www.europeanparking.eu publication of the European Parking Association | Volume 39 | no. 3-2023 11 EPA Annual General Meeting “YES – there we go!” 14 President’s Summary Status of EPA 2.0 Action Plan 20 DISCO project Paola Cossu gives answers Austria | Belgium | Cyprus | Finland | France | Germany | Ireland | Italy | Luxembourg | Portugal | Slovak Republik | Slovenia | Spain | The Netherlands: 8.50 Euro Croatia 63.75 Kuna, Great Britain 7.50 Pound Sterling, Hungary 2,550 Forint, Norway 74.50 NOK, Poland 39.10 Zloty, Sweden 80 SEK, Switzerland 15.75 CHF

Dear colleagues of the Parking Industry, EDITORIAL << I am particularly pleased to be able to report to you today on the latest developments at the European Parking Association which I am sure you have been eagerly awaiting. Over the past ten months, our Board has been hard at work, paving the way for a new era of the parking industry. In this editorial, I aim to provide you with insights into the evolution of EPA, its new home in Brussels, our ongoing challenges, and the next steps. We are still in the middle of the planning and change man- agement process towards ‘EPA 2.0’, but I am convinced that we are heading in the right di- rection. Brussels – the ideal hub for EPA’s evolution The discussions within the EPA Board at the end of 2022 were pivotal in shaping the future of our association. After decades of being as- sociated with the “Bundesverband Parken e.V.” in Germany, we recognized the need for a new beginning, a fresh chapter for the EPA. And what better place for this transformation than Brussels, the heart of European politics, where decisions that impact our industry are made. Brussels is a hub for opinion leaders and decision-makers. It is where legislation is discussed, debated, and enacted, making it the perfect location for EPA 2.0. To ensure our as- sociation is not just physically located in Brus- sels but also deeply ingrained in the local envi- ronment, a dedicated local team led by Tom Antonissen will maintain existing contacts, establish new ones, and provide expert advice and support to policymakers. The interests of EPA members can thus be bet- ter represented, and we will make our voice heard with parking management issues before other sectors do so and drive the discussion. The generous contributions from the four largest European operators have played a vital role in ensuring the financial stability of EPA 2.0 for the first 15 months. With a representation on the ground, it is certainly also much easier to observe the leg- islative processes and to be able to provide important contributions and support as a source of impetus. There is still a lot of work ahead of us. It is important to pay more atten- tion to developing valid standards – in the sense of the “Alliance for Parking Data Stand- ards” (APDS) – for the whole of Europe and to direct the focus to upcoming topics. The challenges in the future Urban areas are constantly growing due to their attractiveness for services, jobs, or even commerce and culture and pose challenges to municipalities, citizens, and visitors alike. With new concepts, cities are looking for im- proved mobility solutions. Efficient parking management improves accessibility and quali- ty of life for both residents and visitors. Smart parking systems also enable the use and inte- gration of all existing urban infrastructure in an efficient way. The focus will be on topics such as EV charging, which will keep us very busy in the course of the rapid increase in electric mobility, as well as electro-vehicle fire pre- vention and protection. Digitalization and the need for interop- erability between various systems will ad- vance rapidly in the coming years, topics such as smart cities and smart mobility are already fixed components when it comes to sustainable urban space management with the help of data-driven smart parking ser- vices. I agree with EPA President Nigel Wil- liams that many people still do not recog- nize the value of data. It is priceless, but in many cases, it is not used or applied. Our industry is particularly rich in data, but many of our colleagues still view their data infrastructure as a cost center. We need to help them turn it into a profit center by lev- eraging data for overall improvements and enabling interoperability in our extremely fragmented industry. In addition to digitalization, topics such as DATEX II, as a standard for the exchange of transport-related data, ANPR (Automatic number plate recognition), and MMTIS (Multi-Modal Travel Information Services) will continue to play an important role in the future when it comes to the exchange and transfer of customer-related data. Decisions and next steps On 14-15 September, many topics were dis- cussed at the EPA General Assembly 2023, in- cluding: • Vote on fundamental resolutions of the EPA transformation (The General Meeting decided that the European Parking Associ- ation e.V. will transfer all its activities to the European Parking Association AISBL). James Toal • Founding of the EPA AISBL with the sign- ing of the constitutional act in Brussels on September 15, 2023. Next steps: • In early 2024 (when EPA AISBL legal status is achieved by Belgian Royal Decree), new membership application forms will be sent out. • First formal EPA AISBL Ordinary General Assembly (incl. Board elections) planned for members in September 2024. We invite you to engage with us in shaping the parking industry’s future. As we move for- ward, your input, support, and active involve- ment are invaluable. In closing, I would like to express my gratitude for your continued dedication to the European Parking Association. Togeth- er, we are driving innovation, promoting sustainable mobility, and ensuring that parking solutions remain at the forefront of modern urban planning. Sincerely, James Toal EPA Associate Board Member Parking trend international no. 3-2023 3 3

t e v u o L r e d n a x e l A y b A P E : s o t o h p e l t i T CONTENTS << 18 28 35 Parking trend international no. 3-2023 5

BUSINESS NEWS << New executive team with key hires EasyPark has added strategic recruitments to its executive team: Melanie McAllister is the new Chief People Officer. Sandesh Bhat has taken office as Chief Technology Offic- er. Glen Braganza acts as Chief Financial Officer. And Miles Hutchinson is the new Chief Information Security Officer. All new leaders have taken up their new roles throughout June, July, and August. “We’re thrilled to announce the new ad- ditions to EasyPark Group’s Executive Team. Each recruit has an exceptional background that will bring strong value to the company. They will all be powerful contributors as we continue to accelerate our growth and make cities more livable around the world,” says Cameron Clayton, CEO of EasyPark Group. “I look forward to drawing on the strengths of the new Executive Team as we continue to scale up in North America, and unlock growth in other parts of the world.” On the appointment of Miles Hutchinson he added: “Information security and cyber defense are essential parts of conducting business. As a global player itis important to protect our company's information and customers’ data at all times. We always need to ensure the continuous improvement of our informa- Miles Hutchinson is the new Chief Information Security Officer at EasyPark. ) 2 ( k r a P y s a E © Sandesh Bhat, Melanie McAllister and Glen Braganza complement the executive team. tion security infrastructure, processes, and technology as we continue our rapid rate of global growth.” Rebecka Holberg, Niklas Magnusson and René Bienz, who previously had the key po- sitions, will step down from the Executive Team to assume other senior roles in the n company. Citea Touch parking terminals come to Lausanne Hectronic, a provider of solutions for e-mo- bility, parking and refueling has brought its Citea Touch parking terminals to Lausanne, Switzerland. Approximately 70 machines have been installed in the pictur- esque city on Lake Geneva. Citea of- fers digital functions via the compa- ny’s management platform CityLine, providing a smooth connection to the system of the parking operator Fondation des Parkings. Hectronic representatives were on-site to en- sure proper installation and also of- fered customer training on the park- n ing solution. c i n o r t c e H © Lidia Rajic and Martin Daniel were present during the installation to assure themselves of the proper installation. Parking trend international no. 3-2023 7 Do not hesitate to contact us:Hectronic GmbH | Allmendstrasse 15 D-79848 Bonndorf | Tel. +49 7703 9388-0 mail@hectronic.comwww.hectronic.comAuthorize Numerous Barrier-Free Charging Points: HecPayCompatible with all common charging stations and backend management systemsBarrier-free & flexible payment options > Charging Column Ordinance (LSV) and AFIRMany charging points can be activated per terminalHigh sturdiness (IK10) Design freely selectableComprehensive after-sales service

