Tag Archives for: Curb management

Automotus, launches its fourth cohort of the Commercial Curb Challenge

January 09, 2023

Automotus, launches its fourth cohort of the Commercial Curb Challenge

Automotus, a leading curb management solutions provider, launched its fourth cohort of the Commercial Curb Challenge. The Commercial Curb Challenge is a private-public partnership initiative aimed at helping cities implement automated curb management solutions without city-led investment. Past awardees include the Pittsburgh Parking Authority, the City of Omaha, the city of Bethlehem (PA) and others.

“Working with Automotus has enabled the Pittsburgh Parking Authority to maintain their status as an industry leader,” stated David Onorato, Executive Director of the Pittsburgh Parking Authority. “The data collected over the past year has proven to be very beneficial to the Authority vision, that we extended our current contract for an additional two years and expanded the smart loading zones to 200 spaces. I look forward to our continued relationship with Automotus in transforming curb management through data and technology,” said Onorato.

This Commercial Curb Challenge will select five cities to join this public-private partnership to implement curb management analytics and automated smart loading to address congestion from on-street parking with a focus on developing strategies to support traffic safety issues and/or transportation emissions.

Selected cities will receive hardware at no upfront cost, support from leading technology and public sector consultants, and tools to support street safety and transportation emission goals of up to $750,000 to implement curbside analytics and automated smart loading zones.

Former recipients of the Commercial Curb Challenge include, City of Pittsburgh, City of Omaha, City of LA, and City of Bethlehem. Pittsburgh, PA has been operating Smart Loading Zones with Automotus since April 2022 and has seen a 20% reduction in dwell times and a 42% reduction in double parking.

Applications and nominations for the Automotus Commercial Curb Challenge are open until February 15, 2023 and can be entered here: https://www.automotus.co/commercial-curb-challenge. For more information, contact Roamy Valera, roamy@automotus.co.

DUBLIN CITY COUNCIL TO REVOLUTIONISE KERBSIDE RESTRICTION MANAGEMENT IN REPUBLIC OF IRELAND WITH APPYWAY’S TRAFFIC SUITE

December 14, 2022

DUBLIN CITY COUNCIL TO REVOLUTIONISE KERBSIDE RESTRICTION MANAGEMENT IN REPUBLIC OF IRELAND WITH APPYWAY’S TRAFFIC SUITE

Dublin City Council is innovating its kerbside restriction management process with AppyWay’s suite of management tools, aptly named Traffic Suite
By transforming how they manage their kerbside the City Council will be able to better understand how their kerbside is being used and improve data accuracy
The adoption of Traffic Suite, in particular the management tool Mapper, is enabling the City Council to rapidly streamline an outdated and often time-consuming process
Now live with the solution, Dublin City Council has much more control over their kerbside assets and is empowered with better data to make more informed decisions

Wednesday 14^th December 2022, London, UK, AppyWay the intelligent kerbside organisation empowering local governments to kick-start decarbonisation efforts, has today announced the adoption of its kerbside management solution, Traffic Suite, by its first international customer, Dublin City Council.

Dublin City Council approached AppyWay to transform their restriction management process to better understand how their kerbside is being used and to ensure they have more control over their kerbside assets and restriction data. The key goal for the City Council was to look at new and innovative ways to encourage the efficient and sustainable use of loading bays as a part of the Senator Project.

The Senator project is funded under European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme and aims at finding possible solutions to solve the challenges of logistics in urban areas. Dublin, as one of the two Urban Living Labs, is providing pilot site where solutions will be tested, readjusted, and improved to fit the urban environment.

The adoption of Traffic Suite, in particular the Mapper solution for kerbside management allows the City Council to manage their restrictions in Mapper from a highly accurate data set. This was made possible by an extensive kerbside restriction survey by Cyclomedia.

Now live with Traffic Suite, Dublin City Council is exploring a number of the benefits that digitised, map-based restriction management can bring. This would include exploring huge efficiencies within their management process and workflows, and improved accuracy of restriction records. The City Council have also found wide-ranging opportunities for data sharing across services and external mobility operators which includes the Senator Partners for the Senator platform development.

