When Does Free Flow Parking Work?

What is free flow parking?

Free flow parking is parking without a barrier, where cameras handle the entrance and exit. Cars with a permit are recognised immediately, and your visitor rate applies to all other cars. Visitors pay digitally and don’t need to take a ticket or stop at a pay machine.

Read more about how ANPR works and what happens step by step, from entrance to exit.

What is the difference between a barrier, a gate and free flow?

The difference is whether the car has to stop at the entrance, and how much control you want over who comes in.

• Barrier: every car stops until the barrier opens. When many cars come and go at the same time, queues form easily.
• Gate: can stay open when traffic is heavy and close when you want to limit who comes in. When the gate is closed, the camera opens it for cars with a permit.
• Free flow: everyone drives in and out without stopping, and the cameras register every car.

When is free flow a good fit?

Free flow is most useful where cars come and go all day. At retail sites and shopping centres, barriers and gates become a bottleneck that creates queues. With free flow, cars drive in and out without stopping. In these facilities, it is also common for the first period of parking to be free of charge. You choose how long, and the visitor rate applies after that.

Offices can also have heavy traffic, but usually only in the morning and afternoon. There, a gate is better than a barrier, because it can stay open when most people come and go.

Read more about the benefits of ANPR cameras.

Why do some choose to keep a gate?

The most common reason is to keep unauthorised vehicles out in the evenings and at weekends. This applies, for example, to properties where residents park overnight. In that case, you don’t want the garage to be open to everyone.

A barrier or gate can also be used to control where different customers park. This can also be done with the cameras. With clear signage, parking can be free for those with a permit and cost considerably more for those without one, for example SEK 500 an hour. Then virtually no one parks there without a permit.

Some garages also have an inner gate where only specially authorised people may park, for example people with high security requirements.

Can a gate and free flow be combined?

Yes, and it is a common solution. During the day, the gate stays open and visitors drive in and out freely. In the evening and at weekends, the gate is locked. Those with a permit to park at that time can still get in, because the camera reads the number plate and opens the gate.

A visitor whose car is still in the garage when the gate closes can get in through the pedestrian door. There, the visitor scans a QR code and enters their registration number to open the door. The system can see that the car is in the garage, and the visitor can drive out. New visitors, however, cannot get in while the gate is locked.

“You don’t have to choose one or the other. Combining ANPR with a gate works perfectly well,” says Sofia Fredlund, Head of Sales & Marketing at Mobility46.

Watch the webinar on how to develop your parking business with ANPR.

Do the cameras capture every car?

Yes, even when there is a queue. This is one of the most common questions from property owners considering free flow. There is usually enough distance between cars for the cameras to read one car at a time, even when they drive close together.

If a number plate is dirty or covered in snow, however, it may not be read, which is why two cameras are usually used to read the car from both the front and the back. If the cameras still cannot read the plate fully, the system flags it and the image is sent for manual review.

What needs to be in place for free flow parking to work?

The cameras need to see the car as straight on as possible. A sharply curved ramp or a steep slope can therefore affect where the cameras can be placed. There also needs to be a certain distance between the camera and the car. That is why we assess the conditions on site before the cameras are installed.

Ask yourselves these questions before you decide:

• Is there a clear entrance and exit where cars drive as straight as possible?
• Is there power and a network connection where the cameras will be placed?
• Should the facility be open to everyone around the clock, or only at certain times?
• How will visitors pay, and what should the signs say?

Read what to consider when choosing an ANPR system.

Want to see how free flow could work in your facility? Read more about ANPR46.