Design of an advanced on-street parking meter

Rochester Institute of Technology

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Thesis/Dissertation Collections

2001

Design of an advanced on-street parking meter

Yaotsung Tung

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ROCHESTER INSTITUTE

OF

TECHNOLOGY

A Thesis

Submitted

tothe

Faculty

of The

College

of

Imaging

ArtsandScience

In

Candidacy

forthe Degreeof

MASTEROF FINEARTS

Design

of an

Advanced On-street

Parking

Meter

by

Yaotsung Tung

Approvals

Chief Advisor: Craig McArt

Date

h'-'-r4/...;/--"...

AIt-O::::.L..1 _

Associate Advisor: David Morgan

Date

Associate Advisor: Marcus Conge

Chair Person: Nancy Ciolek

Date

rJT-P---'-JIIt.,..,.G~(

_

~f

Date

1_1_"_1_'8'_·_0_1

_

I,

Yao-tsung Tung, prefer to be contacted each time a request for reproduction is made. I

can be reached at the following address:

Acknowledgements

The graduate research database and the

inter-library

loan service of the R.I.T. Wallace

library

provided great

help

in the researchstage ofthis project. Theresearch couldn't be

done withoutthem. I am _very grateful to_my advisors:

Craig

McArt,

James

Sias,

Marcus

Conge,

Professors of the Industrial & Interior Design

Department, CIAS,

Rochester

Institute of

Technology,

fortheirguidance throughoutthewhole project. I wantto thank

Prof. David

Morgan,

who accepted _{my invitation} as _my associate advisor after the

retirement of Prof. James Sias. I especially thank Professor

Craig

McArt,

who also has

helped with _editing and suggestions. I also want to mention Mr.

Barry

Soloman ofthe

New York State

Thruway Authority

for his thorough information about the advanced

tollbooth system. Several friends of mine offered assistance and recommendations in

preparationforexhibition. I indeedthankall thepeople whohavehelpedme.

CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

ii

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

vii

LIST OF TABLES

x

CHAPTER

1 INTRODUCTION

1

Background 1

Issues 2

Albany,

New York 2

Washington D.C 2

St.

Petersburg,

Florida 3

Newark,

Delaware 3

Proposal 5

2

RESEARCH

6

Parking

Meters 6

Meter Head 6

Installation 7

Maintenance 9

Enforcement 10

Parking

enforcement officers 10

Coin

Collecting

12

Violations 13

Vandalism 14

Financial Issues 16

Technology

19

Parking

Information 19

The Microwave

Detecting Technology

20

TheRoadcheck

System 22

Radio

Frequency

Identification

(RFID)

Technology

24

Networking

26

3

SCENARIO

28

Hypothesis 28

ScenarioIOfficerEnforced V.S. Self-Enforcement 30

ScenarioIICoins OperatedV.S. Credit/DebitCards Operated 31

ScenarioIII The

Remaining

TimefromthePrevious Vehicle 32

ScenarioIV Vandalism 33

ScenarioV Real-time

Parking

Information 34

4 DESIGN

DEVELOPMENT

35

The Goals 35

Design Criteria 36

Feature Functions 36

Ergonomics 37

MaterialApplication 37

Initial Sketches 39

RefinedSketches 43

SelectedDesign 49

5

DESIGN

RESULT

51

Final

Delivery

51

IntroducetheE-meter 51

6

CONCLUSION

58

BIBLIOGRAPHY

60

List

of

Illustrations

Figure Page

1.A"Flag"

onaMechanical Meter 7

2. A LCDon aElectronic Meter 7

3. A Bar-Pin 8

4.ABar-Pin Installed 8

5.Wedge-LockPost

Mounting

System 9

6. A Coin Box 13

7.A Coin

Collecting

Cart 13

8. Coin

Collecting

13

9. Budget Distribution 18

10. SignageI 19

11. SignageII 19

12. Signage III 19

13.Basic

Non-Stop

Tolling

System 21

14.AToll

Tag

21

15.AToll

Tag

onWindshield 21

16. TheRoadcheck System 23

17. A Speedpass

Key Tag

25

18. A SpeedpassCar

Tag

25

19. Speedpass 26

20.ScenarioI OfficerEnforced V.S. Self-Enforcement 30

21.ScenarioII Coins Operated V.S. Credit/DebitCards Operated 31

22. ScenarioIII The

Remaining

TimefromthePrevious Vehicle 32

23. ScenarioIV Vandalism 33

24. Scenario V Real-time

Parking

Information 34

25. InitialSketches 40

26. InitialSketches 41

27.Initial Sketches 42

28. Armed Officer Image 44

29.

Friendly

Image 45

30. Alternate

Friendly

Image 46

31. Sculptural Approach 47

32. AlternativeSculptural Approach 48

33. Selected Design 50

34. The E-meter 52

35.Features 53

36. StepsofOperation1 54

37. StepsofOperationII 55

38. Color Scheme 56

39.A ComparisonofCurrent Meters withE-Meter 57

List

of

Tables

Table Page

1.

Parking

Citationin Medium-Size Michigan

Cities,

1985 11

2.GeneralPerformance Standards 17

Chapter

1

Introduction

Background

On-street parking meters have been around for more than 60 years to _{increase city}

parking turnover and collect _{money for city} revenue.

They

have been serving well in

manycities around theworld.

They

also represent a symbol ofindustrializationof a city.

