Parking operator Denison Parking recently achieved a 50% increase in enforcement revenues and 10% decrease in labor costs by deploying Cleverciti’s CleverCompliance solution. The successful collection and utilization of parking data has become a key issue for all parking owners and operators today. Parking technology has come a long way in a short amount of time, and it has completely transformed and expanded opportunities to achieve nearly any goal stakeholders may have.

Quality data has quickly become the answer to many of the issues these organizations face, from increasing revenues and streamlining staffing, to reducing carbon emissions and enhancing the user experience. With the right solution in place, it is now possible to obtain truly real-time parking data (occupancy, utilization, payment compliance, etc.) from multiple parking locations simultaneously. This allows organizations to evaluate and make immediate improvements across their entire portfolio. Parking operator Denison Parking recently achieved a 50% increase in enforcement revenues and 10% decrease in labor costs by deploying Cleverciti’s CleverCompliance solution.

Like many operators, Denison Parking was looking for a more efficient way to enforce and manage their portfolio of parking lots and garages through technology. Since developing the first self-park garage in Indianapolis (only the fifth in the country) and growing to now operate more than 90,000 parking spaces across the country, Denison has cemented its legacy of innovation and thought leadership. 

Inspired by a rich history of forward-thinking solutions, and the specific goal of increasing compliance and enforcement revenues, Denison engaged Cleverciti to identify a parking intelligence solution to meet the unique needs of a parking lot in the heart of downtown Indianapolis. The extremely high turnover lot provides parking for city residents and visitors to numerous destinations including events, restaurants, office buildings, and more.

The location had become difficult to enforce given an extensive range of payment options available to users including parking permits, mobile payment apps, and multi-space meters. While this setup accomplished the purpose of enhancing convenience for customers, it presented challenges to enforcement staff, requiring them to manually check each payment. Further, many parkers had taken advantage of this situation, especially during very short parking periods, allowing them to arrive and depart quickly without paying. Denison knew they were not only missing out on enforcement revenues, but also accruing unnecessary labor costs through this process.

Cleverciti worked with Denison to identify the solution that would best meet their needs. The objectives for this project were to decrease labor through automation, generate data to evaluate parking utilization, improve compliance, and obtain real-time compliance levels and alerts to automate enforcement.

Cleverciti installed two overhead, optical occupancy detection sensors to cover 69 parking spaces across the project area. The solution included Cleverciti’s space detection and management service, as well as enhanced analytics software. The Cleverciti Space Management solution monitors real-time parking occupancy, enabling Denison to gather and analyze the most accurate parking data updated every few seconds, as well as view historical data to predict and evaluate parking demand and habits to support smart parking decisions.

Denison and Cleverciti also collaborated to develop the CleverCompliance solution to provide payment compliance by space. This feature takes the occupancy data obtained through Cleverciti’s solutions and compares it to payment data from the parking meters and mobile app, revealing concrete real-time compliance data. Further, the solution also sends compliance alerts directly to parking enforcement officers, allowing them to immediately identify vehicles parked illegally or that have overstayed, and ticket them rather than sift through extensive payment information to identify violators.

The results of this project have been groundbreaking and will serve as a platform for future rollouts. Denison has identified numerous improvements to the operation at the lot including:

·        50% increase in enforcement revenues

·        10% decrease in labor costs

Prior to this project, Denison was only able to view parking lot utilization based on payments. Today, they can evaluate utilization based on occupancy, significantly improving the efficiency of the lot. This project has successfully achieved all identified objectives including streamlining enforcement, capturing lost revenues, and obtaining highly accurate and real-time utilization data. Additionally, they recently installed a new Cleverciti Sign, a fully digital dynamic messaging sign to show parking occupancy to the driver before arriving. This has been beneficial advertising the available spaces, thereby increasing utilization of the hard to see spaces at the rear of the lot.

According to Denison President Perry Griffith, III, “This partnership between Denison and Cleverciti has transformed our ability to obtain and understand parking compliance data in this key asset in our portfolio. The solutions implemented have greatly improved the ability of staff to enforce the lot, allowing us to improve compliance and identify inefficiencies. We are very pleased with the results, having increased our enforcement revenues and streamlined our operations staff so they can focus on more valuable activities like lot safety, customer service, and maintenance.”

To learn more about how Cleverciti can provide your organization with the solutions to meet your unique needs visitwww.cleverciti.com or contact Andrew LaMothe, Vice President of Sales, North America.

