A smart parking system makes life easier for visitors … and for the city
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As part of its partnership with Aix-les-Bains, Citeos has rolled out an innovative solution based on radio sensors and 3G that optimises parking.
In Aix-les-Bains, a tourist entering the car park near the lake knows that there is an available space there. At the entrance to the facility, which accommodates 400 vehicles, a lighted signboard provides this practical information. The improvement was introduced when the city renovated the space with the help of Citeos (VINCI Energies).
We combined the installation of radio-based presence sensors in the parking spaces with 3G to communicate with the signboard at the entrance and then directly with a web platform
The project, which was completed in the spring of 2018, was carried out at a fast pace. “We didn’t need to dig trenches for cables,” says Citeos Project Manager Romain Denis. “We combined the installation of radio-based presence sensors in the parking spaces with 3G, to communicate with the signboard at the entrance and a web platform that collects statistics on vehicle turnover and vehicles left for long periods of time.”
“The management tool came as a pleasant surprise to elected officials,” he adds, and points out that the installation “could be used elsewhere in the city.” Relations between Aix-les-Bains and Citeos are governed by a 15-year public-private partnership that includes a technology watch alongside management and operation of the urban lighting system. It was during one of Citeos’s regular presentations to elected officials, in which it describes innovative solutions involving all aspects of the smart city, that Citeos convinced the city to try the agile solution. The system, which makes driving easier for motorists and saves time, energy, and CO² emissions, could also benefit other car parks and small one-way streets.
