Officials at the Mall of America in Bloomington, MN have invested $3.4 million in red and green lights just in time for the Holiday Season. In most cases, lights of this color variety are strung for decoration and general aesthetic. However, the largest mall in the United States plans to put their investment to use to solve parking issues at their 5.6 million square foot, 520-store location.
While the red and green LED lights match the Christmas theme, these particular pieces of equipment are hung to inform drivers to which parking spaces are open (green), taken (red), or available for handicapped shoppers (blue).
Of course, owners of the mall got much more than space availability-indicating lights for their multi-million-dollar investment. The overall parking solution comes from a camera-based system known as license plate recognition (LPR). Installed by Park Assist, these smart cameras are able to recognize and take photos of vehicle license plates as cars enter the facility, park, and leave.
As a result, the camera system communicates with the parking guidance technology installed throughout the mall’s parking area. As each individual parking space’s light turns green or red, parking availability signs receive these ever-updating signals and show drivers accurate counts on open spots in parking lots or garage levels.
Even more conveniently, the parking information that is displayed via LED lights and signage can also be found on Mall of America’s website, so shoppers can access this info even before getting into their car.
While the new, shining lights and blinking tech don’t do much for Holiday decoration, the investment comes at the height of shopping season. The American shopping spectacle that begins with Black Friday, 2018 and doesn’t officially end until just after the New Year is predicted to cost shoppers nearly $125 billion. With 76% of shoppers using in-store shopping locations, it’s safe to say that the Mall of America upgraded just in time.
“We really didn’t know what they were,” said one of the mall’s customers in an interview with Kare11 News. After the customer utilized and experienced the new parking guidance technology and software, he said, “it steers us to the right direction.”
Mall of America is not the first or last facility to invest in a 21st century parking solution. The American parking industry is growing year after year and as a result new technology, software, and efficiency rendering tactics are being implemented. So, Shopping Season or not, these solutions will continue to be adopted and put to use to ensure the parking experience is more seamless than it has ever been.