The age of the payment parking machine in the United Kingdom could be coming to an end, as new national parking data standards were revealed today .
By introducing the new standards, the British government’s ambition is for all parking data released by local councils and companies across the country to use the same language, supporting the development of apps to make parking easier for drivers.
Created by the Alliance for Parking Data Standards (APDS) and funded by the British Department for Transport, the standardised data could lead to smoother and easier payment methods right across the country and could transform the way we park as the Oyster card transformed the way we travel in London.
By helping to streamline the parking experience and making it easier for drivers to find a suitable parking place, the standards could ultimately free up crucial space, easing congested cities and boosting British high streets.
The Chair of the British Parking Association and Chair of the APDS, Nigel Williams, said the new standards will enable the next generation of apps and connected cars to find a parking space, park and pay – with little or no intervention from the driver. The involvement of the British Parking Association in APDS has ensured that the UK is at the forefront of innovation to improve the customer experience of parking.
To support the introduction of the standards, 4 research and development projects in Manchester City Council, Oxfordshire County Council, Cambridgeshire County Council and across a consortium of South Essex Councils will receive a share of £1 million to start putting the APDS standards into practice, with a further 7 projects being commissioned to identify ways to open up local authority data.
The development of the parking language will make it easier for local authorities and private companies to exchange data, ensuring cars of the future navigate both driver and passengers to an available space based on the price, quality of the space, safety of the space and availability of on-site services — including being near to electric chargepoints.
