Parking meters with vehicle detection sensors increase revenue for cities by enabling parking meters to immediately reset once a vehicle has left. Sounds like a good idea. So why would city parking managers ever choose not to install them?
Until recently, the purchase of sensors and cost of installation was hard to justify with ever-tightening budgets. Managers worried the sensors were not be durable enough to survive harsh climates, or that the solar power systems of the smart meters don’t provide enough power for the sensor to function properly on cloudy days. Add to these concerns the fact that the only way to tell if the detection sensors were even producing accurate data was for an actual human being, with pencil and paper and perhaps a pair of binoculars, to observe the parking meter, log all of the parking events, and compare their findings against the sensor’s data set.
“Cities needed a better alternative,” says Stephanie Simmons of IPS Group, Inc. An alternative, we might add, that wouldn’t require them to dig up the infrastructure of their roads or send out construction crews to bury new sensor equipment in the sidewalk or curb.
Enter the IPS Vehicle Detection System. At IPS, our mission is to provide our customers with the most technologically advanced yet practical and affordable smart parking solutions in the world. The IPS Vehicle Detection System is just that: the most cost-effective, reliable sensor system on the market today. The result of implementing this technology is an average increase of 25% to 50% in city revenues, and enhanced operational efficiency at a fraction of the ongoing costs – up to 50% less expensive.
Our dome mount sensor is safely housed inside the zinc alloy meter dome, protected from weather or anyone who might try to tinker with it, yet is easy for a trained technician to access it in the case of maintenance. The pole mount sensor is non-intrusive as well, while the in-ground sensor is a great option that contains both power source and antenna for a completely wireless solution. The result is real-time occupancy data sent straight to your office – data that allows city parking managers to run their city’s parking services at a high level of precision and efficiency. It is extremely durable, even in harsh climates, and powered by reliable solar, with zero problems on overcast days.
The IPS Vehicle Detection System more than pays for itself. In fact, in Santa Monica, California, the city’s parking revenue has increased by 40% since it was installed. Uptime has improved to 99.8%, and credit card usage is up to 57%. The sensor reset option has added an additional 10% in revenue. Prior to the upgrade, the city’s 6,000 meters jammed often and provided the city management with no current information about which areas were the most congested.
Smart technology has the power to maximize your most important assets and accommodate responsible growth. At IPS, we’ve invested millions to ensure we offer the most powerful and reliable data systems available. In other words, innovation has eliminated all the reasons for any city managers’ hesitation.
“Our customers are confident we will continue to invest in technology and that by partnering with us, they’re partnering with a company at the forefront of our industry – now and ten years from now,” adds Simmons.
Want to learn more about our line of fully integrated smart products, including single-spaced meters, multi-space pay stations, pay station upgrade kits, vehicle detections sensors, and smart cash collection systems? Visit us at ipsgroup.com/ and begin upgrading your city’s parking systems today.