New portal opens up accessible parking

Finding accessible parking across Sydney streets and car parks is now easier thanks to the Park’nPay Accessibility Portal, which allows drivers to easily search for spots before even leaving home. The portal is a joint initiative between the NSW Government, Google and the Physical Disability Council of NSW.

NSW Minister for Customer Service and Digital Government Victor Dominello said the web-based platform will save time and make life easier, as motorists can search for accessible parking at their desired location and filter for the time and day the space is needed, as well as by parking type.

“We are continuing our journey to improve the accessibility of services for the more than 400,000 people with mobility parking permits and want to offer them an easy way to find parking before they leave their driveways,” Dominello said.

“It can often be time-consuming for drivers with a disability to find a suitable parking space, especially if they are unfamiliar with the area they are travelling to.

“Motorists will be able to use the Accessibility Portal to find a spot which best suits their needs, the number of accessible spaces at a location, get directions and real-time availability for accessible spaces.”

The NSW Government has already integrated 383 accessible parking spots across four Sydney councils. When completed, the program will cover roughly 3600 accessible parking spots across 30 Sydney Metro councils.

Dominello said users would be able to select a spot with the recognisable wheelchair icon to indicate it is an accessibility bay, with the spot being green if it is available to use or red if occupied.

“This is a great example of using technology to be more inclusive and this enhancement will make it easier than ever to plan a journey and find a parking spot,” he said.

“Instead of spending time and wasting petrol driving around looking for an accessible park, we have an innovative solution which gets drivers where they need to go.

“The Park’nPay app will also have an accessibility mode option where customers with a mobile parking permit can customise their experience to search for accessible parking, start a parking session and receive notifications.”

Alister Dias, Vice President of Google Cloud in Australia and New Zealand, said the NSW Government and Google share a vision for a strong and inclusive digital future for all Australians, and technology can play a pivotal role in helping deliver improved outcomes.

“Working closely with the Department of Customer Service and Physical Disability Council, Google Cloud is optimising the Park’nPay experience by analysing parking sensor data to provide real-time parking and travel information, ensuring motorists with disabilities can better plan trips and park with ease,” Dias said.

Physical Disability Council NSW CEO Serena Ovens welcomed the development of the portal.

“The Accessibility Portal further enhances our members’ capacity to source accessible parking information easily, including the ability to check the streetscape they will be parking in,” Ovens said.

“Any information that assists people with mobility needs to better understand their parking options is welcomed. PDCN applaud Google’s involvement in the Park’nPay app as an important innovation that supports the inclusion of the disability community.”

Real-time parking data will come online in the app as each council area is onboarded and will be completed in 2023.

For more on the Accessibility Portal, visit the website here.

Image credit: iStock.com/ai_yoshi