Traders may have noticed that QVM car park entry facilities were
recently updated and the operators have taken the opportunity to introduce some
new technology.
The car park equipment can now read number plates. A recent TV news
item noted that a number plate recognition system had been introduced at a
Sydney shopping centre to help catch users who were using their 2 hour parking
limit, driving out of the car park, and then driving back in for another free 2
hours. The new system recognises the car's number plate and makes sure the
driver pays on the second exit.
One of our traders was surprised to find last Thursday that he
didn't have to insert his parking ticket at the gate - the boom opened
automatically. The parking attendant advised our trader that the car park
operators had been trialling the new technology since Monday and the system had
read his number plate, noted that he was leaving within the free 2 hour period,
and automatically opened the boom gate. Like we said, the system is still under
trial.
Car parking is a vexed question for traders, particularly the
impact that fees have on customer visitation, but simple things like
automatically opening boom gates could enhance customer convenience.