Pilot project uses innovative technology and free mobile app to lessen traffic congestion and increase parking space turnover
Reno, NV, September 10, 2012—Siemens and Streetline, Inc. have installed a Smart Parking solution in the popular Midtown neighborhood to provide parking relief to residents and local businesses who listed parking as their number one issue concerning business growth. The advanced parking technology monitors space availability, distributes real time parking information to drivers via signs and Streetline’s free “Parker” smartphone app, and identifies parking patterns and habits. This is the first public advanced parking project implemented jointly by Siemens and Streetline.
The City of Reno has approved installation of 200 parking sensors and networking equipment that monitor real time data in designated parking locations. “Parker” by Streetline provides drivers with the location and general availability of parking spaces, shows the amount of meter time remaining, and allows users to pay for parking via their mobile phone where available. The approximately four month pilot project will be located in striped spaces in the Midtown neighborhood along the South Virginia Street corridor from California Avenue to Center Street.
“One major factor contributing to city traffic congestion is motorists searching for parking,” said Terry Heath, president, Mobility and Logistics division, Siemens Infrastructure & Cities. “This novel technology gives motorists an easier, more efficient way to find an available parking spot, allows Midtown businesses to attract customers, and provides the City of Reno a cost-effective way to improve quality of life in their town in a time when city budgets have never been tighter.”
Siemens partnered with the City of Reno to implement the parking technology with little upfront investment. The Siemens Smart Parking solution will provide the city clear statistical data that indicates potential revenue generation and enables the city to make a data-driven decision on how to further deploy the technology. By knowing the rate of payback for the investment and the effectiveness of the technology, the City can better accommodate its budget needs and improve its ability to effectively manage parking across the city.
“Cities continuously have to find ways to do more with less, and this technology is a perfect example of how we can improve day-to-day life for our residents without it heavily impacting our bottom line”, said City of Reno Mayor Bob Cashell.
The project originated with local Midtown businesses expressing the need to address parking issues. Parking has been identified as the most pressing concern for the Midtown neighborhood by business owners.
“I believe with any small business parking is crucial. Local business brings so much diversity and creates local jobs,” said Jessica Schneider, President of the Midtown District, Inc. and local business owner. “Unlike supercenter malls parking is an issue, so the Midtown smart parking technology is a win for everyone. The Reno City Council, staff, city manager and Midtown district members did a great job making this happen.”
Siemens and Streetline announced a partnership to offer integrated parking solutions earlier this year. “Parking is one of those universal challenges that most people around the globe can relate to,” said Zia Yusuf, president and CEO of Streetline. ”Siemens understands what cities need to become more effective and efficient. By combining the experience and technology from Siemens with the smart parking sensor-enabled, web and mobile apps from Streetline, we can provide an unparalleled set of next generation offerings to our joint customers. We’re pleased to work with Siemens to tackle one of the most pressing issues facing cities today.”
Streetline’s parking solutions have been successfully implemented in a number of other cities including Los Angeles, CA, Indianapolis, IN, New Brunswick, NJ, and Washington, DC.
For more information on Midtown’s Smart Parking technology and to download the free “Parker” app, please visit www.streetline.com/park.
For more information about Siemens mobility business in the USA, please visit www.usa.siemens.com/mobility.
About Siemens
Siemens Infrastructure & Cities Sector, with approximately 87,000 employees worldwide, offers sustainable technologies for metropolitan areas and their infrastructures. Its offerings include complete traffic and transportation systems, intelligent logistics, efficient energy supply, environmentally compatible building technologies, modernization of the way power is transmitted and distributed, and smart consumption of electricity. The sector is comprised of the Rail Systems, Mobility and Logistics, Low and Medium Voltage, Smart Grid and Building Technologies Divisions as well as Osram Sylvania. For more information, visit www.usa.siemens.com/infrastructure-cities.
The Siemens Mobility and Logistics Division provides solutions to customers to optimize passenger and freight transport. The division bundles all Siemens business related to management of traffic, transport and logistics. This includes railway automation, infrastructure logistics, intelligent traffic and transport systems, and technologies for developing the infrastructure for electric mobility. For more information, visit www.usa.siemens.com/mobility.
About Streetline, Inc.
Streetline’s mission is to make smart cities a reality through the use of sensor-enabled mobile and web applications. As the leading global provider of smart parking solutions for cities, airports, universities, private garages, and consumers, Streetline’s pioneering technology connects citizens with critical information to improve the way they live and work, while making cities more efficient and lessening their environmental impact.
Streetline is a privately held company headquartered in Foster City, Calif. with smart parking deployments across the U.S. including California, Delaware, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Virginia and Washington, DC. The company was recently named one of Fast Company’s 10 Most Innovative Companies in Transportation, as well as IBM Global Entrepreneur of the Year.
For more information contact:
Shannon Wilsey
415-962-8200 ext. 212
shannon@sparkpr.com
