Cities, Vol. 21, No. 2, p.

137–148, 2004
 2003 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
doi:10.1016/j.cities.2004.01.001 Printed in Great Britain
0264-2751 $ - see front matter

www.elsevier.com/locate/cities

Intelligent transportation systems

and parking management:
implementation potential in a
Brazilian city
Marcello Marinho Berenger Vianna*, Licı́nio da Silva Portugal
and Ronaldo Balassiano
Transport Engineering Program, PET/COPPE/UFRJ, Centro de Tecnologia, Cidade Universitária, Bloco H,
Sala 106, CEP: 21945-970, 68512 Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil

The problems arising from the gap between demand and supply of parking spaces are becom-
ing increasingly acute in most towns and cities. These difficulties are noted mainly in more
densely populated areas that are poorly served by public transportation facilities and where
the planning and use of existing areas is inadequate. The importance of controlling parking
spaces as an integral element of the traffic and trip demand management process, together
with the need to ensure a close-linked conceptual approach, has been defined and defended
for quite some time. This paper presents a methodological procedure that underpins the feasi-
bility of implementing an integrated parking system based on telematics resources. This pro-
cedure includes the development of a logic architecture for processing and transferring data
and information. In order to test the proposed procedure, a medium-sized Brazilian town in
the Rio de Janeiro Metropolitan Region—Niterói—was considered. A specific survey area
covering some two square kilometres with a significant number of parking facilities was selected
for the analysis. The results expected through the implementation of the proposed system indi-
cate that the resulting benefits would include possibly lower levels of traffic congestion in the
area under consideration, while also reducing air pollution.
 2003 Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Keywords: parking management, ITS, telematics, traffic congestion, air pollution

Introduction Wall, 2002). This confirms the importance of promot-

The problems generated by the lack of parking spaces
are becoming more acute in many towns and cities,
particularly in more densely populated areas that are
already trying to cope with inadequate public trans-
portation facilities, and where the use of the existing
areas is not undertaken on a well-planned basis
(Valleley, 1998). As a result, users are not serviced
properly during their commuting trips, and increased
traffic congestion and longer travel times are mani-
fested, in parallel with a poorer quality of life and
lower levels of accessibility (Verhoef et al., 1995;
Coombe et al., 1997; Miles et al., 1998; Ison and
∗
Corresponding author. Fax: +55-21-25628727;
mmbv@pet.coppe.ufrj.br.
ing parking management and control policies that are
compatible with the transport planning process and
social and economic development.
As an integral element of the transportation plan-
ning process, parking management is no recent
phenomenon, having been defined and defended for
quite some time (Jackson, 1973). The study carried
out by F.F. Abbott and A.C. Johnson in 1926
(Municipal Administration of the Roman Empire)
noted that in Ancient Rome, problems were already
being noted with traffic congestion, prompting
municipal laws that curtailed the movement of carts
and carriages, as well as charging fees for taking up
road space by parking (Click, 1996).
e-mail: The current scenario in major urban centres is not
very different, but merely more complex, particularly

137
 Intelligent transportation systems and parking management: M M B Vianna et al.
the saturation levels of the road system, the shortage
of parking spaces and the difficulties of managing
them. According to McDonald and Lyons (1996) as
well as Vasconcellos (1997), this situation worsened,
particularly during the second half of the 20th cen-
tury, driven by the sharp upsurge in the fleet of private
vehicles in circulation. Over the past two decades,
significant increases have been noted in the global
vehicle fleet, which doubled in its numbers from 1970
through 1990. Current expectations indicate the con-
tinuation of this rapid growth, with forecasts estimat-
ing the current fleet will double again by 2015 (Click,
1996). This growth may even be higher in some
developing countries—in Brazil, for instance, the
private vehicle fleet expanded eightfold from 2.6
million in 1970 to around 18.3 million vehicles in
1990. The forecasts issued by the National Traffic
Department (DENATRAN) indicate that this fleet
may also double by 2005.
The rapid expansion of the Brazilian fleet of
vehicles may be justified by some key aspects, such
as: economic stabilization; radical changes in the
social structure (particularly the use of individual
vehicles); lack of land use planning; the adoption of
a planning model based on road transport (which nor-
mally accounts for over 90% of urban commutes) and
the lack of investments in high-capacity transport
facilities. In addition to the expansion of the fleet and
the concentration of work opportunities in central
areas, the shortage of parking spaces and poor control
over irregular parking have boosted the problems
caused by traffic congestion in towns and cities all
over Brazil. Most traffic fines issued in Brazilian
urban areas are for parking in the wrong place. In the
specific case of the City of Rio de Janeiro, based on
data issued by the Municipal Transportation Bureau
(SMTU), 39.7% of the total number of fines issued
during 1999 had been for illegal parking (Vianna,
2000).
The study carried out by Axhausen et al. (1994)
notes that looking for a space to park may take up to
40% of the total duration of a trip for certain groups
of drivers. The fruitless search for parking space may
account for over 30% of the traffic on main urban
avenues (Allen, 1993). Some studies also underscore
the fact that these vehicles spend 90–95% of their use-
ful life parked (Valleley, 1998). The management of
automobile parking facilities consequently plays a
decisive role in the planning process, and may con-
tribute appreciably to minimizing these problems
(Tsamboulas, 2001; VTPI, 2002).
