Coin + credit card + mobile phone
Coin + Note + credit card + mobile
phone + smart card
Coin + credit card + mobile phone +
smart card
Coin + credit card + mobile phone
Coin + smart card
Coin + credit card + mobile phone
Coin + credit card + mobile phone
Coin + credit card + mobile phone
Coin + credit card + mobile phone
Coin + credit card + mobile phone
Coin
Roads and Traffic Authority pay parking guidelines (June 2009).
Report No. 002720
© ARRB Group Ltd 2010
Armidale Dumaresq Council
Parking Technology
29
7.2 State Debt Recovery Office approved parking enforcement devices
The Manager, Commercial Client Relationships of the NSW State Debt Recovery Office (SDRO) has
advised that although the following list of 5 suppliers only may be contacted for purchase and use of
their devices in NSW, the CIVICA devices have not passed testing approval yet.
Table 6: SDRO NSW Approved Parking Enforcement Suppliers
SDRO vendor contacts - handheld devices October 2010
Organisation
Address
Phone
Lorraine Denham
(Melbourne Office)
L5, 355 Spencer Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
(03) 9320 9000
LDenham@data.com.au
Sandy Del Papa
Project Director
Daryl Marshall
Senior Account Mgr
Level 2, 230 Victoria Road
Gladesville NSW 2111
(Sydney Office)
(03) 9320 9000
0407 881 061
0423 187 027
sdelpapa@data.com.au
Reino International
known as
Duncan Solutions
Brian McGovern
Technical Advisor
Grant Dobson
Client Manager
15/39 Herbert Street
St Leonards NSW 2065
(02) 9432 0504
brian.mcgovern@reino.com.au
(02) 9432 0595
0439 750 439
grant.dobson@duncansolutions.com
Schweers International
Stephan Meiser
GERMANY
Arunas Blandis
Director
24 Carlton St Arncliffe 2205
02 9567 7100
0424 041 568
arunas@SchweersAustralia.com
Wilson
Technology Solutions
Brian Rogers
Parking Compliance Mgr
97 Cook Street
Port Melbourne VIC 3207
1300 367 359
brogers@wilsontechsolutions.com.au
CIVICA Pty Ltd
Alan Reid
Account Manager
Level 10
163-175 O'riordan St
Mascot 2020
02 8324 3000
0438 590 939
areid@civica.com.au
Database Consultants
Australia (DCA)
Contact Name
Email
dmarshall@data.com.au
T:+49 (0)160 743 1329 stephan.meiser@schweers.com
Report No. 002720
© ARRB Group Ltd 2010
Armidale Dumaresq Council
Parking Technology
8
30
Comparative review
8.1 Comparison of parking regulation and enforcement at four NSW councils
The regulation and enforcement of parking was researched at four different NSW councils currently
using modern parking management technology. These are:

Tamworth Regional Council – located in inland NSW with a population over 57,000

Newcastle City Council – located by the beach with a population of approximately 142,000

Coffs Harbour City Council – located on the mid north coast with a population of 71,000

Wollongong City Council – located 80 km south of Sydney near the sea with a population of
approximately 200,000.
Table 8 ovreleaf details information provided for each of the four councils covering various aspects of
parking regulation and enforcement including:

