The Client
Queens University in Belfast has a world-class academic reputation. As a member of the Russell Group of leading UK universities, Queen's is building on its tradition of excellence to secure a future for its students - the leaders of tomorrow. The Accommodation Team at Queens University is responsible for making the students’ stay as comfortable as possible.
The Challenge
Around 1600 students live at the Elms Village accommodation, with only 172 parking spaces available. In the past, permits were issued to cover a full academic year. However, many students only used the car park for short periods, leaving their assigned spaces empty for the majority of the time. This resulted in the car parking capacity not being fully utilised and students having to park their cars on nearby streets, upsetting local residents.
It was necessary to identify a reliable method to ensure that all available parking spaces are used to their optimum capacity and at the same time minimise any disruption to local residents.
The Solution
James Boomer of Future Access Technologies based in County Antrim developed a solution based on Nortech’s FeeMaster.
Students register their cars at the beginning of term and are issued with disks for display in their windscreens indicating that they are entitled to use the car park.
Each time a student needs to use the car park, they must take an entry ticket at the entrance of the car park. They then have 30 minutes to find a free space. It there are no spaces available, they can leave the car park using their entry ticket to exit the car park. If they are successful in parking their car then, when they are ready to leave, they take their entry ticket to reception, pay a fee and receive a new ticket that enables them to exit the car park.
The system has now been installed since September and is working well. It has achieved our aim to utilise the limited car park spaces available to their full potential Gwen Finlay, Queen’s Accommodation and Hospitality
The Benefits
- Optimum use of available resources
- Reduced disruption to local residents
- Convenient and fair parking facility for students
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