The industry stuck in the dark ages
Are there any industries that don’t progress or evolve over time? That don’t seek to improve their offering and better their equipment? You’d think not, but a closer look at the parking industry, paints a very different picture…
As someone who has been involved in property development for over 30 years, parking – and the associated difficulties – has been a bugbear on almost every project. From the number of spaces required to occupancy rates and the various pieces of necessary equipment, I feel well-placed to be able to say that the perfect parking solution just wasn’t available.
To demonstrate my point, let’s compare the evolution of the car itself with the car park. The first car took to the road in the UK in 1897, while the first car park opened in London in 1901. How far have they both travelled since then?
Well let’s start with the car: when was the last time you saw a car with a starting handles or wind-up windows? Not to mention having no seat belts or air-conditioning? Satnavs are a relatively recent addition and there are now even cars that are driverless – the changes in the automobile industry have been phenomenal!
Turning to parking, the first car park opened in Denman Street in London in 1901 and accommodated 100 cars over 7 floors – it even had a lift! What a great start. It was followed by many more – most of which are all still around, virtually unchanged. Ask anyone you know for their impression on car parks. My feedback is they’re dirty and smelly, with layouts and concrete obstructions that make it hard not to damage your vehicle. And the spaces are sized for the cars of bygone eras, not the big 4x4s that are commonplace today. They have broken equipment and issue Penalty Charge Notices at the drop of a hat. It’s simply not acceptable to the public and it should not be for the parking industry.
The motor car has been transformed since it first took to the roads, but parking seems stuck in the past. It has seen limited change and barely any innovation. There has been next to no investment – and what little investment there has been seems to have come from punishing customers.
I’ve been involved with large development and regeneration projects such as Brindleyplace, The Mailbox, The Cube and Fort Dunlop. Most recently I purchased the Post and Mail building in central Birmingham where our offices are based. Car parking in such a prime location is really important, but with inefficient equipment and outdated technologies it was a challenge to deliver something really special.
That’s why my team and I have developed ANPRIoT. Following an investment of £5 million and four years of development, we’re ready to bring our technology to market. ANPRIoT uses the latest cloud-native technology, artificial intelligence and state-of-the-art equipment to deliver a modern, stress-free parking experience for both owners and operators, and their customers.
If you’re interested in the next generation of parking, let’s talk.