Make smart city idea all-inclusive

MANY local councils in the country advocate for evolution towards ‘smart cities’, a concept of employing technology to enhance urban living.

Yet, gaps between such visions and on-the-ground realities still exist.

For example, the widespread practice of double parking in congested areas has become a persistent annoyance – one of the many peculiarities of urban driving behaviour.

The prevalence of double parking, being seemingly low-hanging fruit among urban issues, poses a pertinent question – why has technology not been optimised to tackle it effectively?

Many of these congested urban areas have been around for decades and planners from decades ago cannot be faulted for failing to anticipate the number of vehicles on our roads today.

In some cases, there is simply no possibility of finding a parking spot even when one has a willingness to walk some distance.

However, plans approved for development in the past decade without foresight to accommodate is not the full excuse.

In areas with multistorey and ample parking facilities, some offenders still choose to double park – because they are too lazy to walk.

As a side note, lack of parking bays at a number of government hospitals have resulted in motorists double or even triple parking, while some are forced to park by busy highways.

Worryingly, there is now some form of consensus of a “right” way to double park one’s vehicle, which is fallacious.

The habit of offenders thinking that leaving their phone number for the “victims” is doing them a favour, is not a courtesy but blatant disregard for rules and civic responsibility.

It is an offence to double park a vehicle under Section 48 of the Road Transport Act 1987, yet we rarely see summonses being issued, even in the busiest of areas.

In many local councils, it is a breeze for motorists to make payment for parking, thanks to available smartphone applications, yet it is the same compliant group who are afflicted by those who don’t pay.

If local councils are sincere in their smart city ambitions, leveraging technology to address this widespread issue should be a priority.

Of course, serious planning and backing from higher levels of government would be essential to aligning development goals across the board.

This way, local authorities can also gain from having the necessary resources, legislative backing and guidance.

Technology can not only help in monitoring and enforcement but can also provide insights for better urban planning by collecting data.

Automated licence plate recognition and electronic parking summonses, for example, can be particularly effective as it would reduce reliance on manual enforcement.

Double parking represents a seemingly straightforward challenge and tackling it would demonstrate their capability and willingness to address more complex urban issues.

As an added bonus for the authorities, addressing such basic issues by using technology will bolster public confidence in their ability to actualise their smart city visions.