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Authorizing Council’s Committee on Streets and Services and Committee on Global Opportunities and the Creative/Innovative Economy to hold hearings regarding possible implementation of technologies to streamline on-street parking solutions in Philadelphia.
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WHEREAS, Visitors and residents in Philadelphia are well aware of the struggle involved in finding parking spaces on crowded City streets, particularly at peak traffic hours. One study has shown that drivers spend an average of 18 minutes looking for parking spaces in large American cities. Parking in these cities have a major congestion, economic waste and a negative impact on the environment; and
WHEREAS, Large cities who experience similar parking problems to Philadelphia, such as Boston and New York City, have adopted parking technology as a solution that streamlines the process of finding available parking spaces. Local municipalities and institutions, such as Lower Merion Township and the University of Pennsylvania, have also adopted parking technology; and
WHEREAS, Parking technology consists of features such as display monitors on street corners which let drivers know about parking vacancies, mounted cameras fixed to pre-existing traffic lights, poles that monitor spaces with laser sensors, and in-pavement sensors installed in parking spaces which identify vehicles using motion detection; and
WHEREAS, Equipment like License Plate Recognition (LPR) currently in use by law enforcement can easily be adapted by parking technology, making awarding fines, fees, and violations possible at the push of a button on a mobile application. Tickets and permits for parking can be easily updated and identified for major events; and
WHEREAS, Parking technology infrastructure can be continually updated and adaptable to incorporate and work in conjunction with other applications already set in place, such as SEPTA and Indego mobile applications. Physical parking technology installations require little maintenance. Battery life of sensors can reach up to 8 years, and these sensors are weatherproof as well as theft-preventive. Parking technology also reduces the manpower needed to survey locations; and
WHEREAS, Drivers benefit from the implementation of this technology, as mobile applications provide information to the user about vacant and occupied parking spaces and the fastest routes to access them. Additionally, mobile parking applications can warn users that they are approaching or overstaying their time limit. Studies have also shown that automation of fines and additional fees helps drivers conform to regulations; and
WHEREAS, Merchants can use parking technology to award drivers coupons for parking close by at a specific time or reward drivers on their next visit for a shortened stay; and
WHEREAS, Parking technology has shown positive results elsewhere. Accidents with cyclists due to a lack of tunnel vision have declined, as have carbon emissions from vehicles spending time driving around to find a parking space. This technology has been shown to reduce the amount of traffic congestion by as much as 30% and increase the volume of parking purchases anywhere from 2 to10%; and
WHEREAS, Parking technology is one component of building Smart Cities. Incorporating parking into the Internet of Things (a system of interrelated computing devices, machines, objects, and people that have the ability to transfer data over a network) can be of major benefit to Philadelphia; and
WHEREAS, Parking technology is a logical step in growing Philadelphia as an attractive hub of innovation and technology, not to mention a popular destination for visitors who are drawn by the City’s conveniences; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That it hereby authorizes Council’s Streets and Services Committee and Committee on Global Opportunities and the Creative/Innovative Economy to hold hearings regarding possible implementation of technologies to streamline on-street parking solutions in Philadelphia.
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