This study consequently underscores the impor-
tance of adopting integrated parking management
policies that ensure not only more rational use of the
available parking spaces (evenly balanced supply and
demand, bringing in sufficient revenues to cover the
costs of maintaining these parking spaces), while also
ensuring well-matched performance among road sys-
tems, transport facilities and land use. It also presents
a methodological procedure that underpins the feasi-
138
bility of implementing an integrated parking manage-
ment system based on the use of telematics. In order
to test the application of this procedure, a medium-
sized town located in the Rio de Janeiro Metropolitan
Region—Niterói—was analyzed.
Integrated parking management and
telematics
A new approach to this topic is starting to appear,
which assumes that merely banning cars or encour-
aging the use of parking facilities with no specific
criteria is not enough. Instead, it is necessary to
understand these relationships and variables in order
to guarantee better use of these facilities, ensuring that
parking facilities are viewed as an integral part of the
trip generation process. The wide diversity of factors
and effects associated with the parking facility man-
agement process is shown in Figure 1, which lists
the main aspects involved. Parking facilities should
be viewed as a system that underpins the exploration
of the intrinsic relationships among the various
elements influencing the parking process, acting as a
link that connects up the means of transport with
land use.
In order to provide the foundations for this inte-
grated concept, it is necessary to guarantee interaction
between users, traffic controllers and other parti-
cipants in the transport planning process (such as pub-
lic transport operators and those in charge of parking
areas). This interaction should also include sharing
the information required to schedule trips and control
movements, using the resources offered by techno-
logical development. Some services may be rated as
crucial when defining an initial outline of this inte-
grated management system. However, in order to
ensure their feasibility, the assistance of telematics is
crucial, applied to transportation systems in order to
develop a concept that may be defined as smart park-
ing (Vianna et al., 1999).
In general, this integrated parking management
system offers many different benefits, as listed by
Gercans (1984) and Allen (1993):
앫 For drivers, it is useful because it helps them locate
and select the parking space best suited to their
requirements, saving fuel and cutting operating
costs, in addition to reducing the amount of time
wasted during commutes.
앫 For traffic flows, this system reduces the delays
caused by the inefficient search for parking spaces,
in addition to increasing the road capacity of the
region through reducing line-ups while someone
waits for a parking place to become free, keeping
roads and crossings free from obstructions.
앫 For transport authorities, this system offers better
distribution of demand, in addition to making it
easier to control these operations with better data
monitoring, simplifying the process of taking
decisions and implementing plans.
 Intelligent transportation systems and parking management: M M B Vianna et al.
Figure 1 Parking sub-system and its environment
앫 For transport operators, an increase in passengers
carried is expected, due to either the expansion of
park-and-ride (P&R) trips, or through modal trans-
fer encouraged through the implementation of
more stringent parking control policies and the
supply of related information.
앫 For parking managers, this system is interesting
because it guarantees the desired occupancy levels
in most cases.
앫 For users in general, integrated parking manage-
ment means more stringent supervision, curtailing
illegal parking and helping to reduce traffic acci-
dents.
앫 Within the environmental context, it is also
expected that air pollution levels will drop, in par-
allel with fine-tuning and enhancing a more appro-
priate use of urban areas.
In the transport sector, the use of telematics is asso-
ciated with the development of what are known as
“Intelligent Transportation Systems” (ITS) with
widely varying applications. The main research topics
covered by this subject are well documented in sev-
eral surveys, reported by Nijkamp et al. (1995), Har-
vey (1996), Sussman (1996), French (1997), Johnson
(1997), Mont’Alvão (1997) and Tsopelas (2000).
These resources are currently noted in various func-
139
 Intelligent transportation systems and parking management: M M B Vianna et al.
tional areas, and may also be applied to parking man-
agement (Nijkamp et al., 1995). Systems designed to
manage parking spaces are also known as parking
guidance and information (PGI) systems or advanced
parking information systems (APIS), which have
already been used for over two decades, initially
implemented in Aachen (Germany), during the early
1970s. Over subsequent years, a reasonable expansion
was noted in their use, as they grew more popular
through their capacity to minimize the problems
resulting from traffic congestion caused by the search
for parking spaces. More recent studies report the
existence of over 50 systems of this type in operation
worldwide (Polak et al., 1990; Axhausen et al., 1994;
Tsopelas, 2000).
In Japan, these systems are being developed jointly
with other aspects related to traffic management. The
systems provide users with real-time information on
road accidents, traffic congestions, traffic flows
restraints and the location of parking facilities
(Tokuyama, 1996; Giannopoulos and McDonald,
1997; Iwasaki, 1997). One of the projects developed
in Japan is the Toyota parking guidance and infor-
mation service, which is designed to rationalize the
use of limited parking facilities (Sakai et al., 1996).
In Europe, new surveys carried out from 1990 through
2000 on parking facility management are represented,
for instance, by the ADEPT, CAPITALS, CON-
CERT, FRUIT, GAUDI and ROMANSE projects.
