On the eve of an announcement to introduce smart parking in Canberra, Phil Clark of ABC Local Canberra and I caught up for a quick chat about smart parking and its benefits.

Smart Parking, although not yet confirmed in Canberra, is likely to be rolled out in Manuka later this year or early next year and will work most likely work through a myriad of in-ground sensors, sending signals to overhead gantries and signs, and possibly even a user app, notifying the driver where an empty car parking spot is and depending on which system they go with may even beginning the tolling and count down processes once the car is parked.

Smart Parking is a $1.5 billion global industry helping to claw back some of 106 days that drivers waste looking for car spots.

The technology, although not that revolutionary now, still has a window of use as its successor is already on the horizon with most cars over the next few years set to have this tech built into their on-board systems and just a little further down the track for many cars to go one step further and park themselves without a driver on board.

The introduction of this technology is often heralded as improving road convenience and removing car congestion caused by drivers car park spotting, but in Canberra the minister has gone one step further and admitted something many of us have long-held as being one of the major reasons for its introduction and has said that the technology will also reduce the cost of municipal parking enforcement and increasing the issuing of fines – so Canberrians consider yourself warned.

Have a listen now (3 minutes 2 seconds)…