If heavy snow is no stranger to your city, it’s likely that curbside parking policies are in full effect for the winter. With snow removal services happening throughout the night, it’s important for operators and enforcement officers to ensure that vehicles are cleared from the roads and sidewalks. With weather conditions unpredictable in many cases, being responsive almost immediately is essential for any municipality to function both safely and seamlessly during the winter months. For parking operators in any industry, parking technology is an ideal avenue to implement these rules quickly and support officers to enforce these restrictions even quicker.
Digital tire chalking doesn’t wash away
Achieving parking compliance during the winter can become a challenge, especially difficult if your city gets a lot of snow. If you’re chalking vehicles the traditional way, it’s likely to wash off in extreme weather conditions. An alternative to this is digital tire chalking. Digital Tire chalking allows enforcement officers to use License Plate Recognition (LPR) to digitally (and easily) mark vehicles in a given area, and then return back to see if any of them are in violation during restricted hours.
This makes enforcement easier for officers as it allows them to stay warm while on the job, without having to write up vehicle information by hand. It also ensures greater accuracy in enforcement by effectively tracking all vehicles in a given area, as digital chalking can withstand the snow.
Stay warm while you issue violations
There are a number of benefits that come with eTicketing, and with winter here, it becomes even more convenient for enforcement officers. Instead of having to leave their vehicles to write up physical tickets in the cold and snowy weather, enforcement officers can easily issue tickets from their mobile device in the comfort of their own vehicle. By simply scanning license plates with LPR, officers can quickly issue a ticket from their handheld device and not have to worry about carrying around a book of paper tickets.
Capture license plate information and violation evidence
Handheld LPR gives enforcement officers the ability to capture photos of license plates and vehicles while they are in violation. This helps to provide evidence during disputes and clearly displays the violation taking place to ensure compliance. Oftentimes, parking by-law signs are placed around neighbourhoods in entryways and streets, but often go unnoticed. If a violator chooses to dispute a ticket, enforcement officers can use the information and pictures captured to support the issued violation. Not to mention, it also captures every vehicle scan including the date and time, location and two photos of the vehicle every single time a plate is scanned – even if they’re not necessarily in violation.
Identify permit holders immediately
In many municipalities, there are ways to obtain overnight parking permits which give parkers the permission to park curbside. Being that curbside parking restrictions are typically placed during nighttime and early morning hours, officers are often issuing tickets before sunrise. That said, parking technology provides a much more convenient and effective way to identify permit holders, all through a mobile device.
At Roker, our platform is designed to help operators, institutions and businesses streamline parking within their facilities. With curbside parking restrictions currently in place until the spring, it’s important to have the right systems in place to ensure that the roads in your municipality are clean, clear of snow, and safe for all drivers. To learn more about how we can help you manage your parking resources during the winter months, contact us here.