Dan Hubert, Founder & CEO, AppyWay comments, “We’re thrilled have Dublin City Council onboard and proving the benefits of the Traffic Suite and Mapper to an international audience. The outdated and cumbersome management of kerbside restrictions is a global issue, and one that is causing decarbonisation efforts to stagnate. Without streamlined restriction management processes, and easily understood and sharable restriction data, councils are frequently left struggling to rollout initiatives such as electric vehicle charge points, active travel promotion, or create more efficient, sustainable access to loading bays.”

“With Dublin City Council we’re able to put them on the front-foot of kerbside management, empowering them with the tools, processes, and open data they need to make smarter kerbside decisions and make the Senator Urban Living Lab a success.”

Jamie Cudden, Smart City Programme Manager, Dublin City Council quotes

“With increasing ecommerce and thriving businesses, the city centre of Dublin is becoming more and more congested, and it is necessary for us to understand and manage the kerb assets more efficiently using digital tools. The kerbside management can be transformational for the city. We are delighted to partner with AppyWay and look forward to piloting the mapper solution to digitise the streets of Dublin.”

Dublin City Council

Dublin City Council is the largest Local Authority in the Dublin region, employing approximately 5,600 staff. The Council is responsible for public housing and community, roads and transportation, urban planning and development, amenity and culture and environment. Dublin City Council has a population of approx.554,554 people (Census 2016).

AppyWay

AppyWay exists to help cities thrive from the kerb up. We see the kerb as a catalyst – the key to powering progress with the most pressing urban mobility challenges.

Our platform of data, APIs and tools provide digital kerbside management solutions that enable intelligent mobility, better connecting cities with people and businesses.

Through close collaboration and industry leading partnerships, the AppyWay platform effectively acts as a ‘future mobility’ conduit between the public and private sector:

Kerbside Management | B2G

Our Traffic Suite is a better way to manage traffic orders. The all-in-one award-winning platform is designed to manage, centralise, and make traffic orders easy. Transition from manual, text-based orders to automated, highly accurate map-based orders – with the only platform built for traffic teams.

Traffic Suite >

Intelligent Mobility | B2B

AppyWay business solutions keep people, goods and cities flowing. A full eco-system of comprehensive kerbside data APIs, payment solutions and CAV integrations improves kerb interactions for local enterprises, customers, deliveries, and fleets alike.

AppyWay mobile app >

Parking API >

APPYWAY AND TFL DEMYSTIFY RED ROUTE PARKING IN THE CAPITAL WITH APPYPARKING+

December 09, 2022

APPYWAY AND TFL DEMYSTIFY RED ROUTE PARKING IN THE CAPITAL WITH APPYPARKING+

Transport for London has shared its red route kerbside restriction data with AppyWay to unlock even more of the capital via their driver app, AppyParking+
Drivers including blue badge holders, fleets and delivery services are often confused by restrictions on red routes and avoid stopping, loading, or unloading in these areas
With AppyParking+ drivers in London can now see when, where and for how long it is okay to park along these routes
Red route parking data enables users of AppyParking+ to make better travel decisions, enabling fewer miles to be driven, and reducing congestion and emissions

London, UK, AppyWay, the intelligent kerbside company empowering local governments to activate decarbonisation efforts and helping fleets and drivers reduce mileage, has today announced the launch of red route parking data within its driver app, AppyParking+.

Making up 5% of London’s roads, but carrying up to 30% of the city’s traffic, red routes are an important part of journeys across the capital. Red routes help reduce congestion and ensure crucial deliveries and journeys can be made safely to keep the city moving. Unless otherwise stated, these major arterial routes with single and double red lines are no stopping at all times. However, TfL who manages restrictions on red routes, do in fact allow parking along them in specified areas, for specified periods, when their use will not cause any major disruption to the capital’s busy road network.

AppyWay and their driver app, AppyParking+, enables drivers and fleets to access detailed parking restriction information for all 32 London boroughs. Helping them to find and navigate to parking quickly and efficiently, in turn reducing mileage, fuel usage and congestion. To cover all of London’s kerbside, AppyWay and TfL worked together to make it even easier for people to understand the parking restrictions on London’s red routes.

With TfL’s help, the AppyParking+ app now displays all red route parking information for London. This exciting development means drivers in London can experience improved journeys around the capital. Delivery services, trades and more can safely load and unload, and blue badge holders can park, pick up or drop off much closer to their destinations.

