When parking is limited, parking lot machines are essential to developing an efficient and useful parking strategy. The key is to make the most of your parking lot machines to make your customer or guest's parking experience smooth while maintaining organization.

While trying to find parking lot machines information, look for the machines that are best suited for your business. Though each parking situation comes with its own unique needs, most need the following:

1. Access control gates to ensure your parking is used only by your business.
2. Ticket and revenue parking lot machines to streamline the entry and exit of vehicles.
3. Parking management software to optimize the organization and efficiency of your parking lot machines.
   

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Choose a parking lot machines provider that offers quality access control gates

The backbone of a good parking system is a set of reliable access control gates. These gates help to reserve your parking areas for those connected to your business and ensure you receive the planned revenue. You need to plan your traffic flow to provide the most efficient number and placement of entry and exit areas and then install the appropriate number of gates.

I recommend: MARKSTAAR sells a full line of simple and economical barrier gates. Fast Access Security offers a variety of parking barrier gates to meet your needs, from simple long and short arm gates, to those with integrated ticket machines and vehicle sensors.

Ensure your parking lot machines list includes ticket and revenue machines

Once the gates are installed, you need a way to monitor your traffic and collect your determined tolls. There are a wide variety of ticket and card dispensing machines as well as exit station card readers and automatic revenue collecting machines. One main decision you must make is if your revenue collection will be done automatically or by an attendant. Explore all of your options and choose the most cost-efficient combination to best meet your business needs.

I recommend: Engineered Parking Systems offers a wide variety of ticket dispensers, fee computers and pay stations to meet many parking system needs, whether attended or automatic. GMG Systems sells a full line of reliable parking lot machines, from ticket dispensers to exit stations and pay stations, including a secure system server to connect them all.

Use parking management software to get the most out of your parking lot machines

With all the logistics involved with a successful parking plan, it's best to have the right software to make the most of your equipment. These programs include benefits such as traffic counts and revenue management and provide a centralized control of your entire parking system.

I recommend: Amano's iPark Professional software offers a simple interface to organize and control your parking system. Whitaker Parking Systems has developed a comprehensive parking management software system that provides many levels of control to your parking system, from revenue management and traffic counts to managing shared car pool accounts and providing expiring special event parking passes.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  If managing your parking lot machines and system becomes a distraction from your real business, consider using a parking management service. These companies offer a wide range of services to help you optimize and oversee your parking system.