Can smart parking really solve the problem of not being able to find a parking space?

Some people, discouraged after three years of waiting, still can’t secure a parking spot; meanwhile, others drive themselves to the brink of exhaustion, only to find their hearts break when they finally locate a space. This is the stark reality of the “car‑hunting crowd”: those outside dream of getting in, while those inside long to get out.

Is parking really that hard? Well, it’s not exactly impossible—just often you can’t even get into the parking lot, and after circling two levels you still can’t find a spot. And if you park on the street for five minutes, you’ll soon have a ticket, a fine, and points deducted from your license.

I still remember how, during the New Year, the whole family would watch the Idiom Competition together. My second uncle, with a wry smile, said that “parking spaces are full” was the four characters he remembered most vividly after buying his car.

In 2018, Shenzhen’s motor vehicle stock stood at approximately 3.367 million, an increase of 97,000 vehicles over the previous year. As the final leg of urban mobility, how can parking be made smarter? Some have already offered solutions, while others are still pondering the question. According to the “2019 China Smart City Development Research Report,” smart transportation is currently the sector with the highest demand, the fastest implementation, and relatively mature technologies and services within the broader smart city landscape—and one of its most critical application areas is smart parking. But can smart parking truly solve the common problem of struggling to find a parking space?

In urban areas where land is at a premium, constructing multi‑level parking structures—allowing cities to “grow upward” rather than “expand outward”—is an effective solution to the challenge of parking. Vertical‑circulation automated parking systems can accommodate 20 vehicles using the space of just two conventional spots, thereby minimizing ground‑level footprint while maximizing parking capacity.

When parking, drivers simply need to position their vehicle at a ground-level entrance or exit and can then turn off the engine; the robot will handle the rest, transporting the car to an elevated parking space. When retrieving the vehicle, there’s no need to worry about getting lost in a maze‑like parking structure—just head to any entrance or exit, and the robot will bring your car to you. Beyond saving space and materials, automated multi‑level parking systems offer additional benefits: first, they eliminate vehicle exhaust emissions and the environmental hazards posed by carbon monoxide; second, fully automated systems separate pedestrian and vehicular traffic, thereby reducing the risk of accidents during the parking process.

However, three-quarters of automated parking garages are under construction, while only one-quarter are in operation; the substantial ongoing management and maintenance costs also deter many developers, which is a key reason why such systems have yet to be widely adopted in more cities.

Compared with the high construction and maintenance costs of multi‑storey parking garages, smart parking bollards have become highly sought after in Shenzhen. The Shenzhen Municipal Transportation Commission has also developed the “Yi Parking” smart on‑street parking management system, which both standardizes on‑street parking operations and curbs arbitrary fee‑charging practices.

Imagine this: after circling through three levels of the underground parking garage at Vientiane World, you still can’t find a spot. Then, just as you’re about to give up, you spot an empty space by the curb—feeling as thrilled as if you’d won the lottery. With smart parking bollards, drivers no longer have to worry about getting a ticket or a fine. When a vehicle enters a designated parking space, the green light on the video‑enabled bollard turns red, and the camera captures the license plate and other relevant details, which are then stored in the system. Once the driver drives out, they can check the duration of their stay and the corresponding parking fee on their smartphone.

Moreover, all vehicle‑owner information is monitored by video‑based parking barriers. If a vehicle owner fails to pay on time, the platform will issue a payment reminder afterward and record the outstanding balance in its backend system. Should the vehicle return to that road segment, it will be barred from parking until the debt is settled, effectively curbing fare evasion by some drivers.

However, smart parking bollards are not a perfect solution, as their implementation reduces the number of motor vehicle lanes—turning three lanes into two—which, under certain circumstances, may increase the likelihood of traffic congestion.

The most frustrating thing about parking is when, after searching for ages, you finally spot a spot—only to find it locked.

