Critical Analysis of Parking Systems and its economic impact in Tanzania

Abstract

In nearly all large urban places on earth, parking has become an expensive resource in recent years, and its restricted supply is the simultaneous cause of urban traffic congestion and air pollution. The typical method for obtaining a parking spot in Tanzania is manual, in which the motorist typically discovers a spot in the city or on the street as a result of his or her experience or good fortune. This method takes time and effort, and if the motorist is travelling in a city with a high car density, it could result in the worst-case scenario of failing to find any parking spaces or consuming a lot of time and fuel. Based on the additional features they may offer, the Innovative Scalable Smart Parking System (ISSPS), a component of the Intelligent Transportation System (ITS), gives rise to various parking facilities. The ISSPS should be able to work with many parking facility-related aspects in addition to managing the internal operations of the parking facility. This study critically analysed Smart Parking System (SPS) requirements and its economic impact in Tanzania by conducting a survey in three cities (Dar es Salaam, Mwanza, and Arusha). Purposive sampling methods were used to select the three cities due to their huge populations of motorists. A total of four hundred (400) respondents randomly selected from the three cities were involved using a structured questionnaire. The questionnaire was administered physically and online. Survey results prompted the conclusion that a secure, knowledgeable, effective, and dependable parking system is absolutely necessary for searching for vacant parking spaces, directing drivers to available spaces, negotiating parking rates, and managing parking spaces in an appropriate manner. This study proposes development of Innovative Scalable Smart Parking System (ISSPS) to alleviate the existing parking challenges in big cities of Tanzania.