However,

thereare still problemsinthe_parkingmeter system. Somecities regardthemas

efficienttools_{in controlling downtown}short-term_parkingwhile others prefer

free,

short-term _{parking instead. With} no

doubt,

the _parking meter system is one of the most

effective ways of _controlling on-street _parking in cities. This thesis explores the

feasibility

for

designing

a hi-tech parking meter system that will take the advantage of

Issues

Albany,

New York

Fora_varietyof_{reasons, the}

City

of

Albany,

New York decidedtoremove_parking

meters from its streets in 1980. A system offree _parking was

implemented,

but

long-term parkers reduced the _availability of short-term on-street_parking spaces. Downtown

retailers suffered because customers could not find on-street _parking to access the

businesses.

Finally,

after eighteenyears,

they

pressured authorities to return the meters,

and900 electronic units wereinstalledin 1998. The resulthas been amarkedincrease in

parking turnover and in the _availability of convenient, short-term on-street _parking

spaces.1

Washington D.C.

In Washington

D.C,

15,500electronic_parkingmeters are

being

installed.

According

to The

Parking

Professional,

"The meters _already are equipped to take

parking accountcards, or'smartcards,'

insteadofcoins....Customersput_money ontheir

cards andinsertthematmetersinsteadof_using

change."2

1

BobSchaffner, "Meterssolve problemsinNew York'scapital city."

The

Parking

Professional. (September1998): 26-30.

2

"Capital_CityUpgradesSystem."

"The_parkingenforcement officers (meter_maids) in Washington D.C.neededto

reachtheir

daily

'quota offines,' which is _ninety tickets in six hours."3 This means that

they

need to issue one ticket _{every four} minutes. It causes _many arguments and

complaints because the officers often take a more aggressive attitude or approach in

issuing

tickets.

St.

Petersburg,

Florida

InSt.

Petersburg,

Florida, however,

recently installed hi-tech parkingmetershave

thoroughly

confused the customers. People were unable to figure out how the system

operated, and couldn't understandthe_{instruction for paying}their_parkingfee.4

Newark,

Delaware

Inthe_cityof

Newark, Delaware,

TheDowntown

Parking

CommitteeReporttothe

Newark

City

Council suggests that the rateforon-street_parking should beraisedhigher

thanoff-streetparking. "Themeterratesof

$0.25

perhourshouldbe increasedtoatleast

3_{"Quota Are Droppedfor Parking-Ticket}

WritersintheCapital"Rochester_(NY)DemocratandChronicle

(October 4 1998): 19.

4

"City

flummoxed

by

new_parking

system"

Rochester_(NY)DemocratandChronicle

4

$0.50

perhour immediately. On-street parking isthemost convenient_{parking in}

downtown.

Ideally,

the on-street rates shouldbehigherthanoff-street rates, butoff-street

ratesare sohighthatachangefrom

$0.25

perhourto

$1.00

perhourwouldbetoomuch

of an increase.

Eventually,

parking rates should be adjusted so that on-street rates are

higher than off-street

rates"5

The high on-street _parking rate will increase chances for

people who _really need to have short-term parking. It will also increase downtown

parking turnover and _{city revenue,} which are two major reasons that major cities still

keep

parkingmeters.

These issuesoffer abroadperspective overcurrent meter programsin differentparts

ofthe country. The problemsbehind these issues differfrom_city tocity. I divided these

problems into three categories: _money, enforcement and user friendliness. These

categories are separatedincurrent meterprograms. One has nothing todowiththe other.

I intendtopropose a new meterdesign that_{is going} toimprovetheproblemsinthe three

categories above

by incorporating

propertechnologies. Thishi-tech meterwill nolonger

becoinactivated,nomultiple standard inenforcementandmoreuser-friendly.

s_Downtown

ParkingCommittee(Newark, Del),Downtown

Parking

Committee Reportto the

Proposal

Parking

meters arethemost popular means of control wehave foron-streetparking.

I propose a more _{user-friendly} and efficient on-street _parking meter system

by

_applying

new technologiesin _{my design.} Itwill also improvethe interface betweenvehicledrivers

andon-street_parkingcontrol.

The parkingmeterweuse

today

isa coin-collectorwith aparking-controlindicator.

It needs to be monitored

by

officers to be efficient_{in controlling} short-term parking. In

some cities like Washington

DC,

the officers were expected to reach a quota of fines

everyday which was 90 tickets in 6 hours. Reports show that the meters are _easily

vandalizedandthereare problems withthe coin-collection system.

Theoperationof_parkingmetershasn'tbeenchangedfor

decades,

whilenew

technologies have made _many of theinterfaces between people and machines more user

friendly. I hope to create an advanced user

friendly

meter system to control on-street

parking. The design of the proposed product will be described

by

models, computer

Chapter 2

Research

Parking

Meters

Meter Head

Parking

meters serveastimeindicators and coin collectorsintheon-street_parking

system. A meter head includes two units: a "flag" unit and a coin collection unit. The

"flag"

unitisamechanicalinstrumentthatshows the_{remainingparking}timeand_parking

violations. It is normally a white "flag" with time scale on it (see Fig. 1). The scale

indicates to a certaintime when a coin is inserted into themeter

(depending

onthe local

parking program), and the timer starts. A red

flag

marked "EXPIRED" rises when the

parkingtimeisover.

Latest parkingmeters use aliquidcrystal

display

(LCD)

paneltoreplacethe

mechanical "flag"

(see Fig. 2).

They

also include card readers that accept pre-paid debit

cards.Thered

flag

with"EXPIRED"onit isreplaced

by

a redrectangular LCDspot.The

[image:20.532.53.226.71.209.2]

7

Fig. 1. A"Flag"

on aMechanical Meter Fig. 2. A LCDon aElectronic Meter

toreadthe_remainingtime. Onecan

hardly

seethered rectangular spotthatindicatestime

expirationbecauseofthe

transparency

oftheLCDpanel.

