By Dave Goosselink
Finding an empty parking space might get a little easier thanks to a new hi-tech system developed in New Zealand.
MeterEye knows when a space is free and when a vehicle has stayed too long.
You can expect to see the yellow domes popping up in parking buildings and city streets near you soon. The electronic sensors monitor all vehicle movements, sending that information to a central computer which can tell which spaces are full, and how long each car's been there.
Vehicles trigger infra-red beams when they drive over the sensors, and there's even potential for name plate recognition.
But MeterEye manager Andrew Perrier denies suggestions of 'Big Brother', and says supermarkets across the UK are rolling out the Kiwi system to ensure customers don't drive away.
"It's worth £20 million to us over the next three years, and they've chosen MeterEye as a New Zealand-based company because of the uniqueness of our wireless technology."
Councils can use it to increase parking revenue, alerting officers to vehicles which have overstayed their welcome.
The Hamilton City Council is looking at MeterEye, but not for revenue gathering. It wants to use free parking to entice shoppers back to the city centre, while ensuring people don't abuse the system.
"So this is really to penalise those parkers that are staying longer than they should be, and I think to encourage shoppers to come back to the CBD," says councillor Gordon Chesterman.
Wilson Parking is also planning to roll MeterEye out across its major car parks in New Zealand and Australia.
Developers say the system is more about taking the frustration out of finding a car park than about pinging you in the pocket.
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