Additionally, a wide variety of new services is being
introduced, such as the Bosch Signalbau Huber’s
parking guidance system and the Frankfurt parking
guidance and information system, although their field
of action is limited to smaller areas, and they are not
fully integrated with other systems (Harvey, 1996;
Bossom, 1997; Miles et al., 1998; NPA, 1999).
In the USA, parking facility management has been
dealt with under the ATIS scheme, researching the
interoperability of equipment, linking information
protocols and allowing payment through smart cards.
In 1996, an experimental system was introduced in
St. Paul, MN, known as the Advanced Parking Infor-
mation System, running on Euro-American tech-
nology, whose main purpose is to allow rational park-
ing management, boosting the supply of parking areas
available to visitors while reducing traffic congestion
(ITS International, 1996).
In Brazil, the use of the ITS has been disseminated
through a study underpinning the introduction of a
National Program for Applying Telematics in Trans-
portation (PNATT), proposing a communications
model and drawing up a plan to be adopted nation-
wide (Borras, 1999). Although there is reasonable
consumption potential for these items of equipment,
their development and production is still limited. In
terms of parking facility management, the use of these
systems is still limited, with their application restric-
ted to a few commercial enterprises, where they are
used to enhance the operability of stand-alone parking
140
facilities, hampering the introduction of an integrated
management plan.
Parking facility management systems based on the
dissemination of information and guidance on avail-
able parking areas have proven useful in the search
and selection process, proving their operational feasi-
bility. As equipment has become available at lower
costs, in parallel to the drop in the prices of the chips
used to manufacture these devices, concerns are now
focused on how this integration will be undertaken,
while also deciding on the services that may be
offered through the use of this equipment.
Potential for using ITS in integrated parking
management
An analysis of the international experience shows that
the use of telematics in integrated parking manage-
ment is still limited, despite its wide application
potential. The success of this proposal is conditional
to the way in which the information is employed by
the various agents intervening in the management
process. Telematics help identify the basic services
that are crucial to this system, while also defining spe-
cific communications standards. Listed below are
some services that may be taken under consideration
for integrated parking management, based on the use
of telematics (Nijkamp et al., 1995):
앫 Parking guidance: local and regional guidance for
drivers on the availability of parking spaces in a
given area—including for users of P&R services
through the use of panels displaying different
messages or radio communications system:
dynamic information on parking; guidance on the
number and location of parking areas in that zone;
driver guidance on parking characteristics;
앫 Strategic road control: control of traffic level and
pollution along the roads; assistance in checking
and preventing illegal parking;
앫 Management of the available space in a specific
zone: monitoring and dissemination of information
on parking facilities: monitoring the inflow and
outflow of vehicles in the zone; forecast of free
parking spaces; control of the availability of park-
ing spaces over the period; prior scheduling or
booking of parking spaces;
앫 Operational control of parking facilities: systems
designed for parking facility administrators: identi-
fication of vehicles and automatic ticket-issuing
facilities; payment control equipment; parking
facility management—physical, financial and
administrative controls.
User guidance is possible through disseminating
up-to-the-moment information in real time on the
location, direction and availability of the parking
spaces. The information is generated through the
access control schemes for the various units that are
interconnected into the system, indicating the occu-
 Intelligent transportation systems and parking management: M M B Vianna et al.
pancy level of the parking facilities to the central con-
trol room, where data are processed and treated prior
to being transmitted to the users through variable
message services (VMS) that are connected by cable.
With regard to the strategy used to disseminate the
information, two ideological trends are usually noted:
descriptive and prescriptive. The descriptive type pro-
vides system users with all possible information on
parking facilities, allowing them to take their own
decisions on where to park, according to their own
preferences. In contrast, the prescriptive option limits
the amount of information provided to users, cur-
tailing their power of choice and forcing them to fol-
low the orders of the system providers. This limits
the options open to drivers, transferring the responsi-
bility for taking decisions to the control system (Polak
et al., 1990).
Over the past few years, thanks to advances in the
field of telematics, new uses have been introduced in
the field of parking facility management (Polak et al.,
1990; Stathopoulos et al., 1994; Boltze et al., 1994;
Maccubbin and Hoel, 2000), particularly:
앫 the possibility of personalized vehicular guidance,
directed at a single user through display units fitted
inside the vehicle;
앫 the possibility of prior planning for trips through
the supply of relevant information on traffic and
facilities (integration and parking status);
앫 the development of services booking or scheduling
process, which may be ordered before or during the
trip, through communication links with highways;
앫 automatic payment and registration through devel-
opments in the field of vehicle identification, also
allowing access control;
앫 integration with other transportation systems
through the development of P&R facilities.
A procedure for implementing an integrated
parking facility management system
The bibliographic survey reflected the shortage of
studies analyzing the measures and steps to be taken
under consideration when developing a parking man-
agement system. Some discussions are noted on the
process of selecting equipment and services
(Kobayakawa et al., 1997). Maccubbin and Hoel
(2000) developed a methodology for evaluating ITS
applications in parking management at change-mode.