Thecoin collection unit accepts and stores _{money from}the parkers._{It usually}

accepts _quarters, dimes and nickels.When a coinis

inserted,

thewhite

"flag"

willrise to

show the time one can stay. The user can add coins until themaximum time limit ofthe

meteris reached.

Installation

Ametalposttotheground on curbside supports a meterhead. The joint betweenthe

post and the head is the

key

to

keep

meters from

being

knocked off. The "Bar-Pin

Security

Post

Mounting

Device,"

(See Fig.

3)

whichis designedand patented

by

three

New York

City

traffic device _maintainers, is adevice thathas beentested andproven. It [image:20.532.282.444.73.203.2]

8

wedge system. _{It's easy} to installina pre-drilled _post,and_easy toremove and reuse. The

Bar-Pin is installed inside the post sleeve to

keep

the post from

being

cut with a pipe [image:21.532.76.461.169.318.2]

cutter(See Fig. 4).

Fig. 3. A Bar-Pin Fig. 4. A Bar-Pin Installed

Mostofthemeter posts are setintotheground with concrete sothat

they

will stand

solidly.

However,

when a new postisto replace adamaged_one, it isexpensive to

dig

out

the concrete. This might cause inconvenience to the pedestrian, too. A new _way of

construction is called the "Wedge-Lock Post

Mounting

System."1

It works in four steps

which are explainedin Fig. 5.

.

^^

Step

1:

Install locator socket

in8"xl8"

holewith

coarse gravelin

bottom. Fillwith

concretetoflushwith

ground.

Step

2:

Install post/wedge

assemblyandturn

to seat onlocator

bar. Insert

installation tool to

flatten wedge.

Step

3:

Viewof_properly

installed post with

flattenedwedge

extending intoslots

inside of post and

into grooveinside

locatorsocket.

Step

4:

Toremove_post,

insertpointed

removaltooland

drive downwardto

bendwedge.

Removepost and

installnew one. No

needto

destroy

surrounding

[image:22.532.44.491.60.501.2]

concrete!

Fig. 5. Wedge-Lock Post_MountingSystem

Maintenance

Inordertorepair_{traditional meters,}techniciansneedtoremovethemfromthestreet

andtakethembackto theshop. It usually takesdays torepairandreturnthem toservice.

Thus the maintenance of an electronic meter is much easier. The service people can

10

electronic meters. In this way, the meters are able to go back into service

immediately

aftertheservicepeople complete therepair on-site.

Enforcement

Parking

enforcement officers

Themetersystemincludes parkingenforcement_officers, usedtobecalled"meter

maids,"

although some are males. The responsibilities of these _parking enforcement

officers aretomonitormetersinacertainregionandissuetickets to violators.In

fact,

it's

impossible for them to issue tickets to _every meter violation. "An empirical _study of

meter enforcement level in Ann

Arbor,

MI indicates a low level of _enforcement,

measured in terms of tickets issued versus violations that took place."2

Overall,

the

survey recorded_{only 33} of396violations wereticketed (8.3%). This datashowsthat the

parking meter enforcement is not efficient enough in this specific _study of this specific

site.

A further studyalso showsthat thelowenforcementlevel isnot uniquetoAnn

Arbor.

2_Aaron

Adiv,WenzhiWang,"On-street

Parking

Meterbehavior."Transportation_Quarterly,Vol.41,No.

11

The productivity of enforcement personnel was similar in several Michigan

cities (See Table 1). There is no reason to suspect that Ann Arbor has a higher

violationrate. This leadsto the conclusionthat this low enforcement rate _probably

prevailsthroughouttheUnitedStates.3

This study indicatesthat the_parkingenforcementisnot uniformforthosepeople

who were _ticketed, because over90% ofthe violators were not ticketed.

However,

this

doesn't mean that _parking enforcement officers didn't do theirjob well. It _{is actually}

[image:24.532.44.490.291.409.2]

difficult forthem toticket_everyviolator,because

they

monitor an"area"not a"spot."

Table 1.ParkingCitation in Medium-Size MichiganCities, 1985

City

Population (x

1,000)

Enforcement Personnel Spaces Enforced Citations/

Employee/Day

Citations/ Enforcedpace

AnnArbor 104 12 18,285 66 0.043

Grand Rapids 183 5 8,299 64 0.039

Lansing

128 6 7,200 63 0.052

Kalamazoo 80 7 5,100 61 0.083

Source: AaronAdiv, Wenzhi_Wang, "On-street

Parking

Meterbehavior."

TransportationQuarterly, Vol.

41,No3,July1987,288

Themeterenforcement

today

_usuallygivesthe parkersimpressionthat

they

_maynot

be caughtif

they

arelate fora coupleminutes. Mostofthemareright becauseofthelow

enforcementlevel thatshowsin Table 1. Inordertoachieve more _efficiency andfairness

in enforcement, a self-enforced or computer-enforced meter system should be thechoice

inthefuture.

1

12

Coin

Collecting

Thereare certainpeopleina_{city authority} who areresponsiblefor collectingcoins

from the _parking meters. In some _cities, the local police departments take this

responsibility. The money

they

collect should be turned _{into city} revenue.

However,

a

report from The

Parking

Professional states that in the _city of

Albany, NY,

fourpolice

officers pilfered the coins inside meters in the '80s.4 This was one of the reasons that

forcedthe_cityauthoritiestoremovethe_parkingmetersfromstreets 18years ago.

Themanufacturers redesignedthemeters and provided a specialdevice for

collecting coins in a secure way. With this new

design,

the coins fall into a sealed coin

boxinsidethemeter(See Fig. 6). Thecollectorshavetoremovethis sealedboxandputit

into a

heavy-duty

collection cart (See Fig. 7). With a turn of a

handle,

the coins are

deposited into the cart and the coin box is automatically resealed for immediate reuse

(See Fig. 8). The city authorityof

Albany, NY,

wherethepolice officers once pilfered

money from parking meters, now uses these _collecting carts and sealed coin boxes to

ensurethat the_moneygoesinto cityrevenue.