parking management

parking technologies – software and hardware

parking fees and times

parking enforcement

turnover and revenue

satisfaction and issues.
Parking fees at some regional airports were also examined as per Table 7. It is recommended that
similar detailed comparisons of parking management, operations and technologies be carried out at
Ballina, Coffs Harbour, Dubbo, Port Macquarie and Newcastle Airports.
Table 7: Parking fees at NSW regional airports
Airport
Public parking
Restrictions / notes
Ballina
0 - 2 hrs
all day
$2
$4
FREE for local residents
Coffs Harbour
0 - 1 hrs
per day
per week
24 hrs
$2
$12
$66
$16
$2 per hour thereafter
Dubbo Secure Parking
per day
per week
$8
$48
Port Macquarie
0 - 2 hrs
24 hrs
per week
FREE
$15
$70
After 7 days fees are capped at $5 per day
0 - 1 hr
2 hrs
4 hrs
per day
5 days
$4
$7
$13
$22
$100
After 5 days fees are capped at $20 per day
Security undercover car park
Newcastle
After 7 days fees are capped at $6 per day
Report No. 002720
© ARRB Group Ltd 2010
Armidale Dumaresq Council
Parking Technology
31
Table 8: Comparison of parking regulation and enforcement of four cities in New South Wales
Who from Council
manages parking?
Does Council have parking
meters?
What type of parking
meters does Council use?
What was the date of
installation?
Who is the manufacturer or
distributor?
What is the make and
model?
What are the payment
options?
Tamworth Regional Council
Newcastle City Council
Coffs Harbour City Council
Wollongong City Council
Regional Services – install
machines, asset owner
Environmental and Economic
Planning Department
Compliance Division –
enforcement
Finance Department - cash
collection
yes
City Assets – install
machines, asset owners
Liveable Cities - compliance
Regulation - compliance
Property team - tenders,
asset owners
Regulation and Enforcement
– compliance
yes
no
yes
Pay and Display
Upgraded because an
independent audit of the
previous meters found that
maintenance costs were
increasing and revenue was
decreasing
1965 – first meters
1993 - 44 Reino multibay
21 April 2008 – Pay and
Display
Wilson Equipment
Pay and Display to
supersede Multibay by mid
October 2010
Upgraded because fewer
machines are needed, don’t
need bay markings and
people get proof of purchase
1957 – first meters
1998 to 2010 – Pay and
Display
Pay and Display
Duncan Solutions
Duncan Solutions
Hectronic – 24 months
warranty, tech in Sydneyselected streets in CBD –
main street beautification in
1993 – removed parking
machines over 3 blocks
Coins only
Expected use by credit card
to be minimal
30 CHS Global, 270 Reino
MX
Previous machines - DG4, 5
Reino RSV1 multibay, 100
CHS Global
Reino MX
Credit card or coins
Credit card charge 0.75% of
parking fee
Credit card or coins
minimum credit card charge
of $1
March 2010
Report No. 002720
© ARRB Group Ltd 2010
Armidale Dumaresq Council
Parking Technology
32
Tamworth Regional Council
Newcastle City Council
Can the machines vary
fees for events?
Council has chosen to leave
the fees the same
Do the parking meters
have wireless
communication?
What power source do the
meters use?
What are the parking meter
software management and
reporting options?
GSM
It is possible with Duncan
Solutions assistance but has
not been utilised
GPRS, some on GSM which
are to be converted to 3G
(real time)
Solar powered
It is possible with Duncan
Solutions assistance but not
required yet
Yes – unsure which system
Duncan Solutions –ReinoNet
Meter Management System
Council can see out of
service or faulty meters and
Duncan Solutions sends
technician
What is the cost per meter
including installation?
What are the whole of life
costs including
maintenance and
communications costs?
$8000 in 2008
$9200 in 2010
10 years life span expected
with replacement of coin
validator and printers,
minimal maintenance
Contract for weekly cash
collection
Wilson contracted for
quarterly planned
maintenance schedule for
first two years, now twice a
year
29
Duncan Solutions –
ReinoNet Meter
Management System
Council can see flag for
service or faulty meters and
Duncan Solutions sends
technician
$9300 inc. GST
Depreciate over 5 years
$3,500/year/machine –
communications,
maintenance and cash
collection
5 years service contract
Tomax contracted for cash
collection
289
141
Unsure
11 meters
Unsure - spaces in council
car park multi-storey, few
smaller car parks
How many on-street
meters?
How many off-street
meters for how many
spaces?
Solar powered
Wilson’s software runs with
Windows XP – can see when
machines are low on tickets,
battery warning, how much
money is in meter
4 parking areas (approx 300
spaces)
6 meters
Coffs Harbour City Council
Wollongong City Council
Solar powered