Now live within the app, AppyWay Founder & CEO Dan Hubert comments,

“Through AppyParking+ we have proven the importance of putting kerbside data into the hands of London’s drivers. Every day drivers can make informed travel decisions, and fleets are able to optimise their operations. This means fewer miles are driven by today’s transport, and drivers transitioning faster to carbon-zero options. Red route data is another piece of this all-important kerbside puzzle and we’re thrilled to be sharing this information with users of AppyParking+”

Nick Owen, TfL’s Head of Network Performance, said: “Parking restrictions around the capital play an important role in reducing motor traffic, and enabling more walking, cycling and public transport use. People driving should only stop or park on red routes where permitted and we want to make it as simple as possible for people to understand where they can and can’t park. Adding this data to the AppyParking+ app will make our parking restrictions even clearer, and we hope that this increases compliance with these vital restrictions.”

Many thanks,

Georgia Tomkins

Marketing Manager

+44 (0) 7787 951 199

appyway.com

LINKEDIN | TWITTER

City of Pittsburgh launches Smart Loading Zone pilot with Automotus, to streamline commercial curb activity

April 26, 2022

City of Pittsburgh launches Smart Loading Zone pilot with Automotus, to streamline commercial curb activity

PITTSBURGH, April 25, 2022 — The City of Pittsburgh’s Department of Mobility and Infrastructure, in partnership with Automotus and the Pittsburgh Parking Authority, is excited to celebrate the implementation of the Smart Loading Zone pilot program this week. This pilot is the result of a $100,000 grant awarded to the City by Automotus to create more efficient and safe curbside loading zones for commercial and app-based delivery drivers.

Technology in each Smart Loading Zone will analyze real-time curbside activity, automate payment by the minute for vehicles utilizing the zones and increase parking turnover to support local businesses. City Council authorized the creation of Smart Loading Zones in December 2021 to manage congestion in ways that benefit the City, businesses, residents, and fleets alike.

The one-year pilot program will include up to 20 loading zones in the Central Business District, Lawrenceville, Central Oakland, Bloomfield, and South Side Flats. The full map of locations can be found here. Vehicles must initiate a one-time signup to use the zones; registered vehicles have automatic access to any zone in the city.

These zones will enable streamline pick-ups & drop-offs and reduce double-parking and fuel emissions from idling vehicles. Newly collected data regarding the types of vehicles and activities occupying the curb will be analyzed to determine policies that can enhance the safety and efficiency of parking and/or incentivize the use of electric vehicles.

The anticipated outcomes of the program are a decrease in emissions from unnecessary idling and circling, reduction in parking-caused traffic and double-parking, generation of additional revenue from parking and loading, increase parking turnover for restaurants and small businesses, improve safety for pedestrians, cyclists, and other curb users, and increase delivery efficiency and reduce dwell time.

For more information, please visit https://pittsburghpa.gov/domi/smart-loading-zones –

Park Omaha is implementing next phase of curb management with Automotus

December 16, 2021

THE PARTNERSHIP WILL SUPPORT LOCAL BUSINESSES WHILE REDUCING CONGESTION AND IMPROVING SAFETY IN LOADING ZONES

Park Omaha has partnered with curb management company Automotus to deploy 100 “smart loading zones” across the city, with the goal of reducing congestion and improving parking turnover and curbside pick-up for local businesses.

For the project, Automotus will use first-of-its-kind computer vision technology to track and analyze demand at the city’s curbs. Omaha was an awardee of Automotus’ 2022 Commercial Curb Challenge, and as such, Automotus will work with the city to provide curb use data, real-time curb availability, and automated, pay-by-the-minute access to designated smart loading zones for commercial vehicles. The project will support the city in implementing new policies and developing dynamic pricing that reflects the real-time needs of all curb users and incentivizes more efficient, safer stops for delivery and ride-hailing drivers.

With delivery vehicle traffic on the rise, curb management has become more important than ever in Omaha, and Park Omaha is building a strategy for curb management as part of its overall parking management plan. Thus far, the city has focused on loading and unloading zones and has previously participated in a pilot program that assisted in mapping curb zones.

Automotus’ project will take this initiative a step further. Utilizing a camera system powered by artificial intelligence and algorithms, the project will allow the city visibility into when, where, and how people are using curb spaces in Omaha.

Unlike a traditional camera system, this technology only captures data that is de-identified, using it to train the technology and inform smarter policies. The vehicle license plate information is only used for enforcement and processing payments. Personal information and raw video feeds are not stored or shared, and data cannot be sold to any third party.