BUSINESS NEWS << Nick Hamill new Chief Financial Officer PayByPhone has appointed Nick Hamill as Chief Financial Officer as of August 1, 2023. Hamill, 39, previously served as Vice President, Finance at PayByPhone, working closely with departing CFO Daniel Ungar, who relocates to Germany to begin a new position within Volkswagen Financial Ser- vices AG. Hamill will report to the PayBy- Phone supervisory board, chaired by Jan Ebert, Head of Controlling, Volkswagen Fi- nancial Services AG. Ebert says, “Going forward, as PayBy- Phone continues to evolve, we can rely on Nick’s proven track record and extensive experience to provide decisive fiscal man- agement and authentic leadership to a stim- ulating and complex role.” e n o h P y B y a P © was Vice President, Finance. Throughout his career, Hamill has held a variety of fi- nancial leadership roles. He is a Chartered Professional Accountant (Canada), a Char- tered Business Valuator, and he has a Bach- elor of Commerce in Business from the University of Victoria, Canada. “As a global business, we will continue to prioritize sustainable growth, and a well- defined and effectively implemented finan- cial strategy is fundamental to achieving that. Alongside the finance teams in our markets and with the support of our man- agement board, I am eager to deliver success not only to our shareholder, Volkswagen Fi- nancial Services AG, but also to our users n worldwide,” says Nick Hamill. New Chief Financial Officer Nick Hamill In his new role, Hamill, who is based in Vancouver, Canada, will also oversee the le- gal, compliance, procurement, and adminis- tration functions. He joined PayByPhone in November 2021 from Silver Chef, where he Smart Parking takes over ParkInnovation As of 13 July 2023, the listed Smart Parking Limited Group based in Australia has acquired the Würzburg-based company ParkInnova- tion. This is intended to expand the market position of the German subsidiary Smart Parking Germany. Smart Parking Germany – based in Düsseldorf – offers solutions for smart parking management using camera technology through automated number plate recognition. Parking ticket machines, parking guidance systems and connections to payment apps are also part of the portfolio. In many countries, Smart Parking is the market leader in increasing the efficiency of privately managed parking spaces, for example in retail, hospitals or airports. The takeover is not expected to have any short-term effects on ParkInnovation GmbH, its employees or customers. The name and legal form will be retained. The close cooperation between the teams of Smart Parking and ParkInnovation should bring new growth impulses, according to both companies. Emil Strobl, Managing Director of Smart Parking Germany and now also head of ParkInnovation, says: “The ParkInnovation team has shown great passion for its work. Therefore, we are looking for- ward to the growth and to the strength that will result from the combination of our skills and competences. In the future, our clien- tele will be able to choose whether they want to protect their park- ing space by scanning it with a camera or via the parking disc solu- tion.” After signing the contract: Thomas Tanzberger (l.) and Peter Kleinmann (r.) from ParkInnovation GmbH with Emil Strobl (centre), CEO of Smart Parking Germany and chief of ParkInno- vation Paul Gillespie, Chief Executive Officer of Smart Parking Group: “Our companies share the same strategic direction and stand for the same value system: We have a strong focus on personal and long- n term customer and employee relationships.” Parking trend international no. 3-2023 9 9 H b m G y n a m r e G g n i k r a P t r a m S ©

LEAD STORY << All necessary decisions for the transformation of EPA were taken unanimously. t e v u o L r e d n a x e l A y b A P E © l l A EPA Annual General Meeting “YES – there we go!” Annual General Meetings (AGM) are often a mere formality in the association system, with prescribed rules and regulations. This year’s EPA AGM in Brus- sels, however, was a very special one: EPA currently registered in Germany as “e. V.”, was re-established as EPA “aisbl”, which means that the association is now officially subject to Belgian law and moves its headquarter from Cologne to Brussels. It’s gonna be a historic meeting”, said EPA President Nigel Williams in his opening and welcome speech. And it surely was. After more than three decades with its secretariat shared with the German Parking Association in Cologne EPA 2.0 is becoming reality as the European Parking Association aisbl has offi- cially been established by a Belgian notary with the signatures of the Founding Act by delegates from 11 founding member associa- tions and 3 major operators. This sets the course for EPA’s planned move from Cologne to Brussels in 2024, with as one of the objec- tives to bring the parking industry closer to the EU. The act was preceded by pro-forma votes for the EPA aisbl statutes and internal rules by the members present. The EPA President Ni- gel Williams reacted to the unanimous vote with a relieved: “YES – there we go!” Prior to this, the President’s report dealt with the numerous activities of the past Nigel Williams happy about the EPA aisbl being officially and successfully adopted AISBL The abbreviation AISBL stands for “Association internationale sans but lucrative” and is a legal form for international non-profit associations in Belgium. e.V. A registered association (German “eingetragener Verein”, abbreviation e.V.) is a non-profit association that is entered in the register of associations of the respective competent district court, in the case of the EPA in Cologne. the Association’s twelve months since the last AGM, which had taken place exactly one year ago in the same city, Brussels. Much has been achieved since then. You can read a summary of the report on activities 2022/2023 on the following pages. In it, Nigel discusses the focal points of the association’s work and the tasks ahead. The next major milestone will be the first regular General As- sembly on 26-27 September 2024. Then EPA 2.0 – or EPA aisbl – will be the new normal, n as EPA e.V. will be phased out. > Parking trend international no. 3-2023 11 11