Information not provided
Report No. 002720
© ARRB Group Ltd 2010
Armidale Dumaresq Council
Parking Technology
33
Tamworth Regional Council
Newcastle City Council
Parking rates: on-street
$0.70/hr – 2P, 4P and all day
One street in low demand
area near park – $0.70/hr or
$2/day
1P/2P/4P Mon-Sat $2.30,
Sun $1.50
10P M-Sat $2.30 or $5.50,
Sun $1.50 or $5.50, or M-F
$7.50
Parking rates: off-street
$0.70/hr
$2 all day
$50/month from Council
Customer Service
1/2P M-F, $1.50
2P or 4P M-Sat $2.30, Sun
$1.50
Parking rates: Parking
Stations
When do parking
restrictions apply?
M-F 8:30am - 6:00pm
Sat 8:30am - 12:30pm
When do parking meters
operate?
Is there any free on-street
parking?
Is there any free off-street
parking?
What is the customer
expected to do when the
parking meter is out of
order?
Prepay from 4:00am
1/4P, 1P, 2P, 4P and all day
yes
Machine advises customer –
Coin payment not possible,
please use other machine.
1hr - $2.10 up to 8hrs $13.60, 7:00am – 7:00pm
Weekly tickets and other
options available
CBD: M-F 9:00am – 5:00pm,
Foreshore: 7 days 9:00am 5:00pm
M-F 9:00 – 5:00pm
Sat 9:00-1:00pm CBD, 9:005:00pm wharf
Prepay from 4:00am
Saturdays and one section of
city centre
no
Time limits still apply, if
possible use another machine
and report fault to Duncan
Solutions Customer Service
(number provided on meter)
Coffs Harbour City Council
Wollongong City Council
From 13 September – prorata system instead of flat fee
of $2 (March 2010)
1/2P- $1.50, 1P- $2.00, 2P$2.00, 3P- $2.25, minimum
fee 40c
From 13 September – prorata system instead of flat fee
of $2 from March
2P- $2.00, 3P- $2.25, 4P (not
introduced yet) - $3.00,
minimum fee 40c
High Demand areas: 24
hours
M-F: 6:00am-6:00pm
Sat: 8:00am-12:30pm
M-F 8:30am to 4:30pm
Sat – free but time limits
apply 8:30am to 12:30pm
M-F 9:00am - 4:30pm
Was Saturday mornings but
switched
Prepay from 4:00am
15P to 4P
1/P free zones – 43
increased recently to 70
Not in CBD
yes
Customer advised to use next
meter in same time zone and
report fault to Duncan
Solutions Customer Service
(number provided on meter)
Report No. 002720
© ARRB Group Ltd 2010
Armidale Dumaresq Council
Parking Technology
34
Tamworth Regional Council
Newcastle City Council
Coffs Harbour City Council
Wollongong City Council
How many FTE parking
Rangers are there at
Council?
2 parking Rangers
12 parking officers
2.5 maintenance officers
8 parking Rangers
What enforcement devices
do the Parking Rangers
use?
(software and hardware)
Hand written infringement
notices, chalking of tyres
Autocite X3 changing to AIPDA – smaller, lighter
Autocite.net to access data
and reports
2 parking Rangers for CBD 3 days a week with one day
overlap
4 parking Rangers outside
the CBD
Ruggedized Nomad by
Database Consultants
Australia – quite large
Pinforce software
Are you satisfied with your
current parking
technology?
Very satisfied
Machines were switching on
or off by themselves – similar
in Cairns. No solution, only
rarely occurs
What changes would you
make to the machines e.g.
fees, times?
The new machines are taller
which stops vandalism of the
solar panel
Trial New Parking Zones to
maximise CBD spaces with
better and cheaper all day
parking
Fees reviewed annually.
What increase have you
seen in parking turnover,
usage since installation of
parking devices?
Changing from $0.70/hr - 4P
area to $0.70/hr up to $2/day
- all day area increased
usage but reduced turn-over
Duncan Solutions is very
responsive with excellent
after sales service.
Reino is good quality.
Problem where validator
doesn’t like gold coins
sometimes
Possible paid parking in CBD
civic centre and foreshore/
restaurant area till 9:00pm
Possibility of charging less
for credit card to encourage
usage. Currently not allowed
two different tariff schedules
based on payment types
Annual fee increase
considering parking station
fees and proximity to activity
centres
Huge impact on turnover, the
CBD was 2P parking now
with parking machines the
shop owners no longer park
outside their business.
Bluebird Pidion BIP-600
(rugged option) with
Pinforce software
Reino devices are good with
great support from software
company. Problem with coin
recognition sometimes where
a delay in inserting coins
locks out for a time period.
Pinforce system is great
Changes have just been
made to time zones 2P to 3P
zones and 1P to 2P zones
based on customer
satisfaction
No planned fee increases
Quiet months initially –
starting to pick up. All day
parkers were the worst.
Disabled permits popping up
Report No. 002720
© ARRB Group Ltd 2010
Armidale Dumaresq Council
Parking Technology
What ongoing issues does
Council have with parking
regulation and
enforcement?
Has compliance grown
since installation of
