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Searching for parking costs UK £23 billion a year 18th July 2017 Nick Michell study includes results from a recent survey of 7,035 drivers from 10 UK cities Drivers in the United Kingdom spend 44 hours a year searching for parking spaces at a cost of £733 per driver in wasted time, fuel and emissions, and to the country as a whole £23.3 billion, according to a new study published by INRIX , a company that provides real-time traffic information and solutions. The research combines data from the company’s own database of 100,000 locations across 8,700 cities in more than 100 countries, with results from a recent survey of nearly 18,000 drivers in the US, UK and Germany, including 7,035 in 10 UK cities. “In general, there are more parking spaces than cars on the roads, and occupancy levels can be as low as 50 percent,” Dr Graham Cookson, Chief Economist, INRIX, told Cities Today . “We don’t have a parking problem but a parking information problem–people don’t know where to park and which spots are available when they want one. This is a problem that technology can fix, today.” The study analysed ‘parking pain’ in 10 of the UK’s largest cities, with London ranking as the worst city to find parking. On average, drivers in the capital spend 67 hours a year searching for a space, costing them £1,104 each in wasted time, fuel and emissions and the city as a whole £4.3 billion. Belfast came second (56 hours), followed by Leeds (47 hours), Bristol (46 hours), Birmingham (46 hours), and Cardiff (44 hours). The survey asked how many parking tickets motorists received annually. The average across the UK is 0.7, which amounts to £39 per driver per year in fines or £1.2 billion for all drivers. Londoners claim to receive the most tickets and therefore pay the most in fines (£284 million). “Drivers don’t have to wait for the authorities to solve this problem,” said Cookson. “There is technology available today that help drivers find the cheapest and closest parking to their destination, and find out in real time the availability. It’s even possible to reserve and pay for parking. Drivers can avoid fines and overpaying for parking, and can dramatically reduce the time it takes to find parking by embracing technology.” Of the 7,035 drivers who responded to the survey, 40 percent avoided driving to the shops due to being unable to find parking, which is a likely factor in the decline of British high streets. “Searching for parking wastes more than 2.5 billion litres of fuel in the UK every year,” added Cookson. “Not only does this cost drivers dear but it also generates 6 million tonnes of carbon emissions across the country. Solving the parking problem will help create greener, cleaner cities and streets.”

Start date May 21, 2017 - 9:00 End date May 24, 2017 - 16:00 The IPI Conference & Expo brings together more than 3,000 parking professionals from 35+ countries around the globe, representing every level of experience and segment of the parking and transportation industry. The event delivers four days of exceptional education, the largest display of parking-specific technology and innovations, dozens of diverse networking opportunities, and the opportunity to connect with a global community – to advance the parking industry. The IPI Conference & Expo provides the opportunity to develop both professional and personal skill sets, offering the latest in technology; mobility and alternative transportation; enforcement, finance, and auditing curriculums; planning, design, and construction sessions; personal development and communications courses; and much more!

ST Electronics recently held a seminar at Secutech 2017 addressing the opportunities of Internet of Things (IoT) and the challenges system integrators may face. IoT is becoming less of a concept as more devices and systems are embracing the trend of a connected world. Eric Chan, Vice President of ST Electronics, mentioned that IoT is a large market and is estimated to have a value of US$14.4 trillion in global market by 2022. Based on Chan’s presentation, some companies is using the Freemium service to attract customers to try to IoT services. Giving end users a taste of the technology may lead to a payed premium service if the users are satisfied with the result. IoT can be seen everywhere with new devices being implemented. Many end users have smart phones that can have the functionality to control many things from their home to their businesses. System integrators have the opportunity to join the trend and provide customers with a new business model that will be cloud prevalent and safe. Chan also discussed the challenges system integrators may have to face. Being a fairly new concept, there is a lack of a standard for IoT. Many companies will have their own focus and idea which does not always align with one another. System integrators will have to learn each standard as IoT continues to evolve. Another big challenge is the concern of cyber-attack. One of the top reasons for systems being breach is the miss-configuration of the systems and application. The techniques for cyber-attack has also become quite sophisticated. System integrators will need to design a safe and secure system that can prevent or even predict an attack. With the global IoT market expected to reach more than $14 trillion, the concept of IoT does not appear to be going away anytime soon. However, the safety and security and having a standard seems to be the biggest obstacles for IoT. Secutech , ST Electronics , IoT from asmag.com