The City of Hamilton is advising the motoring public that, as of January 3rd, 2024, the City will be trialing its new License Plate Recognition (LPR) Software at the Number 5 car park on Front Street (next to Pier 6).
LPR will create a new parking system which will give motorists various ticketless parking options using app–based products.
LPR involves placing a small camera at both car park entry and exit points which will ‘read’ car plates (front plates only) and intuitively calculate how long that car has been parked in the car park and issue a request for payment.
The trial period will run for two months at which point the data will be assessed to see if the system is a viable, robust, and reliable option which will meet our needs and can be implemented in other City car parks.
There will be two payment options: When motorists arrive at the entry gate, the screen will give two options: 1) PRESS HERE TO USE LPR CAMERAS or 2) SCAN YOUR QR CODE.
There will also be permit access: This is for emergency vehicles as well as Corporation vehicles and equipment; the LPR will read the vehicle’s plate and allow access if that plate matches any on the preapproved access ‘list’. The system is dynamic, meaning that there will be opportunities to addpermitted vehicles as needed for both long-term and short-term use.
EasyPark will also still be accepted as a payment option.
On Sundays and public holidays, the system will function as it does for stays of less than fifteen minutes – users will still need to select a ‘payment’ option upon entry, but when exiting, there will be no fee requested.
There will be an intercom at the car park – manned 24 hours a day – should members of the public need assistance. Additionally, there will be Parking Management staff stationed at the entry point during peak times to explain and assist motorists with the new system.
Access to bike parking in the car park will not be changed oraffected.
Explaining the motivation behind the change, Assistant Superintendent for Traffic Management Fred Richardson said, “It was time to move in a smarter direction with regards to parking – one that removes the need for paper tickets. Hamilton’s motorists should notice a huge improvement with this new system which will save them time and hassle in the car park and eliminate the need for a physical ticket. However, the current ticket system will not be removed entirely, so that thereis a backup in case any aspect of the LPR fails to run at optimum capacity.
“The aim is to have better operating car park system that benefits both the consumer and the organization.”
This new system comes from Mobile Smart City and will allow for easy add-as-needed upgrades as technological advances occur or changes need to be made to the system.
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