Smart Community Parking Solution
Current parking conditions in residential communities
1. Types of residential parking
Most residential communities use a combination of outdoor and underground parking.
Outdoor parking includes spaces in a planned surface car park and along community roads. It is convenient and exists in almost every community. For older communities built before the 1990s,
however, it may be the only available option because few spaces were planned, and some developments had no dedicated spaces at all. Vehicles are therefore parked along internal roads to address short-term shortages.
Without consistent management, vehicle damage and disputes over occupied spaces are common. Outdoor parking also consumes a large amount of land. Because residential vehicles are usually parked for long periods,
outdoor parking should not be the main form of residential parking.
Underground parking is the mainstream model for residential developments and is likely to remain the preferred option. It does not occupy surface land and makes full use of underground space below buildings and green areas.
Facilities are generally more complete and standardised, with sufficient spaces. Its disadvantages are the high construction and maintenance costs, which must be addressed through careful planning and stronger management.
Mechanical parking has become more common as technology has improved. Its land-saving and automated retrieval features are increasingly accepted. The outstanding questions are whether residents can retrieve
vehicles quickly during commuting peaks and how access rights will be protected when equipment fails.
2. How residential parking equipment is procured
One route is for the developer to install the equipment before handover. This is common in communities built during the last two or three years. The equipment is usually standard: card or ticket dispensers,
readers and barrier gates, with one entrance and one exit or two of each. It may be compatible with the community's unified card system. Internal facilities such as markings, speed bumps, wheel guides,
wall guards and parking locks may also be included. In practice, developers often install these systems for a smart image and sales appeal rather than long-term convenience for residents. Standard equipment may
satisfy basic management requirements, while quality and maintenance are left to the property company.
In this procurement model, sales are mainly made through security contractors, unified-card providers or system integrators. Parking-equipment suppliers rarely deal directly with developers,
although contacting project construction sites can create opportunities.
The second route is for the property-management company to purchase equipment itself to improve management. Buyers usually have specific requirements, such as distinguishing resident and non-resident vehicles,
monitoring entrances and exits, and charging non-resident vehicles. They also pay closer attention to equipment quality because they operate the equipment and do not want frequent faults to damage the property's image.
Brand and price are important factors in this model.
Mechanical garages are generally major construction projects. Requirements vary with the project objective. In residential developments, residents are the end users but do not decide what equipment is purchased.
Developers may seek the lowest price that provides enough spaces to satisfy planning requirements, with insufficient attention to later use. As a result, equipment may eventually sit idle. Daily maintenance is critical;
without it, serious problems can appear after four or five years. Vehicle damage in residential mechanical garages is often linked to inadequate routine maintenance.
3. Residential parking-management problems
Residential car parks generally fall into two groups: spaces reserved for residents and semi-public car parks that also accept outside vehicles.
Resident-only facilities are easier to manage because all users belong to the community and the equipment can focus on internal vehicles.
Semi-public facilities are more complex because resident and visitor vehicles enter and leave every day.
The parking-management system must therefore be selected according to the actual operating model. Property companies often struggle with parking because the original
space plan was insufficient and effective management measures or a suitable system are missing. Shortages can lead residents to seize spaces and conflict with one another.
Unreasonable fees can cause residents to refuse payment and intensify disputes with the property company. Opening community spaces to the public can create security risks,
while responsibility for vehicle damage may be difficult to determine.
Solving residential parking requires reasonable space planning, professional management and a systematic parking-management system. The following measures can help.
Recommended measures
1. Introduce a professional parking-management system
Ruanjie Intelligent specialises in the research, manufacture and sale of smart parking-management systems, smart parking-guidance systems and citywide parking-guidance systems.
For communities, enterprises and public institutions that mainly manage internal vehicles, Ruanjie provides a monthly-pass parking-management system. It delivers practical management of vehicle safety,
orderly access and fee operations. The system is simple, fast, practical and adaptable to most car parks.
For monthly-pass vehicles, the process is as follows: when a vehicle reaches the entrance ground loop, the system recognises its plate. If the plate matches a monthly-pass record,
the barrier rises automatically and the software stores the parking record. At the exit, the system recognises the vehicle again, confirms that it is a monthly-pass vehicle and opens the barrier.
For temporary vehicles, a typical V3 process is: the entrance ground loop is triggered; the camera in the fast-access controller captures the plate and sends the image to the recognition software;
the software records the plate, entry time and parking type; the management software stores the record; and the barrier opens without the driver stopping. At the exit, a second recognition is performed,
the entry and exit records are compared and the parking fee is calculated. After payment, the barrier opens. Vehicles within the free period can leave without stopping to pay.
Monthly-pass and temporary vehicles use the same recognition process. The difference is that the system checks the monthly-pass database at exit: monthly-pass vehicles do not pay,
while temporary vehicles pay according to the applicable rules.
2. Engage a professional parking-management company
For a property company, outsourcing is a fast way to improve parking management. Professional operators can manage vehicles, reduce the property's operational risk and mediate disputes
between residents and the property company. If a vehicle is lost or damaged in the community, the parking operator can assume the compensation responsibility under the service agreement.
The property company or residents must pay for the service, which may be the main barrier to adoption.
3. Share spaces at different times
Time-shifted parking can expand supply without major construction. Residential demand is concentrated at night, while offices and public institutions need parking during the day.
A community can reach an agreement with nearby organisations so that both sides use the same spaces at different times.
The main challenge is management, especially security in a residential environment. Permit-based access can help. Clear time limits are essential: if residents return while their spaces are still occupied,
or employees arrive while residents have not moved their vehicles, a small scheduling problem can quickly become a dispute. Responsibility for damage or theft must also be defined before implementation.
4. Use nearby roads for overnight parking
Roads near the community with light traffic can be used for overnight parking, for example from 7:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. the next day, in cooperation with traffic authorities.
A parking operator can designate and manage a road section, charge for the service and clear it every morning to keep the road open. Property companies can also coordinate with residents to use nearby dead-end roads overnight.
5. Standardise parking facilities and signs
Cleaning existing parking areas, repainting lines and adding sufficient parking signs and markings can increase capacity and strengthen management. This measure is relatively simple to implement.