Smart parking needed to help drivers

SMART parking is needed to help relieve congestion in cities and help reduced stress levels for drivers to improve their health. This is the conclusion of a report into the difficulties facing urban drivers.

Conducted by Dr Therese Cory, the report says parking has become one of the biggest frustrations for drivers in towns and cities. It recommends smart parking systems that help drivers find spaces are a vital way to reduce driver stress and lessen congestion caused by drivers spending more time looking for a parking space.

The research for the report was conducted in several major cities across Europe, including Birmingham and London. It found smartphone apps that help locate empty parking spaces greatly reduced the amount of time drivers searched for parking bays and also helped to cut emissions and fuel consumption.

Dr Cory says: ‘Road systems provide the vital arteries for commercial and business activities but parking has become a major problem in all cities

‘Early smart parking apps may appear to be a novelty, but they are just the start and alleviating parking congestion could deliver major benefits by helping to eliminate time wastage, cut petrol consumption and reduce harmful exhaust emissions. We can learn from these relatively circumscribed smart parking initiatives to shape future, larger scale smart city projects to drive further productivity and prosperity.’

By Press Association reporters