parking meters?
Has there been an increase
in revenue with the
installation of parking
meters?
35
Tamworth Regional Council
Newcastle City Council
Coffs Harbour City Council
Wollongong City Council
Council is currently having a
parking study undertaken to
ensure that Council's existing
parking generally meets the
needs of motorists and those
who work in the CBD
Previous machines were
playing up so compliance
was reducing. New machines
have improved this situation
Reductions in parking fees
have seen inconsistent
patterns in revenue
Some confusion from
customers during the
transition from old meters to
newer meters
Parking meters would help
with efficiency but convincing
Councillors will be difficult
None at this stage – meters
are relatively new
Infringement notices haven’t
declined but more parking
machines have been
installed
Definitely. Infringement
notices are being issued
more on city fringe parking is
free
Detail not available but it is
expected to increase as the
public start to use the meters
Report No. 002720
© ARRB Group Ltd 2010
Armidale Dumaresq Council
Parking Technology
9
36
Conclusions
The following summarises the current and future effects of parking supply and demand in Armidale if
no action is taken. Many of the conclusions indicate a result which is contrary to the objectives of
parking as set out in Council’s 30 August 2010 Public Parking Policy. (The relevant objectives are
shown in italics).
1.
Current practice is unsustainable
Although the supply of parking in Armidale’s city centre exceeds demand except on rare
occasions, current parking practice in Armidale is unsustainable in the long-term as the major
providers of short-term parking, the two shopping centres, will increasingly look towards
reserving the use of their bays for bona-fide shoppers and will introduce systems to preclude
long term parkers especially those that work elsewhere in the city centre.
Objective - implement suitable technology to support regulation of safe and compliant parking
practices.
2.
Low level of compliance
The time restrictions on parking in Council and privately owned car parks will be increasingly
abused because of the low level of enforcement due to the labour intensive and outdated
(inefficient and ineffective) practices currently used by Council’s small but dedicated team of
Rangers.
Objective - ensure that local law enforcement officers have the necessary skills and resources
to undertake parking surveillance duties.
3.
Available land resources
Council does not own land that is suitable to be converted to parking. Any additional parking will
require purchase of land or the construction of deck parking. This is a problem in the CBD due
to limitations of heritage listed buildings or existing structures.
4.
Cost of parking
The cost of providing additional parking that is likely to be used by unauthorised parkers may
be a disincentive to private developers. No owner will charge for parking while their property is
surrounded by free, largely non-compliant parking. Additionally, the cost of upgrading existing
parking facilities must be met by all ratepayers unless direct users of the parking pay a fee.
5.
Security
Some car parks and some on-street parking within a 400 m radius of the Post Office are seldom
used by female commuters, because the parking and the pedestrian routes to/from the city
centre are not perceived as safe.
Objective - public safety considerations will be paramount.
Objective - safe and effective vehicle parking spaces are provided to meet the varying needs of
users including consumers, business operators, employees, residents, visitors and service
providers.
6.
Regional Airport
Parking demand at the Regional Airport is growing and demand often exceeds supply. There is
no incentive for Regional Airport parkers to comply with indistinguishable short and long term
zones. When spaces are not available, drivers will continue to park in unmarked and
unsurfaced areas. If Council does not expand and upgrade the parking facilities, the private
sector will supply and cater to some of this demand.
Report No. 002720
© ARRB Group Ltd 2010
Armidale Dumaresq Council
Parking Technology
7.
37
Pay parking
Pay parking exists only at one Council monthly tenant car park despite short-term, pay parking
and permit-based zoned parking being prevalent and accepted at the nearby university campus.
Objective - pursue a more sustainable approach to the recovery of costs for the provision,
maintenance and regulation of public parking facilities.
Report No. 002720
© ARRB Group Ltd 2010
Armidale Dumaresq Council
Parking Technology
38
10 Recommendations
These are separated into necessary and desirable categories.
Necessary

