Hanoi (VNA) - The Hanoi People’s Committee has approved a pilot programmethat will utilise software and automation technology to manage public parkingzones in the city.

The plan,developed and implemented by the Hanoi Car Park Exploitation Company, includesthe digital mapping of car parking areas in the city, the use of managementsoftware, and the installation of cameras to record vehicle registration platesat car parking areas, the Committee said recently.

Allinformation relating to car parks will be available online, and car owners willbe able to find and book parking spaces in advance on devices such as smartphones and tablets.

The ‘smarttechnology’ behind the system will enable vehicle owners to park their carswithout help from parking staff. A parking sensor will be installed on theroads or in speed bumps to automatically measure the cars’ size and parkingtime in order to determine the parking fee. Parking staff will then be able tocollect the fees from car owners.

The companywill pilot the project at two car parking zones, including one on Tran Nhat Duatin Hoan Kiem District or Nguyen Cong Hoan Street in Ba Dinh District, and oneon Tran Hung Dao Street.

The companywas asked to study and develop the plan last September, with the aim of usingcomputers to improve traffic management, ultimately turning Hanoi into a smartcity.

DeputyDirector of the company, Pham Van Duc, told Kinh te & Do thi (Economy andUrban Areas) that the project is expected to improve the efficiency of Statemanagement over parking areas and benefit local residents.

Car parkingin Hanoi suffers from significant confusion at present, causing difficultiesfor traffic management. Car owners often struggle to find suitable parkingspaces, and have to pay high fees, he said.

With the newtechnology, all public parking zones will be automated, from parking times tofee collection, improving conditions for car owners and management efficiency,he said.

However, hesaid, the project implementation would encounter some challenges. Each parkingarea is granted permission to operate for between three and six months, whileit would cost between 50-60 million VND (2,200-2,600 USD) to invest in the newtechnology, excluding land leasing fees for the parking areas.

“If eachparking area is not permitted to operate for a longer period, a minimum of fiveyears, it will be difficult for the company to recover their investmentcapital,” he said.

Also, atpresent, there is no authorised agency in charge of managing all parking zonesin the city. Parking areas are currently managed by different agencies. Forexample, some parking areas are managed by the municipal Department ofTransport while some are managed by authorities of local districts.

The companywill review the project and report on its implementation to city authorities,who will determine whether it’s worth continuing, he said.-VNA