Cleverciti recently announced a new smart parking guidance installation coming up in El Monte, California, tailored to downtown commuters and visitors. The installation is aimed to support local businesses, reduce emissions and traffic in the suburb of Los Angeles. 

The project began in March 2021 and will be completed in July 2021. Cleverciti’s technology will be deployed at El Monte’s Main Street and MetroLink parking lots, as these are two of the busiest and most congested areas of the suburb.

Cleverciti’s turn-by-turn guidance signage covers over 400 parking spaces and is accompanied by the Cleverciti App that is available to drivers through a mobile device. The app shows in real-time where available parking spaces are in the chosen areas. 

Around El Monte’s Metrolink and Main Street lots, Cleverciti Circ® 360 LED signs, installed on existing lampposts, display live parking information in 360 degrees, leading drivers to the nearest available parking space.

Better access to the Main Street parking lot will allow residents and visitors to enjoy downtown restaurants, retail shops, and more, which in its turn will boost the local economy. Better access to the Metrolink parking lots makes the commuters’ journey into the downtown area a lot more enjoyable and easy. Cleverciti’s information on parking space availability in combination with Metrolink’s data on the capacity on the train is meant to make the choice for commuters to take the train an easy one; while reducing vehicle miles traffic, greenhouse gas emissions, and traffic congestion. 

Cleverciti is very excited to work with the city of El Monte to support local small and medium-sized businesses, while also improving the quality of life for residents and visitors. 

Read the full press release here:

Atlanta, March 5th 2021 - A smart parking system devised and implemented by Cleverciti is set to reduce parking search in Redwood City by 45%. As businesses, restaurants, and entertainment venues are set to reopen, Redwood City is expecting an increase in parking demand in its Central Business District, where drivers have had to search for parking for up to 30 minutes during peak times before the pandemic forced businesses to close.

Parking demand has dropped by 90% and now stands at 50%, illustrating just how hard Redwood City’s stores, theaters, and restaurants were hit by the pandemic. “We’re really focused on the 3 R’s: respond, restore, and reimagine,” says Jessica Manzi, Redwood City’s senior transportation manager. “As economic activity picks up in the coming months, this program is going to help support our businesses.”

By reducing parking search times, people will have more time to shop, dine or simply run their errands faster, freeing up parking spaces for the next customers more quickly. 

A network of Cleverciti Sensors will identify on-street parking, surface lots as well as parking garages. LED signs will provide turn-by-turn directions to the nearest available parking space. The smart parking system is set to launch in the summer. 

Watch the news segment from ABC7 Bay Area about the case in Redwood City below:

Silicon Valley is known for widespread early adoption of the latest and greatest technologies for businesses and consumers, but one area of the Valley has yet to undergo a tech makeover: parking. Sure, there are mobile apps for metered parking, faster routes to avoid traffic, and time travel tracking apps, but what about the basic act of searching for parking itself? In an area where the population is dense, private vehicles are popular, and fuel emissions are of great concern, the raw issue of parking can deliver positive, meaningful outcomes for communities, businesses, and the environment. 

We are thrilled to share a newly formed partnership with Redwood City’s Central Business District which will help catapult the area’s parking into the 21st century. 

What does this mean exactly? Imagine driving to the Redwood City Business District and, rather than leaving early to maneuver congestion and circle the blocks to look for parking, you pulled into town, looked up and digital signage directed you right to an available spot. No more aimless searches, wasting time, and getting frustrated. No more needless emissions from idling vehicles. 

Cleverciti’s solution will feature space guidance for seven surface lots, eleven garages, and over 4,500 parking spaces. It will integrate with the city’s mobile app, PayByPhone mobile payment provider, and IPS Multi-space pay station, ensuring a connected and seamless experience across the city’s full parking ecosystem.

“Redwood City has made it a priority to innovate and improve its transportation systems, this includes the parking infrastructure. We must think more creatively and more holistically about parking and its daily interaction with Redwood City’s patrons; it plays a critical role in the future of mobility and in supporting our local economy, ensuring easy access to many of our small businesses,” said Christian Hammack, Parking and Transportation Demand Manager, RWC. 

“We partnered with Cleverciti Systems because they developed a comprehensive solution that considers everything from improving air quality to providing drivers with an extraordinary service and data.”

We are thrilled that Redwood City is modernizing its parking and setting the bar for other cities to follow suit! 

For the full press release and visuals, you can download here:  

In Lübeck Bay, a popular tourist region on the northern coast of Germany, Cleverciti has helped to effectively steer the visitor traffic flow by implementing Cleverciti Sensors and the Cleverciti Cockpit to monitor and generate real-time data for over 100 parking spaces along the coastline. 