Other studies contemplate some more specific aspects
such as Thompson et al. (2001) who developed a
model to determine the optimal display PGI sign con-
figuration to minimize queue lengths and kilometres
of vehicle travel. A mathematical program was for-
mulated based on a simple genetic algorithm. The
model was limited to off-street parking choices and
illegal parking was not incorporated.
This proves the need for surveys that will help to
define and standardize systems, streamlining their
expansion and avoiding unnecessary expenditures on
future adaptations, in addition to ensuring assimi-
lation of the information available to the users. This
paper intends to contribute to this process by suggest-
ing a procedural structure to be adopted for the
implementation of an intelligent parking system.
The proposed structure establishes three separate
levels of action: macro, intermediate and micro. At
each of these levels, services of interest to the user
are defined, together with the information to be made
available to them, in addition to data that will be col-
lected and swapped, in parallel to the equipment used
by this system (Vianna et al., 1999). In general, the
steps shown in Figure 2 should be undertaken in order
to implement a parking facility management system.
The macro level consists of describing the problem
in the broadest terms at the city-wide or regional
level, monitoring access roads, general traffic levels
and the aggregated availability of parking spaces in
each traffic zone. The information brought in through
this operation is processed by the town planning and
control centres, striving constantly to adapt demands
to supply while maintaining environmental and road
capacity standards. It is then possible to provide users
with guidance on free parking spaces in each of the
traffic zones, indicating areas and routes that should
be avoided. At this stage, the use of electronic sign-
posting on highways, transmitting information by
radio, should also be taken under consideration.
The intermediate level—where problems are ana-
lyzed for each specific traffic zone—provides users
with more detailed information on each parking area
(occupancy levels, integrated transportation facilities
and fees), in addition to providing directions. The
micro level focuses on local conditions and specific
parking spaces, providing users with information on
free spaces in a certain street or parking area. At this
stage, it may well be possible to control local pol-
lution levels and optimize data collection and inspec-
tion processes through identifying vehicles that are
parked illegally, allowing them to be located, fined
and rapidly removed by specialized teams.
Taking into account the elements and the nature of
the proposed procedure, involving aspects related to
the special characteristics of the area to be analyzed,
it is important at this stage to consider the possibility
of incorporating geographic information systems
(GIS) as an efficient tool supporting the development
of the different steps of the process. Thill (2000) has
pointed out the current flurry of research activity in
and around GIS for transportation (GIS-T), as a clear
sign of the interest of transportation researchers and
other professionals in this emerging technology.
Other authors confirm the importance and role of GIS
in terms of providing a basis for the development of
a framework and principles for sharing transportation
data and for real-time integration, manipulation and
visualisation of urban traffic data (Thong and Wong,
1997; Dueker and Butler, 2000; Claramunt et al.,
2000).
141
 Intelligent transportation systems and parking management: M M B Vianna et al.
Figure 2 Division by levels and implementation procedure
Quiroga (2000) presents a review of issues, pro-
cedures and examples of application of GIS tech-
nology to the development of congestion management
systems. In his study, travel time is used as a robust,
easy to understand performance measure. One of the
possible applications highlighted by the author is the
potential of using GIS in the case of defining appro-
priate location for P&R lots. Other studies found in
the recent literature (Peng and Huang, 2000; Ziliasko-
poulos and Waller, 2000) have shown the possibility
of designing an integrated system using internet GIS
technologies to integrate web serving, GIS pro-
cessing, network analysis and database management.
This integration could be useful in the procedure pro-
posed here.
Definition of the system, indication of the
services and equipment used
Having completed steps 1, 2 and 3, corresponding to
the definition of the project area and the survey of its
characteristics; the division of the area into traffic
zones with the study of the main routes and traffic
flows; and the preparation of the listing of available
parking spaces and facilities, it will then be possible
to define the services to be made available through
the system (see Figure 2). Of particular interest
among the wide variety of options are the services
shown in Table 1.
The identification of the equipment to be used for
ensuring the feasibility of the services should also be
assessed. In general, the technology needed to operate
this system consists of a wide variety of items of
142
equipment that may be analyzed previously, includ-
ing: automatic vehicle identification (AVI) equip-
ment; closed circuit television (CCTV) equipment,
using television cameras monitoring traffic status in
the streets; driver information equipment which may
be of various types, with the most usual being the
variable message signs (VMS) panels; electronic pay-
ment devices using electronic, inductive, magnetic or
smart card technology; electronic parking meters used
to control how long vehicles park in the streets, charg-
ing fees and checking availability; and computers
(Click, 1996; Sá, 1999). It is recommended that the
standard equipment and service specifications should
always be followed, should some system already have
been implemented in the region, in order to ensure
easier adaptation.
The next step is related to the development of the
system communications architecture, defining how
the services and equipment will be grouped and inter-
connected in order to ensure the implementation of
the production process in an efficient manner, while
also seeking the means that allow nationwide and
international standardization of services and systems.
In economic terms, the determination of the
architecture represents guaranteed savings for future
resources, as new applications can be slotted into the
main system, eliminating the need to duplicate the
communications infrastructure, avoiding unnecessary
outlays on adaptation.
