Smart ParkChips Save Approximately 30.5 M Sheets of Paper

GreenParking, one of the leading Middle East green technology providers, has revealed that through the installation of environmentally-friendly access media, such as ParkChips, Contactless Entry Cards and Long-Range Cards, over 3,670 trees have been saved, or approximately 30.5 million sheets of paper, by switching from the standard paper ticket technology.

These sustainable methods of regulating commercial car parks is the UAE’s market leading technology, and is being used in over 100 locations across the country, including Emaar Square, Emaar Boulevard Plaza, Emaar Gold & Diamond Park, The Beach by Meraas, Emirates Towers, Business Central Towers, JBR Murjan and Sharjah International Airport.

Although ‘going paperless’ isn’t a new technology as such, it is certainly one at the forefront of the government’s sustainability drive. Earlier this year, forty one Federal entities transitioned 96.3% of the 337 most important day-to-day services to m-Services, since the Smart government initiative was launched in May 2013. Parking may not be at the top of the agenda, but the savings are quite clearly significant if implemented properly according to Sam Alawiye, Managing Director, GreenParking.

“Thirty million sheets of paper isn’t a small amount. To put it in to perspective, it would weigh around 145 tonnes, which is nearly two thirds of the Statue of Liberty – and that’s only by installing the technology in 100 locations across the UAE.

Based on its Read-Write Technology, the system can still operate even in case of network failure, which is not possible in Barcode or other Read-Only Concepts. The state-of-the-art paperless ParkChip technology not only offers fantastic long term cost saving opportunities by being less expensive than paper ticket technology, but it is also far more reliable as there is almost no wear and tear, and contactless technology relies on gravity only, in comparison to paper ticket terminals which due to a large number of fine mechanical parts, break down over time.” said Alawiye. 

Speaking at the upcoming edition of Gulf Traffic, taking place 7-9 December at the Dubai World Trade Centre, Alawiye also expects an increase in electric vehicles on the roads, and has already started an initiative in conjunction with the Dubai Electric and Water Authority (DEWA) to install Electric Vehicle Chargers (EVC’s) at parking locations across the UAE, which are operated by GreenParking.

According to a recent announcement, the UAE is aggressively promoting the use of eco-friendly Electric Vehicles as part of its effort to reduce the country’s carbon footprint and develop a sustainable economy. However, the country still lacks a federal law to regulate the sale and use of the battery-powered vehicles.

Driving this forward, the Emirates Authority for Standardization and Metrology is now in the process of not just putting in place standards and regulations but looking to create a positive mindset within the public that will encourage use of vehicles powered by clean energy.

“We expect to see an increase in electric vehicle usage in the UAE as part of Dubai’s Smart City initiative, and will be talking through current and future plans/trends at Gulf Traffic next month. The development of smart technologies will increase and more people will be thinking about environmental-friendly solutions. We believe that the pioneering installations of EV charging stations may become a triggering factor for the technology to spread throughout the region.

This year our company has started installation of EV Charging Stations, including the fast charging types, at the DEWA headquarters and in strategic cooperation with DEWA to create local infrastructure for zero-emission vehicles and, thus, to encourage their use and sales. With installations having already taken place, we expect to have more than 200 at the petrol stations, malls and private residences by the end of 2016. Previously, the owners of electric vehicles could only charge them at their homes.” added Alawiye.

Gulf Traffic 2015 is shaping up to be one of the largest ever, with 95 per cent of floor space sold out just over a month away from opening its doors to the public. One more growth area the show is witnessing is its number of free to attend conferences, which has increased from three to five.

Running over the three days, industry leaders from across the globe will be discussing game changing projects, plans and future technologies in transport and traffic. Conference topics for this year include; Road Traffic Sustainability and Safety, ITS and Smart Cities, Smart Parking and Planning, Bridges, Tunnels and Structure Projects and Road, Highways, Design and Construction, and ways to keep the roads safe, some of the biggest visible trends at the moment in the GCC.

GreenParking are the official Green Sponsor for Gulf Traffic 2015.