LEAD STORY << Parking trend international no. 3-2023 > 13 13

t e v u o L r e d n a x e l A y b A P E © Participants of the EPA e.V. General Meeting and subsequent foundation meeting of the EPA aisbl after signature of the Founding Act EPA information to their own members). This will be a major focus area for ‘EPA 2.0’ in 2024. EPA Working Groups: Congress and Events Working Group The Congress and Events Working Group (WG) chaired by EPA Board member Philip De Brabanter, Belgian Parking Federation, has begun planning for the next EPA Con- gress which will be held in September 2025 to ensure that in future our biennial Con- gress is not in the same year as Intertraffic Amsterdam. To celebrate the establishment of the new EPA 2.0, we plan to organize a special event on 17 April 2024 at Intertraffic – more information will come soon! Communications WG The Communications WG chaired by Ben- jamin Voron, FNMS, has overseen the pro- duction of Parking Trend International with a focus on articles explaining how we are implementing the Action Plan to deliver EPA 2.0. We will develop a comprehensive communication plan for the new EPA 2.0 in the next months as well. EPA 2.0 Governance WG The initial meeting of this important WG chaired by Stefan Sadleder, WKO, was held in April. A total of five monthly meetings were held, the last in August. The WG’s mandate was to guide the EPA Board and Secretariat in the complex task of trans- forming EPA while ensuring continuous communication in full transparency with EPA members. Over 20 representatives from a majority of the Full Members of EPA regularly participated. The WG members’ first task was to agree a set of key questions and important issues under three headings (Structure, Finances, Governance). The WG then developed re- sponses and potential solutions, which were Parking trend international no. 3-2023 fed into the preparation of the statutes of the EPA aisbl. Throughout this extensive con- sultation process, the EPA Secretariat worked with our Belgian lawyers to trans- pose the WG’s suggestions into our new draft statutes. In an iterative process, several draft texts were shared with the members and their comments were relayed to the Bel- gian lawyers. The resulting final draft texts take account wherever possible the feedback received from the members during this pro- cess. EVs & Fire Safety WG The initial meeting of this WG also took place in April. I am acting as interim chair, though recently EPA Board member Peter Dingemans, VEXPAN, has kindly agreed to take on the role. The topic is one of the Pri- ority Topics identified in the EPA 2.0 Action Plan. The WG has met three times so far. Nine national associations (Full Members) and six Associate Members were represent- ed at the first meeting. Participation has in- creased during the subsequent meetings. The WG has 3 key objectives: (1) to gain an understanding of the existing and proposed regulations concerning EVs and fire safety, at national, regional, and local levels across Europe and collect examples of case studies of innovations and best practices from EPA members. (2) to give the participants in the WG access to information, experience, and best practice from across Europe to support their own discussions and interactions with their respective national, regional, and local authorities. (3) to use the information collected to sup- port EPA’s work within the EC Fire Safety Task Force led by AVERE (see below), to ensure that EPA members’ interests are represented and that the Task Force’s rec- ommendations are pragmatic and well informed. The strategic importance of this topic is un- derlined by the fact that the EU Commis- sion also started work on this issue in late 2022. They set up an EC Expert Group led by AVERE, the European Association for Electromobility. The Expert Group is plan- ning to issue EU guidelines on fire safety in covered parking areas by mid-2024, so it is extremely important that our sector has a seat at the table. At the latest WG meeting earlier this month there was unanimous support for the proposal that the EPA WG should take a more proactive approach and develop a set of EPA recommendations. These would then be submitted to the EC Expert Group and publicized more widely. A sub-group has been set up to develop the brief for this work for completion by the end of this year. Cross Border Enforcement (CBE) CBE is one of EPA’s Priority Topics, and part of our efforts to secure (digital) access to vehicle keeper/ holder data to support our sector’s move towards free flow parking (see also article on page 18). We are waging an uphill battle with civil servants of transport ministries and in the European Parliament to make them realize that the current failure to respect parking regulations should be ad- dressed as soon as possible. The CBE Direc- tive proposed by the EU Commission in March 2023 provides a perfect opportunity to do so. On 1 March, the Commission published its proposal for a new directive on cross- border enforcement of road traffic rules (the so-called CBE Directive). Our Brussels Rep- resentative had been monitoring this ex- pected development, and the rather positive news was that the Commission proposed to expand the scope of traffic offences covered by the previous directive by including “dan- gerous parking”. > 15 15

LEAD STORY << er innovation platform led by ERTICO – ITS Europe. Its members include vehicle manufacturers, e.g. BMW, Honda and Toyo- ta as well as system suppliers such as Bosch, Kopernikus Automotive and FORVIA (Fau- recia). The objective of the platform is: To facilitate and support the implementation of priority actions for the deployment of AVP in Europe, as defined and identified by the EAVP working groups. ERTICO invited EPA to join the EAVP as a Founding Member. We accepted the invi- tation on the basis that it would allow EPA to develop important relationships with leading European automobile manufactur- ers and Tier 1 automotive suppliers who themselves have strong relationships with the EU Commission. We are also ensuring that the parking industry’s interests are pre- served as AVP is developed and implement- ed and that it allows us to promote and de- velop the use of APDS by the automobile industry. EPA’s experts have participated in the development of the ‘AVP Customer Journey’ to ensure a seamless customer process, ful- filling the expected user requirements. The AVP Customer Journey identified the inter- faces between APDS and the AVPS ISO standards and uses them to fulfill the rele- vant stages of that journey e.g. locating and paying for parking via APDS, vehicle check- in and automated parking via AVPS. EPA is represented in the EAVP initiative by Theo Thuis and Markus Schneider, assisted by Tom Antonissen and myself. Blue Badge / PMR parking privileges and fraud PMR (Blue Badge) parking card fraud is one of our 8 priority topics. Our members agreed EPA should be more active in en- gaging with the European Commission on behalf of the parking industry. Given the extraordinarily heavy workload this year the EPA Board took the decision to post- pone work on this complex and sensitive topic until 2024. However, in April this year we were contacted by a consortium composed of EY, Open Evidence, VVA and FBK-IRVAPP. The consortium was man- dated by the European Commission to conduct a ‘Study supporting the Impact assessment of an EU initiative introducing the European Disability Card. As part of this study, the EC was also assessing the implementation of the EU parking card for persons with disabilities to draw up recom- mendations on how to improve it, and use lessons learnt for the potential new Euro- pean Disability Card. In this context the researchers were con- ducting case studies in six countries (Aus- tria, Belgium, Finland, France, Italy and Romania) to assess the implementation and challenges of the EU parking card as well as draw good practices and potential recom- mendations for improvement of the EU parking card. At their request we helped the consultants contact EPA members in the relevant countries and also submitted an EPA response to their questionnaire. Early September, the Commission for- mally proposed the introduction of a Euro- pean Disability Card as well as the en- hancement of the current European Park- ing Card for persons with disabilities. Both cards will be recognised all across the EU and make it easier for persons with disabil- ities to travel across the European Union. As with the abovementioned CBE Direc- tive, this proposal is now in the hands of the European Parliament and Council of Ministers, and EPA is in the process of studying it before deciding on an appropri- ate course of action. Kerbside management We are part of the EU-funded DISCO pro- ject on digitization of last mile delivery in urban areas. We also joined the ALICE Eu- ropean technology platform to support our quest for additional EU funding towards projects on the role of the parking sector in urban mobility. Expanding EPA’s Network and influence Tom advises us that we need to understand the following when working with the EU in Brussels. Firstly, you do not win just because you are right. You win by building broad coalitions. Secondly, in Brussels, it is essen- tial to make friends before you need them. We are following his advice and developing EPA’s EU footprint and influence through the activities that are described above. We are also maintaining and seeking to extend our cooperation with cities and municipali- ties through our partnership with POLIS, the network of European cities and regions. Due to that relationship, we have been in- vited to join the EC Expert Group on Urban Mobility that plans to issue EU guidelines on Urban Vehicle Access Regulations (UVARs) in late 2023 and parking manage- ment early in 2024. I have been invited as President of EPA to speak at the EC’s Urban Mobility Days in Seville early October and to attend the Poli- ticians’ Exchange Forum within that event. This biennial forum aims to foster an open dialogue between high-level politicians, the European Commission and the industry, to address the challenges around urban space management, sharing experience and in- sights, exploring potential solutions for cre- ating a sustainable and equitable urban en- vironment. Tom, Theo and I are furthermore strengthening our existing collaborations with other networks relevant to parking in- cluding innovative transport associations such as ERTICO – ITS Europe and the Eu- ropean automotive manufacturers associa- tion ACEA. We are also reaching out and collaborat- ing with new partners such the MaaS Alli- ance, AVERE (the European association representing and advocating for electro- mobility on behalf of the industry, academ- ia, and EV users at both EU and national levels), the 5G Automotive Association (5GAA, a global, cross-industry organiza- tion of companies from the automotive, technology, and telecommunications indus- tries working together to develop end-to- end solutions for future mobility and trans- portation services), the New Mobility Ser- vices partnership which is now part of the EU’s CIVITAS initiative and ALICE, the European technology platform for innova- tion in Urban Logistics. If you made it through the whole text of this article, congratulations as you are now fully aware of the many activities we have been undertaking while moving EPA to Brussels – there will be more to come, and we are always looking for expert-volunteers to support our small team so please reach out if any of the above is of particular interest to n you! Parking trend international no. 3-2023 17 17

