In recent years there has been increasing emphasis on mitigating environmental impact with business operations. Many car park operators are looking for ways in which they can turn their business greener. There is an increasing focus on businesses taking steps to minimize carbon emissions and promote sustainable ways of living.
One of the most effective ways to achieve this target is to explore greener options for motorists. Going green will be a considerable change for car parks across the country, but what opportunities are there to augment your green credentials? And how can you assess what will be the best solution for your site? Our handy guide helps you out with this, offering various ways to prepare your car park for a greener future.
1) Implement an ANPR system
Fundamentally, ANPR enables you to enforce rules around the parking on your site, but it can do a lot more. These innovative systems can bring myriad benefits to your car park. ANPR cameras identify number plates of vehicles entering and leaving the parking facility. By recording each vehicle’s entrance and exit times, the ANPR system can efficiently identify vehicles that have overstayed in your car park.
This way, ANPR improves the customer experience by ensuring that spaces are utilized most effectively. This reduces congestion and lowers pollution from vehicles that can have a cumulative impact on the environment, and as a result, makes your car park prepared for a greener tomorrow.
2) Go ticketless
As ANPR system detects all the vehicles entering and leaving your premises, it creates a log of the number plates of vehicles using your car park. This means that there is no need for physical tickets to be issued. Eliminating the need for paper tickets implies that there is no energy or money spent on printing tickets.
Not having to buy a paper ticket makes the parking experience more convenient for motorists too. A ticketless parking system offers customers ease and reduces traffic and long queues, thus improving customer satisfaction as they don’t have to worry about parking machines, queues or other inconveniences. This boosts the loyalty and repeated visits of customers, hence enhancing the overall experience.
3) Illuminate with LED lights
If you have an indoor car park, ensure that it is well lit for your customer’s safety and quality of parking experience. You can also consider switching your current lighting for compact fluorescent or LED lights. These both last longer and consume much less energy than traditional lighting.
Another eco-friendly solution is to consider installing solar-powered sensor lights. This method is quite effective as it uses natural resources and, due to sensors, the lights are only used when necessary. This would reduce energy usage and would also save you from high electricity bills.
4) Electric vehicle charging
Electric vehicles have become increasingly popular as they conserve the environment and lower carbon emissions. As per the new law announced by the UK prime minister, new homes and buildings in the UK will be required to install electric vehicle charging points from next year. Several major car manufacturers, such as Jaguar and Volvo, plan to go all-electric from 2025 and 2030, and Ford has said all vehicles sold in Europe will be electric by 2030.
Car parks are ideal for charging stations – motorists can easily park their vehicle, pay for charging, and leave their car while relaxing or exploring the area. Electric vehicle charging also provides an extra layer of convenience to vehicle owners. Therefore, you can support cleaner, greener journeys by providing electric vehicle charging points for use by motorists in your parking facilities.
We at Euro Parking Services understand the importance of bolstering your greener credentials and minimizing the environmental impact. Hence, we can provide you with the most effective solutions that can have the most significant impact. Our team will work closely with you to provide your customers with a positive parking experience and help you achieve your environmental goals.