Baoding City is accelerating the rollout of its smart parking demonstration project.

According to the Baoding Public Transport Corporation, the highly anticipated Baoding Smart Parking Demonstration Project is currently under construction. As one of the 49 people‑benefiting initiatives launched by the Baoding Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government in 2019, the project will provide nearly one hundred parking spaces, with pricing standards and specific details to be determined in accordance with relevant local policies.

At present, the garage is under construction, and the company aims to complete it within the year. Once operational, the project will add hundreds of “smart parking spaces” to Baoding’s urban area. In addition, the Baoding Municipal Urban Management Comprehensive Administrative Law Enforcement Bureau (hereinafter referred to as the Baoding Law Enforcement Bureau) and other relevant departments are piloting measures—such as guiding parking practices and marking additional parking spots—to increase parking capacity on select streets in the city center, thereby enhancing convenience for residents. As a result, the acute shortage of parking in the central urban area is expected to see initial relief. Nearly one hundred parking spaces are under construction, with efforts underway to complete the project within the year. 。 Recently, a reporter visited the construction site of a multi‑storey parking garage located on the east side of the intersection of Changcheng Avenue and Yuhua Road. At the site, the perimeter was fully enclosed by construction barriers, and workers were actively carrying out construction inside.

The reporter learned that the garage is surrounded by residential complexes such as the Transportation Bureau dormitory, the Knitting Factory dormitory, and the No. 4 Middle School dormitory. Most of these neighborhoods are aging communities built in the last century, where parking spaces are in short supply. Mr. Zhang, who lives in Courtyard No. 4 on Hongxing Road, told the reporter that, due to the close proximity of the apartment buildings and the narrow streets, there is very limited space for residents to park.

“We can only park by looking for a spot outside the residential complex. Sometimes, when we get back late, it’s hard to find a space—just searching for one can take over half an hour. Parking is really inconvenient and not very safe,” said Mr. Zhang. As for the multi‑storey parking garage currently under construction, Mr. Zhang expressed great anticipation.

In addition, once the garage is put into operation, the longstanding parking shortage at Hebei University Affiliated Hospital, located approximately 500 meters east of the project, is expected to be alleviated.

Hebei Yibochacha Parking Service Co., Ltd., which is responsible for the preliminary work of this “Smart Parking” project, is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Baoding Public Transport Corporation. On October 21, the company’s general manager, Wang Junfa, stated that the project is one of the 49 public‑benefit initiatives launched by the Baoding Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government in 2019—specifically item 36: accelerating the implementation of Baoding’s smart parking demonstration project by commencing construction of a smart multi‑level parking garage on Yuhua East Road, an off‑street smart parking facility in the Parkwan residential community, and smart parking spaces along both sides of the road north of the Botanical Garden and south of the Third Ring Road. The project also includes completing the development of Baoding’s smart parking software platform. At present, nearly one hundred parking spaces have been planned, with fee structures and specific details to be determined in accordance with relevant municipal policies. Currently, the main structural work on the parking garage is underway, and the company aims to finish the project within the year.

In addition, Wang Junfa noted that the other two pilot sites under the “Smart Parking” project are currently undergoing preliminary approval procedures and will begin construction once these formalities are completed. Once all three pilot sites are fully operational—along with nearly a hundred newly built parking spaces—approximately several hundred parking spots in Baoding’s urban area will be brought under unified smart‑management. At that point, parking on these road segments will be more orderly for residents.

What makes “Smart Parking” different? One smartphone lets you access multiple features.

Unlike conventional parking spaces, the three pilot sites included in this round of public‑benefit initiatives are all “smart parking” systems. So how do smart parking projects differ from traditional parking spots?

Wang Junfa explained that “smart parking” is centered on parking services, leveraging mobile apps and other digital platforms to offer complementary automotive and community‑friendly services. Grounded in the principles of intelligence, sustainability, and convenience, it integrates a range of features—including BeiDou navigation, real-time parking‑space availability, and contactless payment—while incorporating multi‑level parking technologies to achieve intelligent management of “static traffic.”

Once the smart parking system is fully deployed, citizens can link their vehicle information to the app and use it to check the number of available public parking spaces, real-time traffic conditions, and parking availability at nearby transportation hubs, commercial districts, and shopping malls, enabling them to plan their trips more effectively.

“If I’m planning to go shopping, I can first check the parking availability around the mall. If all parking spaces are full, I can opt for public transportation, a taxi, or other modes of travel.”

According to reports, similar mobile apps are now available in cities such as Beijing and Shijiazhuang, enabling residents to access a variety of services through the app.

With nearly 400,000 vehicles and just over 190,000 parking spaces, various measures are being implemented to alleviate the parking shortage.

According to relevant authorities in Baoding, with the city’s economic and social development, the number of vehicles on the road has been steadily rising in recent years. As of July this year, the main urban area had approximately 392,600 registered motor vehicles, while the total number of parking spaces—comprising both on‑site parking facilities and on‑street parking spots—stood at 196,000. The shortage of parking resources has led to increasingly acute imbalances between supply and demand, making parking difficulties a growing concern.

To this end, multiple departments in Baoding City, including the public‑benefit project, have implemented a series of measures to alleviate the situation. On October 11, the Baoding Municipal Development and Reform Commission convened a public hearing on the management and fee standards for motor vehicle parking services in the city’s central urban area. The relevant authorities aim to combine government regulation with market mechanisms, leveraging price incentives to guide vehicle parking and usage, enhance the utilization rate of parking spaces, and promote an optimized transportation‑travel structure. Following further refinement and improvement of the pertinent policies and plans, the authorities will proceed with their promulgation and implementation in accordance with established procedures.

Meanwhile, reporters learned from the Baoding Municipal Law Enforcement Bureau that the bureau has, on the one hand, collaborated with public security authorities to standardize parking along nine pilot roadways—Dongfeng Road, Chaoyang Avenue, Xiangyang Avenue, No. 7 Road, Hengxiang Avenue, Yuhua Road, Lianchi Avenue, Sanfeng Road, and Yulan Avenue—and, on the other hand, marked parking spaces on the sidewalks of these same roads. To date, more than 600 parking spaces have been designated on these nine pilot routes, and the bureau plans to extend this initiative citywide in the central urban area.

In addition, the Baoding Municipal Bureau of Natural Resources and Planning recently released the “Baoding City Parking Facility Construction and Development Plan” (hereinafter referred to as the “Plan”). The Plan outlines detailed strategies and improvement measures for parking infrastructure, including vigorous development of public transportation, the construction of new parking facilities, smart upgrades to existing parking systems, and the promotion of shared parking. In the near future, the challenges of difficult commutes and scarce parking in Baoding are expected to be alleviated.