LEAD STORY << Speakers together with EPA represantatives: (from left) Raphael Héliot, Nigel Williams, Aleksandra Klenke, Petra Soderqvist, Dan Wolff, Tom Antonissen speeds in Europe. Preferably such regulations should be goal-oriented, Aleksandra added. Turning to the parking operators present, she also said: “You will be driven by the market.” The second speaker dealing with EVs was Raphael Héliot, Policy Manager of AVERE, the European Association for Electromobili- ty. His organisation’s vision is for 100 per cent of new vehicles to be electric by 2035 and for all vehicles to be zero-emission by 2050. A big task for his organization is to dispel myths. According to Raphael, it is “ridicu- lous” to claim that electric cars have major fire safety problems. In this context, an EU working group was set up in the first quarter of 2023, which also includes EPA to represent parking operators. “The EPA is a very good partner,” Héliot said. Although there are dif- ferent opinions – also from firefighters – a constructive discussion is taking place. One of AVERE’s goals is to finalise EU guidelines on the subject in June 2024. A next challenge is the introduction of bidirectional charging. The first such infrastructures are being tested in Utrecht (where AVERE recently organised their annual conference, to which EPA repre- sentatives also participated). Parking Data Sharing and Multi- modal Travel Information Services Petra Soderqvist, also Policy Officer at DG MOVE in the Sustainable and Intelligent travel Transport Unit, spoke about data and mo- bility. She promoted the EU Delegated Reg- ulation on real-time traffic information (RTTI), as well as the upcoming one on multimodal information services (MMTIS). The latter has as objective to op- timise multimodal mobility and requires accessible dynamic data. EPA has been in active discussions with DG MOVE on it, and has contributed to the public consulta- tion last May. In 2024, new data types for parking will be added to the so-called Na- tional Access Points (NAPs), she an- nounced. In a first step, static data such as parking locations and tariffs will be added to this system, followed by dynamic data in a sec- ond phase, e.g. dynamic tariffs or available parking spaces. She said, “We are aware that this data can be very sensitive, also in com- mercial terms.” Petra Soderqvist stressed that standards are very important for data sharing. For this, EU standards like Datex II are without alternative. The overarching goal, according to Petra Soderqvist, is to make dynamic data accessible. And she as- sured: “What we are doing is not a secret lodge.” EPA President Nigel Williams, who is very involved in the data issue, added: “As APDS is now part of Datex II, we have de- veloped a converter for it towards the other main standard NeTEx.” Cross Border Enforcement EU Lobbying Campaign Dan Wolff is founder and managing partner of Eurotran, a public affairs agency based in Strasbourg and Brussels. He has almost 20 years of professional experience in EU pub- lic affairs, mainly in the fields of transport, energy and environment. He spoke about a newly proposed EU directive on the cross- border exchange (CBE) of information on traffic offences related to road safety. The aim of this initiative is to improve compli- ance with road traffic regulations by non- residents through the deterrent effect of sanctions. An evaluation of the current CBE policy found that 50 per cent of detected non-resident traffic violations were not in- vestigated and half of the fines imposed on non-residents were not enforced. The EPA has been calling for non-com- pliance with parking regulations to be con- sidered as part of this CBE Directive review. The current problem is: In its newly added definition of “dangerous parking”, the Euro- pean Commission explicitly states that non- payment of parking fees and other similar offences should not be considered danger- ous parking. Here, Eurotran and EPA are discussing with stakeholders to have this explicit reference removed. Dan’s assess- ment: “We are knocking on half-open doors, n parking is not out.” Parking trend international no. 3-2023 19 19

as they are pioneering such transition, act- ing as adoption multipliers for cities, logis- tics and parking industries. They can bring needs and interests from their respective ecosystems so that DISCO can comply with them as much as possible, guaranteeing concrete market adoption and scale up of the demonstrated innovation measures. Ad- ditionally, International Data Space Associ- ation (IDSA) plays a major role in provid- ing functionalities and guides for the estab- lishment of the Urban Freight Data Space. There are 8 European Living Labs and 4 Follower Cities, in which of those will parking / kerbside management play a ma- jor role? What technologies will be looked at in this respect? The DISCO’s 23 ground-breaking measures are demonstrated on a 3-Steps implementa- tion lifecycle, involving in total 8 demon- strators: 4 Starring Living Labs, Copenha- gen (DK), Ghent (BE), Thessaloniki (EL), and Helsinki (FI) (Step 1), 4 Twinning Liv- ing Labs, Padua (IT), a Spanish Cluster with Barcelona, Valencia, and Zaragoza (ES) (Step 2), and 4 Early Adopters, Prague (CZ), Piacenza (IT), Aarhus (DK) and North Hesse (DE) (Step 3). In many cities across the globe, the curb is an increasingly contested piece of urban real estate. Where motorisation rates are high, the curb serves to store vehicles that are not in circulation. Where motorization rates are lower, curb space is used for many other activities, including commerce and socialising. Knowledge of the curb is gener- ally poor. Appropriate metrics and data col- lection to support decisions about the (re- allocation of curb space is generally lacking. Where data exist, they are often generated and collected by private actors. This limits the ability of local authorities to assess whether allocation mechanisms are effec- tive or how this space could be used more efficiently. With the contested curb as a fo- cus of local authorities, many cities risk ad- dressing these hotspots in a piecemeal fash- ion longer-term changes that are underway. These changes require increasingly strategic management when allocating public roads in cities, at the curb1 to reduce pressures and better satisfy needs of the curb community (delivery, public transport, parking, taxi, EV charging, micro mobility, bike, etc.). and underestimating The DISCO-X innovation that takes care of digital and dynamic curb side manage- ment of loading or on street parking zones is DISCOCURB: Demonstration of citywide approach for curb management with ad- vanced data analytics, implementing curb performance metrics and optimise loading/ unloading dock management system and dynamic LEZ and spatial management, via Digital Twin (real-time information, dy- namic space management, smart parking). In DISCO, city planners better understand the untapped value of curb, introducing eq- uitable dynamic pricing and zoning in ur- ban and peri urban areas. – e.g., adoption of UVAR applications and smart traffic plan- EPA NEWS << ning and network management. These in- clude multi-retail hubs to reduce drop-off sites for fulfilment and delivery consolida- tion and co-location through innovative lo- gistics concepts. Multipurpose and optimal use of curb space will accomplish fierce competition from other urban stakeholders upon the space available. City planners can better address priorities to urban and peri- urban areas and matching different mobili- ty. Helsinki, Copenhagen, and Barcelona will increase curb visibility to drivers, giving them key delivery information on networks, options on optimal routes & parking slots with balanced use. The kick-off meeting took place last May in Brussels, so the project is just getting start- ed, what is the current state of play and what are the next major milestones ahead? Main activities related to the DISCO-X in- novations are currently focusing on defin- ing DISCO-X requirements together with the cities. This process will allow for in- stance to define which type of data are avail- able within the cities and which are needed for the implementation of the DISCO-X (but not yet available). This type of informa- tion is fundamental to define the architec- ture of the Urban Freight Data Space. The DISCO Adaptive Blueprint process will help cities and communities in undertaking a successful digital transformation with a simple stepwise approach. It will intensify the dialogue on SULPs and will provide in- sight in relation to urban logistics system of the future, the main planning requirements for promoting the shift towards PI-led solu- tions. DISCO supports European Living Labs with a Policy package to achieve the EU Mission goals for inclusive climate-neutral smart cities by 2030 with socially and eco- nomically viable solutions of digital urban logistics and planning at different ranges of European city geographies and ambitions, distinctive and settled urban and peri-urban systems and hierarchies. The interview was conducted by Marko Ruh, Editor-in-Chief of Parking trend. 1 The shared-use city: managing the curb – OECD/ITF 2018 Parking trend international no. 3-2023 21 21