Increase availability of short-term on-street and off-street car parking located within 200 m of the
Mall by introducing VDS/PODS (Figure 9).
Figure 9: Walking distances from city centre

Improve effectiveness of compliance with parking restrictions by purchasing new technology
approved by SDRO.

Implement a zone-based pay for parking system for short and long-term visitor parking at the
Regional Airport and a permit system for Regional Airport staff.

Allocate the net income from pay parking at the Regional Airport to upgrade parking facilities at
the Regional Airport including lighting, signage and pedestrian access. Use the Regional Airport
to illustrate the effect of the benefits that can occur from the implementation of user pay parking.
This will include not only additional availability of spaces as a result of more ‘churn’, but will also
extend to upgrades to the lighting, security and pedestrian access to the car park utilising the
next income generated from pay parking. It is easier and less expensive to make better use of
existing parking capacity by bone fide users, than to construct additional bays.
Report No. 002720
© ARRB Group Ltd 2010
Armidale Dumaresq Council
Parking Technology

39
Introduce consistent and informative wayfinding and car park location and instructional signs
which guide drivers to available parking. For example, Parramatta Council has implemented a
parking wayfinding system consistently across the city for all Council and privately operated
parking facilities. This incorporates a hierarchy of signs guiding parkers from major arterial roads,
through to specific precincts, and then directly to the car parks. It has been applied by the
Parramatta Council to all public parking facilities, whether privately operated or not (Figure 10).
Primary direction
Secondary direction
Building sign
Figure 10: Examples of the Parramatta suite of wayfinding signs
Desirable

Upgrade Council-owned off-street car parks with improved lighting and pedestrianisation to
improve the attractiveness of the sites.

Offer long term parking licences for a fee at locations which are not suitable for short term
parking.

Implement positive messages about parking availability in the city centre by providing practical,
easy to use information about parking access and availability on the Council’s website.

Continue to survey the utilisation of parking at least every three years, but incorporate into the
survey the assessment of peak demand time, vacant spaces, duration of stay and level of
compliance.

In areas of the city centre where parking demand regularly exceeds 75%, by parkers who
comply with posted time restrictions, give consideration to implementation of pay parking.

Offer more effective compliance services to private parking owners.
Report No. 002720
© ARRB Group Ltd 2010
Armidale Dumaresq Council
Parking Technology
40
11 Prioritised action plan (with estimated costs)
Task
Action by
Estimated cost
1
Formal Council endorsement of proposal
Q1 2011
Nil
2
Undertake comparative analysis of parking management at
nearby airports
Q1 2011
Nil
3
Comply with all RTA requirements
Q2 2011
Nil
4
Comparative valuation of pay and display or boomgate
options for Regional Airport
Q2 2011
$4,000
4a
Improve Council’s website on parking availability
Q2 2011
$TBA
5
Issue RFT for new enforcement hardware and software
Q2 2011
$5,000
6
Evaluate RFT submissions
Q3 2011
$7,000
7
Issue RFT for equipment for Regional Airport
Q3 2011
$5,000
8
Supply and training of new enforcement technology
Q4 2011
$35,000
8a
Carry out investigation into design and implementation of
informative pedestrian and parking wayfinding signage
Q4 2011
$TBA
9
Evaluate RFT submissions for Regional Airport
Q4 2011
$9,000
10
Supply and install equipment at Regional Airport
Pay and Display meters ($40,000)
Pay in arrears boom gate system ($200,000)
Q1 2012
$40,000 $200,000
11
Supply and install PODS in approx 500 city centre bays
Q2 2012
$225,000
Report No. 002720
© ARRB Group Ltd 2010
Armidale Dumaresq Council
Parking Technology
APPENDICES
41
12 Appendix 1 – High-level requirements for an infringement issue
and management system
The following sets out specific provisions and requirements that are necessary for any council to
consider when purchasing digital enforcement equipment.
12.1 Built into handhelds

thermal printer

camera (minimum 3 mega pixels)

bar code printing/scanning

full alpha-numeric keyboard

illuminated keypad capability

USB 2+ Connectivity

voice recording capability

construction to be robust and fit for purpose

minimum 4 year warranty and support

expected lifetime of the device should be provided.
12.2 Functionality of infringement issue system

Minimum two level rights management (user and administrator).

