Pay by Plate
Encyclopedia
Pay-by-plate machines are a subset of ticket machine
s used for regulating parking
in urban areas or in car parks. They enable customers to purchase parking time and link it to their license plate. The machines print a receipt that generally displays the location, machine number, expiry time, amount paid, and the license plate.
In Canada, the first pay-by-plate system was unveiled in Calgary, AB on September 20, 2007. This was a system commissioned by the Calgary Parking Authority using CALE pay machines, Tannery Creek Systems autoChalk enforcement technology, and MTS Allstream for pay by cellphone. Whistler, BC followed suit on July 12, 2010 unveiling its Pay by Plate system consisting of CALE pay machines, and GTechna enforcement technology. Since the ParkPlus system issues mailout tickets it is not considered "real-time", thus the Whistler installation is the first real-time system in Canada.
In the USA, the first Pay by Plate machine was installed in....
s and the pay and display
machines in that one machine can service multiple vehicles by inputting the license plate information into the machine, resulting in lower set up costs. In addition, this system theoretically prevents drivers from taking advantage of parking meters that have time remaining; this factor alone has doubled parking revenues in cities. The third advantage for the city is that it allows enforcement to be automated using license plate recognition (ALPR). ALPR mounted on enforcement vehicles scans vehicles at speed and can process significantly more vehicles than hand-held ticketing devices or manual ticketing. This allows the parking enforcement officer to quickly determine who has and has not paid, also resulting in larger revenue.
The advantage for the consumer, is that the vehicle license plate that is paid can easily move car to another block, and still have the paid status. Something that cannot be done with a parking meter
or a pay and display
machine.
In addition, the pay by plate machines allows for easy integration of pay by phone. This would allow the consumer to add more parking time for license plate, without returning to machine. The pay by plate machines also accept a variety of coins, credit cards, and debit cards making it unnecessary for drivers to carry large amounts of change. The use of credit cards has another advantage - the machines do not have to be emptied of coins as often, and the costs of counting coin and possible pilfering by employees who empty the parking meters also reduces their overall costs.
Washington, DC has done some trial tests with Pay by Plate (Fall 2010), and will probably proceed with this technology.
Ticket machine
A ticket machine, also known as a ticket vending machine , is a vending machine that produces tickets. For instance, ticket machines dispense train tickets at railway stations and tram tickets at some tram stops and in some trams...
s used for regulating parking
Parking
Parking is the act of stopping a vehicle and leaving it unoccupied for more than a brief time. Parking on one or both sides of a road is commonly permitted, though often with restrictions...
in urban areas or in car parks. They enable customers to purchase parking time and link it to their license plate. The machines print a receipt that generally displays the location, machine number, expiry time, amount paid, and the license plate.
In Canada, the first pay-by-plate system was unveiled in Calgary, AB on September 20, 2007. This was a system commissioned by the Calgary Parking Authority using CALE pay machines, Tannery Creek Systems autoChalk enforcement technology, and MTS Allstream for pay by cellphone. Whistler, BC followed suit on July 12, 2010 unveiling its Pay by Plate system consisting of CALE pay machines, and GTechna enforcement technology. Since the ParkPlus system issues mailout tickets it is not considered "real-time", thus the Whistler installation is the first real-time system in Canada.
In the USA, the first Pay by Plate machine was installed in....
Principles
Pay by Plate systems differ from the road-side parking meterParking meter
A parking meter is a device used to collect money in exchange for the right to park a vehicle in a particular place for a limited amount of time. Parking meters can be used by municipalities as a tool for enforcing their integrated on-street parking policy, usually related to their traffic and...
s and the pay and display
Pay and display
Pay and display machines are a subset of ticket machines used for regulating parking in urban areas or in car parks. It relies on a customer purchasing a ticket from a machine and displaying the ticket on the dashboard, or windscreen or passenger window of the vehicle...
machines in that one machine can service multiple vehicles by inputting the license plate information into the machine, resulting in lower set up costs. In addition, this system theoretically prevents drivers from taking advantage of parking meters that have time remaining; this factor alone has doubled parking revenues in cities. The third advantage for the city is that it allows enforcement to be automated using license plate recognition (ALPR). ALPR mounted on enforcement vehicles scans vehicles at speed and can process significantly more vehicles than hand-held ticketing devices or manual ticketing. This allows the parking enforcement officer to quickly determine who has and has not paid, also resulting in larger revenue.
The advantage for the consumer, is that the vehicle license plate that is paid can easily move car to another block, and still have the paid status. Something that cannot be done with a parking meter
Parking meter
A parking meter is a device used to collect money in exchange for the right to park a vehicle in a particular place for a limited amount of time. Parking meters can be used by municipalities as a tool for enforcing their integrated on-street parking policy, usually related to their traffic and...
or a pay and display
Pay and display
Pay and display machines are a subset of ticket machines used for regulating parking in urban areas or in car parks. It relies on a customer purchasing a ticket from a machine and displaying the ticket on the dashboard, or windscreen or passenger window of the vehicle...
machine.
In addition, the pay by plate machines allows for easy integration of pay by phone. This would allow the consumer to add more parking time for license plate, without returning to machine. The pay by plate machines also accept a variety of coins, credit cards, and debit cards making it unnecessary for drivers to carry large amounts of change. The use of credit cards has another advantage - the machines do not have to be emptied of coins as often, and the costs of counting coin and possible pilfering by employees who empty the parking meters also reduces their overall costs.
Washington, DC has done some trial tests with Pay by Plate (Fall 2010), and will probably proceed with this technology.
See also
- Decriminalised parking enforcementDecriminalised parking enforcementDecriminalised parking enforcement is the name given in the United Kingdom to the civil enforcement of car parking regulations, carried out by civil enforcement officers, operating on behalf of either a local authority or a private firm. The Road Traffic Act 1991 Decriminalised parking enforcement...
- Parking guidance and informationParking guidance and informationParking guidance and information systems, or car park guidance systems, present drivers with dynamic information on parking within controlled areas. The systems combine traffic monitoring, communication, processing and variable message sign technologies to provide the service...
- License Plate Recognition