4

BobSchaffner,"Meterssolve problemsinNewYork'scapital city."

The

Parking

Professional

13

Fig. 6. A Coin Box Fig. 7. A Coin

Collecting

Cart Fig. 8. Coin_Collecting

Violations

Therearetwo types of violations_regardingthe_parkingmetersystem:"insufficient

payment"

and

"exceeding

time limit." Both Violations are considered "folk crimes."5

Insufficientpayment meansthatadriverparksforalegal durationthatdoesn'texceedthe

time

limit,

but pays _only part of the fee forthat

duration,

or none at all.

Exceeding

the

time limit means that a driver parks at the same metered-spacefor duration longer than

thelegal timelimit. One violates themeter regulations evenifone paysfortheextended

stay, whichis knownas "meterfeeding."6The punishment_usually amounts _chargingthe

violatorsfines. These fines will bepart of _city revenue eventually.

According

to areport

in The

Rochester,

NY Democrat and

Chronicle,

October 4

1998,

the collected fines in

5

AaronAdiv,WenzhiWang,"On-street_ParkingMeterbehavior."

TransportationQuarterly,Vol.41,No.

3,

July

1987,283

6

AaronAdiv,Wenzhi_Wang,"On-street_ParkingMeterbehavior."Transportation_Quarterly,Vol.41,No.

[image:26.532.59.481.43.249.2]

14

Washington

D.C. in 1997 amounted to 49 million

dollars,

which was more than three

times theregular meter

revenue.7

Theresearch didn't show ifthisis common across the

country.

However,

it is importantto takeit as afactthatpeople inWashington D.C. paid

so muchfinesinayear.

Vandalism

Vandalism is ahugethreattometersin everycity._{Almost every city}with_parking

meters installed spends thousands of dollars replacing vandalized meters. There are a

variety ofreasonsthatcause_parking meters to bevandalized.The mostimportantoneis

that there are coins inside.

Moreover,

the _{low visibility}ofthemetersto policepatrol is a

key

factorthat leads to meter vandalism. Anyone who intends to knockoffa meter can

easily do it without witnesses. While one _may get 20 or 30 dollars

by knocking

off a

meter, thecity hastospend400 dollarsor moretofixor replaceone.

Ameter without coinsinsidewould be less

likely

tobevandalized,becausethereis

no_moneytosteal.

However,

it'snot_goingto _stopvandalism. Someonewill stillknock

7

"Quota Are Droppedfor Parking-TicketWriters intheCapital"Rochester(NY)DemocratandChronicle

15

off a meterhead for noreason.

However,

a _study of crime incommuter _{parking lots}

by

the Regional

Planning Agency

(RPA)

for the ConnecticutDepartmentofTransportation

concluded that there are three conditions thatcontribute to theftand vandalism: isolation

from public _view, poor

lighting,

and low level of police activity. Recommendations

by

RPA andthe state and local police departments are made to

keep

crime from commuter

parking lots. Some ofthe same recommendations can be used for installation of_parking

meters because there are meters installed in parking lots as well as roadside locations.

They

are:

1. Telephones.

Easy

access to a telephone was considered to be important for quicker

reportingandforpersons who_mayneed

help

for any reason.

2. Video camera surveillance. This method of _{protecting facilities from} criminal

activities was felt

by

some to be the next best

thing

to the physical presence of

guards.

3. Signage to indicate _emergency and/or police number. The existence of signs

indicating

the appropriate numbers to call for

help

was felt to be important in

reportinga crime as soon as possible.8.

8

Alan N.Mancini,RejendraJain,"Commuter

Parkig

Lots_{VandalismandDeterrence,Transportation}

16

Financial

Issues

Knowing

theoperational cost andprofitof ametersystemhelpsin managing a

meter system. Italso helps in understandingwhatindustrial designers can do toimprove

the_parkingmeter system.Therearedifficultiesintheresearchoffinancial issuesabouta

parking meter system. The authorities all consider the information as confidential

material.

However,

a _study

by

Katherine Kuzemka gives an overall picture of the

financialissues of_parking meterprograms intheUnited States.9_{This study is based}on a

surveyof37cities nationwide.Theresultsofthe_{study include}the

following

findings:

1. Theaverage annual revenueis

$708

per meter.

2. Agreat_majorityof meter programscharge50cents anhour.

3.Themeter programs

today

collect more revenuethan_anyoftheprevious 10years.

4. Inaverage, themeterprograms spend_{nearly half}oftheir_{operating budget}on

personnel costs.

5. Themeter programs

today

operate at a cost-benefit ratioof

$1

spentfor every

$3

earned.

9

Katherine_Kuzemka,

"Measuring

Your

Parking

MeterProgram",The

Parking

_{Professional,}November

17

Theconclusion ofthe_studystatesthat"Meterprograms will still notbeascost

effective as _they could

be,

but _they will continue to be profitable. Trends indicate that,

whileinventoriesare _shrinking,revenues will continuetoriseas a result ofhigher

hourly

feesanddiligentenforcement.ii10

The data in Table 2showsthegeneralperformance permeterper yearincities

nationwide withdifferentscalesofprograms.

Comparing

thecostofa mechanicalmeter,

which is

$400

to

$500,

and the cost of an electronicmeter, which is above

$600,

shows

that _parking meter programs in

big

cities are _pretty profitable. In consideration of the

possible high cost of this proposed hi-tech _meter, it would be more suitable for

installation in cities with highmeter revenue. Seattle and

Pasadena,

for_example, would [image:30.532.45.489.446.610.2]

bepotential citiesforthis hi-techmeter system.