Data and analysis associated with the project will also give the city insights into the amount of time vehicles spend in certain areas and what type of vehicles are using curb space.

“This is a way for Park Omaha to understand how people are using loading zones,” said Ken Smith, the city’s parking and mobility manager. “This is the first of many steps we will take to optimize curb management in Omaha.”

Partners in the project also include Omaha by Design and ConnectGO, the Omaha Chamber’s transportation effort. Scott Dobbe, the executive director of Omaha by Design, said the partnership is unlocking new potential and allows the city to implement safer, more flexible transportation and curbside management systems.

“The advanced hardware, software, and consulting services offered by the program introduce opportunities for partner community organizations such as ours to better study and ultimately implement more equitable, accessible, and sustainable transportation solutions,” Dobbe said.

Stephen Osberg, the director of Transportation & Urban Development for the Omaha Chamber of Commerce, seconded that.

“The opportunities offered by the Commercial Curb Challenge directly align with our vision for a prosperous and equitable Omaha developed through our outreach,” he said. “The resources offered through the challenge will allow our city to apply cutting-edge technology to better understand and actively manage the conditions along our curbs, some of the most valuable space in our urban core.”

The smart zones are aimed to address some of the busiest sections of the city and are scheduled to launch in 2022.

“Curbside congestion has been an issue that’s plagued cities for years now, only exacerbated by the rapidly expanding number of stakeholders at the curb,” said Jordan Justus, CEO of Automotus. “We’re thrilled that Omaha has taken the leap to address this issue, and we anticipate that this program will serve as a blueprint for other cities across the country to rethink how space is allocated at the curb.”

About Automotus:

Founded in 2017, Automotus uses first-of-its-kind computer vision technology to help cities, airports, fleets, and small businesses manage the unprecedented rise in congestion and emissions from commercial vehicle traffic. Their curb management solutions help their partners make data-driven policy decisions, fully automate payment for the vehicle (un)loading and parking, and make accessible, real-time curb availability data for drivers. From cities to residents and small businesses, their solutions are meant to benefit everyone by making our communities safer, healthier, and more sustainable places to live and move.

https://www.automotus.co/

About Park Omaha:

As a division of the City of Omaha’s Public Works department, Park Omaha’s team is tasked with managing the Parking & Mobility division efficiently. Park Omaha generates enough revenue to support operations, maintenance, and improvements while balancing parking supply and demand and opportunities for mobility and curb management.

Park Omaha’s goal is to create positive experiences, whether they are small weekday trips to a store or big weekend adventures with multiple stops throughout town. The division fuels our community’s economy by enabling smooth commerce.

ParkHub Launches CurbTrac in San Luis Obispo

November 04, 2021

ParkHub Launches CurbTrac in San Luis Obispo

The company’s parking management platform was selected to streamline the parking experience.

Dallas – November 4, 2021 — ParkHub, the leading B2B parking technology provider, was selected by the City of San Luis Obispo to power the city’s mobile parking payment program. ParkHub’s CurbTrac platform will allow the city’s visitors and residents to easily pay for parking through multiple options, including PayByPhone, HonkMobile, ParkMobile and IPS.

“We are excited about our new partnership with ParkHub,” said Gaven Hussey, City of San Luis Obispo’s Parking Manager. “Our goal is to make parking at any of San Luis Obispo’s parking spaces as easy as possible. The CurbTrac platform allows us to do so by offering our customers multiple payment options.”

ParkHub’s CurbTrac solution helps cities, universities, and parking operators streamline parking with flexible payment options. By centralizing data from multiple applications, the platform increases operational efficiency, promotes contactless payments, and drives revenue.

“We are delighted to work with the City of San Luis Obispo and help serve the parking public through the CurbTrac solution,” said Charley DeBow, ParkHub’s SVP of Business Development.

“It’s outstanding to see destinations with so much to offer take proactive strides to improve experience and empower visitors.”

Find out more about CrubTrac solutions here.

PayByPhone Brings a Better Contactless Experience to Tofino, BC with Robbins Parking Service Ltd

August 25, 2021

PayByPhone Brings a Better Contactless Experience to Tofino, BC with Robbins Parking Service Ltd.