We are in the middle of waging an uphill battle in the European Parliament and with civil servants of national transport minis- tries to make them realise that failure to re- spect parking regulations should be ad- dressed as soon as possible. The proposal to update the current CBE Directive provides a perfect opportunity to do so. We are there- fore working on amending the Commission proposal so as to: • extend the scope of the Directive to “oth- er traffic related offences”, which could eventually cover “illegal parking” and not only “dangerous parking” • remove the Commission’s questionable addition that “failure to pay parking fees and other similar offences shall not be considered dangerous parking” m o c . k c o t s r e t t u h S / t n a u r t l a i c o S © have therefore agreed to add it to the defini- tions of covered traffic offences. Eventually, drivers shall face their responsibility for hit & run (fines and possibly more) even if they have committed such offence abroad. On the other hand, they may go totally unpun- ished if they have “simply” failed to comply with local parking regulations. A multi-faceted issue This is the kind of challenges EPA is con- fronted with, and it requires educating EU decisionmakers on: • the road safety dimension of infringe- ment of parking regulations, • how (too) easy it is becoming to avoid payment of parking fees, • the financial losses for municipalities and parking operators, especially those in border regions, • the patchwork of bilateral agreements between bordering Member States as re- gards cross-border exchange of informa- tion (incl. of licence plate holders), where these exist at all, • the resentment against foreign drivers who get to enjoy an unpunished free ride. EPA is certainly not trivialising hit & run and its possible tragic outcomes. However, this should not prevent us from raising awareness on the consequences of failure to comply with local parking regulations and on the possible deterrents for such illegal behaviour. First success with amendments tabled in the European Parliament Transport Committee EPA got the chance to speak with the Polish conservative rapporteur on the file as well as with several of his “shadow” rapporteurs from the Greens, the Liberals and the Chris- tian-Democrats. We also had a promising exchange with the office of the Bulgarian centre-right MEP who drafted a recent re- port on Urban Mobility, and we aim to fol- low up with the support of our recent Bul- garian member BAPSUM. This should show how all national parking and urban mobility associations can help EPA discuss with rele- vant European politicians and decisionmak- ers! We booked a first success with several amendments tabled by the Irish Green shadow rapporteur, which fulfil the above double objective. However, now these amendments also need to be adopted by a majority of MEPs. EPA will therefore reach out to all key MEPs of the Transport Com- mittee, ahead of their key vote in November. Some of them already mentioned that they can sympathise with our position, but were not in a position to actively support it be- cause they had other priorities in relation to this file (which is part of a wider “Road Safety Package”). They are due to vote on the amend- ments within the Transport Committee in November. Then, all 705 MEPs will need to approve the rejigged text of the Directive EPA NEWS << by the end of 2023. Similarly, Transport Ministers should come up with a “General Approach” at the beginning of December. EPA will also approach selected national Transport Attachés in Brussels to build on the position of some Member States like the Netherlands and Denmark, which have been vocal on parking management and Urban Vehicle Access Restrictions (UVARs are inherently closely linked to urban park- ing regulations). This is just the beginning In parallel, we are launching the conversa- tion with the Spanish Presidency of the EU Council of Ministers and with partners from cities/municipalities and from relevant busi- ness sectors (e.g. tolled motorways, Europe- an employers federation). As usual, in Brus- sels you do not win just because you are right, but because you build broad coalitions around your issue. This also gives us the chance to prepare the ground for other EU files where EPA would wish to get engaged in. The second “Brussels tip” is to make friends before we need them! EPA gets the chance to work on its EU footprint while proposing concrete changes to a critical piece of EU legislation. We jointly need to make it count, because EPA members are crucial in the collection of national data and in rubberstamping our daring approach. Therefore EPA strongly encourages its members to reach out to their national rep- resentatives in charge of the cross-border exchange of information on road-safety-re- lated traffic offences (which could be within Transport Ministries, though also Justice departments for instance). The EPA Secre- tariat will contact specifically those who can play a decisive role because of the specific EU set-up: the current Spanish and future Belgian Presidencies of the EU are quite im- portant for their coordinating role of the Council of Transport Ministers, the Polish conservative rapporteur in the European Parliament (and his colleagues representing the other main political groups on the file) or more generally main Member States such as France, Germany, Italy and the Nether- lands. We will continue this uphill cam- paign, so if you wish to support us please n reach out! Parking trend international no. 3-2023 23 23

EPA NEWS << This can be seen, for example, in the new service at Parking Riponne, where parking customers can pick up their purchases that they have previously bought at designated partner shops of the parking. The pur- chases are collected by electric vehicles and handed over to the customer at the parking exit. “Customers don’t like to walk around with luggage. Our Click&Collect service takes that off their hands.” The parkings received a fundamental “facelift” not only on the outside, but also on the inside. Fire protection, ventilation and lighting (LED) as well as IT were brought up to modern standards, which reduces power consumption and noise. The new visual identity is reflected in the signage and generally in the external appearance, e.g. in the clothing of the staff. What’s more, diffusers in the car park even pro- vide a new scent identity! Perera’s balance sheet: “We have satisfied customers, in- creasing turnover and decreasing operat- ing costs.” A special reward was the first prize in the European Parking Award 2022 in the category “Renovation” granted dur- ing the EPA Congress in Brussels. n New EPA member projekt w Vehicle impact barrier and pedestrian fall protection w t k e j o r p © Safety barrier system by projekt w at a car park in Venlo The INTEGRA-pw system patented by projekt w is a mesh mat-based safety barrier system that combines different areas of application for the protection of people and vehicles in buildings of falling out, primarily around the topic of “parking”. Conventional protection such as a guardrail is therefore no longer necessary. INTEGRA-pw is a proven, innovative safety barrier system for parking garages that have has been successfully used throughout Europe for many years. The vis- ually filigree system also sets standards in the appearance and design of parking ga- rages. The application range of the INTE- GRA-pw depends on the required load ca- pacities of the safety barrier systems in parking buildings. Our system can secure load requirements up to 3.5 t and can there- fore also be used in logistics centers. In the event of an impact, the INTEGRA- pw safety barrier system ensures that the loads occurring are transferred to the on- site substructure. The maximum support- free span is 5,506 mm. With the exception of the INTEGRA-pw X_LONG. This can ac- commodate maximum spans of up to 7,806 mm between the supporting structures and is tailored to the construction methods of the European system providers in multi- storey car park construction. The INTE- GRA-pw system meets the legal require- ments of the LBO of the German federal states, as well as the generally applicable Eu- ropean standards for crash protection sys- tems in parking structures. INTEGRA-pw thus offers a decisive technical, economic and sustainable advantage. Why should you choose INTEGRA-pw over other safety barrier systems? Quite simply because by using INTEGRA-pw safety barrier, you do not only achieve maxi- mum safety in all areas of parking garage construction, but also the highest possible cost efficiency and planning reliability! n Parking trend international no. 3-2023 25 25