Attentive observers may notice a tidal pattern in residential vehicle usage during peak commuting hours: during the day, private parking spaces within residential complexes often sit largely vacant, while the nearby business district—just a hundred meters away—is grappling with severe parking shortages. Influenced by the sharing economy, shared parking spaces have emerged, and governments have progressively introduced policies to encourage their development, leveraging “time‑shifted shared parking” to make better use of underutilized parking resources.

Compared with traditional parking locks that required manual operation, smart parking locks can be lowered or raised intelligently via a mobile app or remote control, eliminating the need to get out of the car and perform the lifting or lowering yourself.

However, the demand for shared parking spaces is complex and ever‑changing, and there are still many operational details that require further refinement. For example, once a homeowner shares their parking spot, if a temporary parker fails to retrieve their vehicle on time, the homeowner may find themselves unable to park because the space is occupied. Moreover, opening up temporary parking spots to the public increases the property management’s administrative costs, which has led some residential communities to be less enthusiastic about this model.

The rapid advancement of science and technology has spurred the swift development and widespread adoption of intelligent, information‑driven, legally compliant, and standardized practices in the parking industry, delivering notable results in boosting parking lot utilization, reducing on‑street vehicle congestion, and ensuring the efficient use of limited resources. As technological progress continues, we can expect the range of smart‑parking applications to grow ever richer—calling for even more proactive exploration by research institutions and enterprises.

Under the premise that the city’s existing urban fabric cannot be altered, smart parking represents a crucial initiative to alleviate traffic congestion and address parking challenges—reducing traffic bottlenecks, lowering energy consumption, minimizing land use, and providing residents with a convenient, comfortable living environment. For Shenzhen today, building a smart‑parking ecosystem is an imperative task.

Now that I have a car, you’d think life would be more comfortable—but instead, it feels even tougher than when I didn’t have one.
 

When I didn’t have a car, I’d leave at eight in the morning; now that I do, I have to be out by seven. For one thing, the traffic is terrible, and for another, if I show up late, there’s no parking to be found.

When I didn’t have a car, I could be home by seven after work; now that I do, I don’t dare head back until ten at night. For one thing, the traffic is terrible, and for another, if I get home too early, there’s nowhere to park—parking on the street often means getting a ticket from the cops.

Some people, discouraged after three years of waiting, still can’t secure a parking spot; meanwhile, others drive themselves to the brink of exhaustion, only to find their hearts break when they finally locate a space. This is the stark reality of the “car‑hunting crowd”: those outside dream of getting in, while those inside long to get out.

Is parking really that hard? Well, it’s not exactly impossible—just often you can’t even get into the parking lot, and after circling two levels you still can’t find a spot. And if you park on the street for five minutes, you’ll soon have a ticket, a fine, and points deducted from your license.

I still remember how, during the New Year, the whole family would watch the Idiom Competition together. My second uncle, with a wry smile, said that “parking spaces are full” was the four characters he remembered most vividly after buying his car.

In 2018, Shenzhen’s motor vehicle stock stood at approximately 3.367 million, an increase of 97,000 vehicles over the previous year. As the final leg of urban mobility, how can parking be made smarter? Some have already offered solutions, while others are still pondering the question. According to the “2019 China Smart City Development Research Report,” smart transportation is currently the sector with the highest demand, the fastest implementation, and relatively mature technologies and services within the broader smart city landscape—and one of its most critical application areas is smart parking. But can smart parking truly solve the common problem of struggling to find a parking space?

In urban areas where land is at a premium, constructing multi‑level parking structures—allowing cities to “grow upward” rather than “expand outward”—is an effective solution to the challenge of parking. Vertical‑circulation automated parking systems can accommodate 20 vehicles using the space of just two conventional spots, thereby minimizing ground‑level footprint while maximizing parking capacity.

