Sutton Council is deploying sensors to help monitor the usage of disabled parking spaces around its town centre.
Together with provider IoT Solutions Group it will be trialling an internet of things (IoT) solution as part of the South London Partnership’s InnOvaTe Project.
It said the move will help to give disabled bay users a voice as part of any future development or road change plans in town centre.
The council is often asked to consider the relocation of disabled bays when new developments or road changes are proposed, but historically it has been difficult to collect accurate information on the bays’ usage as evidence may be anecdotal or CCTV footage unclear.
As part of the trial, sensors will be placed in disabled parking spots to provide data on the usage, frequency and duration for which the space is used. This will help the Sutton make informed decisions during development or consultations and ensure disabled bay users can still park in the town centre when any road layout changes are proposed.
The council said the data collected will be anonymous and in compliance with all General Data Protection Regulation policies and the project team’s Transparency Principles.
Excitement
Councillor Manuel Abellan, chair of the environment and sustainable transport committee at Sutton Council, said: “We are excited to be working with IoT Solutions Group to trial these sensors as they will provide the council with information on when and how often disabled parking bays are occupied.
“We hope that as a result of this trial our teams will be able to understand the true usage of the spaces. We will also be engaging with residents and those who use the spaces ahead of future decisions, as their voices and experiences are important to us.”
The InnOvaTe Project involves Sutton, Croydon, Kingston upon Thames, Richmond upon Thames and Croydon Councils and is focused on exploring the use of IoT technology in supporting local environments. It is funded by the Strategic Investment Pot (SIP) as part of the London Councils Business Rates Retention scheme.
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