Trade Magazine:
Published 10 October 1999 ' Parking Today ' parkingtoday.com
Stan Wolfson of Clancy Systems is offering two ideas to the parking world. He says you can use them if you like. And they are free.
Idea #1 A Paperless Parking Permit System
Books of hang tags can be validated only when issued. The tag numbers are invalidated when entered by the enforcement officer.
A paperless parking permit system is an interesting concept, and one which can be as high tech or as low tech as you wish. In the high tech mode, virtual permitting is a paperless parking permit sale and tracking. No paper permits will be issued. The enforcement officer enters the tag number into a portable handheld device. The vehicle plate will be validated against a file in the device. If a permit was purchased and is valid, the plate will be displayed on the hand-held device as authorized to park at the location. If the device indicates that the parked vehicle does not have a permit, a parking ticket would be automatically issued. With virtual permits, customers have the option of renewing a permit by mail, in person, and now on the Internet. This concept offers a modern solution to the age-old problem of control and distribution of parking permits and also eliminates counterfeiting and other permit fraud. In the low tech approach, enforcement officers sim- ply carry a list of permitted license numbers, and ticket or tow those not on the list. The list can be updated daily. Of course the benefits of tracking permits online are obvious, but the old paper list does still work.
The license plate and (automatic) date entered when a valid permit was found is added to a database. This database is used when someone gets a ticket when trying to use a previously used permit. With a computerized system, the vehicle's license number is entered and attached to the hang tag number. If that same number reappears at some future time, the enforcement officer can identify who had it first and can track down the offenders. In the low tech mode, the active hang tag numbers can be printed out daily and crossed off the list, which is then updated nightly for the next day's patrol.
Idea #2 Single-Use Hang Tags
One of Wolfson's customers wanted to be able to validate on-street parking and issue permits in advance for single day usage. A major conference center wanted to be able to send out parking permits with reservation packs and allow their one-day visitors to park for free in a nearby lot. The concern is how to keep people from using them over and over, and how to keep them from being duplicated.
The solution is similar to the paperless permit system. Number the permits and issue them in blocks to the business wanting to pass them out. Payment for the permits can be in advance, if you wish. When the permits are sent (or given) to the parker, they are dated for a specific day. When the enforcement officers make their rounds, they enter the hang tag number into their handheld computer. The number is compared to a list in the computer and if it is present, the vehicle is given a pass. If not, the ticket is issued. The number is then removed from the file.
For instance, if someone changed the 07/01/99 date to 07/04/99, the permit would not be valid and a ticket would be written. When the violator tries to show the permit as valid, the license plate and the original date used would be available on the computer. The tags can even be printed by the user. The only important thing is that the issuing authority track the numbers and ensure that only certain number series are used. Those numbers aren't validated in the system until the parking fees for them are paid.
The single use tag could also be used for delivery trucks (UPS, FedEx, etc.). The dispatcher would issue one each day from an in-house stock, good for that day only. Drivers would not have to put money in meters, but a rate would be negotiated and paid directly by the delivery service to the city. Wolfson would prefer, of course, that you buy his sys- tem to track the permits and tags, but he notes that it isn't a particularly complex system and can be done on most any database (or notebook, for that matter.) He invites everyone to visit his database, with everything from explanations of his products, to live minicam pictures, to crawling ants that follow your cursor. Take a look, you might like it: clancysystems.com |