When parking, drivers simply need to position their vehicle at a ground-level entrance or exit and can then turn off the engine; the robot will handle the rest, transporting the car to an elevated parking space. When retrieving the vehicle, there’s no need to worry about getting lost in a maze‑like parking structure—just head to any entrance or exit, and the robot will bring your car to you. Beyond saving space and materials, automated multi‑level parking systems offer additional benefits: first, they eliminate vehicle exhaust emissions and the environmental hazards posed by carbon monoxide; second, fully automated systems separate pedestrian and vehicular traffic, thereby reducing the risk of accidents during the parking process.

However, three-quarters of automated parking garages are under construction, while only one-quarter are in operation; the substantial ongoing management and maintenance costs also deter many developers, which is a key reason why such systems have yet to be widely adopted in more cities.

Compared with the high construction and maintenance costs of multi‑storey parking garages, smart parking bollards have become highly sought after in Shenzhen. The Shenzhen Municipal Transportation Commission has also developed the “Yi Parking” smart on‑street parking management system, which both standardizes on‑street parking operations and curbs arbitrary fee‑charging practices.

Imagine this: after circling through three levels of the underground parking garage at Vientiane World, you still can’t find a spot. Then, just as you’re about to give up, you spot an empty space by the curb—feeling as thrilled as if you’d won the lottery. With smart parking bollards, drivers no longer have to worry about getting a ticket or a fine. When a vehicle enters a designated parking space, the green light on the video‑enabled bollard turns red, and the camera captures the license plate and other relevant details, which are then stored in the system. Once the driver drives out, they can check the duration of their stay and the corresponding parking fee on their smartphone.

Moreover, all vehicle‑owner information is monitored by video‑based parking barriers. If a vehicle owner fails to pay on time, the platform will issue a payment reminder afterward and record the outstanding balance in its backend system. Should the vehicle return to that road segment, it will be barred from parking until the debt is settled, effectively curbing fare evasion by some drivers.

However, smart parking bollards are not a perfect solution, as their implementation reduces the number of motor vehicle lanes—turning three lanes into two—which, under certain circumstances, may increase the likelihood of traffic congestion.

The most frustrating thing about parking is when, after searching for ages, you finally spot a spot—only to find it locked.

Attentive observers may notice a tidal pattern in residential vehicle usage during peak commuting hours: during the day, private parking spaces within residential complexes often sit largely vacant, while the nearby business district—just a hundred meters away—is grappling with severe parking shortages. Influenced by the sharing economy, shared parking spaces have emerged, and governments have progressively introduced policies to encourage their development, leveraging “time‑shifted shared parking” to make better use of underutilized parking resources.

Compared with traditional parking locks that required manual operation, smart parking locks can be lowered or raised intelligently via a mobile app or remote control, eliminating the need to get out of the car and perform the lifting or lowering yourself.

However, the demand for shared parking spaces is complex and ever‑changing, and there are still many operational details that require further refinement. For example, once a homeowner shares their parking spot, if a temporary parker fails to retrieve their vehicle on time, the homeowner may find themselves unable to park because the space is occupied. Moreover, opening up temporary parking spots to the public increases the property management’s administrative costs, which has led some residential communities to be less enthusiastic about this model.

The rapid advancement of science and technology has spurred the swift development and widespread adoption of intelligent, information‑driven, legally compliant, and standardized practices in the parking industry, delivering notable results in boosting parking lot utilization, reducing on‑street vehicle congestion, and ensuring the efficient use of limited resources. As technological progress continues, we can expect the range of smart‑parking applications to grow ever richer—calling for even more proactive exploration by research institutions and enterprises.

Under the premise that the city’s existing urban fabric cannot be altered, smart parking represents a crucial initiative to alleviate traffic congestion and address parking challenges—reducing traffic bottlenecks, lowering energy consumption, minimizing land use, and providing residents with a convenient, comfortable living environment. For Shenzhen today, building a smart‑parking ecosystem is an imperative task.

Now that I have a car, you’d think life would be more comfortable—but instead, it feels even tougher than when I didn’t have one.
 

When I didn’t have a car, I’d leave at eight in the morning; now that I do, I have to be out by seven. For one thing, the traffic is terrible, and for another, if I show up late, there’s no parking to be found.

