Metz, the pilot city for application of the new law, commissions Indigo to manage on-street parking
The City of Metz has chosen Indigo, the world’s leading parking provider, to manage and supervise on-street parking. The six-year assignment is part of a Delegation of Public Service contract. As of 1 January 2017, Metz is the first pilot city to prepare the way for applying the decentralised parking reform (the “MAPTAM” Act), which will allow local authorities to better organise on-street parking and will improve the user experience for motorists.
Indigo: bringing international expertise to local authorities
On-street parking management, already in place in certain cities in Europe and the United States, has helped numerous local authorities manage their mobility policy and improve parking fee payment rates.
For over 25 years, Indigo has been helping local authorities in Europe and further afield manage on-street parking by developing tailored solutions and tools. Indigo manages a total of 127 on-street parking contracts in eight countries, representing 310,000 parking spaces. In Europe, this versatile expertise in parking management and enforcement is applied through 84 on-street parking contracts in six countries (Spain, the United Kingdom, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Luxembourg), with a total of 119,000 spaces managed by 600 civil enforcement officers and technicians.
To carry out this assignment, Indigo has developed a variety of areas of expertise:
- detailed knowledge of specific local regulations;
- thorough training of the staff in charge of on-street parking enforcement;
- fee collection skills;
- income and recovery accountancy;
- digital checking and enforcement tools;
- new payment systems using the latest technologies.
Since the on-street parking management law took effect, Indigo has obtained significant results in terms of income for local authorities and vehicle rotation in city centres. For example, the fee payment rate today is estimated at close to 85% in Madrid and 95% in London.
“The experience we have gained in international on-street parking management and our ability to adjust to each specific local feature makes us confident about applying the law in France. We will use a range of tried-and-tested turnkey solutions for local authorities to ensure a smooth transition to the new system of on-street parking management,” says Sébastien Fraisse, Indigo’s Executive Vice President and Managing Director, France. He adds “Cities will gain greater control over their overall mobility and public space management policy by creating an effective rotation of surface parking. This new balance will prevent cars from staying in one spot all day, which is bad for local business. Instead, it will foster a fairer sharing of on-street space and make city centre driving more comfortable and streamlined.”
Indigo’s assignments in Metz
Indigo will begin by replacing all of the city’s ticket machines by a new generation that lets users pay their parking fee by contactless card, enter their vehicle registration number and, from 2018 onwards, use a paperless parking ticket that will no longer have to be displayed on their vehicle. These new ticket machines will ultimately be able to offer users a sliding scale of parking fees based on: pollution levels, user category or congestion on the streets.
At a later stage, Indigo will be responsible for parking enforcement. This will involve the use of an automatic pre-enforcement vehicle that can automatically scan registration plates and instantly find out whether or not users have paid their parking fee. From 1 January 2018, Indigo will be charged with managing and tracking payment of the flat-rate post-parking fees, along with managing the mandatory preliminary administrative appeals (RAPO in French).
The main benefits of the new system of on-street parking management for users
- Finding a place to park in the city centre will be easier because of faster vehicle rotation rates;
- Traffic will be streamlined in the city centre because there will be fewer vehicles looking for a parking space, so less traffic congestion;
- The systems for paying flat-rate post-parking fees will be more modern, charging a lower rate if drivers pay their parking fee on the spot. In Metz, for example, the flat-rate fee will be reduced to €15 instead of the current €17 fine;
- The management company delivers superior quality of service when handling appeals against fines: a range of payment solutions, in-person reception in an Indigo shop, and swift processing of appeals.
To learn more about Indigo’s areas of expertise and the results achieved, more specifically in Madrid, follow this link.