Table 2. General Performance Standards

Large

Programs

(morethan10,000meters)

Medium

Programs

(5,000to

9,999)

Small

Programs

(lessthan

5,000)

AverageHour Rate

$0.58

$0.71

$0.71

$/PerMeter/Year Highest New York

$965

Seattle

$1,042

Pasadena

$1,464

Lowest Chicago

$592

Miami

$285

Atlanta

$195

Average

$853

$609

$549

10

Katherine_Kuzemka,

"Measuring

Your

Parking

MeterProgram",The

Parking

Professional,November

18

Moreover,

on_average,overhalfofthe_{budget in parking}meterdivisionwas spent

on personnel expenses (See Fig. 9). One of the features of the proposed hi-tech meter

system is

"self-enforcement,"

which means that themeters will perform the enforcement

themselves. It will be a"meter maidfree" system. It will

help

in reducing the personnel

expenses and will affect an increase of revenue from parking meters. In other _words, an

automatic or a self-enforced meter system will be more cost effective than the current

system.

% of Budget

80

_?Service

Equipment

?Personnel

/ A

Large Medium Small Average

[image:31.532.99.438.338.550.2]

Program Program Program

19

Technology

Parking

Information

Peoplewhofirstarriveata_cityandlookfor_parkingmeters _{usually don't know}

where to start.

They

_{may have} maps for a city, but usually don't know where to find a

parking meter._{The only} meanstoguidedrivers to_{parking facilities is}thesignage system

typically

found on the roadside (See Fig. 10-12).

However,

it only indicates where the

parking facilities are. It can't tell the drivers where _parking spaces are available. The

drivers still have to drive around

hoping

for luck. It's very inconvenient and

dangerous,

especially for people who have urgency. Some ofthem might park

illegally

or resort to

aggressive

driving

inordertogeta_parkingspace. Theresult couldbe dangerousto [image:32.532.52.489.450.655.2]

innocentpeople

[image:32.532.283.478.455.648.2]

20

Withtheadvances of_technology,theGPS _mapsystemisnowinstalled insome cars

now.Ithelps with_{guiding drivers}to theirdestination justliketraditional maps.Itwould

bea greatbenefit for drivers iftherewereanetworked_{parking informationsystem,}

which offeredreal time_{parking information}thatcouldbeaccessedwhendrivers were

looking

for_parkingspots.

The Microwave

Detecting

Technology

Electronictollbooth atthe_entrypointsto the_city of

Trondheim,

Norway

allow

vehicles to pass through at _up to 50 km/hr (31.6 mph). The throughput is tripled over

traditional booth to about 1500 vehicles perlaneper

hour,

and cost of_ownership ofthe

tolling

system is reduced

by

_up to 90%.

Moreover,

the best systems allow vehicles go

throughwithout_{slowing down.}

Fig. 13 shows a basic non-stop

tolling

system. The system includes three

key

elements: adevice

(tag)

whichismountedinsidethewindow of a_vehicle,aninterrogator

ontheroadside oftoll station and acontrol center. The

tag

insidethewindowis adevice

thatrecordstheaccountinformationofauser. This device(See Fig.

14-15)

_onlymodifies

and returns a microwave signal sent toit from interrogator but can'tgenerate a signal of

[image:34.532.51.480.79.523.2]

21 In-_Vehicle Disptay/Daia Input Equipment Deviceon Vehicle w Smartcard vehicle RoadsideToll Stations Emiffled Bam lodlffed Baam Interrogator onRoadside Closed Circuit Television Cameras Photographs Vehicle License Plate DataCapture ControlCenter Enforcement Control Road

Fig. 13. Basic

Non-Stop Tolling

System

Account Processor

BillstoVehicleOwners

Control Center

Fig. 14. AToll_Tag Fig. 15. A Toll_TagonWindshield

tolling

areofthis type.Theinterrogator_constantlysends outmicrowaves andreceivesthe

22

to the control center immediately. The computers in the control center sum _up the

information

andbillmonthly.

The Roadcheck System11

TheRoadcheck

System,

whichisdeveloped

by

Mark IV Industries Ltd . has been

proven successfulon theE-Z PassofNew York State

Thruway

System formorethansix

years.It includesthereaders

(interrogators),

thevehicle mountedtransponders

(tags),

and

acentral computer system(See Fig. 16).

Thesystem usedin

Trondheim,

Norway

charges users rightafter

they

passthe

interrogator. The E-Z Pass system needs to

keep

tracking

the entrance and exit ofeach

vehicle. The data from each E-Z Pass tollbooth is sent to a central computer system to

calculate thecharge foreach vehicle everyday. It takes a large computersystem to track

and calculate the balance of all of the accounts (about 300,000 accounts now and

increasing)

becauseseveral transactionsare posted against each account eachday. It is

also _why a major portion of the _{money is} spent on Account Management Services

(AMS). The AMS provider, which is responsible for maintaining customer _accounts,

11

TheRoadcheck

23

billstheusersmonthly. Italso maintains an800number service centerthatrequires_many

fulltime operators_accessingan on-line systemtoanswer

customers'

questions.

CentralComputer

Roaacheck Reaffer

n

Vehicle-_Mounted [image:36.532.46.481.128.379.2]

Transponder

Fig. 16. TheRoadcheck

System

The E-Z PassalsoincludestheViolationEnforcementSystem

(VES),

whichis a

camera-based systemto

identify

tollviolators. Thecameratakes pictures ofthe

violators'

plates whenvehicles passthrough the tolllanewithouttags

being

detected.Theseimages

are then collected and forwarded to the AMS provider. Operators in the AMS provider

forward the plate numbers from the images to the Department of Motor Vehicles to

obtain thenames and addresses ofthe vehicle owners. The operators thenmail violation

notices to the vehicle owners.