When I didn’t have a car, I could be home by seven after work; now that I do, I don’t dare head back until ten at night. For one thing, the traffic is terrible, and for another, if I get home too early, there’s nowhere to park—parking on the street often means getting a ticket from the cops.

Some people, discouraged after three years of waiting, still can’t secure a parking spot; meanwhile, others drive themselves to the brink of exhaustion, only to find their hearts break when they finally locate a space. This is the stark reality of the “car‑hunting crowd”: those outside dream of getting in, while those inside long to get out.

Is parking really that hard? Well, it’s not exactly impossible—just often you can’t even get into the parking lot, and after circling two levels you still can’t find a spot. And if you park on the street for five minutes, you’ll soon have a ticket, a fine, and points deducted from your license.

I still remember how, during the New Year, the whole family would watch the Idiom Competition together. My second uncle, with a wry smile, said that “parking spaces are full” was the four characters he remembered most vividly after buying his car.

In 2018, Shenzhen’s motor vehicle stock stood at approximately 3.367 million, an increase of 97,000 vehicles over the previous year. As the final leg of urban mobility, how can parking be made smarter? Some have already offered solutions, while others are still pondering the question. According to the “2019 China Smart City Development Research Report,” smart transportation is currently the sector with the highest demand, the fastest implementation, and relatively mature technologies and services within the broader smart city landscape—and one of its most critical application areas is smart parking. But can smart parking truly solve the common problem of struggling to find a parking space?

In urban areas where land is at a premium, constructing multi‑level parking structures—allowing cities to “grow upward” rather than “expand outward”—is an effective solution to the challenge of parking. Vertical‑circulation automated parking systems can accommodate 20 vehicles using the space of just two conventional spots, thereby minimizing ground‑level footprint while maximizing parking capacity.

When parking, drivers simply need to position their vehicle at a ground-level entrance or exit and can then turn off the engine; the robot will handle the rest, transporting the car to an elevated parking space. When retrieving the vehicle, there’s no need to worry about getting lost in a maze‑like parking structure—just head to any entrance or exit, and the robot will bring your car to you. Beyond saving space and materials, automated multi‑level parking systems offer additional benefits: first, they eliminate vehicle exhaust emissions and the environmental hazards posed by carbon monoxide; second, fully automated systems separate pedestrian and vehicular traffic, thereby reducing the risk of accidents during the parking process.

However, three-quarters of automated parking garages are under construction, while only one-quarter are in operation; the substantial ongoing management and maintenance costs also deter many developers, which is a key reason why such systems have yet to be widely adopted in more cities.

Compared with the high construction and maintenance costs of multi‑storey parking garages, smart parking bollards have become highly sought after in Shenzhen. The Shenzhen Municipal Transportation Commission has also developed the “Yi Parking” smart on‑street parking management system, which both standardizes on‑street parking operations and curbs arbitrary fee‑charging practices.

Imagine this: after circling through three levels of the underground parking garage at Vientiane World, you still can’t find a spot. Then, just as you’re about to give up, you spot an empty space by the curb—feeling as thrilled as if you’d won the lottery. With smart parking bollards, drivers no longer have to worry about getting a ticket or a fine. When a vehicle enters a designated parking space, the green light on the video‑enabled bollard turns red, and the camera captures the license plate and other relevant details, which are then stored in the system. Once the driver drives out, they can check the duration of their stay and the corresponding parking fee on their smartphone.

Moreover, all vehicle‑owner information is monitored by video‑based parking barriers. If a vehicle owner fails to pay on time, the platform will issue a payment reminder afterward and record the outstanding balance in its backend system. Should the vehicle return to that road segment, it will be barred from parking until the debt is settled, effectively curbing fare evasion by some drivers.

However, smart parking bollards are not a perfect solution, as their implementation reduces the number of motor vehicle lanes—turning three lanes into two—which, under certain circumstances, may increase the likelihood of traffic congestion.

