Traffic + Parking: We move forward together

Traffic + Parking 2024 explored the future of transport, AI and saw delegates play the 'Parking for All' game

The annual Traffic + Parking conference provides a space in which local authorities, their private sector partners, campaigners and consultants can explore topical issues relating to the planning, provision and regulation of parking, the kerbside and the urban street scene.

Traffic + Parking 2024 was packed with presentations, debates and an exhibition showcasing the latest innovations and services. The event was programmed by Parking Review and delivered by Landor LINKS in Manchester on 30 October.

The morning featured a major debate on the Future of Parking Policy, an in-depth look at delivering Better Streets and a panel sharing ideas on Beating the Parking Scammers.

The afternoon was made up of two special events. After lunch there was a ground-breaking exploration of artificial intelligence in the Parking AI session and the day concluded with a new interactive game called ‘Parking for All’.
www.traffic-parking.uk

PARKING AI

How Artificial Intelligence will transform parking

Traffic + Parking ran a session focussed on the rapidly evolving area of artificial intelligence (AI). The discussion got behind what has become something of a buzzword.

Parking AI kicked off with a comprehensive introduction to artificial intelligence, with an expert panel demystifying the concepts and technologies that drive this transformative field.

Attendees discussed the specific ways AI can revolutionise the parking industry. This collaborative segment encouraged participants to share ideas, ask questions and explore innovative solutions that AI can offer for smart parking.

Landor LINKS’ programme partner Trellint UK shared key insights from a survey sent out to Traffic + Parking attendees.

Benefits of AI

The survey revealed that people felt the benefits of AI included automating repetitive task; improving business operations and productivity, and advancing scientific research. The potential benefits of applying AI in the transport realm included:

• Smart transport systems
• Autonomous vehicles Traffic management and congestion
• Public transportation optimisation for schedules and routes
• Ride-sharing services
• Real-time availability services.

Concerns about AI

Delegates flagged a number of concerns about AI, including:

• Data security risks
• Job displacement or automation of jobs
• Privacy
• AI systems making biased or unfair decisions
• Lack of transparency
• Loss of human control over AI.

How AI working is the parking sector

Parking space detection: AI can use cameras and sensors to identify available parking spaces in real-time. AI can also predict if a parking space will be available when a driver arrives by considering factors like seasonality and traffic volume.

Car park management: AI can help parking managers monitor parking duration and identify illegally parked vehicles. For example, AI can monitor for spaces that are empty for long periods or have excessive parking durations.

Road safety: AI can analyse data from traffic patterns, vehicle behaviour, and driver habits to predict and prevent potential hazards.
Customer service: AI-powered conversational tools, or "bots", can provide fast and efficient customer service.

Number plate recognition: AI can identify vehicles based on their number plates, and may also consider the vehicle's make, model and colour.

The panel

The discussion was led by Dan Casey, capture manager at Trellint. The panellists were:

• Francesca Cesare Pintorno, knowledge transfer manager, Digital Transport, Innovate UK
• Gonzalo Martinez Santos, product analyst, CurbIQ
• Chris Newman, head of UK operations, Trellint
• Richard Walker, head of parking, North Essex Parking Partnership, and president, British Parking Association.

If you want to discover more attend TransportAI, an annual Landor LINKS event in Manchester on 5 February 2025.

www.transportai.uk

AN INSPIRING JOURNEY

Tina Glover is a champion for careers in engineering

For three decades, Tina Glover has demonstrated her expertise, leadership and commitment to making a positive impact. At Traffic + Parking 2024 Tina Glover looked back on how her career has developed in step with the evolution of the traffic and parking sector.

Her journey began in 1995 when she joined Parkman Consulting Engineers as a junior engineer. In 1999 she moved into the public sector and embarked on what was a 23-year tenure at Bury Council. She served as group leader of traffic management, transportation, parking services and road safety.

She was responsible for managing a £3m parking enforcement contract, which included the challenging implementation of controlled parking zones. Her strategic oversight extended to complex highways, parking and transportation interventions, showcasing an ability to handle multifaceted projects. She was also responsible for the implementation of £13m active travel measures as part of the Greater Manchester Bee Network..

In recent years Glover has moved into consultancy. In 2021 she joined Project Centre as a principal engineer, quickly rising through the ranks to become associate director and then technical director. She was instrumental in supporting local authorities across the country, such as Manchester City Council, St Helens Borough Council and the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority implement moving traffic enforcement and sustainable transport schemes.

This year Glover joined WSP Liveable Places, where she is now technical director and regional lead for the North.

She serves on the advisory group of the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation (CIHT), where she authors technical papers. Glover is deeply committed to mentoring and developing the next generation of engineers. She is an active participant in the British Parking Association’s mentorship programme Glover’s dedication to promoting engineering as a career choice is evident in her role as a STEM Ambassador, regularly engaging with school children to highlight the diverse opportunities within the industry.

National recognition of Glover’s achievements in the traffic and parking sector came in June when she was named one of the Top 50 Women in Engineering.