Approximately

99% ofviolators are captured and 70% of

24

E-Z Passin New York State

Thruway

systemhasbeen_very successful.Theusers

have increased from 70,000 people in 1993 to 300,000 people in the

beginning

of 1999

and are still increasing.12 The system processes more than three times the vehicles per

hour than the cash toll booth system. The performance of E-Z Pass has been so

convenient that the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles

(DMV)

intends to

standardize an identification devicethat will be installed on _every new car in the future.

This device will facilitate the E-Z Pass system for

tracking

automobiles onthe

Thruway

networkfortollsjust likethe car

tag

now. Inthis_waythe new vehiclesinthefuture will

have identification devicesonboardthatcanbe identified

by

a properdevice.

Radio

Frequency

Identification

(RFID)

Technology

Speedpass ofthe Mobil gas station offers the _{fastest way} forcustomersto purchase

gasoline without _using a credit card. Ituses an electronic system located inthe _pump to

communicatewith miniaturetransponderdevices

key

tags orcartags (See Fig.

17-18)

that are attached to customers'

key

rings and/orthe rear window ofvehicles. Customers

enrolledinthisprogram will _simplyparkorwave a

key

tag

in frontofadesignated_pump

12

25

[image:38.532.103.430.116.258.2]

and willbeableto

immediately

fuelanddriveaway.

Fig. 17. A Speedpass

Key

_Tag Fig.18. A Speedpass Car

Tag

Theessence of Speedpass

technology

istheRadio

Frequency

Identification

(RFID)

control, which was developed for Mobil in cooperation with Texas Instruments

Registration and Identification System

(TIRIS)

and the Wayne Division of Dresser

Industries. Fig. 19showshowtheSpeedpass works.Itissimilartotheonein

Trondheim,

Norway.

However,

thereare uniquefeaturesasfollows:

Flexibility

inaccountselection.The Speedpassaccepts most ofthemajor credit cards

anddebit cards available (e.g. VISA/Master_cards, American Express...). In comparison

with the E-Z pass _system, in which the AMS provider has to bill customers, the

Speedpass

directly

charges to the credit/debit account to which one has been assigned.

There isnoextrabill at all.

Account Security. The data transmission between a key/car

tag

and the

interrogator inside a gas _pump is through a unique code in

identifying

a

26

of the transmission. There is no _{way for} a third _party to be able to access the

customer's credit card account numberintheprocess of_{activating Speedpass.}

Whetheryou have the

key tag

orthe cor_tog,

Speedpassuses anelectronic system tacated In

( I

(

(

c the pump to"talk"with a miniature radio-like

\

\

\

device(atransponder;.

Together, theseelectronicdevices provide

"instant"

accessto gasoline

by

automatically chargingfuel purchasesto the credit card you selected when you enrolled.

The Speedpasssystemoperates on a dedicatedtransponderidentification code.

Your creditcardcode remains outside theSpeedpass signal _{system, maintaining}

the confidentiality ofthat information and _protecting your accountfrom

[image:39.532.42.494.132.348.2]

unauthorized use.

Fig. 19. Speedpass

Networking

Networking

is one ofthe advantages_{in using}computersfor managingand

monitoring. Abasicnetworkincludestwomachines, one called"Server" theothercalled

"Client."

A server is capable of_managing several clients,

depending

on the server itself

and the software that is used. The connection between a server and a client_{is usually}a

specific cable.

However,

the advances in cell phone technologies make wireless

27

Networking

alsoprovides_{monitoring functions for}a_parkingmetersystem.The

study oftheexpensesinmetersystems shows thatanaverage ofabout50% ofthebudget

is used on personnel expenses (Fig. 9). With _{networking, there} is no need to have

enforcement officers on the street. There will _{only be} people _monitoring at a control

Chapter 3

Scenario

Hypothesis

Iwanttopropose a picture of afuture parkingmetersystembasedon a_study ofthe

existingmetersystem andthetechnologies:

Theautomobiles inthefuturewillbeequipped with anidentification devicethatwill

facilitate the automatic

tolling

system

tracking

and _charging tolls on highways and

bridges. The hi-tech parking meter system in the future will take advantage ofthis. On

every parking meter, there will bea sensor interrogator installed which can detect a car

that parksin frontof it. The parkingmeters will accept credit cards or debitcards, which

will beavailable at most_grocery stores_nearby,insteadof coins.

Themeterswill performa self-enforcement

function,

whichmeansthat

they

willbe

able tochargefines toa user's accountif any violation occurs.

Consequently,

no_parking

enforcementofficers will berequired inthefuture. Italso means that_everyviolation will

be recorded and fined. The networking capability offers a _{remote-monitoring}

function,

which means there will be people from the _{city parking} meter division _monitoring the

29

meters in a control center and _reporting to the service department or local police

departmentifnecessary.The networking can also offer real time_{parking information for}

driversto access through theGPS system onboard.Itwould

bring

conveniencetodrivers

31 3 S3 o 33 if CP Sfa c r a a a. a r

i C 5o

% n a rc 5

JL

o o p*-^" 5 :"; B -fc <-fl! c iT

R * fj O

F $

G **

a:

&

32

E

o (A CO

ID o

O

o

sz

o <4 < h 4) 41 Q. II c

I E

1>

33

i

y " '

"">

ffl

VV

w

W

\ ' E a CO S o

\

0 A

1

tea

* o CD

r-1

Co^

o t o a. o x: -n> *?-s: V _{S 2}

1

1

* s a c

34

E

c>

to >-.

in

o

o

Cl

o

c

>

!

cs

S/5

Chapter

4

Design

Development

The

Goals

Theoverall goal ofthisproposedhi-tech parkingmeterdesignis toimprovethe

existing parking meter system

by

_applying new technologies and to improve the user

interfaceofthecurrentmetersystem. Itshouldoffersolutions:

Toreducethe_possibilityof meter vandalism.