In the transportation technology area, building up
a systematic architecture may foster more rational,
efficient and effective development of ITS. In the spe-
cific case of parking facilities, its introduction may
 Table 1 Links between levels, services and equipments

Services Equipment Levels

VMS CCTV AVI Electronic Electronic Information Computers and Macro Intermediate Micro
(panels) (cameras) (identification) payment parking Kiosks sensors (city (traffic zone (facility
meters level) level) level)

Listing of available parking spaces on and off- 쐌 쐌 쐌 쐌 쐌

street, with the possibility of indicating the best
route
Guidance service for parking facilities, ensuring 쐌 쐌
rapid occupancy of vacant spaces
Vehicle identification service through reading 쐌 쐌 쐌
number plates, streamlining ticket issue
Electronic payment service, streamlining 쐌 쐌 쐌
parking fee payment, in addition to reducing
error levels in calculating amounts due
Vehicle counting service, generating statistical 쐌 쐌 쐌 쐌
data and obtaining figures on free parking
spaces through integrated gate barriers or
parking meters
Vehicle service and prevention of illegal 쐌 쐌 쐌
parking, allowing the area controller to identify
the number plates of offending vehicle, issuing
fines and mobilizing tow-truck teams in real
time with minimum effort
Public transportation information service, 쐌 쐌 쐌 쐌 쐌
indicating boarding points and preparing car
pool lists. Preparation of car-pool lists and
dissemination of schedules
Parking space booking or scheduling service, in 쐌 쐌 쐌
real time or in advance over the Internet or by
telephone
Intelligent transportation systems and parking management: M M B Vianna et al.

143
 Intelligent transportation systems and parking management: M M B Vianna et al.
define how the equipment will be interconnected in
order to ensure a steady flow of information from the
data collection facilities in the field through to their
transmission to the user, providing guidance on vac-
ant parking spaces.
In order to build up a complete system architecture,
certain procedures should be considered: detailed
description of services to be provided, defining all
user interfaces and supplementary systems; construc-
tion of the logic architecture of the system, defining
an effective data transmission chain; construction of
the physical architecture for the system, meaning the
organization of the equipment interconnections for
data transmission; in addition to structuring and
developing schemes to be used during the equipment
implementation and installation process (NPA, 1999).
After analyzing the communication between the
system components and defining the layout (schemes,
drawings, designs and programs), the equipment is
then installed and tested in order to check its suit-
ability. It is important to stress that at this stage some
initial inter-exchangeability problems appear, which
may indicate that modifications are required to the
architectures already defined. It is always a good idea
to run pilot trials, partially installing the equipment
in order to ensure flawless functioning.
Niterói as the scenario for the
implementation of the system
Having outlined the procedural structure proposed
above, it was decided to test its potential through a
case study application. The town of Niterói, in the
vicinity of Rio de Janeiro, was selected. According to
CIDE (1998), its population is around 453,285 inhabi-
tants and the main economic activities in the town are
concentrated in services and commerce. A significant
part of the population travels regularly to Rio de
Janeiro (15 km distant from Niterói) where better job
opportunities are found (CECITEC, 1996). As in Rio
de Janeiro, over the past few years Niterói has been
struggling with problems caused by traffic congestion.
Data issued by the Local Traffic Department (Detran)
shows that the vehicle fleet has been expanding rap-
idly, up from 154,802 vehicles in 1997 to 170,000
vehicles in 2001. This has saturated the main avenues
of the city and worsened the imbalance between park-
ing space supply and demand. Over the past two
years, some 64,000 (48%) of the total number of fines
issued are for illegal parking. This strengthens the
selection of Niterói, as the area for the study. Having
selected the study area, the region was divided into
18 traffic zones (see Figures 3 and 4) according to
their social, economic and functional characteristics.
As we intend to present and discuss the specific
characteristics of the process, the Icaraı́ traffic zone
was selected for detailed descriptions and characteriz-
ations. This selection was based on the importance of
this region for the town, as a residential hub with high
occupancy levels that cluster some commercial activi-
144
ties that were initially conceived to meet primary con-
sumption needs, but have expanded to meet the
demands of more outlying regions.
The data were then surveyed, implementing stages
2 and 3 of the proposed procedure. Covering some
two square kilometres, this region has some 5394
parking spaces, of which 2249 are in the street and
3145 are in 21 off-street parking facilities. The func-
tionality of its road structure was also observed, parti-
cularly streets with the heaviest traffic flows and the
main connection highways. The lack of any origin–
destination (O-D) studies limited attempts to establish
the precise flow of users from local parking areas.
Consequently, this aspect was covered by noting
number plates in the parking areas surveyed, most of
which came from the oceanfront region of Niterói,
other outlying districts and the nearby towns of São
Gonçalo and Maricá, as well as Rio de Janeiro across
the bay.
No earlier studies are available that could help
determine the number of parking spaces needed to
meet local demands, which meant that this figure had
to be estimated, based on the average number of
vehicles per inhabitant. This resulted in a total
demand of approximately 23,440 parking spaces,
compared to a supply of 5394 spaces (considering on
the street and off-street public parking facilities only).