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA – Robbins Parking Service Ltd. locations in Tofino, British Columbia will now be offering a better contactless parking experience in over 200 parking spaces around town, with the PayByPhone App – a leading global provider of mobile parking payment solutions.

With the launch of PayByPhone, drivers can now manage their parking with their smartphone. The app sends text messages automatically when a parking session expires and gives drivers the ability to extend their parking session without needing to return to their vehicle. Drivers can also begin a session without registering for an account, making it ideal for drivers who are pressed for time.

“We’re excited to be expanding our partnership with Robbins Parking and growing the list of locations across British Columbia, where PayByPhone is simplifying and modernizing the parking experience.” said Roamy Valera, PayByPhone CEO. “We’re not new to the British Columbia area, but we’re glad to be expanding our presence where residents and visitors are looking for a safer, and more convenient way to pay for parking while they travel.”

For more information, visit: www.paybyphone.com

About PayByPhone

PayByPhone is one of the fastest growing mobile payment companies in the world, processing over 135 million transactions annually, totaling more than $550 million USD in payments. Through the company’s mobile web, smartphone and smartwatch applications, PayByPhone helps millions of consumers easily and securely pay for parking without the hassles of waiting in line, having to carry change or risking costly fines. A subsidiary of Volkswagen Financial Services AG, PayByPhone is leading the way in the creation of the mobile future.

Media Contact

Jessica Britton

Director of Marketing & Communications, PayByPhone

jbritton@paybyphone.com

ParkHub Acquires CurbTrac to Further Optimize Parking Payments

July 19, 2021

ParkHub Acquires CurbTrac to Further Optimize Parking Payments

Parking technology companies join forces to advance CurbTrac’s centralized mobile app solution and bolster ParkHub’s leading payment ecosystem

DALLAS — ParkHub, the leading B2B parking technology provider, today announced its acquisition of CurbTrac, a parking payment management platform. As a result of the agreement, ParkHub will adapt CurbTrac’s software into its suite of services, and CurbTrac’s CEO, Charley DeBow, has joined ParkHub’s team to help direct the platform’s growth.

“ParkHub is dedicated to the notion that our industry’s advancement relies on collaboration,” said George Baker, Sr., ParkHub’s founder and CEO. “We are delighted to have reached a position where we can nurture innovative solutions that support our company’s aim and work with forward-thinking partners like Charley to deliver them to the public.”

ParkHub’s subscription-based service helps businesses increase revenue and customer satisfaction with flexible payment options, streamlined operations, and real-time data insights. The company’s technology is used by hundreds of event venues, universities, and recreation sites across the United States to drive efficient and profitable parking operations. The acquisition of CurbTrac’s payment management solution will extend ParkHub’s offering to a broader market segment.

CurbTrac’s software centralizes payment data from parking applications into a single platform, allowing cities, universities, and parking operators to offer multiple consumer payment options. The solution complements ParkHub’s platform in its ability to increase operational efficiency, promote secure, contactless payments, and drive revenue.

“Today marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter for CurbTrac, and I am thrilled to be joining the ParkHub team,” said Charley DeBow, CEO of CurbTrac. “Our collaboration will allow CurbTrac to leverage ParkHub’s first-class resources to refine our service, accelerate our growth, and enhance our clients’ experience.”

Both led by longtime, celebrated parking industry leaders, the companies plan to harness their combined perspectives and technology to continue providing exceptional service to their respective client bases.

About ParkHub
ParkHub is optimizing the world’s journeys by providing cutting-edge enterprise technology to support the destination industry. The company’s products offer contactless payment options, real-time operational data, robust performance analytics, and leading integrations with ticketing and parking reservation providers. For more information, visit parkhub.com.

About CurbTrac
CurbTrac provides enterprise mobility solutions that promote mobile payment adoption and enhance curb space management. The company’s software platform centralizes parking applications, allowing clients to improve efficiency, increase revenue, and reduce capital expenditures on traditional parking payment hardware. Find out more at curbtrac.com.

Sidewalk Labs – Introducing Pebble: A low-cost way to manage parking and curbs

May 18, 2021

Sidewalk Labs – Introducing Pebble: A low-cost way to manage parking and curbs

Real-time insights can help garage and lot operators, real estate developers, and municipal agencies make the most of existing parking spaces — and build less of them in the future.

