Automotive Industries interview with Johannes Mark, Head of Global Parking Insights, EasyPark Group – Transforming Urban Parking with Light Detection and Ranging Technology

In this exclusive interview, Automotive Industries speaks with Johannes Mark, the Head of Global Parking Insights at EasyPark Group, to delve into the transformative impact of lidar technology on urban parking infrastructure. Johannes provides an insightful overview of how ParkMobile’s innovative approach is revolutionizing city parking management through their advanced ParkMobile Insights solution.

Historically, cities have relied on manual methods to gather parking occupancy data, often deploying personnel to collect this information periodically. This traditional approach limits the scope and accuracy of the data collected, leading to inefficient parking management. However, ParkMobile, part of EasyPark Group, has introduced a game-changing solution by integrating lidar technology into the existing fleet of vehicles equipped with parking scanners. This allows for continuous mapping of parking occupancy across cities. The collected data feeds into a pre-set occupancy model, generating detailed hourly parking maps that offer cities a comprehensive view of their parking landscape at any given time.

The interview highlights the critical role accurate parking data plays in urban planning and policy-making. Johannes explains that with approximately 85% of parking spaces often remaining unused, cities face significant challenges in managing parking resources effectively. The data provided by ParkMobile Insights empowers cities to understand and address issues such as double parking, illegal parking, and underutilized parking spaces. This understanding enables cities to make informed, strategic decisions aimed at creating a healthier, more balanced parking environment.

Johannes also touches on the broader implications of poor parking infrastructure, including its impact on housing costs and urban space utilization. He notes that a high parking occupancy rate exacerbates congestion and that minimum parking requirements for new developments often inflate housing costs. By leveraging ParkMobile Insights, cities can optimize their parking infrastructure to better align with actual demand, potentially freeing up valuable urban space for other uses and reducing unnecessary costs associated with excessive parking requirements.

Furthermore, the interview discusses how ParkMobile’s data-driven approach aids in enhancing parking compliance and revenue generation for cities. By optimizing parking enforcement and communicating the benefits of good parking compliance, cities can improve overall parking management. Johannes emphasizes the importance of using parking revenue to fund public infrastructure improvements, which can lead to more livable and sustainable urban environments.

In conclusion, Johannes Mark’s insights underscore the transformative potential of lidar technology and advanced data analytics in urban parking management. Through ParkMobile Insights, cities can achieve a more efficient, equitable, and sustainable approach to parking, ultimately enhancing the quality of urban life.

Automotive Industries interview with Johannes Mark, Head of Global Parking Insights, EasyPark Group

Automotive Industries: Hi Johannes, How has ParkMobile’s use of lidar technology transformed the way cities understand their parking infrastructure?

Mark: ParkMobile has a solution called ParkMobile Insights that provides cities with more accurate parking occupancy information to help them better understand their parking ecosystem. 

Currently, most cities manually – yes, manually, as in they send people, often times students out to collect parking occupancy information, limiting data to certain areas and specific days. 

We have installed parking scanners equipped with LIDAR technology to the existing fleet to monitor parking occupancy throughout the city as we are continuously mapping. The data is then placed into our pre-set occupancy model, allowing us to create hourly parking maps for weekdays and weekends. Our occupancy models are based on historical data, collected with our parking scanner, and reflect the average parking situation. The cities can view parking occupancy information for the entire city at any specific time, with continuous data updates as the vehicles move around. 

ParkMobile Insights offers cities a comprehensive view of their parking ecosystem. This clear and accurate data empowers transportation and parking authorities with the information they need to make strategic, data-driven decisions about parking and urban planning policies. 

Automotive Industries: With 85% of parking spaces sitting empty, what are the major challenges cities face in managing their parking resources effectively?

Mark: A healthy parking environment is required to create a more livable city. Cities need to understand how to balance parking supply and demand to address problems like double parking, illegal parking, and empty parking spaces/lots. However, cities are suffering from a lack of accurate parking data that would allow them to understand what parking problems they face. 

ParkMobile’s Insights solution provides that data. Our solution provides cities with the right information on their specific parking challenges to better understand its parking supply and demand. They can use our data to make more informed policy decisions and take steps toward a healthier parking environment.

