Parking in Liberia downtown ceased to be a problem for the locals and for those who wish to visit the white city, thanks to the operation of smart parking meters. The parking system comes to implement the order and safety on the public road and without setbacks.
The new smart parking meters have technology that allows drivers to find a space available to park their vehicle in a short time.
A total of 1,073 parking spaces for motor vehicles and 162 for motorcycles are available Monday through Saturday from 7 am to 7 pm. The parking spaces are visible, as they are duly numbered on public roads. One hour has a price of ₵ 700 and a half an hour ₵ 350.
In the parking lots, electromagnetic sensors were installed for the immediate monitoring of free, occupied, unpaid and infracted fields. This sensor is connected to the Digipare intelligent system, which also records the noise levels and amount of carbon dioxide in the streets. The system has been successfully implemented in other countries, including Brazil and Colombia.
The parking meters represent for the canton one more step towards the development of a smart city with the use of advanced technology. “We want to offer a friendly system to Liberians so they can travel in more orderly, safe, and free streets of poorly parked vehicles”, highlights Julio Viales, mayor of Liberia. Also, the high-rank official reported that the funds generated by the project for the municipality will be directed to specific projects, for example, the expansion of recreation areas, and improve surveillance in the sector.
“We are proud to be the technological ally of the Liberians who will bring order and progress to their city. The parking meters are only the first step of a route that leads them to position themselves as a smart city”, says Allan Benavides, of the Ibux technology division of the Public Services Company of Heredia (ESPH) and supplier of the technological solution.
It is a system that offers a series of benefits for drivers. Here are some of the advantages of smart parking meters:
- It allows the ordering and measurement of parking in defined areas.
- Spaces are distributed for cars, motorcycles and reserved area for people with disabilities.
- It facilitates the payment of the parking since the driver does not require leaving his vehicle; he only needs a telephone with connection to the Internet.
- It extends the parking time through the application, without the need to go to the vehicle. The driver will be notified when it is about to expire.
- You can pay in cash or by card either from your phone or at affiliated merchants.
- It saves fuel by not having to look for parking and at the same time contributes to the environment.
Online spaces
The use of smart parking meters is simple. Only a smartphone is required, for example, an iPhone and Android and enter the Digipare App for free where you will find places to park.
What are the steps to parking?
First. You must download the Digipare App; then fill out the affiliation form that appears in it, and specify a password.
Second. See the space that appears as available. The app will indicate the exact location since each place is numbered on the street.
Third. Park in the indicated place and select, in the app, the city (Liberia), the license plate of the vehicle, the parking number, and indicate the time you will use it.
Also, there is the option to park if you find an available space, and then enter the Digipare App to pay for its use. The parking payment is made through a bank card, which the person had to indicate at the time of membership.
Points of sale
If the driver prefers it and does not want to install the application on his phone, he can manage the purchase of parking time directly at one of the 60 affiliated stores. It is important to note that the driver can park if he finds an empty place, and then go to the authorized establishment to cancel the parking. All the parking areas are monitored by the monitoring center, where the occupied, available fields are controlled and if it was canceled.
The users of parking meters cross the parking areas verifying that space was reserved. If there is an irregularity, they are notified by the monitoring center to take the corresponding actions. If there is any fault the driver can be fined 10 times the cost of parking. The infraction ticket will be made digitally.
Do not forget that a fine is allowed after the expiration of the time paid, when parking in an unauthorized area, parking with vehicles that do not have the license plates required by law, among other regulations.
