Why operators upgrade
- Disputes over lost tickets, and tickets swapped between cars
- Queues at pay stations that only take cash
- No remote supervision when a lane fails
- Spare parts that are no longer available
- Reports that cannot show occupancy and revenue together
What can usually be kept
A survey of the existing installation comes first. Commonly kept:
- Lane islands, ducting, and cable routes
- Power and data, where capacity allows
- Barriers in good condition that the new lane equipment can control
- Sign structures, and guidance displays if they are compatible
What usually has to change
- The central software, if the existing platform cannot support the new functions
- Lane terminals that cannot read new media such as QR codes or plates
- Pay stations that do not take bank cards or contactless payment
- Network equipment between the lanes and the control point
Adding license-plate recognition
LPR cameras are added at each lane and linked to the parking software. The plate is tied to the ticket, which stops ticket swapping; a lost ticket is found by plate so the correct tariff is charged; and known subscribers can enter by plate alone. Camera position and lighting at each lane decide how well plates are read, so both are checked during the survey. Agree with the operator how long plate data is kept.
New pay stations and mobile payment
New automatic pay stations that take bank cards and contactless payment shorten queues and reduce cash handling. They usually fit in the existing locations. Mobile payment of parking fees from the driver's phone can be added through the software.
Ticketless access
Ticketless access replaces the paper ticket with a QR code, a virtual badge for subscribers, or the plate itself. It suits facilities with many regular users and can connect to reservation platforms.
Managing downtime
The facility should not close. Lanes are changed over one at a time, mostly outside peak hours, with temporary manual operation on the lane being worked and clear signage for drivers.
A typical upgrade sequence
- Survey and audit of the existing equipment, civil works, and software
- Requirements agreed with the operator: tariffs, subscribers, payment, reporting
- System design and proposal, with what is kept and what is replaced
- A pilot lane, tested before the rest
- Lane-by-lane changeover
- Commissioning, operator training, and as-built documentation
- Maintenance under a service agreement
Maintenance after the upgrade
After an upgrade, the facility runs a mix of new and retained equipment. One contractor should be responsible for all of it under a service agreement covering preventive visits, corrective response, spare parts, and remote support, so faults are not passed between suppliers.
About Prime Generations. Prime Generations Contracting Co. is a licensed general contractor in Amman, Jordan, established in 2012. It supplies, installs, and maintains parking management, access-control, and parking-guidance systems for malls, airports, hospitals, universities, and mixed-use developments in Jordan and Iraq, in partnership with Linkology, a parking-systems integrator based in Casablanca, Morocco.