In our competitive world, even cities compete to be the best. One way of measuring a city’s performance is determining how smart it is. For cities to become smart they’re supposed to harness the power of the current technological and information age. This includes:

• Using new technological developments for the benefit of the city and citizens
• Delivering better service because it’s empowered by improved systems
• Enhanced communication between councils and citizens thanks to modern technology

All of this must focus on managing assets—such as schools, law enforcement, and community services—better than before. Parking plays a remarkable role in this process. Pay and display parking is a user-friendly system for drivers. It has immense benefits for the city using it too. By implementing this system combined with modern technology cities achieve many—smart—goals. Let’s look at a few.

1. Increase Sources of Revenue

A city can’t continue improving if there aren’t funds to invest. Pay and display parking results in higher revenue from public parking because:

• The limited parking time system forces drivers to vacate parking bays. Other drivers can use these bays too which causes income from more consumers.
• Modern pay and display parking systems allow for payment through other means than cash. This attracts users who don’t carry cash to park there. This results in higher revenue.
• Citizens can’t abuse the system since penalties are required when using parking bays too long.
• Smart cities can incorporate the technology of cameras with pay and display parking systems. Instead of manually looking for cars with expired tickets they can be identified remotely. The required penalties these drives must pay more sources of revenue without requiring much expense in terms of employee salaries.

2. Cities need Fast Parking Turnaround

Smart cities do what is beneficial for the community. They use technology to reach this goal and what communities want is speed. When cities can enforce fast turnaround of parking spaces everyone benefits:

• The city can service more people in car parks and public areas which results in higher revenue.
• A consistent stream of cars exiting means more people can enter and obtain parking.
• Because payment isn’t handled upon exiting there aren’t any traffic congestion problems.

3. Cities can Counter Traffic Challenges

Using technology correctly can lower the possibility of traffic congestion. How Do Pay and Display Parking help? Part of the problem is too many drivers looking for parking. When cities help drivers get off the roads faster you achieve many benefits:

• Less cars on the road because they’re already in parking bays
• Fewer cars slowing down to look for available parking spaces

Pay and display parking systems help achieve this because they enforce fast turnaround in terms of parking. More drivers are given space to park. Technology that helps even more When smart cities combine the system with state of the art technology results are even better. Parking bays can be fitted with sensors that react when a driver parks there. This information is channelled to online systems that continually update information received from the city’s public parking spaces. For this to happen cities must have developed Wi-Fi systems—usually incorporating lamp posts—through which this information can travel. This information—about available parking spaces—is showcased via apps. Drivers use these apps and can navigate to available spaces fast. Truly modern implementations even allow for online payment to fast track the system. RadarDector-Guides.net can also provide technological solutions.

4. Cities can Offer Modern Payment Options

For cities to be seen as smart they must implement modern technology. This also relates to payment options offered to citizens. When it comes to parking infrastructures, cities can connect various payment options with a pay and display system:

• Credit card payments
• Online payments
• Smartphone payments
• Payments via an app

Drivers can obtain tickets to display in return for any of these payments. Cities simply have to implement Wi-Fi enabled systems. This enables the parking systems to communicate with Smartphones and other online platforms.

5. Smart Human Resource Management

Smart cities are known for wise resource consumption. This also relates to human resources. Pay and display parking requires less employees than some other parking systems. Since drivers handle ticket payments themselves no one needs to attend a booth throughout the day. By lowering expenses related to salaries more funds can be channelled towards other important city costs.

6. Customized Services

Smart cities try to increase communication and trust between councils and citizens. One smart way of achieving this is by building trust and offering customized services. Pay and display parking enables cities—and entities such as hospitals—to provide special privileges to regular users. A regular visitor to an office or service can obtain a card stating that fact. This card can be bought at reduced parking rates. Instead of paying for parking daily an approved user can display this card on a continual basis. Less time is required to purchase a ticket. Citizens experience beneficial treatment from the city which results in positive attitudes towards government. This is when people start going the extra mile for their cities. They don’t see government as an enemy or an entity dragging its feet anymore. People are already enjoying technological benefits at home. Cities need to realize how technological developments can help them reach goals. It calls for intensive management and an expertly designed infrastructure. But this effort will enable—and motivate—synergy. Synergy results in cities and their citizens working together to achieve even more.