NSW to undergo trial of smart kerbsides
The New South Wales government has announced it will trial smart kerbsides as part of an initiative to make it easier for people to find parking spots.
The trial, to be conducted in Liverpool, will run for 12 months and falls under the government's Smart Places Acceleration strategy that launched in August last year.
Speaking at the state's first Parking Summit, Minister for Digital and Minister for Customer Service Victor Dominello and Minister for Transport and Roads Andrew Constance said the smart kerbside pilot would be able to show where street parking is available in real time.
Dominello said the trial is aimed at lessening time spent on looking for parking and depending on the trial's success, data collected may be used to introduce other measures.
"In busy city suburbs like Liverpool, kerbside parking is valuable real estate. We need to ensure we use it to its optimal level. We also need to guarantee drivers and small business are getting an equal share because -- it is so important to ensure our suburban economies get back up and running," he said.
According to Liverpool City Council Mayor Wendy Waller, the trial marks the first time kerb space data will be gathered in NSW.
"The data we collect will also help shape safer pedestrian and cycling connectivity to offices, schools, and shops and could help create smarter loading zones that share availability information, to make deliveries quicker and easier," she said.
Alongside the smart kerbside trial, Dominello and Constance also announced other new measures, including a new parking app, using artificial intelligence to reduce congestion, and streamlining the payment process at commuter carparks.
The app, called Park'nPay, is based around a "park now, pay later" feature that lets drivers pay for the exact amount of time they use a parking spot through the app, the ministers said.
"We've listened to drivers who were frustrated at having to pay upfront for two hours of parking when they only ended up needing 30 minutes," Dominello said.
While the smart kerbside trial is only in Liverpool, people are able to use the app for parking in Liverpool, The Rocks, Burwood, Hunters Hill, Mosman, Central Coast, Port Stephens, Willoughby, Cumberland, and the Northern Beaches.
Funding for the smart parking trials will come from the strategy's fund, the NSW Smart Places Acceleration Program, which has set aside AU$45 million for state government agencies, councils, or regional organisations to adopt smart technologies and capabilities.
Under the strategy, the state government has outlined some of the specific technology it hopes to deliver, which includes dedicated communications networks; smart CCTV, smart lighting, predictive analytics, and push-to-talk emergency systems to reduce crime; smart metres to help residents track water and energy usage; smart traffic signalling and real-time route planning to reduce traffic congestion; sensors to monitor air quality to help reduce hospital admissions; and digital models to improve construction planning and reduce costs.
Related Coverage
- NSW announces AU$45m program to accelerate smart places development
- NSW government launches new strategy to build smart tech into future infrastructure
- Drones being used to speed up flood recovery in NSW
- NSW readies its own data breach notification scheme for state agencies
- NSW government to boost collaboration with skills matchmaking platform
- NSW looks to quantum computing to improve the state's transport system
- NSW government lowers assessment threshold to speed up data centre approval