The most frustrating thing about parking is when, after searching for ages, you finally spot a spot—only to find it locked.

Attentive observers may notice a tidal pattern in residential vehicle usage during peak commuting hours: during the day, private parking spaces within residential complexes often sit largely vacant, while the nearby business district—just a hundred meters away—is grappling with severe parking shortages. Influenced by the sharing economy, shared parking spaces have emerged, and governments have progressively introduced policies to encourage their development, leveraging “time‑shifted shared parking” to make better use of underutilized parking resources.

Compared with traditional parking locks that required manual operation, smart parking locks can be lowered or raised intelligently via a mobile app or remote control, eliminating the need to get out of the car and perform the lifting or lowering yourself.

However, the demand for shared parking spaces is complex and ever‑changing, and there are still many operational details that require further refinement. For example, once a homeowner shares their parking spot, if a temporary parker fails to retrieve their vehicle on time, the homeowner may find themselves unable to park because the space is occupied. Moreover, opening up temporary parking spots to the public increases the property management’s administrative costs, which has led some residential communities to be less enthusiastic about this model.

The rapid advancement of science and technology has spurred the swift development and widespread adoption of intelligent, information‑driven, legally compliant, and standardized practices in the parking industry, delivering notable results in boosting parking lot utilization, reducing on‑street vehicle congestion, and ensuring the efficient use of limited resources. As technological progress continues, we can expect the range of smart‑parking applications to grow ever richer—calling for even more proactive exploration by research institutions and enterprises.

Under the premise that the city’s existing urban fabric cannot be altered, smart parking represents a crucial initiative to alleviate traffic congestion and address parking challenges—reducing traffic bottlenecks, lowering energy consumption, minimizing land use, and providing residents with a convenient, comfortable living environment. For Shenzhen today, building a smart‑parking ecosystem is an imperative task.

Now that I have a car, you’d think life would be more comfortable—but instead, it feels even tougher than when I didn’t have one.
 

When I didn’t have a car, I’d leave at eight in the morning; now that I do, I have to be out by seven. For one thing, the traffic is terrible, and for another, if I show up late, there’s no parking to be found.

When I didn’t have a car, I could be home by seven after work; now that I do, I don’t dare head back until ten at night. For one thing, the traffic is terrible, and for another, if I get home too early, there’s nowhere to park—parking on the street often means getting a ticket from the cops.

Some people, discouraged after three years of waiting, still can’t secure a parking spot; meanwhile, others drive themselves to the brink of exhaustion, only to find their hearts break when they finally locate a space. This is the stark reality of the “car‑hunting crowd”: those outside dream of getting in, while those inside long to get out.

Is parking really that hard? Well, it’s not exactly impossible—just often you can’t even get into the parking lot, and after circling two levels you still can’t find a spot. And if you park on the street for five minutes, you’ll soon have a ticket, a fine, and points deducted from your license.

I still remember how, during the New Year, the whole family would watch the Idiom Competition together. My second uncle, with a wry smile, said that “parking spaces are full” was the four characters he remembered most vividly after buying his car.

In 2018, Shenzhen’s motor vehicle stock stood at approximately 3.367 million, an increase of 97,000 vehicles over the previous year. As the final leg of urban mobility, how can parking be made smarter? Some have already offered solutions, while others are still pondering the question. According to the “2019 China Smart City Development Research Report,” smart transportation is currently the sector with the highest demand, the fastest implementation, and relatively mature technologies and services within the broader smart city landscape—and one of its most critical application areas is smart parking. But can smart parking truly solve the common problem of struggling to find a parking space?

In urban areas where land is at a premium, constructing multi‑level parking structures—allowing cities to “grow upward” rather than “expand outward”—is an effective solution to the challenge of parking. Vertical‑circulation automated parking systems can accommodate 20 vehicles using the space of just two conventional spots, thereby minimizing ground‑level footprint while maximizing parking capacity.

