Which is better? ANPR or barriers Barriers protecting the entrances and exits to a car park aren’t the common sight that they used to be. Many car parks are moving away from them in favour of other solutions, like fully embracing ANPR. But is this really better? We’re looking at the key differences between ANPR and barriers and which could have the biggest impact on your car park. Explore more Improved reliability Barriers have a large mechanical component. That means there’s more to go wrong. By nature, barriers are often directly in the path of moving vehicles; even a slight knock can break something. If one of your barriers doesn’t work, that can block an entire entrance or exit to your site. If this happens, you can see a sudden spike in congestion as drivers make for available points of access. ANPR usually eliminates the need for a barrier, which means traffic can flow more easily; on and off a car park. Because there are fewer mechanical components, there’s much less to go wrong, and because cameras can be monitored 24/7, it’s easier to identify potential issues and correct them without causing a disruption to how a car park operates. Better understanding For many businesses, any chance to get a better understanding of how your services are used and gain an insight into your customers’ behaviour is something to take seriously. Barriers don’t offer much in the way of information., They are purely in place to prevent unwanted access to a car park. ANPR helps a site to generate vast amounts of information which, when analysed, can let you know the types of vehicles using your site, the length of time people stay on your car park, how drivers pay for their parking and much more. This information can transform the way you run your site, steering your decision making down the routes which are of the most benefit to your visitors and maximising the value of your car park. For example, if you identify a growing number of EVs using your car park, you might decide now is the right time to invest in adding EV chargers to your car park. Not only does this provide visitors with a beneficial new service, but it also means that your business has access to a new revenue stream. Greater efficiency and revenue Waiting for a barrier to rise or lower takes time. It might not sound like a long time, but it can frustrate users and create delays (especially if the barrier is temperamental). For many car parks, space turnover is key. Getting cars on and off site as efficiently as possible. Removing obstacles and creating a free-flowing parking environment enables this. By removing barriers and adding ANPR to a site, you enable faster payments, greater space turnover and less congestion. This helps to remove queues and help people arrive, pay, and leave more efficiently, meaning a greater flow of people through a car park; which can provide a sizeable boost to revenue. It isn’t just increasing space turnover that improves the revenue your site generates. ANPR acts as a foundation for a site to build on, adding innovative solutions that improve convenience and maximise the ways a business can monetise their parking. From faster payments using apps and contactless, to EV charging, through to offering surplus spaces up for pre-booking, there are a multitude of ways to make your car park work harder. Improved solutions like these also help make your car park a more convenient destination, which drives up the number of repeat visits. Increased security Barriers are a method of access control, but beyond that, they don’t necessarily have any impact on what happens on your car park. ANPR cameras can act as a visual deterrent against anti-social behaviour as well as a means of enforcing multiple rules on a car park which makes it harder for problem parking and behaviour to take hold. This way a site remains a pleasant and secure place to leave a car, which overall is better for a business’ customer experience and is more likely to attract new customers as well as encourage existing ones to return. Helping you to enhance your car park In some situations, such as those where access control is incredibly strict, a barrier might be a stronger option. But for the majority of situations and car parks, ANPR is not only easier to install but also has a far greater impact in terms of improving a site. At Parkingeye we’ve been helping businesses across the UK to improve their parking for almost 20 years, from better customer experience to increasing revenue we’re able to work with you to find the perfect blend of solutions that solve your problems, delight your visitors, and maximise the potential of your car park. To find out more download our handy guide Download ANPR vs Barriers
