Case Study
At Baylor University, enthusiastic response to OpenSpace parking counting system leads to Student Government/Parking Services partnership and 3 more parking systems.
The Client
Baylor University is a private Christian university in Waco, TX. With over 16,000 students and a 1,000 acre campus, it boasts the largest campus of any Baptist university in the world. Despite 5 student garages totaling 11,000 parking spaces, students were complaining that they simply couldn’t find spots. They were often wasting valuable time circling garages futilely, and starting all over again at the next campus garage. The University wanted a solution that could help students locate available parking efficiently and get where they needed to go faster.
The Challenge
With its large student population and expansive campus, Baylor University was aware that students were often pressed for time and struggling to park quickly so they could get to class on time. The unpredictability of college schedules made it difficult for students to estimate when and where spots would be available. Students were frustrated and often would need to circle an entire garage before concluding that no spots were available and starting the whole process again in another garage.
While the Parking Services Department was aware that parking counting systems could help guide students into available parking spots, most systems were exorbitantly expensive. Beyond the huge investment of purchasing and installing a typical parking guidance system, downloading and managing data remotely was complicated and costly as well.
Baylor University wanted a parking counting solution that could:
- Let students know if and how many spotswere available in a parking garage
- Process and display real-time occupancy data
- Meet University budgetswithout the prohibitive costs most systems included
- Be installed quickly and easily without structural changes
- Provide remote accessto parking statistics and data
- Offer ongoing tech supportanytime an issue would arise
The Solution
The Parking Logix OpenSpace system, equipped with OpenSpace Cloud, offers Baylor University the parking solution they need to guide students into available spots at a fraction of the cost of other parking guidance systems.
While typical parking counting systems involve complex wiring of sensors in every parking spot, the OpenSpace system provides highly accurate counts with sensors embedded into speed bumps at parking garage entrance and exit.
Baylor began by installing the system in just one of the campus parking garages as a pilot program. Students were so pleased by the system and the convenience and stress-reduction it offered them that student government used $20,000 of their discretionary funds to help fund systems for three more of the University’s garages.
The systems include sensors installed into speed bumps that keep up-to-the-minute statistics on how many cars enter and exit the garage. This data is conveyed to a variable message sign at the garage’s entrance and displayed to students in brightly lit LED digits. Parking data, including busiest and quietest times of day, is sent remotely to the OpenSpace cloud where the parking department can access and analyze it to further improve campus parking.
- The simpler, smarter OpenSpace system requires sensors only at ingress and egress points for a drastic reduction in system cost
- The plug-n-play system is simple to install and easy to maintain
- Parking Logix offers a dedicated tech support team that helps iron out any wrinkles almost instantly
- Students can always see how many spots are available and when the lot is full
- Parking Services staff can access data anytime from anywhere via the OpenSpace cloud
The Benefits
While inititally planned as a pilot program, the OpenSpace system has already been installed in 4 out of the 5 Baylor University garages. Student response has been overwhelmingly positive, as demonstrated by the Student Government’s funding toward the systems for additional campus garages. With a streamlined parking guidance system, the Parking Services department is doing its part to minimize the frustration of student parking and get students where they need to on time.
Matt Penney, the Director of Parking & Transportation at Baylor, noted, “The students are really happy with the signs. I’ve been getting texts saying things like ‘that sign’s a winner,’ ‘that sign is awesome.’” He also commented on the unusually dedicated support Parking Logix offers: “The tech support is incredible Anytime I give them a call, they get back to me right away. That’s really not something I’ve encountered with other companies.
The OpenSpace parking counting system has:
- Provided Baylor University with cost-effective parking counting without the need to wire each space
- Helped Baylor students avoid the frustration of circling for parking with clear guidance on parking availability
- Given the Parking Department valuable parking data and trends available remotely anytime they need it