When parking, drivers simply need to position their vehicle at a ground-level entrance or exit and can then turn off the engine; the robot will handle the rest, transporting the car to an elevated parking space. When retrieving the vehicle, there’s no need to worry about getting lost in a maze‑like parking structure—just head to any entrance or exit, and the robot will bring your car to you. Beyond saving space and materials, automated multi‑level parking systems offer additional benefits: first, they eliminate vehicle exhaust emissions and the environmental hazards posed by carbon monoxide; second, fully automated systems separate pedestrian and vehicular traffic, thereby reducing the risk of accidents during the parking process.

However, three-quarters of automated parking garages are under construction, while only one-quarter are in operation; the substantial ongoing management and maintenance costs also deter many developers, which is a key reason why such systems have yet to be widely adopted in more cities.

Compared with the high construction and maintenance costs of multi‑storey parking garages, smart parking bollards have become highly sought after in Shenzhen. The Shenzhen Municipal Transportation Commission has also developed the “Yi Parking” smart on‑street parking management system, which both standardizes on‑street parking operations and curbs arbitrary fee‑charging practices.

Imagine this: after circling through three levels of the underground parking garage at Vientiane World, you still can’t find a spot. Then, just as you’re about to give up, you spot an empty space by the curb—feeling as thrilled as if you’d won the lottery. With smart parking bollards, drivers no longer have to worry about getting a ticket or a fine. When a vehicle enters a designated parking space, the green light on the video‑enabled bollard turns red, and the camera captures the license plate and other relevant details, which are then stored in the system. Once the driver drives out, they can check the duration of their stay and the corresponding parking fee on their smartphone.

Moreover, all vehicle‑owner information is monitored by video‑based parking barriers. If a vehicle owner fails to pay on time, the platform will issue a payment reminder afterward and record the outstanding balance in its backend system. Should the vehicle return to that road segment, it will be barred from parking until the debt is settled, effectively curbing fare evasion by some drivers.

However, smart parking bollards are not a perfect solution, as their implementation reduces the number of motor vehicle lanes—turning three lanes into two—which, under certain circumstances, may increase the likelihood of traffic congestion.

The most frustrating thing about parking is when, after searching for ages, you finally spot a spot—only to find it locked.

Attentive observers may notice a tidal pattern in residential vehicle usage during peak commuting hours: during the day, private parking spaces within residential complexes often sit largely vacant, while the nearby business district—just a hundred meters away—is grappling with severe parking shortages. Influenced by the sharing economy, shared parking spaces have emerged, and governments have progressively introduced policies to encourage their development, leveraging “time‑shifted shared parking” to make better use of underutilized parking resources.

Compared with traditional parking locks that required manual operation, smart parking locks can be lowered or raised intelligently via a mobile app or remote control, eliminating the need to get out of the car and perform the lifting or lowering yourself.

However, the demand for shared parking spaces is complex and ever‑changing, and there are still many operational details that require further refinement. For example, once a homeowner shares their parking spot, if a temporary parker fails to retrieve their vehicle on time, the homeowner may find themselves unable to park because the space is occupied. Moreover, opening up temporary parking spots to the public increases the property management’s administrative costs, which has led some residential communities to be less enthusiastic about this model.

The rapid advancement of science and technology has spurred the swift development and widespread adoption of intelligent, information‑driven, legally compliant, and standardized practices in the parking industry, delivering notable results in boosting parking lot utilization, reducing on‑street vehicle congestion, and ensuring the efficient use of limited resources. As technological progress continues, we can expect the range of smart‑parking applications to grow ever richer—calling for even more proactive exploration by research institutions and enterprises.

Under the premise that the city’s existing urban fabric cannot be altered, smart parking represents a crucial initiative to alleviate traffic congestion and address parking challenges—reducing traffic bottlenecks, lowering energy consumption, minimizing land use, and providing residents with a convenient, comfortable living environment. For Shenzhen today, building a smart‑parking ecosystem is an imperative task.