Taking private parking facilities in apartment blocks
and commercial establishments into account should
bring this figure up to meet the total demand.
This preliminary analysis highlighted the need to
introduce a more modern system that could impose
firmer operating controls over parking facilities in the
area, including closed parking facility management,
controlling the fee-charging process for street parking
facilities, transmitting information to users on the
availability of parking spaces, stepping up inspection
activities along avenues and feeder roads, dissemi-
nating information and encouraging the integration of
parking facilities with public transportation, and
resources to monitoring the system, diagnosing poss-
ible future problems in traffic flows and service oper-
ations. When stratifying the services, the following
aspects were considered:
앫 At the micro level (based on the local surroundings
and streets of Icaraı́): access control services coun-
ting the number of parking spaces available in real
time through the difference between parking
capacity and the number of vehicles entering less
the number of vehicles leaving, generating statisti-
cal data on parking facility occupancy rates; man-
agement of street parking facilities, with fees
charged through parking meters or automatic
machines located on each block; automatic vehicu-
lar identification (AVI) services issuing the parking
slip; electronic payment facilities using credit cards
or electronic tags; information services on the sup-
ply of public transportation, with a terminal sched-
uled for installation on each of these parking facili-
 Intelligent transportation systems and parking management: M M B Vianna et al.
Figure 3 Planning areas of Niterói
ties where users can check the itineraries of the
buses running through the region and the nearest
boarding points.
앫 At the intermediate level (covering the entire Icaraı́
neighborhood): information services on the facili-
ties available in the sub-zones, including data on
the supply of transportation in the area and the
boarding points, as well as indicating closed park-
ing facilities through the use of variable message
service panels; guard services and prevention of
irregular parking along main avenues, using video
cameras hooked into a closed circuit television sys-
tem.
앫 At the general level (city-wide in Niterói): infor-
mation services on the facilities available in the
zones; parking space booking services that reserve
a specific space even before the trip begins, or en
route; statistical control of the various parking
facilities, garage buildings and parking meters,
allowing the planning team to adapt more effec-
tively to variations in traffic flows on dense-traffic
occasions such as festivals and sport events.
The next step requires the definition of how the
equipment will be interconnected and the information
will be transmitted, presenting the logic architecture
of the system in Figure 5. Once the communications
protocols have been defined, the equipment is then
laid out in a manner that ensures it will meet the pro-
posed objectives, such as the variable message service
panels being installed at suitable locations for guiding
vehicles from their entry into the town or zone
through their destination in a sub-zone.
Regular assessment of the results obtained by the
operators is also recommended, in terms of user
acceptance and benefits obtained through the project.
These aspects should be appraised periodically in
order to fine-tune the system.
Conclusions
This paper has discussed the importance of adopting
transportation policies that foster closer integration
between parking facilities and the transport system,
underpinning an integrated parking management sys-
tem based on telematics. Through this approach, areas
set aside for parking in urban areas are no longer con-
sidered separately from the rest of the system, but are
instead analyzed and integrated to the transport sys-
tem planning process, and the whole road network.
Telematics is an efficient tool in this process, helping
the coordination and control of the transport system,
including parking facilities.
This leads to the conclusion that wider use of tele-
matics has the potential for assisting in this process,
supporting the implementation of control routines and
ensuring more effective management of the available
parking spaces through accurate occupancy controls.
The use of these integrated systems should be based
on the development of procedures guiding the proper
implementation of these services, ensuring identifi-
cation, regulation and standardization. It is also
important to define the technological requirements
and equipments required for an efficient and inte-
grated operation. Within this context, other studies
could well be carried out to meet these demands.
This study was developed to exemplify the pro-
cedure of implementing a parking management sys-
tem that supports the improvement of parking area
control, keeping an even balance between supply and
demand for parking spaces, providing guidance for
drivers looking for a parking space, with shorter travel
145
 Intelligent transportation systems and parking management: M M B Vianna et al.
Figure 4 Detail of the bay area region (traffic zones)
times and less interference with traffic flows. It is also
intended to endow the system with the facilities
needed to reduce urban traffic congestion, with posi-
tive economic effects including lower transport costs
and possible environmental benefits (mainly less air
pollution). It is also important to stress that the adop-
tion of this system will help to standardize these ser-
vices, generating competitive advantages for public
transport operators and the administrators of parking
facilities. With a more balanced utilization of the
available parking spaces in the area concerned, park-
ing administrators could improve the productivity of
the services provided and consequently, their
incomes. It also offers the possibility of minimizing
the effects of illegal parking through tighter controls
and more effective inspection of the activities, in
addition to a better management of the parking sys-
tem, streamlining traffic flows and enhancing safety.