Toprovidebetterenforcement performance.

To providebetter controlin short-term _parkingand create moreopportunities for

short-term parkers.

To reducetheuse ofhuman labor inthe_parkingmeter system.

Toprovidethe_capabilityof

being

networked.

To

help

drivers tofindon-street_parking spaces easier.

Toprovideflexiblewaysin payingcharges.

Toprovidemore visible cluesforpeoplewho are

looking

for parkingmeters.

Thatconsidersaestheticstoserveina_varietyof environmentsas streetfurniture.

36

Thatallows peoplerecognizeitas a_parkingmeterwithout confusion.

Thatconsidersthe_capabilityofinstallationwith an_existingsystem.

That considers thesource of_{electricity for}thenew design.

Design Criteria

Feature Functions

This hi-techmetershould providethe

following

functions:

There shouldbetwo sensors to provide radar/microwavedetection. One todetect

acar_{pulling in}and_out,theothersensorto startthetimer.

There shouldbeacredit/debitcard readerforpeople who don't have a

tag

to start

the timer.

Thisnew meter shouldnot accept coinstoavoid possible vandalism.

Itshould provide a bettersolutionfor the users than the 2-D flags and the LCD

panelsonthe_existingmeters.

Thereshouldbe aLCDpanelfor instantassistanceandinformation.

This hi-techmeter shouldincludeacompact_computer, amodem and a cell phone

37

The new design shouldbe able to perform a self-enforcementfunction to reduce

theuse oflaborandincreasetheefficiency.

This new design should be capable of

being

installed into the _existing meter

system.Therequirementtoreconstructthecurbside shouldbeavoided.

There should be solarpanels anda rechargeable

battery

to takeadvantage ofthe

solar_energyand alsotobea self-contained power supply.

Ergonomics

InordertomeettherequirementofTheAmericanswithDisabilities Actto

accommodate the heights of the fifth percentile women. Some physical limitations are

stated asfollows:

The height for LCDpanelisabout4'

Theheight for function

keys/key

sensoris between4' and

4'-5"

The heightofthismetershouldbeover4'-5" tomakeitobvioustodrivers.

Material Application

Inordertomeettherequirement of exposuretooutdoor_{environment, the}materials

38

These materials should also be able to survive possible impact caused

by

people, small

stones and such. Transparentmaterialsarerequired, too, in somefunctionalparts suchas

the

housing

for meter flags and LCD panels. Polycarbonate is one ofthe materials that

fits the criteria. _{It is strong} and durable under exposure to sunshine (UV Rays). It could

also bemade in differentcolors.

Moreover,

it could beeitheropaque and/or transparent.

39

Initial

Sketches

Thegoal ofthisprojectwas todesignahi-techmeter systemthatwouldimprovethe

problems ofthe current one

by

_applyingadvanced technologies. Theseproblems include

vandalism, standard ofenforcement... etc. Fig. 25 shows a wide exploration ofdifferent

possibilities. Fig. 26 showsfurther developments utilizingthe_existing"pole"structure of

thecurrentmeters.The

"pole"

infrastructure hasexisted ever sincethe_{first parking}meter

was invented. Almost all _parking meters use it now. It would be a good idea to

incorporate these poles into the design of the new meter system instead of

building

a

/%

40

A

Study

of con i :t ti_:?ig two

meter

heads

to one pole.

{^

^

,UX ?v. **m **'| ;'

^Hfbi^T!

n

It could be a piece of

contemporary

sculpture.

<pk+*V

-fr

,.r

>

f

T

O

C*'* c*: CAP5

j~b

U

^

t

t<f OlvO

krtf'<*

Some ideas around

[image:53.1051.15.1030.51.674.2]

"Timer"

41

-p^ec

/A_ji^/-yi-7 /Q'

ft/ft

t

^V^'c

[image:54.1051.29.844.87.560.2]

.^5^

42

1^

S

/

"V

4

I

^

.,.

V-

l

ttTtHV

ft

[image:55.1051.564.1019.252.696.2]

9

43

Refined Sketches

Figs. 28-30showdevelopmentonthecurrentinfrastructure. Thesketches

imply

a

human figure _standing on curb. It was the intention to reflect the self-enforcement

capability ofthe

technology

I'm proposing. Fig. 28 implies a figure that looks like an

armed officerwhileFig. 29 andFig. 30

imply

afigure thatis more

friendly

looking. Fig.

31 andFig. 32represent a sculptural approach.Fig. 31 reflects a

bold,

toughimage while

[image:57.532.58.462.140.704.2]

44

45

[image:58.532.58.466.146.702.2]

[image:59.532.69.457.157.692.2]

46

[image:60.532.65.468.160.692.2]

47

[image:61.532.65.457.158.696.2]

48

49

Selected Design

Fig. 33showsthefinalsketchthatwasselectedforthisproject.Itwas chosenfor

two reasons.

First,

it's good to be able to utilize the currentinfrastructure since it's more

cost-effective andeasierin terms ofitsconstructionandinstallation.

Second,

people have

been familiar with the look of current_parking meters for decades. It would be better to

50

3D

Flag

Unit

Function Keys

KeypassSensor

withInstruction

Solar Panels

Instruction

, LCD Panel

Operation Light

[image:63.532.46.488.152.641.2]

Credit/Debit Card Reader

Chapter

5

Design Result

Final

Delivery

Thefinalresult ofthisproject was presented with a3Dvirtual model constructedinAlias

modeling software. There was also an animation to demonstrate the operation process.

