Use of Wi-Fi saves time, money and disruption
The use of wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) has simplified the installation of barrier-controlled access systems in two car parks at Glan Clwyd Hospital, North Wales. Following the introduction of parking charges by the Conway & Denbighshire NHS Trust, VINCI Park, (which manages the hospital's parking facilities) has installed Parkeon Varioflex® automatic pay stations together with entry/exit barriers. The pay stations are linked to a central server in the on-site parking office (via Wi-Fi). This configuration has considerably reduced the amount of excavation needed to install the system thus saving time, money and disruption.
Two of the pay stations serve the newly refurbished public car park at the front of the hospital. One of the machines has been installed ‘ATM-style' in the main reception area and provides drivers with a warm and dry environment in which to pay for parking.
VINCI Park has created a new surface car park at the rear of Glan Clwyd Hospital for joint use by the staff and general public. While all the pay stations take coins and bank notes, the one at the rear also accepts prepaid magnetic stripe cards introduced for the extra convenience of staff. At the front of the building there are twin entry/exit access lanes to the 1,124 spaces and single entry/exit lanes serving the parking facility at the back.
“Our prior experience with Parkeon's equipment, which incorporated new and innovative solutions at Cardiff University Hospital Wales, influenced the decision-making process positively when we looked for a parking system for Glan Clwyd Hospital”, says Dennis Silvester, Sector Manager for Hospitals and Leisure at VINCI Park.
A single 300m conduit was laid to provide mains electricity to the front car park. It also carries a single digital cable that serves the site's CCTV scheme, along with an intercom system for the entry/exit terminals and pay stations, which automatically converts analogue voice data to a digital signal.
About Parkeon (website: www.parkeon.com )
Parkeon is a global leading player in the fields of on-street and off-street parking and automated mass-transit ticketing equipment and systems.
Its activities encompass the development, manufacture, installation and maintenance of equipment and systems, as well as related services, including systems management and hosting, which have leveraged a network of twelve data processing centres around the world.
Parkeon is leader of the on-street parking segment with a 58% global market share. With an installed base of 140,000 machines, the company's parking terminals are a familiar sight in over 3,000 cities across 40 countries.
Its Pay & Display systems control over 3 million parking spaces around the world. Parkeon also has an installed base of 5,000 ticket vending machines for heavy and light rail, underground and multimodal transport operators in Europe, notably Belgium, Denmark, France, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK.
Based in Europe (Germany, Italy, Spain, Belgium, Scandinavia, the United Kingdom and France - where the Company is headquartered) and the United States, Parkeon employs over 850 people worldwide and generated revenues of €130 million in 2005. The company's R&E center, production line and quality control centre are in Besançon, France. Its manufacturing facility has production capabilities of up to 2,000 Pay & Display units monthly and 1,000 ticket vending machines/access control systems annually.
Parkeon was formed in November 2003 after the spin-off of the parking & ticketing division of Schlumberger. Originally established in 1970, the Company has played a significant role in the development of Pay & Display technology, in which it has over 30 years experience.
Varioflex is a registered trademark of Parkeon.
Parkeon Limited, Membrain House, Ferndown Industrial Estate, Wimborne, Dorset BH21 7PP, U.K.
Tel: 01202 850927 Fax: 01202 850903 Web: www.parkeon.com
Press Contact: Terry Walsby
Terry Walsby Media Relations
Tel: 01628 639378 Fax: 01628 777605
E-mail: terry.walsby@btconnect.com
