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No barriers, no parking tickets and digital payment options - camera-based free-flow parking systems are said to be more efficient, cause less congestion and protect the climate. In a recently published climate impact study commissioned by fair parken, Fraunhofer UMSICHT investigated the climate impact of digital, camera-based parking systems compared to conventional barrier systems.
An alternative to parking spaces with barrier systems are digital parking solutions – so-called free-flow systems – which automatically record the vehicle's license plate number when it enters and exits a parking space. In addition to paying on site (without a parking ticket), the parking fee can also be paid online up to 48 hours after parking by entering the license plate number. This eliminates barriers and parking tickets, and the system promises to reduce queues at entrances as well as waiting times at pay machines. Fraunhofer UMSICHT has now analyzed the carbon footprint of such digital parking solutions for fair parken and published the results in its latest study.
In the independently verified climate impact study, the research institute specifically compared two management concepts – the barrier-free free-flow system and a classic barrier system – referring to a fictitious but representative paid off-street parking facility with 500 parking spaces. The aim was to determine the potential climate impact – measured in CO2-equivalents – generated per management and billing operation for one parking space usage. Three different scenarios with varying traffic volumes were examined: a basic scenario, a large-scale event scenario and a dense traffic scenario. In addition, the digital payment scenario evaluated the effect of switching to exclusively digital payment options in both systems.
Lower CO2 emissions thanks to free-flow parking systems
The results show that camera-based free-flow systems have a better carbon footprint than traditional barrier solutions. "With low traffic volumes and no congestion at entry and exit points (basic scenario), greenhouse gas emissions can be reduced by around 8 g CO2-equivalents per management and billing operation for one parking space use. This corresponds to a savings potential of around 31 percent," explains Janek Röttgen from the Sustainability and Participation Department at Fraunhofer UMSICHT.
The advantages result primarily from the elimination of braking and acceleration processes as well as stopping phases in front of the barrier. In addition, no energy is required for the barrier system; the additional energy required for license plate recognition and data processing is only of minor significance. This effect is amplified as traffic increases. Assuming that free-flow systems can prevent traffic jams, in situations with higher traffic volumes, around 28 g CO2 equivalents (49%, dense traffic scenario) can be saved per management and billing operation compared to the barrier system. In extreme situations - e.g., large events with very heavy traffic - the savings can be even higher. Since it was not possible to conduct an empirical study on traffic congestion in and in front of parking areas as part of the study, the results in the scenarios with increased traffic volumes are subject to corresponding limitations. Furthermore, it was shown that switching to exclusively digital payment options in both systems leads to an improvement in the carbon footprint.
Positive contribution to the carbon footprint – further studies advisable
The study is based on a realistic calculation model for the fuel consumption/energy requirements of passenger cars and also incorporates primary data from fair parken, manufacturer data, literature values and expert estimates as well as data sets from professional life cycle assessment databases. The results of the study are subject to limitations, as the authors were unable to analyze traffic congestion empirically and only examined the environmental impact category of climate change without considering possible positive or negative rebound effects. "Future studies should focus precisely on these points: on the one hand, empirically proving that free-flow systems can actually prevent or reduce traffic congestion when traffic volumes are high, and on the other hand, investigating the effects of free-flow systems on usage behavior, for example," says Röttgen.
Overall, the study results show climate benefits for digital free-flow parking systems compared to conventional barrier systems. In particular, the results from the basic scenario without traffic congestion provide a robust initial assessment and a basis for further research. The study illustrates that such systems, in combination with other measures to optimize traffic flow (e.g., traffic management systems and optimized traffic connections to parking facilities), make a positive contribution to the climate balance of parking.
https://publica.fraunhofer.de/entities/publication/1e5fa951-2835-4679-bbb4-1269c... (in German only)
https://www.umsicht.fraunhofer.de/en/circulareconomy/life-cycle-assessment.html (Landing age LCA)
https://www.umsicht.fraunhofer.de/en/about-fraunhofer-umsicht/departments/sustai... (Deparment site)
What is the carbon footprint of parking systems without barriers?
Copyright: Fraunhofer UMSICHT
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