Scharbeutz

The customer

With approximately 1.5 million overnight stays and 1.5 million day visitors per year, Lübeck Bay is one of the most popular tourist regions in Germany and one of the top destinations in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. Due to its close proximity to the city of Hamburg, it is a beloved trip for people that want to escape city life and enjoy some quality time at the beaches of Scharbeutz and Timmendorf. The Tourismus-Agentur Lübecker Bucht is responsible for the promotion and sustainable development of tourism along the entire stretch of the coast. The agency is made up of representatives of three adjacent municipalities – Scharbeutz, Neustadt, and Sierksdorf – to enable a coordinated smart tourism approach.

The case

Lübeck Bay welcomes a high volume of guests especially in the summer, resulting in traffic congestion as tourists search for available parking spaces. One of the main challenges of the area is the lack of information regarding the occupancy status of the various parking lots near the seaside. The local tourism agency wishes to manage the visitor flow alongside the coast more efficiently. To be able to do that, Cleverciti was selected to implement smart parking systems to monitor the real-time occupancy status of two parking lots near a popular beach.

The Cleverciti solution

Cleverciti monitors approximately 100 parking spaces divided over two parking lots via 9 overhead Cleverciti Sensors, which were easily installed to the existing lamp posts. The occupancy data generated by the smart parking sensors are made available to the tourism agency via the Cleverciti Cockpit, a comprehensive parking management dashboard. 

Cleverciti Sensor in use in Lübeck Bay

“Cleverciti has implemented the project in an excellent way. They have fully responded to our wishes and needs and have delivered high quality. We are looking forward to the next steps,” says Paul Stellmacher, Deputy Chairman of the Tourismus-Agentur Lübecker Bucht.

The result

The Cleverciti parking system was installed and deployed quickly and easily. The operation of the sensors is now running without any administrative or operational effort by the tourism agency. The live parking data is integrated into various websites, reducing parking search time for tourists and improving the quality of life for local inhabitants. 

In addition to that, the Tourismus-Agentur Lübecker Bucht has been awarded the German Tourism Award 2020 for its concept to better direct visitor streams. The agency was one of five nominees out of 158 applicants. Due to its ongoing success, the Cleverciti system will be rolled out to other parking lots in Lübeck Bay.

Download the full case study below.

In Kerken, the Cleverciti PowerRing, with night-time charging, provides an independent solution that supplies 24/7 power to the most modern smart city sensors from Cleverciti. Thanks to this technology, the smart parking system was implemented in a short amount of time and with minimal infrastructure costs.

The customer

The Nieukerk P+R in Kerken is a typical P+R parking lot that belongs to the Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr. The community of Kerken is located on the train line from Kleve to the state’s capital, Düsseldorf. Kerken has about 12,000 inhabitants and numerous commuters who use the NordWestBahn to Düsseldorf, Krefeld, and the surrounding towns. As in many other cities, the local lampposts are only supplied with electricity during the night

The case 

The municipality of Kerken wanted to provide commuters and train passengers taking a car to the train station with accurate information about the availability of parking spaces before they arrived. If all parking spaces are taken, commuters can head directly to an alternative P+R parking space, thus avoiding a waste of time, stress, traffic, and unnecessary emissions. 

Decision-makers wanted: 

• Quick installation with minimal cost 

• Supply current lampposts with continual power 

• The following should be avoided: 

  • Construction work

  • Interference with the lighting system

  • Obtaining permits

The Cleverciti solution

Six of the eight lampposts did not have 24/7 electricity, which would normally prevent the installation of IoT sensors. With Cleverciti's battery solution, called the PowerRing, specially designed for nighttime charging and sensor integration, the sensors could run without changing the lamppost power supply.

Read more about the Cleverciti PowerRing here. 

The result

Thanks to this technology, the smart parking system could be implemented in a short amount of time and with minimal infrastructure costs. Without Cleverciti‘s battery-powered solution, the plans for a smart parking service would have come to a standstill in Kerken and would likely still not have been put into action.

“After not having been able to find a short-term solution for the electricity issue at the P+R facility, we were glad that Cleverciti offered a suitable battery-powered solution with night-time charging that allows for a permanent power supply of the sensors. This enabled us to implement the project on short notice and at lower costs compared to alternative solutions. The batteries have been running perfectly since the start.“ - says Detlev Grimm, Project Manager in the Department of Construction/Planning/Technology of Kerken municipality. 

