An assessment of the viability of the smart parking system: The case of a smart city initiative in Malaysia

Abstract

Society in general, and emerging economies in particular, face several challenges related to the rapid rate of technological change, increasing urbanization, and the degradation of the quality of life that results from air and noise pollution caused by road traffic. The apparently simple task of finding a parking space is one of the prime causes of pollution and congestion in inner‐city areas. The so‐called intelligent traffic systems and smart parking systems are believed to be one answer to alleviating this problem. This article evaluates the effectiveness of a smart parking system introduced by the state of Penang in Malaysia. It offers a review of smart parking systems and provides data from a survey of 646 Penang residents concerning the recently launched Penang Smart Parking system. The findings provide new insights and knowledge for the Malaysian government and could be used to identify critical success factors for smart parking systems in other cities.