HÀ NỘI — The Hà Nội People’s Committee has approved a pilot programme that will use software and automation technology to manage public parking zones on two streets in Hoàn Kiếm District.

The iParking technology to manage car parking will be piloted on Lý Thường Kiệt and Trần Hưng Đạo streets from May 1 to August 1, the committee said.

The plan, developed and implemented by the Hà Nội Car Park Exploitation Company, involves the digital mapping of car parking areas, the use of management software, and the installation of cameras to record vehicle registration plates in parking zones.

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

The smart technology behind the system will also make it possible for vehicle owners to park their cars without help from parking staff.

The project is part of the ongoing efforts to improve urban traffic management by monitoring the number of vehicles using parking lots and ensuring transparency in collecting parking fees, the committee said.

Under the project, surveillance cameras will be installed at parking lots, recording the number of vehicles, their parking duration and the number of parking slots available. The information will be relayed to a data processing centre.

A sensor device will be attached to camera poles to read electronic parking cards and record vehicles’ information, such as licence number, vehicle type, time-in and time-out. Parking fees will be calculated based on parking duration, which vehicle owners can pay in cash or via bank transfer.

During the trial process, the technology provider, CIS Investment Joint Stock Company, will supply the iParking software free of charge.

The Hà Nội Car Parking Exploitation Company will work with CIS to develop the plan extensively and will be in charge of the whole process, from guiding drivers to find parking areas to collecting parking fees and supervising the implementation of the plan.

Currently, Hà Nội City has around 1,100 parking lots, 200 of which are on roads and employ staff to watch vehicles and collect fees. — VNS