z e l a z n o G s a v i R o r u t r A H b m G / t r u f k n a r F e s s e M o g a s e M © PARKEN 2023 Successful restart After a four-year break, the German speak- ing parking industry returned to the exhibi- tion halls of the RheinMain CongressCenter (RMCC) in Wiesbaden on 28 and 29 June 2023. PARKEN 2023 attracted 99 main and co-exhibitors and 1,620 visitors. The trade public was able to find out about innovative products and solutions for all aspects of stationary traffic at the exhibi- tion stands on two days of the fair. At the accompanying symposium of the Bundes- verband Parken e.V. (German Parking As- sociation), more than 240 participants fol- lowed exciting presentations on trends and developments related to parking space management. “This year, the specialist conference is once again an essential element of the PARK- At PARKEN 2023, 99 exhibitors presented the latest trends in the industry. Parkex 2023 The UK’s leading parking sector tradeshow EPA NEWS << EN trade fair,” said Elisabeth Herles, Manag- ing Director of Bundesverband Parken e.V. “The trade fair and specialist conference form a complete package of product presen- tations, knowledge transfer and the opportu- nity for networking and exchanging experi- ences. The range of topics enables partici- pants to get information close to the industry and to take away impulses for their own pro- fessional practice.” With 244 participants, the conference was already fully booked two weeks before the start of the event. This year, a new format was offered on the second day of the fair. New products and trends in the industry were presented in the form of live lectures on the PARKEN Stage by companies including Avantpark, DESIGNA, EasyPark, Riester, Riverty and Scheidt & Bachmann. The specialist conference of the Bundesverband Parken e.V. takes place annu- ally, the PARKEN trade fair now once again every two years. The next PARKEN is sched- uled for 25-26 June 2025 at the RheinMain CongressCenter (RMCC) in Wiesbaden. n Parkex is the flagship annual conference and exhibition hosted by the British Parking Association (BPA) and as such attracts the brightest brains and most innovative providers from across the parking sector. Together with Traffex, which took place at the same time, the event was attended by a total of 6,022 people. The trade fair included over 150 exhibitors, while the conference offered 180 speakers in 5 theatres. Free to attend for visitors, Parkex is firmly established as Europe’s must-attend parking event, and offers guidance on current issues and hot topics from leading BPA members and parking industry experts – uniting the entire sector for 3 days of strategy, networking and product evaluation. In 2023, Parkex again was co-located with Traffex provid- ing free access to both shows with one ticket and the opportunity to connect with road strategy leaders. At this year's Parkex event, attending experts spoke a lot about tech- nology, and the opening session explored the future of kerbsides and parking in town centres, including the impact of electric vehicle (EV) charge points. Anjna Patel, MBE, chair of the BPA Board, summed up the confer- ence mood when she highlighted how innovation was starting to share the sector. She said: “I couldn’t have imagined five years ago that park- Parking trend international no. 3-2023 ing would have moved on so much, not just in terms of technological innovation, but also in what we contribute to GDP (gross domestic n product) and the wider economy.” Parkex is hosted by the British Parking Association. A P B © 27 27

INNOVATIVE PRODUCTS << The robotised cleaning machine allows more than one cleaning round per week, hence less pollution in the parking facility over the whole week and better customer experience. The lighter weight cleaning robot gives less wear-out damage than the old heavy gaso- line driven machines. The higher cleaning frequency means less affection of dirt and chemical residues in the coating and floor system. In the long-term a reduction of floor-maintenance costs are expected. For customer experience and safety, good visibility of the cleaning machine is impor- tant. The flashlight helps indicating the ma- chine for customers, driving out of their parking space, which increases traffic safety in the carpark. With the robotised cleaning machine in operation at higher frequency than the old situation, the overall “clean expe- rience” of the carpark has improved. Based on the results of the try-out Q-Park decided to roll out the technology over the Netherlands and also to other countries. The equipment still needs improvement to cope with ramps, to serve multi-level car- parks in the future as well. The potential of the parking market for the robotised cleaning machine sector has been recognised and will be a nudge for further equipment develop- n ment. Manufacturer Tennant also offers a self-driving machine k r a P - Q © l l A proached very close (less than 20 centime- tres), to minimise the non-cleaning area. Parked cars are approached at about a meter, to ensure security. In the first stage of the try-out the ma- chines just operated in presence of a Parking Host. Now the situation has proven reliable and safe, to operate also in quiet periods, without presence of a Parking Host and just remote control from Q-Park’s Control Room. After each round the system enables to play- back the round and see where the cleaning machine was blocked by parked cars. Eventu- ally the machine can be directed to specific zones in the carpark, for example with usual high parking pressure but temporarily out of operation to be available for cleaning. During the try-out period of almost a year no inci- dent with any car or person has taken place. Positive signal to move to the next stage. Evaluation of the try-out At first sight the employees in the car park were reluctant: will the robot take over our jobs? After the try-out they are positive about the new situation. The machine in- deed has taken over the bulk of the cleaning work, but the remaining part of the work are more small scaled and varying tasks. As an example, there is now more time and atten- tion for cleaning of the lighting systems in the carpark, which over time improved the light-levels. This type of work also allows more interaction with customers than the isolated, noise-protected position at the old cleaning machine. Parking trend international no. 3-2023 29

