SMART PARKING: A TECHNOLOGY-ENABLED PARKING SYSTEM THAT TRANSFORMS THE WAY WE COMMUTE FOR WORK.

The Research and Innovation team at Level Crossings Removal Project (LXRP) has been working with the Victorian Department of Transport and Planning (DTP) to explore how smart parking systems can be deployed at station car parks to enhance the overall commuter experience with rail travel. Parking at stations is usually a first mile decision of a commuter's journey plan, and as such, the beginning of their overall travel experience. Moreover, the nature of level crossings work involves disruptions at station car parks which impacts the commuter journey in many ways. It was agreed to conduct a short duration trial using multiple smart parking technologies at Berwick station and Beaconsfield station car parks to evaluate their effectiveness and assess their impact on rail journey during normal and disrupted operations. This trial included using bay sensors and cameras for occupancy detection for parking bays and launching a smart parking mobile app to help commuters access real-time data on how many car parks are available at each station. With the mobile app, commuter journeys can be planned before leaving home - reducing congestion on streets and within car parks and making train travel easier. To provide for digital equity for those not using the app, electronic signage near the station showed live updates on the number of parking spots available. Pre-trial and post-trial surveys were conducted to seek commuter feedback about various aspects of smart parking, which corroborated the team's research, that there exists a strong public desire to see such technologies help commuters make simple, connected journeys on Victoria's transport network. The trial was completed in July 2022 and proved the value of smart parking technologies towards creating more sustainable, accessible, and efficient car parks for commuters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]