Theanimation was recorded on a compactdisk

(CD-ROM)

format(seeappendix).

Introduce

the

E-meter

The E-Meter isproposed_{for solving}the_existingproblems of on-street_parking

meter systems, which are _{vandalism, ambiguity in enforcement, scandal,} etc. It is also

proposed to improve the user interface

by integrating

both existing and prospective

technologiesintotheproduct'sdesign. Theoveralldesign ofthisE-meterkeepsthe same,

basic configuration as the_existing meters, that

is,

a meterhead mounted on a pole to the

ground. It is better for the new design to share the same general appearance as the

existingmetersfor easyrecognition.Itisalsogoodtobeabletoutilizethe_existingpole

infrastructure insteadof_{constructing brand}new onesonthecurb.

52

[image:65.532.105.360.76.698.2]

53

Features

The styling

oft

leter

implies

a

human figure. It

reflects the

self-enforcement

fiir

>fthe

design. It looks like

a

parking

enforcement officer

parking.

The

other

ft

lg

onthecurb and

monitoring

on-street

are:

The 3-D

Flag

design

with

its dome

housing

providing

360

degree

visibility for

users sothat

they

will

have

good visual contact with

the meter

from

distance,

LCD

Instruction Panel

with

Functional

Buttons

offering

real-time

interactive instruction

for

operation.

Keypass Sensor

with

Instruction

Panel

an activation

device.

Credit/Debit

Card

Reader providing

flexibility

and protection

from

vandalism

in

paying

for

parking.

Car

Sensor offering

realtime

parking monitoring

and

information

through

networking.

Operation Indicator showing

the operation status.

Solar

Panels offering

self-containedpower supply.

Poly

Carbonate

Housing

providing

strong,

durable

material

for

direct

UV

exposure

every day.

Poly

Carbonate

Housing

Instruction

LCD Panel

Cancel

Button

Keypass

Sensor

with

Instruction

Panel

Credit/Debit

Card Reader

nel

Unit

Time

Adjusting

Buttons

Start Button

Operation Indicator

Car

Sensor Unit

[image:66.1051.540.1006.119.650.2]

54

1. Stand

By

2. Whena car_{approaches, the}car sensordetectsthe

transponderonthevehicle.TheE-meterisactivated

3.The"EXPIRED"

flag

rotatesintothemeter-head

indicating

thatit is_{ready for}operation.

4. The user activateshis/heraccount with akeypass.

Theyellow indicatortotherightofthesensorlights

toconfirmthe operation.

5. The Green

flag

raisestoadefaulttimeof30mins. 6.The E-meterprompts aninstruction onthe

LCDscreen_{asking For}time adjustment

[image:67.1051.395.675.396.608.2]

55

7. The user pressesthe"+" toincrease_{his staying}time. 8. Theuser setshis_stayingtimeat50mins. 9.Theuserpressesthe "ENTER"buttonto

comfirmhisselection

10.The E-meterinformsthe usertheamount of

money thatischargedtohis/heraccount.

[image:68.1051.28.311.63.278.2]

1. The userisall settoleave.

[image:69.1051.66.785.62.678.2]

56

[image:70.532.72.428.105.369.2]

57

Fig. 39. AComparisonofCurrent MeterswithE-Meter

Table 3. A ComparisonofCurrentMeterswithE-Meter

E-Meter Current Meter

Self-Enforcement

Less

Labor,

More

Efficiency

Officer Enforced

-A Wasteof

Officers'

Labor

Keypass,

Credit/DebitCard

Accessible

Less Vandalized

Coins

Collecting

System

-Often Vandalized

3D

Flag

Design

-All Around

Visibility

2D

Flag

Design

-Limited

Visibility

Security

-On-site

Monitoring

No

Security

Function

On-line Instruction

-User

Friendly

InstructiononStickers

HardtoRead

SolarEnergizedwith

Rechargeable

Battery

[image:70.532.72.432.107.645.2]

Chapter

6

Conclusion

This project provides an example of how

technology

can enhance an urban _utility

that hasbeen known forproblems andissues foryears, but nothingmajor hasbeen done

toitand the _{way it}works yet. As an Industrial

Designer,

I tried tolook into this project

from boththeviewsoftheusersandthe_cityauthorities

during

theresearch and

development stage. I wanted to

bring

the users a meter system with credit/debit card

accessibility and a more _{user-friendly design. For} the benefit of the _{city authorities,} I

wanted to design a meter system with _{self-enforcement,} network _capability and less

concernforvandalism.

According

to_myresearch, alltheproposed

technologies,

such as: theradio

frequency

identification

(RFID)

technology, TheRoadcheck

system andthemicrowave

detecting

technology

can all be implemented immediately. The

technology

for

networking and_{monitoring is}also available.Inother_words, whatI am_{proposing here is}

a concept that integrates the technologies available into a product to make it more

powerful,functional and

friendly

totheend users.

59

Parking

meters areimportant for_controllingand_{encouraging city parking}turnover.

They

can _play a

key

rolein promoting the business and_vitality of a _{city because}ofthe

convenience that

they

offer.This project provides anexample of_making a_parking meter

better

by

integrating

technology

to resolve some known issues. It shows a more viable

solution than _{is currently} available on the market. I am

looking

forward to _seeing these

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http://www.duncanindustries.com/

http://www.ge.com/plastics/americas/pruducts/product/lexan

http://www.mobil.com/speedpass

http://www.pom.com

http://www.reidplastics.com/