Cities around the world are looking to become greener to provide healthier urban environments for citizens. Not only are cities recycling, they are transitioning to zero-emissions public transportation and using renewable energy. IPS can help cities become even greener—and smarter—with our smart solar-powered parking meters.
There are many ways parking meters can become more efficient. Most parking meters still only allow people to use change, and this detail only begins to address how archaic most cities’ parking meters are. If people have to hunt around the house for change before heading out, the only change you will see will be people changing their minds about parking downtown. But with IPS solar-powered parking meters, people can use debit and credit cards. IPS Smart Parking meters also reset to zero when a car leaves the space, and because our meters are programmable, changing parking fees—including demand-based pricing, or displaying “Free Parking” at appropriate times—is a breeze. The best part is, it’s all powered with solar energy.
Santa Monica, California has been a green leader since replacing all 6,000 of its parking meters with IPS solar-powered meters. The city has seen revenues increase 40% over the old meters, and was able to pay for the entire upgrade within 12 months. Motorists have found the meters more convenient because they can pay for the maximum amount of time and do not have to worry about feeding the meter.
Now, we know what you’re thinking: anyone can be successful with solar powered meters in sunny Southern California. But what if your city is more like Barrie, Canada, which is not only significantly less sunny, but experiences several feet of snow a year—snow that can cover the solar panels? Well, as it turns out, we have demonstrated in Barrie that IPS meters can rise to the challenge of not only low light and heavy snow, but extremely cold temperatures. As a result of a patented combined solar power and battery system, IPS Smart Parking meters remain charged in even the coldest conditions. Since the solar panel requires only a nominal amount of ambient sunlight to keep the battery packs charged, snow cover has minimal impact. As a result, Barrie has installed IPS meters throughout the city, improving the parking situation and significantly increasing revenues for the city.
New green technology is making it easier for cities to become greener overall. From Santa Monica to Barrie, Canada, cities in a wide variety of climates are finding ways to reduce their carbon footprint. IPS Smart Parking meters are a great addition to your city’s green initiatives, not only making your city greener with solar powered batteries, but increasing city revenue and improving parking.
To learn more about IPS Smart Parking meters and how they can help you fulfill your green initiatives, visit us today at ipsgroupinc.com.