Parking in cities is a complex problem. Sometimes there’s not enough parking, which creates traffic congestion and vehicle pollution as drivers circle for a space at the curb, in a garage, or in a lot. And sometimes there’s way more parking than a place typically needs, which raises building costs and takes up space that might go toward housing, parks, or other valuable uses.

But parking operators, real estate developers, and municipal agencies don’t have access to the information they need to manage their parking supply most effectively. Existing parking availability technology tends to be expensive, difficult to install, or even invasive. That’s why Sidewalk Labs is excited to introduce Pebble: a low-cost, easy-install, privacy-preserving vehicle sensor designed to help manage parking in innovative and sustainable ways.

Pebble provides real-time data about parking space availability, with a dashboard to help analyze historical parking patterns. These insights can help communicate space availability to customers, reduce circling, and create shared parking zones that minimize the number of spaces built in the first place. Pebble’s low-infrastructure design also makes it easier to install and lower cost than existing street sensors on the market.

Pebble is already helping pilot customers manage tens of thousands of parking spaces and consider their future parking needs. If you’re a parking operator, developer, or city agency managing parking or curb spaces, reach out through our website to learn more. And if you just want to know more about how Pebble works and how it might be used to make cities more affordable and sustainable — keep reading!

Low cost, easy-install, low infrastructure

The wireless Pebble system consists of two easy-install parts:

Individual Pebble sensors can be quickly placed on a surface using adhesive. Though just 2.8 inches in diameter, these sensors have two sensing capabilities, improving accuracy and reliability over existing street sensors on the market.
The solar-powered Pebble gateway uses the cellular network, so it can be strapped to a pole without running new wires or trenching through pavement, which most existing street sensing systems require.

In addition to easy installation, Pebble is designed for low ongoing maintenance. Pebble sensors can operate for years on standard settings and have undergone rigorous real-world testing to ensure accuracy and reliability. The solar-powered gateway can operate indefinitely, even in cloudy conditions.

Once in place, Pebble sensors relay the presence (or absence) of a vehicle in real time. That’s all Pebble collects: whether or not a vehicle is there. The system uses no cameras or other ways to identify a person or vehicle. Consistent with our approach to data minimization, there simply wasn’t a need for such data to achieve the goal of vehicle detection. (We’ve also started thinking of ways to extend this privacy-sensitive approach to parking payment and permits.)

Let’s get into a few ways of using Pebble to improve quality of life in cities.

For operators, city agencies, and developers: Share real-time parking availability to improve navigation or encourage transit

Circling for parking accounts for up to 30 percent of traffic congestion in cities, with all the accompanying vehicle emissions. Pebble’s real-time parking availability insights can be integrated into navigation apps through our API, helping drivers navigate directly to an open space in a private lot or garage or at a city-managed curb.

Real-time parking information can also alert would-be drivers when spaces are limited before they even leave home, leading them to use alternative travel modes, such as park-and-ride transit or ferries. For example, a smart parking program at a BART park-and-ride station reduced driving by a monthly average of nearly 10 miles per person — and even shortened commutes.

For developers: Use insights to create shared parking zones and build less parking

Some cities allow developers to build less parking than regulations require if they can prove that sufficient space already exists to meet demand. This strategy is often called “shared” parking: for instance, a restaurant that does most of its business at night might share a parking garage with an office that’s open during the day, rather than each building their own.

Lack of information is a big hurdle to creating shared parking zones, but low-cost sensors like Pebble can help developers fill that gap. Such insights can reduce costs for developers significantly — a single parking space costs $24,000-$34,000, on average — leading to better uses of city space and potentially driving down costs for residents and tenants.

For city agencies: Optimize curbside use to generate revenue or support business

Competition for the curb is at an all-time high, a trend that accelerated during the Covid-19 pandemic. Pebble enables city curb managers to implement flexible programs such as dynamic pricing or outdoor dining, generating revenue and supporting local businesses.

For example, the highly successful SFpark program — which used dynamic pricing to ensure spaces were available on every block — increased net parking revenue and cut circling in half during the pilot (2011–2013). But SFpark’s dynamic pricing strategy got started with information from a sophisticated sensor network, something the city could only afford thanks to a large federal grant. Pebble provides cities with a more affordable option.

Additionally, curb management companies like Coord (a Sidewalk Labs incubated company) are working with cities to allocate and manage “smart loading zones” for commercial deliveries. Space availability data at these zones could enable real-time reservations or redirect drivers to a nearby zone when another is occupied.