However, these assumptions are still theoretical, as
few studies have been undertaken in order to quantify
these impacts and confirm the real effects of these
146
parking schemes in scientific terms. Within this con-
text, applications and simulations are of much value
for their dissemination. In practice, for the Brazilian
case, some obstacles may be noted in the process of
integrating the different structures that constitute the
transport system, requiring specific efforts in order to
deal with matters such as: the lack of an integrated
transport policy allowing parking facilities to be
planned together with the transport system; the fra-
gility of traffic control authorities, which find it hard
to implement unified, effective actions, especially
those related to inspection and control; the lack of
integration among the operators administering off-
street parking which are not always willing to cooper-
ate with the introduction of an integrated plan; the
lack of integration between the government auth-
orities responsible for traffic control and the various
parking facility operators; the wide variety of con-
flicting aspects found in the proposed control meas-
ures in terms of both users and operators, as well as
the implementation and maintenance costs of the
 Intelligent transportation systems and parking management: M M B Vianna et al.
Figure 5 Logic architecture of the proposed system
basic technological devices that are required for the
development of integrated systems, in addition to hir-
ing specialized staff. Also, it might be considered that
the main barriers to the implementation of an ITS
based parking management system are not techno-
logical issues but practicalities such as the availability
of data and resources. It was clear during the develop-
ment of the research that there was very little data,
studies and models upon which to develop an inte-
grated parking facility management system in Niterói.
In terms of strategic transportation planning and
technological progress in this sector, it is important
to ensure that parking areas will operate in a way that
is well adapted to this new reality. Consequently, joint
efforts are required among teaching and research
institutions, the government and private sectors, in
order to overcome difficulties hampering this
operating integration, fostering the fast, widespread
dissemination and consolidation of the concept of
integrated parking facility management.
It is also important to stress that the use of these
systems and equipments would always be justified,
especially when considering the existence of insuf-
ficient supply of spaces or the disorderly use of the
available ones. It must also be taken into account that
in towns and cities where supply is higher than
demand, efficient use of parking spaces has not neces-
sarily been demonstrated. This consequently indicates
that the implementation of an integrated system is not
intended to encourage additional trips to central areas,
as might have been thought, assuming that supply
would be rationalized and consequently “increased”
in virtual terms. To the contrary, it is intended to
ensure a more appropriate use of the existing parking
facilities, providing to a larger number of users an
easier access to these areas, in parallel to a more
rational use of the road network and assigning the
public transport system a leading role in the commut-
ing process. In the specific case of Brazilian towns
and cities, this project would offer the opportunity to
organize the road network in more densely populated
areas, serving as an initial step for integrating various
traffic authorities and enhancing their potential for
taking action, as well as inspecting and overseeing
these activities, also ensuring the public interest.
References
Allen, P A (1993) Driver response to parking guidance and infor-
mation systems. Traffic Engineering and Control 34, 302–307.
Axhausen, K W, Polak, J W, Boltze, M and Puzicha, J (1994)
Effectiveness of the parking guidance information system in
Frankfurt am Main. Traffic Engineering and Control 35, 304–
309.
Boltze, M, Dinter, M and Schottler, U (1994) The FRUIT: a goal-
oriented approach to traffic management in Frankfurt am Main
and the Rhine-Main region. Traffic Engineering and Control
35, 437–444.
Borras, K (1999) A fantastic goal for Brazil. Traffic Technology
International February/March, 50–55.
Bossom, R (1997) A system architecture for Romanse. Traffic
Technology International October/November, 95–99.
CECITEC (1996) Niterói Bairros. Prefeitura de Niterói, 1a ed., Rio
de Janeiro.
CIDE (1998) Anuário Estatı́stico do Estado do Rio de Janeiro.
Governo do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro.
Claramunt, C, Jiang, B and Bargiela, A (2000) A new framework
for the integration, analysis and visualization of urban traffic
data within geographic information systems. Transportation
Research Part C 8, 167–184.
147
 Intelligent transportation systems and parking management: M M B Vianna et al.
Click, C (1996) On street parking—a guide to practice. Landor
Publishing, London.
Coombe, D, Guest, P, Bates, J and Le Masurier, P (1997) Study
of parking and traffic demand—part 1: the research programme.
Traffic Engineering and Control 38, 62–67.
Dueker, K J and Butler, J A (2000) A geographic information sys-
tem framework for transportation data sharing. Transportation
Research Part C 8, 13–36.
French, R L (1997) Around the world in ITS days. Traffic Tech-
nology International August/September, 41–43.
Giannopoulos, G A and McDonald, M (1997) Developments in
transport telematics in Japan: traffic management, freight and
public transport. Transport Reviews 17(1), 37–59.
Gercans, R A (1984) St. Helier’s car park information system.
Traffic Engineering and Control 25, 480–484.
Harvey, S (1996) Review of intelligent transport systems. High-
ways and Transportation June, 4–7.
Ison, S and Wall, S (2002) Attitudes to traffic-related issues in
urban areas of the UK and the role of workplace parking
charges. Journal of Transport Geography 10, 21–28.
ITS International Managing events in St. Paul (1996) ITS Inter-
national March, 88–89.
Iwasaki, Y (1997) The current status of ITS in Japan. Public Roads
November/December, 27–31.
Jackson, R (1973) Parking policy as an integral part of urban devel-
opment objectives. Highway Research Record 474, 1–8.
Johnson, C M (1997) The national ITS program: where we’ve been
and where we’re going. Public Roads September/October, 6–
14.