City of Koblenz and evm have kicked off their smart city projects with a smart parking initiative using Cleverciti Sensors in the busiest shopping street the city has to offer

Munich, Germany - Less traffic looking for a parking space, fewer harmful emissions, better quality of life: three funded smart city projects promise great progress in climate protection in the city of Koblenz. Together, Energieversorgung Mittelrhein (evm) and the city intend to use modern digital solutions to achieve better air quality and air pollution control. 

Installed Cleverciti Sensor in Koblenz

In July 2020 the evm announced the kick-off of the project in the upper Löhrstrasse. The busy shopping street plays a central role in the project: "We are going to test smart parking in the upper Löhrstrasse and want to reduce the so-called parking search traffic here," explains Lord Mayor of Koblenz David Langner. In the next few weeks, certain parking spaces along the street will be equipped with 44 ground sensors that will provide information on occupancy. "In another part of the street, overhead sensors are used as well, which we install on street lamps," explains evm Board Chairman Josef Rönz. One sensor is able to detect up to 100 parking spaces. Digital display boards around the lampposts use this information to show drivers how many parking spaces are still available. Data protection is fully guaranteed: the sensors neither record videos nor photos, but only pass on information according to the pattern “occupied” and “not occupied”. 

High federal funding

One look at the statistics shows why it is important to reduce parking search traffic in Koblenz: between 18 and 25 percent of traffic in the city center is due to the search for parking spaces. This is one of the reasons why Koblenz exceeded the NOx (Nitrogen Oxides) limit value determined by the European Union - and thus has access to federal funds. The Federal Ministry of Transport is funding the Smart Parking project with around 170.000 euros from the „Saubere Luft“ (= Clean Air) program and the associated „Digitalisierung kommunaler Verkehrssysteme“ fund (= Digitization of municipal transport systems).

Progress since July 2020

On September 30, 2020 the evm published another press release in which they announced that all sensors, which areCleverciti Sensors, have been installed for the intelligent parking guidance system in the making. The installation covers the Löhrstraße section from the Rizzastraße intersection to Bahnhofsplatz, as well as the Peter-Altmaier-Ufer parking lot. Based on the information gathered from the sensors, drivers will soon be able to see on the Internet and on digital display boards how many parking spaces are still free.

By the end of the 2020 project year, traffic counters, air quality meters and a parking guidance system that digitally displays free parking spaces are to be installed. The benefits and effects of the projects will be measured over a period of three years. The projects are being implemented with the help of federal funding and the Thüga, the largest cooperative network of municipal energy and water service providers in Germany.

Interested in learning more about smart city parking solutions? Click the button below to schedule a demo with a smart parking expert now.

Partnership with energy supplier RheinEnergie AG brings stress-free parking, cleaner air and lighter traffic to city of Cologne

MUNICH, COLOGNE (June 2, 2020) – Cleverciti Systems, the leading smart parking provider, went live today with one of the world’s most innovative and modern parking guidance systems for residents and visitors in the Cologne district of Nippes, one of the busiest districts on the Rhine. Now, motorists can read the exact number and direction of the remaining free parking spaces along the streets on local LED displays at road intersections, avoiding unnecessary searching and idling, and improving the overall quality of life. The ‘blind’ search for parking spaces, which has contributed significantly to the traffic volume and emissions pollution, is now a thing of the past.

A Circ™ on a lamp post in Cologne-Nippes

The installation was made possible through a partnership with RheinEnergie AG, the fifth largest energy supplier in Germany, and supports the “SmartCity Cologne Program”, a platform that brings together private individuals, companies, and associations to promote climate protection and renewable energy initiatives. The Cleverciti smart parking system installation significantly reduces traffic and emissions, and is supported by the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure as part of the program “Digitalization of Municipal Transport Systems”.

“We are proud that with our modern systems and services we have been able to implement one of the world’s most innovative and comprehensive parking guidance systems in the inner city area,” says Thomas Hohenacker, CEO and founder of Cleverciti Systems. “From now on, all motorists in Cologne-Nippes will have exact information on the availability of parking spaces and will be able to navigate to the best parking space in a targeted manner and without delay. We want to make a decisive contribution to making parking stress-free through this service, improving the shopping experience in the city and significantly reducing emissions.”

“The Cleverciti solution was optimally integrated into the existing infrastructure in Cologne-Nippes,” says Dr. Andreas Cerbe, Network Director of RheinEnergie. “We operate thousands of light poles in Cologne, which are now equipped with the smart sensors and LED displays with little effort to reduce traffic and emissions.”

