Technology breakthrough counters abuse of disabled parking

7 December 2011

Major technology breakthrough unveiled to counter abuse of disabled parking

An innovative monitoring and management system for disability parking has been developed by a New Zealand company that could see the technology worth millions of dollars internationally.

Car Parking Technologies (CPT) is already a major success story with its parking sensor technology widely used in Australia, South Africa, the United Kingdom as well as New Zealand.

While it is hoped to implement the new technology first in New Zealand, this latest development could spell the end of disability parking abuse worldwide.

Instead of carrying a disability-parking permit, disabled drivers would have an electronic tag in their car that can be read by sensors placed in the parking bays. The sensors wirelessly relay information that identifies and verifies a genuine disabled driver and also alerts enforcement staff when a car has been illegally parked.

In New Zealand it costs a disabled driver $50 for a five year parking permit and $35 for a permit lasting up to 12 months. There are approximately 120,000 disabled drivers in New Zealand.

CPT is about to begin discussions with disability groups, shopping malls and local authorities in New Zealand regarding the introduction and monitoring of its new system. Because CPT’s technology is so well proven, it could be possible to have the disability parking system in place and operational early in the New Year.

Car Parking Technologies Managing Director, Paul Collins, says the new system for monitoring disability parks is not only more effective and efficient but can be implemented for about the same cost as the current permit based system.

“Our new monitoring system means that parks can’t be stolen from disabled drivers without almost immediate consequences. It ensures the parking bays are used by the people for which they were intended. We also believe that this latest advance in our technology could easily be adapted for the control of other personally reserved parking.

“We’ve managed some significant breakthroughs with this latest advance in our technology. Not only have we come up with a way of eliminating sensor misreads but the system is simple and reliable. We’ve got high hope that there will be a massive demand for it,” says Mr Collins.

The disability parking management system is a follow on from CPT’s sensor technology developed for monitoring parking buildings and on-street parking. The Cambridge based company has its technology in more than 100,000 managed parking bays throughout the world, including New Zealand, and is the market leader in the development and distribution of the technology.

CPT has grown to be a multi-million dollar company and has ten times more sensor managed bays than its next largest international competitor. It has been listed on the Australian stock exchange since February this year.

ENDS

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