Kobayakawa, S, Takada, K and Thompson, R G (1997) On a study
of providing information for drivers in PGI systems. In Elec-
tronic Proceedings of the Fourth World Congress on Intelligent
Transport Systems, ICC Berlin, Germany, October., pp 21–24.
Maccubbin, R P and Hoel, L A (2000) Evaluating ITS Parking
Management Strategies: A Systems Approach. Report No.
UVA/29472/CE00/102. School of Engineering of Applied
Science, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Vir-
ginia, May, Available from http://www.pti.psu.edu/mautc/docs/
MA-III-0006.pdf, 11/04/2003.
McDonald, M and Lyons, G D (1996) Driver information. Traffic
Engineering and Control 37, 10–15.
Miles, J, Walker, J, Macmillan, A and Routledge, I (1998) Access
control in city centres: objectives, methods and examples.
Traffic Engineering and Control 39, 648–654.
Mont’Alvão, C R A (1997) Inovações tecnológicas aplicadas ao
transporte rodoviário: estudo exploratório na cidade do Rio de
Janeiro. In Tese de Mestrado. PET/COPPE/UFRJ, Rio de
Janeiro.
NPA (1999) System Architecture for ITS in JAPAN. National Police
Agency, Ministry of International Trade and Industry, Ministry
of Transport, Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications, Min-
istry of Construction, Available from www.vertis.or.jp.
Nijkamp, P, Pepping, G and Banister, D (1995) Telematics and
Transport Behavior—Advances in Spatial Science. Springer-
Verlag, New York.
Peng, Z R and Huang, R (2000) Design and development of inter-
active trip planning for web-based transit information systems.
Transportation Research C 8, 4089–4425.
148
Polak, J W, Hilton, I C, Axhausen, K W and Young, W (1990)
Parking guidance and information systems: performance and
capability. Traffic Engineering and Control 31, 519–524.
Quiroga, C A (2000) Performance measures and data requirements
for congestion management systems. Transportation Research
C 8, 287–306.
Sá, V B C (1999) Contribuição à aplicação dos sistemas intelig-
entes de transportes no gerenciamento de estacionamentos na
cidade do Rio de Janeiro. In Tese de Mestrado. PET/COPPE/
UFRJ, Rio de Janeiro.
Sakai, A, Goto, K, Sugimoto, T and Okuda, T (1996) Smart parking
in Toyota’s Motown. ITS International March, 89–90.
Stathopoulos, A S, Papachristou, N, Mateus, C and Hatoglou, G
(1994) Automating debiting and electronic payment for trans-
port—the ADEPT project. The Lisbon field trials: car-park
booking, in vehicle guidance and information, and fee collec-
tion. Traffic Engineering and Control 35, 368–372.
Sussman, J M (1996) ITS: a short history and perspective on the
future. Transportation Quarterly 50(4), 115–124(Anniversary
issue).
Thill, J C (2000) Geographic information systems for transportation
in perspective. Transportation Research Part C 8, 3–12.
Thompson, R G, Takada, K and Kobayakawa, S (2001) Optimis-
ation of parking guidance and information systems display con-
figurations. Transportation Research Part C 9, 69–85.
Thong, C M and Wong, W G (1997) Using GIS to design a traffic
information database for urban transport planning. Computers,
Environment and Urban Systems 21(6), 425–433.
Tokuyama, H (1996) Intelligent transportation systems in Japan.
Public Roads Autumn, 41–45.
Tsamboulas, D A (2001) Parking fare thresholds: a policy tool.
Transport Policy 8, 115–124.
Tsopelas, I (2000) Car parking and transport telematics: improved
user information. In UTSG-32nd Annual Conference, 5–7
January, University of Liverpool.
Valleley, M (1998) Parking policy: towards an integrated perspec-
tive. In Paper presented at the Eighth WCTR, Antwerp, 12–
17 July.
Vasconcellos, E A (1997) The demand for cars in developing coun-
tries. Transportation Research Part A 31(3), 245–258.
Verhoef, E, Nijkamp, P and Rietveld, P (1995) The economics of
regulatory parking policies: the (im)possibilities of parking
policies in traffic regulation. Transportation Research Part A
29(2), 141–156.
Vianna, M M B (2000) A telemática e o gerenciamento de estacion-
amentos: uma estrutura de procedimentos. In Tese de Mestrado.
PET/COPPE/UFRJ, Rio de Janeiro.
Vianna, M M B, Portugal, L S and Balassiano, R (1999) A telemát-
ica aplicada ao gerenciamento de estacionamentos. In Anais do
XIII Congresso Nacional de Ensino e Pesquisa em Transportes,
ANPET, São Carlos, 8–12 Novembro.
VTPI—Victoria Transport Policy Institute (2002) Parking manage-
ment: strategies for more efficient use of parking resources.
Online TDM Encyclopedia. Updated on 05/11/2002, Available
from http://www.vtpi.org/tdm/tdm28.htm.
Ziliaskopoulos, A K and Waller, S T (2000) An Internet-based geo-
graphic information system that integrates data, models and
users for transportation applications. Transportation Research
Part C 8, 427–444.