Planning where to park in Terrigal is now easier with the launch of ParkSpot (Central Coast), a parking app providing real time information on parking availability for one of the coast’s busiest areas.

ParkSpot reports on the available parking in the Terrigal Surf Club and The Haven car parking areas, so people visiting the area can make better decisions about where to look for parking and avoid driving around looking for an available space.

Council Director Environment and Planning, Scott Cox described ParkSpot as an innovative solution to the well-known challenge of finding suitable parking in Terrigal.

“Adequate and available parking is key to activating our town centres,” Mr Cox said.

“We believe ParkSpot will go a long way to alleviating the frustration of finding a parking space for people travelling to Terrigal for business or leisure.

“Drivers can view ParkSpot prior to leaving home to help them decide on the best option for parking depending on the nature of their trip or their passenger can review parking options, in real time, en-route.”

ParkSpot operates by receiving a constant signal from small in-ground sensors installed in each parking space to detect whether or not a vehicle is parked in that space. Information regarding the status of each space (occupied or unoccupied) is transferred via pole-mounted nodes to the Parking Enterprise Management System (PEMS), where it is immediately transmitted to the ParkSpot app.

“Users of ParkSpot will see parking areas identified as green, blue or red zones indicating the current available parking capacity at each location,” Mr Cox said.

“ParkSpot users can also specifically select and display Disability Parking Spaces at Terrigal Surf Club and The Haven car parking areas that are monitored by an in-ground sensor to see if they are occupied or unoccupied.”

The installation of smart parking sensors enabling the ParkSpot app was made possible through a grant from the Federal Government’s Smart Cities and Suburbs Program.

The Smart Cities and Suburbs Program supports clever ideas that fix local problems, and that can be replicated in other places, particularly in the outer suburbs of our cities and the regions.

Mayor Jane Smith said this project is an important component of the Let’s talk Terrigal project which is delivering traffic flow improvements to Terrigal CBD.

“Up to 30% of traffic congestion in areas like Terrigal is caused by people looking for carparks,” Mayor Smith said.

“In addition to reducing congestion, this project will help reduce air pollution, improve road safety and improve accessibility to local businesses.”

Council will be rolling out smart parking sensors in the Gosford CBD as part of the Gosford Parking Strategy. Community consultation on the placement and roll out of these sensors will get underway later this year.

ParkSpot (Central Coast) can be downloaded for FREE from Google Play or the App Store.