INNOVATIVE PRODUCTS << Bolidt New car park Sluishuis in Amsterdam features innovative flooring Sluishuis in Amsterdam stands completely in water. t d i l o B © l l A Sustainability and user convenience is provided by the car park flooring. Parking trend international no. 3-2023 31 31 A new parking facility has been con- structed in Amsterdam, integrating state-of-the-art car park flooring by Bolidt to offer a safe, and seamless parking experience. The Sluishuis car park in Amsterdam is located at in the heart of the city and is part of a residential and commercial complex in the vibrant neighbourhood of IJburg. With its distinctive design and inno- vative concept, the Sluishuis combines resi- dential and workspace elements in a harmo- nious way, offering a unique living and working experience for its residents. For the new car park, the Sluishuis man- agement turned to Bolidt for their flooring solutions. Sustainability and user conveni- ence were key considerations for the project. The brief was to install nearly 8400 square metres of Boligrip, a slip-resistant floor fin- ishing system developed especially for car park applications. A diverse range of Bolidt flooring solutions for parking facilities were applied for the project: • 2,200 square metres of Boligrip® 50R, slip-resistant up to 2 mm thick floor fin- ishing systems based on two-component, solvent-free, waterborne synthetic resins. The systems in the series have been spe- cially developed for application in car parks and other parking facilities • 2,000 square metres of Boligrip® 50P, va- pour open flooring, which is why they are used specifically in the lowest under- ground levels with ground water under- neath the floors. The inert materials broadcast and incorporated into the pig- mented compound have a Polished Stone Value (PSV) of at least 77, producing a non-slip and very wear-resistant finish. • 1,500 square metres of Boligrip® 200P, slip-resistant up to 2 mm thick floor fin- ishing systems based on two-component, solvent-free synthetic resins. The systems in the series have been specially devel- oped for application in car parks and other parking facilities. • 2,500 square metres of Boligrip® 200R, used specifically on the parking levels. The inert materials broadcast and incorporated into the pigmented compound have a polished stone value (PSV) of 77, producing a non- slip and very wear-resistant finish. • 270 square metres of Boligrip® WH, which has been specifically developed for application on ramps. Boligrip WH is slip resistant, robust and extremely dura- ble. The Boligrip WH system is seamless, durable, liquid tight, low maintenance and applied on site by in-house special- ists. The colour of the systems in the Boligrip W series is determined by the colour of the natural aggregate. According to Bolidt, its collaboration with Sluishuis exemplifies their commitment to delivering innovative flooring solutions that combine functionality, durability, and aes- thetics. With the help of our flooring. Slu- ishuis not only provides a secure and visually pleasing environment for vehicle owners but also establishes itself as a benchmark for modern parking infrastructure. The car park incorporates convenient amenities such as bicycle maintenance stations. This encourag- es cyclists to keep their bikes in optimal con- dition and further reduces the overall envi- ronmental impact. By offering these facilities, Sluishuis supports and encourages eco-con- n scious commuting choices.

BACK GROUND << fines while charging their vehicles, includ- ing an alarming 68% of US EV owners, highlighting the importance of clear and accurate parking and charging information. The survey also revealed that EV owners deem parking information more important than drivers of petrol and diesel vehicles – likely due to the extended stay times and higher risks of parking fines while charging. Crucially, more than half of EV drivers who have received parking fines while charg- ing believe that more accurate information would have actually prevented them from being fined, with 39% citing in-car payments as a solution to this problem – the most re- quested option – thanks to the combined benefits of being able to accurately pay for parking and charging simultaneously. tials for EV owners that affect their future vehicle choice according to the survey data. Globally, nearly 9 out of 10 respondents say they would be more likely to purchase an EV if it had ‘Park and Charge’ functional- ity, enabling them to locate chargers, get as- sociated parking information, navigate di- rectly to these and pay for charging (and parking), all via their vehicle’s media sys- tem. For 92% of current US petrol and die- sel car owners this would reduce the anxiety of buying an EV. Meanwhile, 96% of existing EV drivers say that combined Park and Charge features would make them more likely to get another EV. In-car activations and payments for charg- ing are also seen as valuable standalone fea- tures with 84% of EV drivers valuing these. Contributing to this problem, 92% of EV drivers worldwide flagged how they strug- gled to locate charging points away from home, with 22% highlighting this as a very frequent or constant issue for them. This second figure jumps to a substantial 35% for American EV drivers, highlighting a signifi- cant need for technology to help drivers lo- cate suitable charging points. Demonstrating the scale of the problem, half of US EV drivers fail to locate specific EV charge points at least once a month, with 22% saying that this is a weekly issue. Nearly half of EV drivers globally have encountered occupied or “out-of-order” chargers while looking to plug in their vehicles. This is a particular issue in the US and Germany, with around one-third of drivers in the two countries also experiencing issues physically accessing chargers. Large proportion of EV drivers hit with unexpected parking fines while charging Not only did respondents highlight that find- ing parking is a significant issue in many countries, but they also wanted more accu- rate parking information. Nearly one in five drivers in the US complained of difficulties with finding parking on every journey. Charging an electric car is not only a stressful experience for many EV drivers, but it can also be expensive, with many EV owners being issued unexpected parking fines while charging. 58% of EV drivers sur- veyed have received unexpected parking Quality of connected car services heavily impacts drivers’ choice of their next vehicle Nearly half of American EV drivers report- ed running out of charge, with this occur- ring multiple times for a quarter of US EV drivers. Consequently, US motorists have a particular interest in in-car payments to simplify the payment process when they do manage to find a suitable charger. Nearly 90% of global EV respondents would prefer to have a vehicle that offers the ability to locate public EV charging and navigate directly to these, including 91% of US EV owners. These features are no longer regarded as ‘nice-to-haves’ but essen- In-car commerce demand continues to rise In-car commerce is a rapidly growing indus- try, with connected vehicles now offering drivers the ability to pay for services such as parking, EV charging, road tolls and even food, directly from the vehicle. Demand for these features continues to increase, with 60% of global respondents valuing vehicle-centric in-car payments and 48% wanting Single Sign-On access across providers, enabling them to access multiple service providers through one account in their vehicle. Ameri- can drivers have the strongest desire for these features, with 70% of US motorists surveyed wanting vehicle-centric in-car commerce and 61% valuing Single Sign-On. Reviewing the most requested in- vehicle services, 64% of global re- spondents would value having in-car payment options for parking, while 75% of current EV drivers would like to be able to pay for EV charging through their car. American drivers again are particularly keen on having these features, with 68% valuing in-car payments for parking and 81% of US EV drivers wanting to pay for charging from their car. Interestingly, nearly double the amount of respondents request- ed vehicle-centric options as opposed to food choices for in-car payments. Free download of the survey: https://business.parkopedia.com/2023- global-driver-survey n 33 33 Comment of Parkopedia’s CEO Commenting on the survey results, Eugene Tsyrklevich, Founder and CEO of Parkopedia, said: “We know that finding parking and charging can be challenging in many countries, however, we were surprised by the consist- ency, scale and breadth of the problems reported by motorists around the world in our latest survey. This highlights the importance of automakers addressing these con- cerns directly and providing accurate data and the most desired connected services. Currently, locating parking and charging is not only an inconvenience, but a signifi- cant stress and cause for anxiety for many drivers, with surprisingly high numbers of EV drivers reporting running out of charge and being stung with parking fines when they do manage to find a charger. With today’s connected vehicles, we believe that these situations can, and should be avoided, by providing trustworthy and accurate data and services to drivers, so if desired, they are able to successfully transition to EVs, or at least complete their journeys with ease.” Parking trend international no. 3-2023 y h t r a E k r a M / a i d e p o k r a P ©