A Circ™ on a lamp post in Cologne-Nippes

A total of 89 Cleverciti Sensors, which monitor around 800 parking spaces along the streets in the district, and 27 Circ™ LED displays are installed on existing lamp posts and seamlessly fit into the local environment. The system takes into account all data protection regulations in public areas. The sensors are designed using artificial intelligence (AI) and edge computing to provide precise data on parking space availability. These available spaces are displayed in real time on the omnidirectional LED displays and in a mobile app, and direct drivers to the nearest available parking space.

“A mobile app will also be available to motorists beginning the end of July, which will be provided by Cleverciti on behalf of RheinEnergie. It will show the current occupancy status of the parking spaces in Cologne-Nippes, navigate drivers to the nearest available parking space, and offer mobile payment options,” says Dr. Günther Picker, SVP for Strategic Partnerships and Corporate Development at Cleverciti Systems.

According to a survey by the National Platform Future of Mobility, intelligent parking solutions could reduce pollutant emissions by 900,000 tons per year in Germany alone.

For more information on the SmartCity Cologne initiative, please visit here. For more information on Cleverciti Smart Parking Systems, click here.

Largest open-air shopping center in Germany eases parking complexity, increases intelligence gathering and enhances the shopping experience with smart parking technologies

LAKE FOREST, Ill. & MUNICH– (BUSINESS WIRE) – Cleverciti, a leader in comprehensive, high-tech solutions for smart parking, today announces that Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield’s Ruhr Park shopping center,Germany’s largest open-air shopping center, has deployed Cleverciti’s advanced smart parking solution to monitor more than 2,600 outdoor spaces. Cleverciti’s high-end artificial intelligence (AI) sensors immediately guide visitors to any available area, eliminating unnecessary driving and wasted time when searching for a parking space.

With information updated every few seconds, Cleverciti sensors and its omnidirectional LED guidance system CIRC360™ combine to deliver instantaneous data on available parking spaces at the entrance to each parking aisle. Cleverciti’s AI and edge-computing sensors provide consistent reliability and offer the highest level of accuracy in all weather conditions. Comprehensive 360-degree sensors and signage are installed on existing lampposts and other poles to reduce the need for additional hardware and infrastructure investments, delivering additional ROI for the organization.

By leveraging the power of Cleverciti’s smart parking solution, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield has invested in a sophisticated, resilient and efficient smart parking platform that eases parking complexity and provides more time to shop for the more than 11 million people that visit the facility annually. A mobile app, which provides directions to free parking spaces that are close to the areas they want to shop in real-time, empowers drivers to focus on the tasks at hand rather than searching for a space.

Ruhr Park is Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield’s third shopping center in Germany to be awarded with a 4-star label – a customer service initiative that represents the highest level of quality, service and shopping experience within the Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield group. The 4-star facilities have to meet a total of 734 criteria to secure this rating. With a consistent focus on innovation and service, the shopping center strives to stay ahead of technology trends and invests in solutions that propel intelligence, operational efficiency and convenience.

“We selected Cleverciti because its intelligence and integrated smart parking technologies and services will facilitate a hassle-free parking experience for our clients,” said Andreas Ulmer, Center Manager, Ruhr Park. “In today’s complex retail environment, it’s essential that shoppers are provided with extraordinary service, convenience and efficiency at the places they choose to shop. Cleverciti supports our broader roadmap initiatives with the opportunity to streamline our parking operations while enhancing communication, which helps future-proof our investment and drive additional value across our organization.”

In addition to reducing visitor challenges, the Cleverciti smart parking platform also offers the shopping center management new levels of intelligence and real-time insight into the use of the outdoor parking areas, including the length of stay of each car, use of certain areas, historical data and heat maps on traffic patterns. Customized alerts can also be set for designated zones, such as loading areas where parking is prohibited. Cleverciti also easily integrates with other networked devices to enable organizations to build more advanced Internet of Things (IoT) deployments as needs expand over time.

“The Cleverciti smart parking solution is the ideal platform for high-traffic and dynamic areas, like shopping centers and retail facilities, that require the highest degree of intelligence. Shopping starts in the parking areas, therefore, it is critical to deliver a streamlined parking experience to ensure visitor satisfaction from the beginning,” said Markus Grauvogl, Vice President of Sales, EMEAR, Cleverciti.

Cleverciti has more than 54 installations in 18 countries around the world. Its comprehensive suite of smart parking solutions is an ideal choice for organizations focused on a forward-thinking approach to customer service that also seeks to streamline parking and turn parking assets into revenue generators.