Invest in LPR for Immediate Parking Operations Benefits

The benefits of License Plate Recognition (LPR) can be easily achieved and can offer your parking operations significant improvements. Parking customer density has skyrocketed recently, and because of this, the expectations people have has increased significantly. The use of LPR and connected software is important to keep up with the parking client’s growing demands. Your technology improvements will allow you the ability to support the demands and a customer service-oriented approach.

A variety of LPR systems have been introduced to the parking industry and many enforcement agencies have started to implement them. The software and their connected devices will help manage and compare parking data on a real-time basis. They can even identify and notify them of any infractions to the respective operators automatically.

The most beneficial technology improvement available for parking patrols is the LPR system. LPR cameras are flexible in their application and can be mounted in a variety of locations or on vehicles. They have the capacity to continuously capture images of license plates at one point in time 24 hrs a day, 7 days a week. The cameras determine parking compliance automatically rather than relying on a visual check by your patrol officers. Some of the major benefits that this solution offers are listed below.

Ability to Make Better Decisions

One significant benefit that an LPR system offers is the comprehensive approach its supports for your entire parking operation. Technology becomes the determinant for all your compliant and illegal parkers. It helps you to make infrastructure investment decisions that are based on efficiency and automated controls. With the availability of a near real-time database and occupancy statistics, your patrol officers can identify occupancy concerns and available lots while guiding incomers to the desired locations.

Increases Parking Enforcement Efficiency & Benefits

By eliminating the need to read parking decals or hangtags, an LPR solution will immediately improve the process of determining compliance thereby benefiting your staff and your clients.  Compliance is determined by the LPR cameras and their automatic evaluation of your registered parking database.  By comparing all license plates to a database of legitimate parkers, every plate can be automatically assessed as legitimate, illegal, or even watch-listed. These results can support any security or policing requirements.

The data and the software combine to make LPR an interactive multi-purpose tool. Due to the information gathered the system managers now have the option to review extensive reporting details. As a result, you can analyze occupancy data, violations hotspots, time-of-day pressures, and quiet zones.  These details will help plan future improvements or develop additional revenue opportunity plans.  An LPR approach will provide your parking enforcement officers and operators with a user-friendly yet robust platform. Most noteworthy is that your violation process will become significantly more efficient.

Supports Parking Personnel

Businesses, municipalities, and government properties can significantly improve their operations with the use of an LPR system. Parking compliance will be improved by easily identifying overburdened parking lots and violation hotspots. Add in the ability to send out patrol officers to enforce based on knowing there are vehicles in violation, instead of randomly patrolling.

An LPR system will make your patrol officers and your parking operations more efficient while allowing the parking patrols to be faster. Your parking operations will enforce the parking rules in a fair and equitable fashion as determined by your LPR solution.

What to Expect from LPR

Adopting LPR as a new technology for your parking management process is a big move. It’s important to understand the benefits and impacts.  We’ve highlighted a few key areas you’ll want to consider when adding a license plate recognition (LPR) system to your operation.

LPR = Virtual Permitting

Manage your permit system entirely electronically by using LPR technology. Permit holders will be registering the license plate details for their vehicles online.  As a result, enforcement staff can quickly identify violators using LPR technology. This technology can be in the form of an equipped vehicle or mounted camera at a lot entrance validating vehicles. Advantages to LPR technology include:

• Fewer staff to administer and manage the process
• Hangtag and decal costs are reduced
• The likelihood of errors is reduced
• Fewer fraudulent permits and an increase in the purchase of valid ones

Parking Payments

Make payment collections at the time of purchase, or by using pay-by-plate technology.  License plate information is available in real-time so cameras can differentiate between legally and illegally parked vehicles. A move to pay-by-plate technology means fewer meters to maintain and monitor. Furthermore, allow more payment options for parking patrons by including mobile solutions like Text2ParkMe.

Data Collection & Access

In addition, LPR technology can collect data for you. Data collected can be license plates, their location, the length of time in a location, and photos for reference.  This data is available to monitor trends and evaluate your parking management process. As a result, enforcement officers have access to real-time data, increasing identified parking trends. Furthermore, you can evaluate opportunities to generate revenue and improve customer access. You can use your user occupancy rates to identify underutilized spaces, times, or days as well. LPR makes the integration of new pricing strategies easier.

Lot or Garage Entrance

Using LPR adds value to gated parking access by reducing the need for access cards and idle time. You can simplify access for your permit holders, and minimize the need for enforcement patrols with automated violations.  Increase your likelihood of identifying and ticketing illegal parkers using LPR cameras. These cameras monitor entry and exit, recognize the plates of valid permit holders, and prevent the entry of unknown vehicles.  To reduce entry and exit times, you can entirely remove gates, eliminating maintenance costs and improving traffic flow. This also saves you money on gate costs, which can start at $4000 each, depending on features.  Virtual permit enforcement lets parking managers easily see who is a valid parker and quickly tickets those who aren’t.

LPR Enforcement

Furthermore,  LPR enhances enforcement by having the collected parking data stored and made available in real-time.  Because lot and garage areas are automatically monitored for violations, the systems can access vehicle history and status when entering and exiting a lot.  As a result, enforcement teams have the most current information including vehicle histories. Hence, the enforcement teams will have the ability to identify scofflaws and issue violations. In addition, you will be able to identify violation hotspots to efficiently schedule your enforcement patrols. It is less likely for enforcement to make mistakes when issuing violations, with photos available to support challenged tickets.

Zero Integrations. Zero Headaches.

The LPR module from OPS-COM is a full package.  Finally, a permit, violation, and LPR solution with no system integrations from multiple vendors or multiple licensing fees.  LPR cameras will capture data and then cross-reference it with all your OPS-COM modules, ensuring appropriate notifications and actions can be taken.

• ParkAdmin confirms if a vehicle has a valid permit
• ViolationAdmin identifies any outstanding fines
• IncidentAdmin notifies security if a vehicle of interest is identified