CitiPark nominated as finalist for the National Air Quality Awards
APT Skidata, the parking technology business, and leading car park operator CitiPark, have been nominated as finalists in the 2017 National Air Quality Awards for their plans to tackle air pollution in the parking space.
The two firms have been shortlisted for the Commercial Sector Air Quality Initiative of the Year for their work to incentivise city drivers towards low or zero emissions vehicles through the use of emissions-based parking tariffs.
The National Air Quality Awards is now in its third year and winners will be announced at the ceremony which follows the AirQualityNews National Air Quality Conference, taking place at The Crystal in London on Thursday, 23rd November.
CitiPark has installed APT Skidata’s emissions-based parking tariff technology at its Clipstone Street branch in Central London. The installation was the first of its kind in the UK and with individual parking tariffs set according to vehicles’ CO2 emissions, city drivers are being incentivised to use low or zero emission vehicles.
Ben Ziff, Managing Director of CitiPark, commented: “We believe that the infrastructures supporting the automotive industry and governmental green agendas should also be adopting the same forward thinking approach. We are investing a great deal into our London car parks at the moment, not just aesthetically but operationally too.
Here at CitiPark, we are committed to the fight against rising air pollution currently being experienced across the UK and are continuously looking at ways to enhance our ‘Going Green’ initiative.”
APT Skidata’s technology uses Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras to identify and record each vehicle as it enters a car park, and compares the license plate to a database that includes details on CO2 emissions. Those details are subsequently taken into consideration on payment, with the correct tariff automatically calculated based on its environmental credentials.
Cars emitting up to 75 grams of carbon dioxide per km, defined as an ‘ultra low emission vehicle’, qualify for a cheaper Green tariff, with rates starting at 20 percent less than the regular cost. The technology has the potential to alter the way tariffs are calculated in all city centres – places that typically have the highest levels of air/vehicle pollution.
The system was first trialed in April, and within four weeks the number of low-emission vehicles choosing to park at Clipstone increased to an average of 25 across the month, and this quickly rose again to 60 qualifying vehicles per month.
APT Skidata expects the take-up of emissions-based tariff calculation to be replicated exponentially across the industry and across the country. “More people than ever are aware of their environmental impact,” says Pete Brown, Managing Director of APT Skidata. “Both the government and industry are pushing to reduce urban emissions. Our initiative aims to see emissions-based technology improve air quality by encouraging motorists towards ‘greener’ vehicles and CitiPark’s Clipstone Street branch proves that the technology works and can attract more environmentally conscious drivers.”
CitiPark is now trialing APT Skidata’s system at its flagship car park in Leeds, which has been selected because Leeds is another city whose local authority is embracing the green agenda with T-charging due to come into force in 2020. Additionally, CitiPark is looking into new parking products such as season tickets for those cars who already qualify for the Green ticket.