[Parking War] AI, Deregulation, and Space Efficiency... Finding Solutions to Parking Shortages

[South Korea's Parking War]<4> Find Advanced Technology Alternatives

55% of Drivers Experience Parking Stress
Utilizing Parking Management Systems and Apps
Opening Public Institution Parking Lots Also Effective
Remodeling Old Apartments as a Solution

On the 11th, cars were double-parked in a parking lot within a company in Guro-gu, Seoul. Recently, local governments and private companies have been introducing AI surveillance systems to utilize idle parking spaces and correct parking inefficiencies.

The government and local authorities are engaged in another battle to alleviate parking difficulties. Although it is challenging for anyone to enjoy ample parking space on limited land, utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) and big data to enhance efficiency is being explored as a new alternative.

According to Seoul city and others on the 18th, the parking lot acquisition rate in Seoul, which was 129.2% in 2016, has stagnated in the 130% range. It rose annually from 130.1% in 2017 but only reached 137.1% in 2020. The parking lot acquisition rate refers to the ratio of the total number of cars to the number of parking spaces. Experts point out that to solve parking problems, the parking lot acquisition rate must exceed 200% because parking spaces must be secured at both the departure and arrival points.

A survey on parking lot usage perceptions was conducted earlier this year by the market research firm Embrain Trend Monitor targeting 1,000 male and female office workers. More than half of the drivers (54.7%) responded that they often feel stressed due to parking problems. The most difficult place to park was ranked first as ‘residential areas (89.8%)’. In particular, drivers frequently experienced stress in situations such as ‘when parking is difficult due to adjacent vehicles (42%)’, ‘when illegal parking vehicles make parking difficult (36.6%)’, and ‘when parking fees are too expensive (35%)’, showing common concerns about parking issues.

The government and local governments are introducing various policies to resolve parking difficulties. Among these, the introduction of parking control systems and applications using AI and big data is establishing itself as an alternative solution to parking problems. By using parking apps, users can check parking spaces in real time, compare parking fees, and then use the parking lot. This maximizes efficiency by monitoring real-time availability, peak times, and usage of parking lots.

Deregulation and administrative ideas from local governments are also necessary. For example, Jeonju city and others are opening public institution parking lots near congested traffic areas for free.

For aging apartments that have not secured sufficient parking lots, remodeling can also be an alternative. Many apartments have far fewer parking spaces than households, leading to battles during commuting hours. Most aging apartments are small complexes with 1 to 3 buildings. Even if they want to expand parking lots, securing space is not easy. Remodeling is considered a good method to solve troublesome parking problems. During remodeling, new underground parking lots can be built or expanded and directly connected to the apartment basement. Professor Yoo Jeong-hoon of the Department of Transportation Systems Engineering at Ajou University said, "Due to the limitations of parking sites, even if there is a budget burden, long-term measures to increase shared underground parking lots should follow," adding, "It is also necessary to manage parking problems by differentiating between nighttime and daytime parking spaces."