Innovative Smart City solutions in the 13th district of Budapest
Thanks to Smart Lynx’s Smart Parking solution, people living in the Újlipótváros area of Budapest's 13th district can have a real Smart Parking experience. The city administration can also get a glimpse of the benefits of implementing a forward-looking Smart City solution.
Becoming a Smart City has been a long-standing interest of the 13th district of Budapest. Reducing vehicle traffic and parking problems in the district is part of their agenda. To launch the Smart Parking pillar of the programme, Smart Lynx’s expertise was called upon and 100 smart parking sensors were installed in the Szent István Park area in early 2019. Based on the experience gained from the pilot project, the district decided to continue the roll-out of the Smart Parking system, and further 750 parking sensors were deployed in autumn 2022. The project is concentrated in Újlipótváros, in the area bounded by Pozsonyi út – Victor Hugo utca – Tátra utca and Szent István körút.
Using the Parker app, motorists can check the current occupancy status of parking spaces, and navigate their way around the city. The area includes both parallel and perpendicular parking spaces, 15 handicapped spaces and several loading areas with time limits. A particular challenge was that most of the spaces in the area are exclusive residential parking spaces. Fortunately, Smart Lynx’s solution can handle this situation with ease. Using Parker’s filter function, users can select the type of parking space that is relevant to them with just a few clicks. Be it a handicapped parking space, an exclusive residential parking space, a public parking space or even a loading space.
The Smart Parking Dashboard allows parking management professionals to continuously monitor, among other things, the occupancy of parking spaces, the length of each parking session, and the ratio of residents to visitors in the district. Knowing the parking habits of the neighbourhood allows the city administration and parking management to make data-driven decisions on strategic issues. One such example is whether it is necessary to provide alternative parking for local residents, freeing up paid public parking spaces, which could result in increased parking revenues.
Smart Parking makes life much easier for motorists looking for a free parking space, thus improving the environment and living conditions for residents. The system saves motorists time and fuel by making it easier and quicker for them to find a space closer to their destination. By shortening the time it takes to find a parking space, pollution and noise in the area are indirectly reduced.