Data transfer must be encrypted.

Each device must have sufficient memory capacity to support up to 200 parking infringement
notices and images.

Devices must incorporate penalty notice templates used for the capture of infringement notice
data when issuing on the spot penalty notices.

Devices must allow council officers to select from an easy to use pick menu (drop-down box)
when entering data.

Devices need to be capable of a minimum of 10 hours of continuous use before needing to be
re-charged.

Devices must provide for each issued penalty notice to be individually tracked/reviewed.

Devices must allow for the capture of extraneous notes, including photographs, images and
sketches/drawings.

Devices must be able to charge and synchronise concurrently.
Report No. 002720
© ARRB Group Ltd 2010
Armidale Dumaresq Council
Parking Technology
APPENDICES
42
12.3 Docking system

Windows XP and Windows 7 compatible

compatible with the council’s standard operating environment

must be able to run without administrator privileges.
12.4 Management software support

server based (MS Windows Server 2008 R2)

iIntegrated security and compliance capabilities

enabled for integration with:
o
council’s GIS
o
council’s records management system
o
council’s reporting system (e.g. Crystal Reports)

software and related technology for the secure storage, transfer of data, backup and retrieval

ability for the management software to be hosted off-site by the provider, within a tier-1 data
centre hosting facility.
12.5 Servicing and maintenance requirements

The contractor will provide rapid and effective support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This
may be via phone, email support, training or software updates.

In the event that repair work is necessary to any handheld supplied by the contractor a
replacement unit will be provided free of charge within three working days upon request.
Replacement units will be provided on a loan basis for the duration of any time required to
complete necessary repairs.

Annually the contractor will undertake an on-site assessment and inspection of all handhelds
to ensure they are operating at their maximum operating capacity. At the completion of each
inspection and test, the contractor shall compile a Warranty of Fitness. The Inspection and
Test record sheet shall include as a minimum: each test, pass or fail, date of test, testers
name and signature and comments in relation to the overall operational status of the
handhelds and the handheld software.

Provision of technical support and urgent maintenance within 12 - 24 hours.

Continuous provision of phone and email support.

Outline of local service and maintenance provision, including key team members and service
personnel.

Outline of routine maintenance procedures, including provision of annual Warranty of Fitness.
Report No. 002720
© ARRB Group Ltd 2010
Armidale Dumaresq Council
Parking Technology
APPENDICES
43
13 Appendix 2 – Reporting capabilities
A handheld ticket issue system must provide the capability to capture enforcement officer activity
including issued tickets, digital images associated with ticket records, audio files associated with ticket
records, non-enforcement activities, public contacts, damaged signage conditions (and tow
notifications). Each of these activities should be reportable through the management system,
depending on the modules, features and functions within the enforcement program purchased by
council.
Other report options should include:

Infringement Summary

Infringement Summary by Officer

Infringement Summary by Area

Infringement by Location

Officer Productivity

Officer Log

Officer Attestation

Infringement Print-Out

Disposition Code

Officer Activity Log

Meter Status

Damaged Sign

Voided Reason

Ticket Audit Trail

Mark Mode

Mark Mode & Ticket Activity

Handheld Usage.
13.1 Minimum training requirements

Sufficient training sessions to ensure staff are proficient in the use of the technology.

For the officer training component, enforcement officers will be shown, as a minimum, how to
issue an infringement notice for each type of offence module included with the handheld
configuration. The aim is to ensure officers are competent with the use and care of the device,
including preventative maintenance, trouble shooting and system configuration

For the operational administrator training component, administration staff are, as a minimum,
to be taken through the system and taught how to download the devices as well as
Report No. 002720
© ARRB Group Ltd 2010
Armidale Dumaresq Council
Parking Technology
APPENDICES
44
transferring the data for reconciliation and reporting purposes. Troubleshooting and other daily
functions are also encompassed in this module.

For the administrator training component, relevant staff will be provided with training
encompassing system administration, system backups, installation, agency changes and
further configuration options.

