PAPHOS PARKING GETS 'SMART'

 Cyprus Mail 10 August 2020 - by Bejay Browne

Paphos aims to become the first town in Cyprus to implement ‘Smart’ parking and a tender for the project was launched at the weekend, according to municipal officials.

“The municipality of Paphos announced the tender for the supply of a “smart” parking management system, with an estimated cost of €1.2 million and an installation duration of seven months,” a municipal spokesman told the Cyprus Mail.

The project includes the management of parking spaces with the use of sensors at each location, this will be a total of 3,300 parking spaces in organised spaces and other areas, he said.

In addition, a mobile application will inform the public about the available parking spaces at the points of interest, as well as information regarding the payment of parking fees.

“The implementation of the smart system will bring a great many benefits, such as the reduction of unnecessary vehicle movements, the facilitation of the movement of citizens and visitors in the city, as well as the reduction of pollutants,” he noted.

The announcement of the tender and the creation of the smart parking spaces, is evidence that the municipality “is taking another essential step for the realisation of a strategic goal” for the transformation of the city into a smart city, he said.

A smart city is a framework composed of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), to develop, deploy, and promote sustainable development practices to address growing urbanisation challenges.

Citizens engage with smart city systems in a variety of ways using smartphones and mobile devices. Pairing devices and data with a city’s infrastructure and services can cut costs and improve sustainability.

Energy distribution, streamlining rubbish collection, decreasing traffic congestion, and improving air quality are just some of the benefits.

Paphos Mayor, Phedonas Phedonos, is leading the way to establish Paphos as a Smart City, and last year gave an extensive briefing on the actions of the municipality, which are being implemented through tenders and strategic partnerships which are developing the vision for its implementation.

Paphos is also participating in the Smart Cities project, which is being implemented under the Interreg V-A Greece-Cyprus 2014-2020 co-operation programme and is co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and using funds from both Greece and Cyprus.