The biggest problem that colleges and universities struggle with is parking management. Every campus has thousands of students, staff members, and visitors, all fighting for an open parking spot each day. Active enforcement is necessary to catch violators and keep parking spots open for permit holders. However, checking each car is an overwhelming task for parking enforcement teams and thus, they may not be able to catch violations in time. School campuses can use cloud-based parking enforcement systems to streamline operations, improve security, and enhance the overall campus experience.
How It Works
The way that cloud-based parking enforcement systems work is very simple. The process starts with the school subscribing to a cloud-based parking enforcement service, like PLACA.AI. Students, staff, and visitors purchase their permits online and register their license plate numbers. To validate parking, enforcement teams drive through the lots in vehicles mounted with security cameras. These cameras are connected to the cloud-based parking software that captures plate numbers and verifies payment. Inside the vehicle, the driver monitors the scanned plate data on a separate screen or tablet. If a vehicle is not registered in the system, the driver will be alerted so they can issue a digital ticket.
Convenient Payment
With cloud-based parking enforcement systems, colleges and universities can automate the entire permit issuing process. Students, staff, and even visitors can easily pay and register for parking online with no further action necessary. The license plate number becomes the parking permit so there’s no need to print out a paper tag or wait for a sticker permit to come in the mail. Not only is this more convenient for the permit buyer, it’s also more cost-effective for schools as they won’t need to create and distribute physical permits.
Enhanced Compliance
Cloud-based parking enforcement systems verify parking based on license plate numbers, eliminating the need for physical permits like sticker decals or paper tags. This encourages compliance because it prevents people from sharing parking permits. If a school uses parking stickers or paper tags, someone can easily give their permit to someone else to use when they’re not on campus. It’s harder to transfer a parking permit under a cloud-based parking enforcement system because it requires the two people to switch vehicles or license plates. This is more inconvenient so people are less likely to do this.
Efficient Enforcement
Traditional parking enforcement requires the enforcer to manually inspect each car for a sticker permit or tag. This process is extremely time-consuming so parking enforcement teams are not always able to catch violators in time. Cloud-based parking enforcement systems are much more efficient as they enable teams to check more cars in less time. Enforcers no longer have to walk to each car and look for a displayed permit. Instead, they can drive through the lot and the system will automatically alert them of violators.
Real-Time Data & Analytics
Campus administrators must collect parking data in order to make informed decisions about optimizing parking resources. Using a cloud-based parking enforcement system automatically provides the school with real-time data on parking usage. The system keeps track of how many vehicles are scanned and when they were scanned, allowing schools to see which lots fill up quickly and the peak usage times. By having this information, they can determine where to add parking and when to schedule classes to minimize congestion.
Improved Security
Cloud-based parking enforcement systems provide more security by allowing school campuses to identify unregistered vehicles quickly. Some unregistered vehicles may be students trying to evade payment but other vehicles could be security threats. By detecting unauthorized vehicles, schools can keep a closer eye on suspicious activity and prevent potential incidents. Additionally, cloud-based parking enforcement systems record every vehicle that passes through so if anything happens, school administrators can review the log and identify the vehicle of interest.
Secure & Easy School Campus Parking Management with PLACA.AI
Using a cloud-based parking enforcement system simplifies parking management, enhances security, and improves the experience for students, staff, and visitors. Additionally, this investment can save school campuses money in the long-run by increasing revenue from parking tickets and decreasing workloads for enforcement teams. If you need a parking solution for your school campus, PLACA.AI is a cloud-based license plate recognition (LPR) service that provides seamless management and enforcement. To subscribe to PLACA.AI or receive more information, please contact our sales team at +1 (214) 988-4302 or at [email protected]!