User manuals for both operational and administration operations are also to be provided in
both hardcopy and softcopy formats.
13.2 Occupational Health and Safety

Each device’s total weight needs to allow for officers to use them for extended periods of time
without causing harm/injury.

Devices need to be suitable for outdoor use, display screen easily read in a variety of lighting
conditions and operate in all weather conditions day and night.
13.3 Warranty/defect liability

Devices must be covered by a comprehensive parts and labour warranty for a minimum of
four years.

Specific details of the warranty and amount of coverage per year to be provided including
details of any exceptions.
13.4 Integration capabilities
The successful operation of a city’s parking site requires efficient and effective compliance
management. By introducing new, innovative, integrated parking and enforcement solutions, a city’s
enforcement productivity can be substantially improved.
A truly integrated enforcement solution receives data from linked parking and monitoring tools, and
directs officers to those vehicles that are recorded as being parked illegally. The integrated system
then ‘populates’ the illegal vehicles’ details into the appropriate ticket fields on the officer’s handset.
The parking officer simply completes the infringement notice before issuing it to the offending vehicle.
Integrated, directed enforcement enables council to concentrate its officer resources on those vehicles
that require attention, thereby maximising enforcement efficiencies in the field and increasing parking
compliance and turnover.
An integrated enforcement solution shall include the capability for an officer’s handheld to
communicate with and receive information from the following parking and monitoring tools:

pay by space and pay and display parking meters

mobile licence plate recognition technology (LPR)

bay sensing technology (PODS)

GIS-based user interface

infringement administration and collections services.
An integrated parking and enforcement solution can optimise the following outcomes for council:
Report No. 002720
© ARRB Group Ltd 2010
Armidale Dumaresq Council
Parking Technology
APPENDICES
45

required vehicle turnover/compliance

equitable provision of the parking resource for residents, businesses and visitors

opportunity to offer an efficient inspection service to private clients

improved traffic management

an appropriate revenue stream from legally and illegally parked vehicles

significant labour efficiencies

OH&S improvements for parking enforcement officers.
13.5 Payment options
The supplier should offer alternative payment options including rental and lease finance.
Report No. 002720
© ARRB Group Ltd 2010
Armidale Dumaresq Council
Parking Technology
14
APPENDICES
46
Appendix 3 – Indicative pricing
The following tables set out some indicative prices excluding GST for the purchase of handheld
devices, software, pay and display meters and PODS. Prices will be lower depending on quantity and
a competitive tender, but may rise slightly if specific functionality is required.
Payback will depend on fees being charged and on net income; however it is unlikely to exceed 2
years.
Table 9: Parking enforcement equipment – Indicative Pricing
Unit price
Monthly support
Handheld device
Including GPS, scanner and camera
$8,800
$150 p/m
Plus sim cards and ongoing
fees council cost
Printer
Battery operated with Bluetooth
$900
Training
Per day excluding travel and accommodation
$750
Software
a) Remote server option
with 24/7 desktop access to reports
Licence for each desktop
Licence for each handheld
b) Independent licences and databases
Licence for each undertaken
Options
Letter module
Permit module
PODS (minimum 50 bays)
Software / reporting
Master controller included
Pay and display machines with credit card
Licence, communications, reporting and
maintenance over 5 years
$400
$700
$40 p/m
$40 p/m
$6,300
$150 p/m
$350 p/m
$2,000
$2,000
$80 p/m
$80 p/m
$450 per bay
Year 1 $250 p/m
Then $18 per bay p/a
$7,800
$85 per machine per month
Table 10: Armidale Regional Airport – indicative pricing for parking equipment (148 bays)
Unit price
Monthly support
3 x Handheld devices
Including GPS, printer, scanner and camera and
software
$29,100
$650 p/m
Plus sim cards and
ongoing fees council
cost
4 x pay and display machines and software
$40,000
$340 p/m
Pay in arrears system
Variable
TBD
$4,500
Report No. 002720
© ARRB Group Ltd 2010
Armidale Dumaresq Council
Parking Technology
47
Figure 11: Suggested pay and display machine locations at Armidale Regional Airport
Report No. 002720
© ARRB Group Ltd 2010