Automotive Industries: How does ParkMobile’s Insights product help cities make more informed decisions about their infrastructure and urban planning?

Mark: Many cities don’t know the exact number of parking spaces they have. For example, by some accounts, the US has over two billion parking spots, but 85% of them sit empty at any given time. This is because cities are unaware of their inventory and how to best manage parking. 

With the ParkMobile Insights solution, cities can gain access to accurate parking data. This enables them to make more informed policy decisions, spot problem areas and implement targeted policies to address those specific issues.

Automotive Industries: Can you elaborate on the impact that poor parking infrastructure has on housing costs and urban space limitations?

Mark: Imbalanced parking supply and demand affects cities in many ways:

• When parking occupancy is 90% or higher, it significantly increases parking search traffic and overall congestion.
• In the US, there are minimum parking requirements for new development, such as retail, entertainment and housing developments, most of which are not needed or used. The cost of those parking spaces are baked into rent costs, falling directly on consumers and homeowners. In fact, minimum parking requirements can add millions of dollars to the cost of affordable housing construction at an average of $36k per unit as noted by author of Paved Paradise, Henry Graybar. Implementing demand-based parking can reduce these costs, though it requires changes in laws and regulations, which our Insights data can support. 
• On average, 25% of public space in US cities is used for parking (up to 49% in places like San Bernardino, CA). By optimizing parking infrastructure to meet actual demand, cities can free up space for other uses, such as public parks, making them more enjoyable for its residents and visitors.  

Automotive Industries: According to your survey, 88% of U.S. drivers avoid paying for parking. How can cities address this issue to improve parking compliance and revenue?

Mark: In addition to occupancy and inventory information, ParkMobile gives municipalities data to optimize parking enforcement, which is critical to improving parking compliance. Beyond enforcement, cities should also highlight the benefits of good parking compliance to drivers and citizens. 

For instance, Insights enables cities to monitor improvements from policy changes, like introducing paid parking, and use that information to communicate how it has affected the parking situation in a city (e.g how occupancy has been lowered in certain areas, allowing drivers to find a parking space faster). Additionally, in an ideal world, parking revenue should be used to better a city’s overall infrastructure, from more reliable and effective public transportation, better roads, to safer bike lanes and pedestrian areas – creating a more livable city overall. From this same survey, 70% of respondents also said they would pay for parking if it meant funding public transportation, safer bike lands and improved roads. With further education, we believe paid parking will become more accepted and understood. 

Automotive Industries: What role does ParkMobile play in helping cities reduce traffic congestion and environmental impact through better parking management?

Mark: By using ParkMobile Insights to balance parking supply and demand, cities can optimize their infrastructure to better meet parking needs. This reduces the time spent searching for parking, decreases illegal parking, and makes the city more accessible overall.

Automotive Industries: How does the ability to reserve parking spaces in advance change driver behavior and improve their parking experience?

Mark: With search times taking around 10 minutes on average to find and pay for parking, we found in a survey conducted earlier this year that 75% of drivers are deterred from traveling or attending social experiences. Our solution – transit and event reservations. Reservations allow drivers the opportunity to book a parking space in a parking garage or stadium and event venue parking lot in their desired location to avoid day-of frustration of searching for an available space.

Automotive Industries: In what ways can improved parking infrastructure and payment systems contribute to more sustainable and vibrant urban centers?

Mark: At ParkMobile, we work with cities to provide smarter parking solutions, allowing them to streamline and better manage their parking infrastructure, which in turn creates a more livable city, as revenue from parking often helps to better fund and support other transportation methods – think public transportation, EV charging stations, bike lanes, etc. 

More specifically, our ParkMobile Insights solution can help create a more balanced parking supply and demand to reduce traffic, congestion, and illegal parking by providing a holistic view of a city’s parking ecosystem.

Automotive Industries: How is ParkMobile working to educate drivers and municipalities about the benefits of advanced parking technology and data insights?

Mark: ParkMobile aims to be a reliable and trusted partner, helping cities introduce innovative solutions that benefit municipalities and residents/citizens. Through our network of partner cities, we offer consulting services on how data can improve parking policy decisions, how new technology can make parking management more efficient, and how other cities have solved their parking challenges with data. As data becomes increasingly important, we strive to help cities take full advantage of its benefits.