PARKING FOR ALL

Andrew Potter reveals new parking game

Various and largely insatiable demands are placed upon the kerbside. Space for safety margins, buses, loading, collection and delivery. Parking for car clubs, residents, shoppers and workers. Public realm ambitions and greater access for vulnerable users. All compete for the same real estate – the kerbside.

These competing demands were the subject of ‘Parking for All’, an interactive game developed by Andrew Potter, director of Parking Perspectives. The game, which features a model street, player cards and newspaper stories, explores a number of potential guidebook approaches for councils to make rationalised and consistent decisions about who gets what space.

‘Parking for All’ was unveiled at Traffic + Parking.

Delegates role-played different interest groups and debated a series of different proposals for the management of the kerb outside their parade of shops. The scenarios allowed the delegates to investigate the various merits of how kerbspace is allocated and work through different approaches to determine what uses would win their space on the street, and who and what is displaced elsewhere.

The players each had their own objectives and agendas, but collectively they had to deliver an outcome that: retains free flow of traffic and public transport; provides a safe space for pedestrians, cyclists, children and people with disabilities; and makes space for delivery vehicles, electric vehicles and mobility services, as well as keeping existing users content.
www.parkingperspectives.com

BETTER STREETS

Improving mobility, parking and street management

Traffic and parking teams are delivering policies and programmes which improve the street-scene, access to the kerbside and environment in urban areas.

The Better Streets session was chaired by Anjna Patel MBE, principal officer, Sandwell Council, and chair of British Parking Association.

Traff-iCase: Opening up parking appeals

Caroline Hamilton, chief adjudicator, Traffic Penalty Tribunal

Drivers who have been issued a penalty charge notice for contravening parking, bus lane and moving traffic, clean air and other road user charging restrictions have a right to have an appeal heard by independent legal adjudicators.

As part of its mission to make justice accessible and more understandable, the adjudicator for traffic appeals in England (outside London) and Wales, the Traffic Penalty Tribunal, has developed a website that provides access to key cases curated for their common facts, issues and points of law.

These cases provide a reference for motorists who may have received similar penalty charges, local authorities or other interested parties, such as the media.

Delivering sustainable and active travel through parking management

Adam Bunce, managing director, Ethos

Parking policies and strategies are a central element in spatial planning that influence modal choices, reducing emissions and promoting healthier lifestyles.

Encouraging active travel

Jon Little, co-founder, BetaStreets

A look at new guidance on project engagement and consultation produced by BetaStreets, a design and visualisation tool for use in street design, highways and placemaking.

Pavement parking in Scotland

Stacey Montieth-Skelton, principal traffic engineer, Project Centre

The City of Edinburgh Council became the first Scottish local authority to enforce pavement parking, starting from January 2024. The city worked with Marston Holdings’ Project Centre to understand how pavement parking rules would work on a street-by-street basis, and then with NSL to implement an enforcement scheme. (A British Parking Award 2024 winner).

The future direction of fees and charges

Aya Collins, operations director, Citisense

A number of local authorities are changing direction in how they change for parking. While in the past, fees have generally been set on the basis of covering the cost of administration and enforcement, there is an increasing emphasis on using charges to facilitate behaviour change, such as encouraging a move away from car ownership and to encourage the uptake of cleaner vehicles.

TECHNOLOGY TRENDS

A spotlight on technology and services

Parking operations are working to harness data, deploy new technologies and provide a seamless and secure service to drivers. Traffic +?Parking explored: Digital Traffic Management Orders; moving traffic regulation enforcement; payment and permit systems; and tackling the QR code fraud epidemic.

The session was chaired by Mike Marrs, chief executive, APN Group and vice president British Parking Association

The digital kerbside

Dan Hubert, founder and chief executive officer, AppyWay

Innovations such as Digital Traffic Regulation Orders can optimise the management of parking space by creating a dynamic kerb that can be used by local authorities, drivers and businesses.

Real world benefits of camera enforcement for road safety and local community transport

Paula Argyle, principal CPU supervisor, Nottinghamshire County Council and Steve Dale, sales account manager, SEA

The SEA ROADflow Fusion system has contributed to a change in driver behaviour, helping to stop motorists breaching bus lane rules and blocking bus stops, which has enabled a busy bus route to be reinstated in Nottinghamshire.

Permitting and exemption management for local authorities

Mark Wilson, chief commercial officer, Unity5

Local authorities are increasingly recognising the need to modernise their parking permit management software to keep pace with evolving demands.

Using data to detect, deter and defeat persistent evaders

Alan Wood, founder and chief executive officer, National Persistent Evaders Database (NPED)

The National Persistent Evader Database (NPED) is the UK’s only centralised database of offending vehicle behaviour data. These vehicles will be ranked in a scoring matrix allowing the local authorities and enforcement agencies to prioritise the worst offenders in society.

Beating the parking scammers

Sarah Hubbard, senior business manager, RingGo, and Richard Boultbee, managing director, WPS UK

Fraudsters have been making headlines with fake QR codes stuck on car park signs, counterfeit penalty charge notices (PCNs) issued to vehicles and phishing e-mails demanding payment of non-existent parking fines. This discussion saw delegates share their experience and explore potential solutions to the problem.