The future of livable cities starts with mobility

EasyPark Group is at the forefront of mobile paid parking, with a significant international presence. Over the last two decades, it has grown from a small Nordic startup to a global mobility platform provider. With a vision to make cities more livable, the Group has reshaped urban mobility and parking, earning it a place on the FT 1000 list of Europe’s fastest-growing companies in 2024. This achievement underscores its global success and expertise, which EasyPark Group will highlight at Intertraffic by showcasing how its mobility solutions contribute to smarter, sustainable urban environments.

EasyPark Group provides data and insights to help cities make informed decisions about parking infrastructure, traffic management, and urban development. These are some of the key considerations for cities as they work toward becoming more sustainable and adopting new standards. Heavy traffic in city centers has put environmental zones on the agenda, along with the need for more electric vehicles (EV) charge points. Another topic is autobesity* that has become a major concern in cities like Paris, Rome, and London. This is where parking data could form part of the solution, by adjusting parking fees based on the weight of vehicles.

Insights gathered from parking data can also be used to help cities improve parking conditions across the urban landscape. In Heidelberg, Germany, EasyPark Group provided the municipality with detailed occupancy analysis, which enabled it to have a better understanding of what measures could be implemented. The data also allowed the municipality to scope out a broader zone that encompassed adjacent urban districts, not just the city center. As a result, it is considering making changes to paid parking areas, modifications to permit regulations, or implementing eco-friendly, car-sharing solutions for residents.

As European countries strive to meet demand for a scalable EV charging infrastructure, Norway stands out. Through smart city planning, the country has become one of the global leaders for EV charging. EasyPark Group offers drivers in Norway the possibility to charge and park at more than 13,500 locations, and is now focused on helping cities in other countries across the EU to plan their EV infrastructure, using insights from its parking and charging solutions. 

EasyPark Group is leading mobility transformation through smart parking solutions like automatic camera parking (ANPR). This technology provides operators and cities with valuable insights into parking usage, driver and motorists behavioral patterns to inform data-driven decisions. As a result, cities are adopting targeted strategies to increase the turnover of parking spots. Parking Operators benefit from reduced operational costs and increased revenue, alongside a shift in consumer parking behavior from on-street to more secure off-street parking, thanks to the enhanced parking experience. Over the past two years, the number of parking areas and garages with ANPR has more than doubled across 15 countries in Europe. EasyPark can now be used in more than 25,000 off-street locations in Europe. This is a testament to EasyPark's continuous cooperation with thousands of private parking operators and cities over the past decade. 

A 2023 online survey of motorists in Germany**** found that 61% believed that parking garages reduce traffic congestion and the search for on-street parking, and 48% agreed this was better for the environment.

Cameron Clayton, CEO at EasyPark, says: “Innovation is in our DNA, and the data and insights we gather from our mobility solutions today can help influence how the cities of tomorrow will develop. Our vision is to make cities more livable, and together with parking operators, cities, businesses, and motorists, we’re working toward achieving that every day.”

EasyPark Group at Intertraffic
EasyPark Group will showcase some of its innovative mobility solutions at Intertraffic. Visit exhibition stand 12.301 and join the following speaker presentations:
Best practices for automatic camera parking in gated and free-flow parking areas with mobile apps - April 16, 13.15-14.00, Intertraffic Theatre 1
How to make better policy decisions informed by data - April 17, 10.00-10.30, Intertraffic Theatre 1
Integrating EV charging and parking: the need for coordinating tariff structures and regulations - April 18, 15.00-15.30, Intertraffic Theatre 3

Addendum

*Autobesity
The average vehicle size has gradually been increasing for decades. One of the implications of bigger cars is less space in terms of parking. In fact in some cases, cars are too wide for regular parking spots. Major cities such as London, Paris, and Rome allow a minimum on-street parking space of 180 cm, which is narrower than many SUV models, especially in the SUV luxury segment. This growing issue is something cities may need to address in the future. More space for larger cars means less space for others, and one solution is to increase parking fees for bigger vehicles.

#Occupancy rates:

A higher occupancy rate increases the parking search time and thus also increases pollution. Heidelberg municipality was aware of the parking pressure issue but lacked precise figures. Without our analysis the city would have implemented measures and policy changes solely for the city center, neglecting the other adjacent districts. 

**Re-allocating parking

This approach aims to reduce congestion in critical zones, such as city centers, and mitigate environmental impact by discouraging unnecessary driving in congested areas. Incorporating parking garages located near city centers into this strategy plays a vital role. By setting the correct tariffs for these garages during off-peak hours, or for extended stays, cities can motivate drivers to park there, instead of searching for on-street parking in the city center. This can significantly reduce the time vehicles spend circling for a space, thus lowering traffic congestion and emissions. Once drivers park in these strategically placed garages, the use of public transportation becomes a natural next step for reaching their final destination. This behavior can be encouraged through integrated ticketing systems, where parking fees might include public transportation vouchers, making the transition from personal vehicle to public transport seamless and more appealing. A multifaceted approach makes the best use of available parking infrastructure, and promotes a more sustainable and efficient urban transport system. It aligns the interests of city planners, environmentalists, and motorists by balancing the need for accessibility with targets for reduced traffic congestion and pollution, thus contributing to a more livable urban environment.

***CO2 reduction

According to Easypark Group’s calculations, based on external data from Statista, parking search time can be reduced by up to 50% using Easypark's Find feature.

The calculations use the following data for these assumptions:

- average speed, during the search for parking, at approximately 10 km.

- emissions for a gasoline car are approximately  at180g/km. 

- number of parking sessions

- average time spent searching for parking

****German Study Methodology:

The survey was conducted by YouGov between June 28, 2023, and June 30, 2023. 2,028 individuals residing in Germany, who possess a driver's license, were interviewed online.

About EasyPark Group
EasyPark Group is a global mobility platform provider with the vision to make cities more livable.With award-winning technology, EasyPark Group has eased parking since 2001 and today, the company helps drivers save time and money by finding and managing parking and electric vehicle charging. It allows businesses, parking operators, property owners and cities to administrate, plan and take data-driven decisions. EasyPark Group owns and develops the apps EasyPark, ParkMobile, RingGo and Park-line and operates in over 4,000 cities across more than 20 countries. Visit www.easyparkgroup.com for the latest news and information.