The trend in controlling shopping centre parking has always been to use an entry and exit boom system. The motorist receives a ticket on entry which is date and time stamped showing the time of entry into the parking area. On leaving the shopping centre parking area the motorist would either pay for their parking at a pay on foot machine and then use the paid ticket to activate the exit boom or simply pay a cashier at the exit of the parking area.
We have successfully pioneered the use of a parking marshal handheld system to manage shopping centre parking as it has several key advantages over a boom system.
Our parking control Methodology
Parking marshals would be deployed throughout the managed area at a ratio of between 15 and 30 parking bays per marshal. A parking marshal would be assigned their specific set of bays for the day and they would only be able to manage and take payment for those parking bays. Thus one parking marshal would be responsible for the management of a specific set of parking bays which is called a precinct.
When a motorist parks in a managed parking bay the marshal would capture the vehicle�s registration number on their quickpark terminal and issue the motorist with an “entry” ticket. All the quickpark terminals are online via a GPRS (cell phone) data link, thus this information is immediately sent to the quickpark sever and recorded, no expensive reticulation is required.
On return to their vehicle, the marshal would look up the vehicle on their quickpark terminal and inform the motorist of the amount owed. The motorist would then pay the correct amount owing for their parking to the marshal and the quickpark terminal would produce an exit ticket/receipt for the motorist. The motorist would then be free to leave.
The 10 primary advantages of using a parking marshal system
No Capital outlay by the owners of the shopping centre
There are no initial capital costs to the owner of the shopping centre. All the capital required for signage, bay numbering, civil works required to implement the system and any other start-up costs would be provided by NumQue.
Excellent traffic flow in and out of the parking area
With a parking boom system heavy traffic flows at peak times can be very frustrating to motorists. Deploying parking marshals in the parking area ensures that there are multiple points of payment and once a motorist has paid, there is no further restriction to their exiting the parking area.
No loss of parking bays to accommodate booms
Deploying a parking marshal system does not require any changes to the entry and exit points of a parking area. This ensures that no bays are lost which invariably happens in order to accommodate a typical boom parking system.
No parking area is too big or too small
All parking areas, from as little as 20 parking bays to as big as 2,500 parking bays, can be managed using our parking marshal system. A parking area does not have to be a minimum size to perform financially for the shopping centre as there is no large upfront investment required in equipment and reticulation systems.
Reduction of crime and theft in parking area
Introducing a parking marshal system will reduce criminal activity in parking areas to zero. Parking marshals, equipped with radios, are able to report any suspected criminal behaviour to the parking operator�s office making it impossible for criminals to operate in the area.
Online to SAPS for immediate response
The quickpark server relays all vehicle registrations numbers to the SAPS in real-time. This ensures that if a stolen vehicle is parked in the shopping centre�s parking area the police will be notified immediately and will respond.
Social responsibilities met by creating employment
A parking marshal parking management system is a great asset to the community as it provides employment for people with low skill levels. Implementation of a parking marshal system will typically create one job for approximately every 20 parking bays. By using a parking marshal system the shopping centre is contributing directly to the South African community at large.
Keeps the parking areas clean and free of litter
Informal parking attendants tend to loiter in parking areas that do not have formalised parking control and with this comes the associated litter and disregard common decency. Introduction of a parking marshal system removes the benefit of quick cash (through motorist tips) for informal parking attendants, thereby discouraging them remaining in the parking area.
Ambassadors for the Shopping Mall
Parking marshals deployed in the parking area would be trained in customer liaison and would be well versed in the specifics of the shopping centre. This would allow motorists to have any questions they may have answered by the parking marshals on their arrival at the shopping mall. Over time the parking marshals will become relied on by the customers of the shopping centre to provide an overall sense of security and help, close at hand.
Vehicle Detection System and Parking Availability Information
A big advantage of the quickpark management system is that it comes standard with a vehicle sensor installed into every parking bay managed. This system provides real-time display on a smart phone or other internet enabled device which can be used by customers of the shopping centre to see where there is parking availability in the parking area before their arrival.
We would also provide the shopping mall information desk with a portal allowing the provision of assistance to motorists who have forgotten where they parked their car. One would simply enter the vehicle registration number and the system would show on a map where the vehicle is parked in the parking area.
