Parking authorities, agencies and departments of all sizes are taking a hard look at integrating license plate reader (LPR) technology with their parking management and enforcement operations. LPR automation can save substantial time and money and has the potential to increase revenue. ELSAG® LPR solutions read license plates and collect associated data that allows agencies to manage turnkey operations from one central software—regardless of the vendor or vendors they may currently use.
ELSAG LPR parking technologies are ideal for use in lots, garages, and on-street parking areas, aiding both permit-based and timed parking operations. Their flexibility supports partially automated systems to full PARCS to unique parking scenarios such as nested lots and sites.
WHAT IS A LICENSE PLATE READER?
A license plate reader is a hardware and software system consisting of digital cameras that read vehicle license plates capturing data such as the plate number, vehicle make-type-color, date and time stamps, and GPS coordinates of each read. This information is automatically compared to databases of permit holders, paid-session owners and scofflaws to efficiently manage timed and permit-based operations. Furthermore, the ELSAG system wirelessly deposits all the LPR data into a robust software management system, the ELSAG Enterprise Operations Center (ELSAG EOC), for daily operations.
HOW DOES ELSAG LPR OPTIMIZE PARKING MANAGEMENT?
ELSAG LPR technology streamlines your business in three critical ways. It saves time and money, increases compliance and revenue, and improves public safety.
Consolidating data is one of the most powerful benefits of ELSAG LPR parking solutions. The EOC not only manages data from your LPR cameras but also receives parking session data from the other vendor sources you may already use, such as kiosks, meters, websites, and mobile apps. “ELSAG LPR solutions can integrate with virtually all parking vendors, a time-saver that’s hard to ignore,” said Bart Blair, Parking Field Operations Manager for Leonardo.
ELSAG LPR also improves parking enforcement, practically automating this operation for time-based and permitted parking systems. Each license plate read by the LPR system automatically and instantly compares each plate number to the whitelist of permit and session holders. If the system reads a plate not included on the list, audible and visual alarms are generated on the enforcement in-car laptop, identifying illegally parked vehicles in real time.
Besides data management and more efficient enforcement, ELSAG parking solutions can also help generate additional revenue in several ways.
First, the LPR automation allows officials to find illegally parked vehicles quicker, increasing the number of tickets generated. Without ELSAG LPR, it is likely that a more significant percentage of illegally parked vehicles are never identified or ticketed.
Second, over time, motorists begin to understand the efficiency of their community’s LPR enforcement and the increased likelihood of being ticketed. This can increase voluntary compliance, creating a more efficient space turnover.
And third, enforcement officials can utilize databases of license plate numbers associated with payment issues, increasing the likelihood of finding those vehicles, which can then be booted or towed to encourage payment of delinquent fees.
OTHER BENEFITS OF ELSAG LPR PARKING MANAGEMENT SOLUTIONS
ELSAG LPR benefits reach far beyond financial considerations. These powerful solutions can provide insights to help improve your program’s efficiencies while helping to keep your community safer.
If your local law enforcement agency already uses ELSAG LPR and the ELSAG EOC, you can choose to add your LPR data to their EOC server to aid their public safety missions. Even if they don’t use ELSAG LPR, you can provide access to your LPR data for investigative efforts.
Additionally, the ELSAG EOC data management system is designed for in-depth queries, analysis, and reporting. By looking closely at your data, you can identify traffic patterns, down times, and busy surges that can help you adjust operations to maximize efficiencies.
With flexibility, scalability, and customized systems to meet your agency’s needs, there’s no better time to automate and simplify your parking management operations with ELSAG LPR solutions. “We can help you build an LPR parking solution from the ground up or integrate with your current vendor partners for an optimized program that saves, and makes, you time and money,” said Blair.
Rob Ryan is a Senior Business Development Manager of Leonardo/ELSAG ALPR Solutions. He can be reached at robert.ryan@leonardocompany-us.com. For more information, visit www.leonardocompany-us.com/lpr.
