parking access control is deployed by operators in different regions across the world, including Asia. This article takes a closer look at parking access control, based on inputs from solutions providers in Asia.
Parking access control plays a key role in managing vehicle entry and exit at parking facilities and can benefit drivers and operators alike. As such, parking access control is deployed by operators in different regions across the world, including Asia. This article takes a closer look at parking access control, based on inputs from solutions providers in Asia.
Increasingly, parking operators turn to parking access control solutions to deal with parking
challenges facing them on a daily basis.
“Some of the challenges include security: threat of vehicle theft, unauthorized access and tampering; traffic flow: overloaded parking lot and occupancy optimization; payment management: transparent online payment methods for single tickets and monthly tickets; and user account and data management: data collection and reports to improve service and management process,” said Nguyen Dinh Hiep, CEO of TECHPRO. “The significance of parking access control systems is that they help to monitor parking occupancy effectively and enhance vehicle users’ security. Regarding office buildings, shopping malls and commercial facilities, this system creates added value for tenants and provides the customers convenient experience on their premises.”
“Parking access control systems are the parking management system which can manage in and out access of vehicles (automobiles, motorbikes, bicycles) at parking areas using either License plate recognition, cards or biometrics. Main purposes of this system are to enhance security, protect customer properties and collecting parking fees while reducing processing time and manpower,” said Tran Hai Trieu, Director of TNT.
The convenience parking access control brings makes it ideal for the public and private sectors alike. “Regardless the nature of a parking lot, whether it is government owned or privately owned, they are open to public or whitelisted cars to access. Having a robust parking access control system is important for the operators to charge parking fees, manage the in-and-out flows of cars, and lastly secure the parking lot with access information,” said Erina Chao, VP of Sales at Telexper International.
“Parking access control systems have been widely used for both government and private buildings in Thailand, and it’s mainly used for security purpose and to know who are in and out in their properties on a daily/monthly basis. More than that, it will also be used for calculating the parking fee, and less manpower is needed,” said Ekarin Watcharayingyong, GM for Security and Safety Systems at Bosch Thailand.
Asia use cases
Indeed, the benefits of parking access control are realized by
operators worldwide, including those in Asia. More and more, Asia operators are implementing parking access control systems in their facilities.
“In Vietnam, the key factors that drive the need for parking access control including the rapid increase in the number of vehicles, urbanization, economic development, increasing demand of security and amenity. Parking access control is deployed at parking lots of office buildings, shopping malls, commercial facilities, residential areas and amusement parks,” Hiep said, adding primary technologies used in parking access control in Vietnam include: RFID card, automatic license plate recognition (ALPR), long-distance card and a mixture of these.
According to Trieu, operation efficiency is a driving need for adopting parking access control in Vietnam. “Parking access control system can help the management quickly generate reports on security, system operation and collected fees, and gain further insights about operations. Deployment includes residential/commercial buildings, office buildings, malls and government buildings,” he said.
Meanwhile, Kevin P. Shanmugam, Principle Consultant at A-SAT, shares his observation on Singapore. “In Singapore, the impetus behind the adoption of parking access control systems stems from the nation's concerted efforts towards digitalization and smart urban solutions. As a digitally advanced country, Singapore leverages these systems across a spectrum of environments, including parking garages, residential precincts, commercial hubs, and shopping complexes. The prevalent mechanisms employed encompass a fusion of conventional methods such as tokens with emerging technologies like automatic license plate recognition (ALPR), all geared towards optimizing traffic flow and enhancing overall urban mobility.”
Gate-less and cash-free: Taiwan’s example
Parking access control is now trending towards gate-less parking and cash-free parking. "Gate-less parking lot has become trendy for metropolitan areas where users will pay for parking without gate barriers. Gate-less parking lots are ideal for small parking lots where it’s impossible to install gates,” Chao said. “Cash-free parking lot provide all kinds of electronic payment methods except cash, freeing the operators from assigning staff for routine cash collection, and therefore lowering the chances of money stolen from cash collection. Cash-free parking lot also provides online payment method for contactless payment. This can reduce the loading of queues at the payment machine, speed up the payment process, and therefore increase the turnover of the parking lot.”
Here in Taiwan, where asmag.com is based, some parking lots are seeing both at play, providing a completely frictionless experience. The driver books a space via the parking facility operator’s app. The driver then enters the lot (there are no gates/barriers/people), pushes a button on the app to lower the heavy-duty lock at the assigned space, and parks in it. When the driver leaves, he drives out of the space, pushes the button to lift the lock, and leaves, and the fee is charged to his credit card.
For the detection and identification of vehicles in parking access control, various technologies are used. These include paper cards, tokens and e-tags. Yet increasingly,
ALPR has emerged as the primary parking access control technology.
“ALPR system is the latest technology in Thailand. Especially in mixed-used/office buildings/shopping malls, they will use ALPR with QR code ticket dispenser system at the entrance and exit. For residential (condominium), they will normally use RFID technology,” Watcharayingyong said.
We’ll take a closer look at ALPR in upcoming articles.