Looking ahead

This list of potential use cases for a product like Pebble is by no means exhaustive. We think a low-cost, easy-install, privacy-preserving way to measure parking and curb space can help get any number of new ideas for more sustainable and innovative cities off the ground. If you’re a parking operator, real estate developer, or curb manager interested in using Pebble, contact us at pebble@sidewalklabs.com or visit our website.

Automotus raises $2.3M to scale curbside management technology to cities across the country

March 25, 2021

Automotus raises $2.3M to scale curbside management technology to cities across the country

The company’s video analytics platform collects data on delivery vehicle traffic and parking, helping cities work with commercial operators to proactively allocate curbside space while generating new sources of revenue

Los Angeles, CA: Automotus, a video analytics platform that monitors curbside traffic to help cities better allocate and manage curb space, has raised $2.3M to expand its footprint to more cities and launch nationwide partnerships with commercial fleets. Investments were made by Quake Capital, Techstars Ventures, Kevin Uhlenhaker (co-founder & CEO at NuPark, acquired by Passport), and Baron Davis.

Automotus-conducted research suggests that 50% of parking violations, such as double-parking, dwelling in bike lanes, or blocking driveways, are unenforced and committed by commercial vehicles — a statistic that takes on even more gravity when considering that the number of delivery vehicles in inner cities is projected to increase 36% by 2030. Using video-enabled real-time computer vision technology, Automotus processes data in real time to come up with solutions for easing traffic and making curb operations more efficient, improving traffic flow while also increasing efficiency for commercial fleets.

Automotus technology also makes it possible for cities to automatically invoice companies for their curb usage, share parking availability with consumer and commercial drivers, and automate enforcement operations. Data collected and passed on to cities — including dwell time, emissions, and vehicle type — help planners better understand curb and street activity across all modes of mobility, helping them make informed policy decisions.

Automotus’s technology has proven to be particularly valuable since the beginning of the pandemic, when home-delivery and curbside pickup services have seen unprecedented growth. Increasing numbers of commuters made the shift from public transit to individual or private modes of transportation, leading to a rise in traffic volume. Though the vaccine rollout presents the possibility of city life returning to “normal” in the coming months, experts predict these shifts in mobility will be long-lasting, making the call for effective curb management strategy all the more urgent. As cities balance the needs of all streets’ stakeholders — delivery drivers and companies delivering essential goods, restaurants building outdoor dining, and pedestrians and cyclists — building a data feed to monitor traffic, emissions, space constraints, and enforcement operations will be necessary to maintaining order and addressing safety concerns.

Pilot programs conducted by Automotus have already proven to have measurable impact on traffic, parking and operator efficiency. In recent deployments in cities like Turin, Italy and Bellevue, Washington, Automotus video analytics facilitated detailed breakdowns of curb and street traffic. This data was used to designate pick-up and drop-off zones, to guide additional parking policy, and make planning decisions. By fully automating parking enforcement at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, Automotus increased enforcement efficiency and revenue by more than 500%. Implementing these measures led to a 24% increase in parking turnover and a 20% reduction in traffic.

This approach also saves commercial operators money, through increased efficiency and proactive payment for a reserved spot at the curb. In New York City, 20% to 30% of parking violations are committed by commercial operators, who rack up millions of dollars in fines each quarter. None of that is tax-deductible. Paying for parking, on the other hand, is. Moreover, Automotus presents a way for cities to regain income lost in the wake of COVID-19 through proactively monetizing curb space and enforcing parking violations, creating new revenue streams.

“The future of mobility and urban planning depend on healthy partnerships between public and private sector innovators,” said Jordan Justus, CEO of Automotus. “It has been promising to see Automotus immediately meeting multiple city needs – from bringing back revenue from parking to proactively finding win-win solutions for operators. Our technology holds great promise in finally dealing with congestion problems that have long plagued our streets.”

As cities and consumers change their habits, Automotus’s services are proving invaluable to cities who are scrambling to adapt to a changing urban landscape. “The pandemic has irreversibly transformed the delivery industry, creating a need for technology that reduces vehicle congestion, democratizes parking, and increases curb efficiency,” said Amy Coveny, Managing Partner at Quake Capital. “We’re proud to back a team that has found such a clear use case for their technology.”

www.automotus.co

← Older posts