Parking guidance system in the Marrickville Metro Shopping Center

Marrickville Metro is a shopping center located in the Sydney suburb of Marrickville. This venue’s mix of specialized shops and services are a perfect fit for all its' customers shopping needs.

The parking garage at this shopping center had a total of 1,100 parking spaces. But since the recent expansion of the upper floors, the new parking facility features 450 additional spaces. What's more, and as an added benefit for its users, the garage offers spaces for individuals with reduced mobility distributed over the two floors of the facility. Users will also find four free electrical vehicle chargers on the 2nd floor of the new parking garage, where shoppers can charge their batteries while enjoying their day at the shopping center. The 2nd, 3rd and 4th floors also feature dedicated parking spaces for families. What makes these spaces different from others is their size; they're slightly larger to accommodate mini-vans and other vehicles that seat more than five, which are especially used by large families. They are becoming more commonplace, and offering them more space increases their convenience, and preference for this shopping center over others.

Before installation of the guidance system, facility operators worked with the disadvantage of not knowing how many vehicles entered, exited or stayed in the parking garage. For that reason, one of the main project aims was to have the capacity of complete control over the parking garage and offer users a smart solution to help them get their bearings in the facility, and guide them to the parking space most convenient for them. The next goal to achieve was to do away with the ground-level parking area through the construction of an automated underground parking garage, and also reduce traffic congestion at the entries and exits and inside the parking garage.

Implementation of the smart parking system

The final result of the 106 SC Indoor ID sensors was a complete renewal of the parking experience that could only feature Quercus Technologies' state-of-the-art technology. With the camera-based guidance system, customers more comfortably and dynamically find free spaces. This enables them to save time and leave behind the frustration caused by long lines at parking entrances, not to mention the time wasted hunting for the ideal space to park their vehicle.

SC Indoor ID sensors provide: detection of the vehicle, recognition of the license place and video surveillance of every space, contributing to the control of vehicles and maximum security in the parking spaces themselves. A highly reliable parking guidance system has been achieved with Quercus' technology. The sensors come in a wide range of color options to indicate space availability and type (reduced mobility, electrical and family vehicles).

It was also decided to install an outdoor LPR Area guidance system on the roof of the building, enabling reliable guidance in the outdoor areas of the shopping center as well. This parking system can locate all the vehicles in the outdoor parking facility by recognizing their license plates at entrance and exit points.

With all of the data centralized in the BirdWatch software platform, the parking operator can keep an inventory of the vehicles and ensure that the occupancy data on occupied spaces are always correct and up to date. By implementing BirdWatch, a platform featuring numerous analysis possibilities, owners can get real-time reports on the entry, exit and stay of vehicles, in addition to trends and statistics that enable them to better manage parking facilities, and understand the behavior of their users.