INTERNATIONAL SOLUTIONS << APCOA PARKING Italia New Gonzaga Parking on Mantua’s lakefront The new Gonzaga car park, realised by APCOA PARKING Italia S.p.A., a leading provider of parking services in Italy and Europe, was inaugurated in Mantua under a 60-year concession granted by the Municipality. Gonzaga Parking, designed and built by APCOA to meet the most current ur- ban mobility needs while respecting the artistic value of Mantua’s historic centre, has now 233 parking spaces managed on a rotating basis and is spread over two floors, one on surface and one underground for a total of 8,380 square meters. The surface ar- ea has 137 parking spaces, five of which are for disabled people and three for electric vehicles, including one with fast charging, which will grow on a modular basis accord- ing to needs, as well as 13 motorcycle spaces, an area for electric bicycles, and a locker board area, in a logic of an urban mobility hub. The underground floor has 96 parking spaces. Arturo Benigna, Managing Director of APCOA PARKING Italia, called the Gonza- ga car park a new strategic infrastructure for the accessibility and quality of life of Man- tua, which will contribute decisively to im- proving services for residents, workers, commerce and tourism. He also described the project as “the best example of coopera- tion between the public and private sectors”. The Mayor of Mantua, Mattia Palazzi, thanked APCOA for the investment in his city and the “competitive rates that will also make this car park useful and attractive to so many residents of the city centre”. A O C P A © l l A Inauguration with a symbolic ribbon-cutting ceremony: (from left to right) Andrea Murari (Councillor for Environment and Spatial Planning), Mattia Palazzi (Mayor of Mantua), Arturo Benigna (APCOA PARKING Italia Managing Director), Philippe Op de Beeck (APCOA Group CEO) The short-term parking tariff is 1.90 euros per hour from 7:00 a.m. to midnight and 1.20 euros per hour for the nighttime period from midnight to 7:00 a.m., with a daily maximum tariff of 6 euros. The car park is open 24/7 and is equipped with the latest technology for access control and user secu- rity. Access is possible with APCOA Flow and Telepass, which will allow transit with- out collecting a ticket, while there will still be two automatic cash machines located at pedestrian access points. Residents of the Municipality and Province of Mantua can benefit from a 20 per cent discount on short-term parking tariffs by downloading and registering on the APCOA Flow APP. In parallel with the opening of the new Gonzaga Parking APCOA and the Munici- pality have defined an agreement which foresees that the APCOA Flow APP can be used as a payment system in all on-street parking areas managed by the Municipality of Mantua, through the company ASTER. Traders can offer their customers parking vouchers from 1 to 3 hours with a discount n of 30 per cent. The surface area and the underground floor of the new Gonzaga car park in Mantua Parking trend international no. 3-2023 35 35

INTERNATIONAL SOLUTIONS << Equinsa Parking Guided parking at Madrid airport The parking solutions provider has installed of over 15,000 parking spaces equipped with a state-of-the-art ultrasonic guidance sys- tem, SONAR, at Madrid-Barajas Airport. It took two years to complete the trans- formation of parking at the airport of Spain’s capital to ensure a more seamless and has- sle-free journey for travelelrs. Equinsa Parking was chosen to imple- ment this cutting-edge parking solution to enhance user experience and alleviate park- ing congestion. The company said, the pro- ject marked a significant milestone in its ongoing commitment to delivering innova- tive parking solutions that cater to the evolving needs of airports and their visitors. With the company’s ultrasonic guidance system SONAR covering 15,000 parking spaces all the main terminals, travellers can now more easily navigate the parking facili- ties and find parking, saving them valuable n time and reducing frustration. Sensors indicate available spots at Madrid airport. g n i k r a P a s n i u q E © Urbiotica Intelligent mobility in Almeria with smart parking technology Spanish city transforms parking infrastruc- ture with Urbiotica's innovative system to improve efficiency and sustainability. The city of Almeria is making great strides towards more efficient and sustain- able mobility thanks to the implementation of innovative projects and is becoming a benchmark in the adoption of smart mobil- ity technologies. Through a strong commit- ment and support from the European Un- ion, the city is transforming its parking in- frastructure to offer drivers a more convenient and efficient parking experi- ence. Urbiotica is playing a crucial role in this project, driving smart mobility in Almeria, through Aluvisa, a specialist in smart mobil- ity systems and the company awarded the contract for the development of this project. The smart parking technology supplied by Urbiotica for this project will be deployed by Aluvisa, which will also integrate it into the mobility management platform it has imple- mented in Almeria, enabling global and ef- ficient management for municipal opera- tors. Urbiotica’s smart parking technology will revolutionize the way drivers find parking spaces in the city. By deploying smart sen- spaces. Drivers will be able to access real- time information on the availability of park- ing spaces, avoiding unnecessary circling and helping to reduce traffic congestion in the city. Detection of false use of loading zones To maximise the use of loading and unload- ing bays in the city and prevent their im- proper use, which has a highly detrimental impact on general vehicle traffic, the admin- istration will be able to efficiently monitor the system through alerts when fraudulent use occurs or when the permitted parking time is exceeded. By implementing more ef- fective monitoring and better management of these areas, user misconduct will be re- duced, allowing for greater turnover in these bays and a significant improvement in the service for transporters. In addition to the convenience for driv- ers, Urbiotica’s smart parking system also benefits the city as a whole, the company says. By optimizing the utilization of park- ing spaces, traffic congestion and emissions of polluting gases will be reduced, thus con- tributing to a more sustainable and environ- n mentally-friendly city. a c i t o i b r U © Smart parking on the streets of Almeria sors in parking spaces, real-time informa- tion on the availability of free spaces will be collected. This data will be transmitted to a centralized platform. In turn, Urbiotica’s smart parking platform will integrate data from the city’s underground car parks. In this way, drivers will have access to a global parking guidance experience in the city through mobile apps and information boards. It will significantly improve the parking experience by reducing the time and frustration associated with finding free Parking trend international no. 3-2023 37 37

Promotion Our booth at the PARKEN in Wiesbaden, Germany Trade Shows in 2023 – meeting points for innovative solutions This year, June was the trade fair month in Europe: Parking experts met to exchange information about the trends in the industry. Whether at the PARKEX in Birmingham or at the PARKEN in Wiesbaden, our teams had a fantastic time at the exhibitions. A big thank you to our customers and visitors for being part of the journey. We look forward to continuing to serve you with the best solutions in the parking industry. This involves a modular introduction of digital application pos- sibilities. We are experiencing growing popularity with online portals for self-administration for short-term and long-term park- ers, billing options for e-charging stations when parking, user be- haviour of already registered customers with mobility providers via our mobility connect platform, and much more. In addition to the popular online payment option for parking transactions, our new compact cashless pay station attracted many curious visitors. Furthermore, to camera-based management systems, appealing digital displays for communication with motorists, including ad- vertising opportunities, are now indispensable. We felt that we at Scheidt & Bachmann Parking Solutions are a strong partner for smart parking and have the right solutions for the challenges in day-to-day business and the future of park- ing operations in our portfolio. A very large proportion already use many of our digital products, and we are quite excited to see Our team at the PARKEX in Birmingham, UK how quickly the industry will have followed the developments when we see each other again. The end of a show is just the beginning of another: We are looking forward to welcoming you at the upcoming PARKOPOLIS in Paris, France, 21 – 23 November.