Data on parking spaces across the UK is set to be standardised, making it easier for apps and connected cars to find a parking space and even pay for parking.
The Department for Transport said its ambition was for all parking data released by local councils and private companies across the country to be in the same format, supporting the development of apps that make it easier to find and pay for parking.
This data could identify available parking spaces, permitted times and parking charges, as well as on-site services such as electric car charging points.
Created by the Alliance for Parking Data Standards (APDS), 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,” said Nigel Williams, chair of the APDS and chair of the British Parking Association.
“Hunting for a parking space and then checking if you have the right change to pay for it isn’t the best start to any shopping experience, but it can be the reality more often than not,” added Local Government Minister Rishi Sunak.
“An intelligent parking system will not only make life easier for commuters, but could also improve footfall to our town centres – meaning both people and local businesses benefit.”
Four research and development projects in Manchester, Oxfordshire, Cambridgeshire and South Essex will receive a share of £1m to start putting the new parking data standards into practice, with a further seven projects commissioned to identify ways to open up local authority data.
Tags: connected car, electric car, electric car charging points, parking data
