When major level crossing works displaced commuters from Surrey Hills and Mont Albert stations, the parking solution needed to do more than find additional spaces.
It had to secure approximately 160 commuter parking spaces near Box Hill Station, identify eligible users, operate across multiple car parks and parking operators, work with different parking equipment platforms and still provide commuters with one simple experience.
Ace Parking worked with the Level Crossing Removal Project and project stakeholders to develop and operate a temporary commuter parking solution that brought those requirements together.
The result was an app-less, technology-agnostic access solution that enabled different sites, operators and parking systems to function as one customer-facing parking service.
The challenge
Level crossing removal works at Union Road, Surrey Hills and Mont Albert Road, Mont Albert required existing station parking to close while construction progressed.
Approximately 160 free alternative commuter parking spaces were required within a defined catchment close to Box Hill Station.
That presented an immediate capacity problem. Parking in Box Hill was already tightly held and no single available facility could provide the entire requirement.
The solution also needed to identify and register eligible displaced commuters, provide reliable access to allocated parking, operate across more than one parking facility, accommodate different parking equipment and operator environments, apply project access conditions, minimise administration, and avoid requiring commuters to collect a physical access device or download another parking app.
Two sites, two operators and two equipment platforms
Ace Parking assessed available parking capacity throughout the required Box Hill catchment and sourced the spaces needed for the project.
Approximately half of the required capacity was supplied through an Ace Parking facility. The remaining capacity was provided within a Vicinity Centres car park operated by Wilson Parking.
The project therefore needed to work across separate physical sites and across organisations that would ordinarily compete in the parking market.
The technology environment added another layer of complexity. The participating car parks operated different parking equipment platforms, including CDS and SKIDATA. The equipment also differed in age and capability, with licence plate recognition available at the Ace Parking facility but not across both locations.
Replacing the existing parking systems or forcing every participating site onto one proprietary technology platform was neither necessary nor desirable. Instead, Ace Parking and technology partner Access Soft developed an approach that could work with the infrastructure already available at each car park.
It was a practical example of technology-agnostic parking integration: different sites, equipment platforms and parking operators working together around the requirements of the client and customer.
A simple app-less customer journey
The client was particularly clear about one requirement. Commuters who were already being disrupted by major infrastructure works should not have another unnecessary burden placed on them simply to access replacement parking.
A dedicated online registration process allowed eligible commuters to register for the service and receive a unique digital parking credential.
Once registered, commuters could access their parking credential through a smartphone-optimised webpage. The credential could be accessed directly from the customer’s phone, bookmarked for future use, saved to the device and added to compatible Apple Wallet or Google Wallet services.
There was no requirement to download and maintain a dedicated parking app or collect a physical access card.
For the commuter, the differences between the participating car parks and parking systems were largely invisible. They registered through one customer journey and received a simple means of accessing the parking provided for the project.
Using existing infrastructure rather than adding complexity
Both participating parking environments had existing barcode scanning capability. That provided a common point around which the access solution could be designed.
Ace Parking and Access Soft developed the operating approach around that existing capability and the client’s access requirements, rather than requiring participating operators to replace their parking equipment.
At the Ace Parking facility, existing licence plate recognition capability could further simplify the journey by associating the customer’s vehicle with the parking session after entry. This allowed the exit journey to be simplified without requiring the commuter to repeat the same access process.
The technology working behind the service was considerably more complicated than the experience presented to the customer. That was intentional. The objective was not to expose the complexity of the solution. It was to make a difficult multi-site operating problem feel simple to the person parking their car.
Ace Parking’s role
Ace Parking’s involvement extended well beyond supplying parking spaces. The project involved parking capacity and utilisation analysis, sourcing suitable parking within the required catchment, development of the operating model, stakeholder coordination, customer journey design, development of the access solution with Access Soft, coordination across different parking environments, implementation, mobilisation and ongoing support of the commuter parking service.
The project brought together the Level Crossing Removal Project, project contractors, Ace Parking, Access Soft, Vicinity Centres, Wilson Parking and the affected commuter community. Making those parties, parking facilities and technology environments work together was fundamental to the project’s success.
Independent client feedback
The client subsequently provided Ace Parking with a written recommendation.
The project’s Senior Communications and Stakeholder Engagement Advisor described Ace Parking as providing exemplary insight into the operation and utilisation of the commuter parking service.
The recommendation highlighted Ace Parking’s responsiveness, professionalism, value for money, efficiency and implementation, and said the team had been able to “deliver something exceeding our initial desires”.
The client also specifically recognised the decision not to require commuters to download an app and reported positive responses both internally and from commuters using the service.
Industry recognition
The commuter parking solution was subsequently recognised at the 2023 Parking Industry Awards.
Ace Parking won Excellence in Technology and Innovation – Off Street.
The award recognised a solution where innovation was not defined by installing the newest technology available. Instead, the project demonstrated how existing infrastructure, different technologies, separate parking operators and a carefully designed customer journey could be brought together to solve a complex operational problem.
What the project demonstrates
This project demonstrates Ace Parking’s ability to develop parking solutions where the challenge extends beyond a single car park or proprietary technology platform.
- Major infrastructure and temporary parking requirements
- Parking capacity and utilisation analysis
- Multi-site parking operations
- Coordination across separate and competing parking operators
- CDS and SKIDATA parking equipment environments
- Technology-agnostic parking integration
- Licence plate recognition and digital parking credentials
- Customer journey design
- Government and major-project stakeholder coordination
- Project mobilisation and ongoing operational support
The most important outcome was not a particular piece of parking technology. It was making different equipment, different sites and different operators function as one coherent parking service for the customer.
Planning a complex parking requirement?
Parking requirements created by infrastructure works, temporary displacement, multiple facilities or existing technology environments rarely fit neatly into a standard product.
Ace Parking can help assess the parking requirement, available capacity, customer journey, operating model and technology options before a solution is implemented.
Explore our car park consulting, management and operations, parking equipment and technology, parking optimisation and value-added services, or 990 Whitehorse Road, Box Hill.
Contact Ace Parking to discuss your parking requirements.
Project period: January 2022 to June 2023. Case study reviewed September 2026.
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