Smart Parking set to help Rotorua build its inner city core

Smart Parking is set to play an important role in helping a New Zealand local authority to breathe new life into its inner city core.

The company has been chosen to install 1,500 of its SmartEye sensors across the central business district of Rotorua – one of New Zealand’s most important tourist destinations – together with 100 SmartLink zone controllers and its SmartRep management software.

The deployment is a key element within Rotorua District Council’s plan to implement a new parking programme for Rotorua’s heart of the city.  The programme, Park Rotorua, delivers free two-hour parking in the immediate inner city area, while ensuring that enforcement is fair, accurate and efficient.  The programme retains the existing unlimited metered parking on the inner city fringes and free unlimited parking on the perimeter of the city. 

Park Rotorua involves the installation of SmartEye sensors across approximately 1,500 parking spaces, including metered and two-hour unmetered bays.  The sensors will monitor around 500 two-hour unmetered bays in the heart of the city and provide overstay notifications via SmartRep to enforcement staff.  Data will also be collated from Rotorua’s paid and unlimited spaces to help develop future parking plans.

Rotorua and Smart Parking will also work to deploy SmartApp, Smart Parking’s mobile app for iPhone or Android, that guides drivers to their nearest available parking space.  SmartApp helps cut congestion, lower vehicle emissions and improve the parking experience in busy city centre locations.

Rotorua’s Mayor-elect Steve Chadwick says the new parking initiative has been designed to provide better parking options for shoppers, visitors, workers and inner city businesses.

“Park Rotorua will support the growth and revitalisation of Rotorua’s inner core”, comments Steve.  “This is an exciting development for us as we seek to build and regenerate our inner city.”

Smart Parking’s solution was successfully tested in Rotorua earlier in 2013, and the trial also collected parking data to make comparisons with the existing metered parking system.

About Smart Parking

Formed in 1993, Smart Parking is now one of the largest and fastest-growing car parking management companies in the UK. Smart Parking specialises in some of the most technically innovative solutions available in the market and continually leads the way in the development and application of these technologies, which they market under the 'Smart' systems brand. They develop industry-leading technology and provide their clients with the very best parking management solutions. Whether you have a large, multi-storey car park, a handful of on-street spaces, an event to marshal or are planning a major car park development, they can help find the smartest solution.