The City of Casey has introduced a cutting-edge parking management system at the Casey Complex in Cranbourne Race, revolutionising how parking is monitored and optimised during a major construction. This temporary system, powered by License Plate Recognition (LPR) technology provides the city with valuable data to enhance planning and operations during this time of disruption. With insights extending to the suburb of origin for visitors—collected anonymously—the system is a powerful tool for understanding and meeting the needs of the community.

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The Parking Challenge

As a major hub for sports, events, and leisure, the Casey Race Complex in Cranbourne Victoria features nine car parks, with 14 entry/exit points of varying sizes that serve diverse visitors daily. Managing this dynamic parking environment required a solution that could:

• Provide real-time occupancy and congestion data for each car park.
• Assist visitors in quickly identifying available spaces.
• Deliver actionable insights for city planners, including data on visitor origins, to inform infrastructure planning and community engagement strategies.

A Data-Powered Solution

The City of Casey implemented 16x LPR-based sensors to monitor vehicle activity across the Casey Complex’s nine car parks. By tracking vehicles as they enter and exit, the system collects critical information:

• Occupied Spaces: Tracks how many parking spaces are in use across the complex.
• Empty Spaces: Displays available spaces in real time, allowing visitors to make informed parking decisions.
• Congestion Levels: Measures travel time through each car park to highlight bottlenecks and optimize traffic flow.
• Visitor Origins: Anonymous license plate data is analyzed to determine the suburb of origin for visitors, offering valuable insights into where patrons are traveling from.

Enhancing the Visitor Experience

This data is displayed on a mobile app enhanced interface, helping drivers make quick and informed decisions:

• Car Park Availability: Real-time updates show the number of spaces available in each of the nine car parks.
• Dwell Time: Displayed in minutes, helping drivers plan their parking and identify which lot is best for their needs.
• Car Park Size and Proximity: Larger car parks near major venues are highlighted, while smaller lots offer quicker access for short stays.

These tools improve the visitor experience by reducing the time spent searching for parking and minimizing congestion throughout the complex.

Empowering City Planners with Insights

The system’s intelligence provides a wealth of information for city planners to improve parking management and make strategic decisions:

• Utilization Trends: Reports on peak usage times across all nine car parks support better resource allocation.
• Congestion Analysis: Travel-time data identifies bottlenecks, enabling proactive solutions to traffic issues.
• Visitor Origins: Anonymous license plate data allows the city to understand which suburbs visitors are traveling from, offering insights into community needs and helping to plan for future growth and accessibility improvements.

This anonymized suburb-level data equips the City of Casey with the tools to evaluate the complex’s regional draw and adjust services to better serve its visitors.

Cost-Effective, Scalable Implementation

The system’s reliance on off-the-shelf LPR technology ensures:

• Cost Efficiency: A fraction of the cost of in-ground or AI-based systems.
• Accuracy and Simplicity: Reliable, easy-to-implement monitoring of parking activity.
• Scalability: Flexible enough to adapt to future expansions or additional facilities.

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Benefits for the Community

The parking management system at the Casey Complex is a win for both the public and city planners:

• For Visitors: Easy access to real-time information reduces stress and saves time, helping patrons enjoy their time at the complex without parking hassles.
• For City Officials: Detailed insights into car park utilization and visitor origins support smarter urban planning and better allocation of resources.

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Leading the Way in Smarter Parking

The City of Casey’s innovative parking solution sets a new standard for intelligent urban management. By leveraging license plate recognition to provide real-time data and anonymized visitor origin insights, the system enhances parking efficiency, improves the visitor experience, and empowers city planners with actionable intelligence.

As the Casey Complex continues to grow as a vibrant community hub, this smart, data-driven approach ensures that parking remains a seamless and well-managed part of the experience.