The First Step Towards Smart Cities

Smart Cities are the way of the future. Every city in Canada is already planning its evolution into a Smart City and some are beginning to implement the initial elements.

The success of this evolution will depend largely on parking technology. Drivers—and eventually those in autonomous vehicles—need to park, and making it easier to park will dramatically reduce congestion on city streets. In the not-too-distant-future, when we leave the house, we’ll just enter our destination into our car’s GPS and then the car will guide us directly to the closest available parking space to that destination. If we haven’t already reserved and paid for a parking space in advance, we’ll be able to pay with our cell phones. If we need more time than we paid for, we’ll get a text reminding us when it’s time to move the car and asking if we want to pay for more parking—which we can do with our cell phones, without returning to the car.

The Foundation of Smart Cities

Intelligent parking technology will play the key role. Intelligent parking uses parking guidance sensors located in or over parking spaces to monitor whether they are occupied or available, and transmits that information to strategically located signs to guide vehicles directly to available spaces. 

Parking guidance is already common in parkades throughout Canada. While it’s primarily used as a driver amenity designed to make it easier to quickly and conveniently find an available parking space, it also helps parking organizations better manage their assets by providing real-time data about how those assets are being utilized. Additionally, parking guidance also helps organizations increase their occupancy by eliminating the risk that drivers will give up looking for a space and…

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How Are Asphalt Paving and Sealcoating Different?

When the time comes to consider asphalt repair for your parking lot or driveway, you want to be absolutely sure you’re choosing the right option. Asphalt paving and sealcoating can appear similar on the surface—no pun intended—but these two maintenance and repair procedures are very different.

Asphalt Paving – The what, how, and when

Asphalt paving is the process where existing asphalt surfaces are either replaced or have a new layer of asphalt added on top of them. It’s most often used when asphalt is showing signs of deterioration or wear, such as large cracks and potholes, but when the wear is not bad enough to warrant a complete replacement.

There are a number of options for surface asphalt repair, depending on the issues your parking lot is facing:

Infrared repair – a process in which new and existing asphalt is blended together and compacted into the damaged area for seamless reparation of potholes and rough areas. This method is particularly effective due to the quality of the repair, reduced construction time, and economical advantages.

Pothole repair – asphalt mix is added to the hole after debris has been cleared away, which is then compacted with a multi-ton vibratory roller or a vibratory plate. This is, more often than not, a remedial repair and the hole may reform months or even weeks after the job.

Resurfacing – after the asphalt has been cleared of debris, a new layer of asphalt is applied to the old surface. Between these layers is tack coat, which bonds the two different asphalts together firmly. The new layer will measure the correct depth and be compacted with a multi-ton vibratory roller.

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