A STUDENT from UMIST has come up with a new solution to gridlock in our city centres. 26-yr-old Ioannis Tsopelas has developed a website as part of his PhD project which will enable drivers to find car parking spaces quickly and easily.
Ioannis has used Manchester as his model, but says the website could be adapted anywhere, including his home city of Athens in Greece which has major traffic problems.
Ioannis, a research student in the Civil and Construction Engineering Department, carried out extensive groundwork by surveying drivers in Manchester to find out what kind of information they need when heading into the city centre.
He then developed the website with help from computation expert Markos Vakondios at UMIST. The site provides information on prices, disabled facilities and paystation locations, as well as other car park characteristics.
But Ioannis is hoping his idea can be taken one step further. He said: "I envisage this kind of data becoming interactive, eventually using WAP-enabled mobile phones and the new third-generation technology.
"Motorists could be sent live information about parking spaces as they're heading into a major city, perhaps saving them time spent circling the streets hunting for somewhere to leave their car."
Ioannis says the new mobile technology, combined with his website, would allow service providers to track the motorist on the move and help to find the most suitable car park for them.
He said: "At present, the website is useful when pre-planning a journey as it tells you the best place to park when visiting a particular restaurant or theatre. But using mobile technology, the possibilities for an integrated information system in the future are endless."
· Ioannis' website can be seen at
www.umist.ac.uk
