Smart Parking secures landmark Westminster City Council contract for its real-time bay sensor parking solution

Smart Parking, a world-leading provider of car parking technology and parking management services, has secured the landmark Westminster City Council contract to deploy SmartPark, Smart Parking’s solution that helps drivers find a parking space quickly and conveniently. 

SmartPark is an integrated package of leading edge technology that provides drivers with real-time information on unoccupied on-street car parking spaces in a city centre.

Westminster City Council’s initial three year long contract will see Smart Parking deploy up to 10,000 SmartEye sensors in two phases across the central London Borough.  Phase One will see 3,000 sensors installed at all ‘paid-for’ and disabled parking bays across the West End. Work to install the sensors will start in January.

A successful review of Phase 1 could then see a further 7,000 sensors installed across the rest of the city.

Smart Parking has already staged a successful trial for Westminster, with a network of 189 SmartEye sensors in streets including Savile Row, Jermyn Street and St Johns Wood High Street.  

Paul Gillespie, Smart Parking’s Group Chief Executive Officer, expressed his delight at securing the Westminster contract.  “We’re extremely pleased to have been chosen to deploy SmartPark across Westminster.  The city is one of the world’s busiest and most important conurbations, and SmartPark will play a key role in helping its roads and parking spaces operate more efficiently. SmartPark is a tried and tested solution that makes it easier to find a parking space, reducing congestion and cutting vehicle emissions. It delivers proven benefits for both drivers and local authorities, and we’re confident that residents, businesses and visitors to Westminster will have their driving and parking experience transformed in the months and years ahead.”

Cllr Nickie Aiken, Westminster City Council Cabinet Member for Street Management said: “Parking bay sensors are a simple concept that will deliver major benefits for people visiting Westminster as well as those living and working here. They will make it simpler and quicker to find a parking space, and easing congestion in the process, and they are a key investment in Westminster’s commitment to provide ‘fairer, easier, parking’.”

SmartPark comprises Smart Parking’s virtually flat, anti-slip profile RFID-equipped SmartEye sensors, which use infrared to detect when a vehicle has occupied a parking space.  Real-time data is then used to populate appropriate devices with changes to parking space occupancy. Drivers access a dedicated mobile application via their iPhone or Android device to view a current picture of parking spaces near to them.  They are then guided to the nearest unoccupied bay.  Once parked, the application can also be configured to direct them to pay for parking via an authority’s chosen remote payment solution. 

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.