A contract for ticketless pay-on-foot parking at over 40 woods and forests across the UK managed by the Forestry Commission has gone to Newpark Solutions.
The company won the open tender for a formal framework agreement. The first two installations have already been completed to handle over 1000 car parking spaces at Alice Holt, a Royal forest in Hampshire; and Moors Valley Country Park in Dorset, pictured.
The Forestry Commission charges for vehicle access within these forests to supplement government funding and assist with the maintenance costs of the woodlands.
Richard Burke, District Recreation and Public Affairs Manager at the Forestry Commission, said: “A particularly important factor in choosing the Fusion system from Newpark Solutions was that being ticketless, it was a more environmentally friendly solution in keeping with our principles of conservation and sustainable forestry. The new system takes care of itself allowing us to retain more revenue whilst reducing operational costs. Newpark is also tailoring each installation to meet specific local needs, with any software development carried out by its UK-based team of software specialists at no additional cost.”
The Fusion product uses ANPR cameras at the entrance to each car park, automatically raising the barriers and eliminating the need for drivers having to wait for tickets to be dispensed. A virtual ticket is created on entry and is used to allow the vehicle to leave by automatically raising the exit barrier after payment.
The pay stations have been installed in purpose-built timber shelters to blend in with the natural surroundings in each location and protect drivers from the elements when paying for their parking before departure. They feature 17-inch screens for visitors to input their registration numbers. Online payments can also be made through Newpark’s hosted platform before departure.
The Fusion system has lower ongoing maintenance costs, its developers say, as it removes the need to refill or repair ticket dispensers or replace lost chipcoins. It also eliminates the lost revenues that occur when ticket-based systems malfunction and barriers have to be raised to let cars leave without paying. Should a number plate not be recognised, an ‘honesty’ feature asks the visitor for an estimate of the time that their vehicle has been parked to capture revenues that would otherwise be lost. Typically only around 0.5 per cent of drivers have to use this feature across all Newpark installations, the product company says. Drivers do not have to pay the full day rate should they lose a ticket or pay to replace a missing chipcoin.
Richard Burke added: “With proven reliability in high volume parking applications, the Fusion system delivers higher revenues and lower operating costs, enabling us to further develop our woodland facilities and enhance the visitor experience. Newpark Solutions has demonstrated an innovative approach to developing the latest generation parking management solutions backed up with great customer service and we look forward to rolling out the system to other locations over the coming months.”
Newpark has also provided the Forestry Commission with a centralised parking management application with a real-time dashboard showing instant views of each car park, detailing all movements and payments. It includes analytics that provide insight to help plan events and identify peak periods to organise staff rotas in visitor centres.
About Newpark Solutions
Newpark Solutions’ ticketless pay-on-foot parking systems work with payment platforms including Apple Pay; visit www.newparksolutions.com.
