Eyes on the meter

Western Australia’s largest private parking and security provider, Wilson, is trialling in Cottesloe new technology it hopes will expand its operations as economic conditions create a shortage of parking bays.

Besides its recent acquisition of WA security company Shelf Security – its fourth such purchase in two years – Wilson has also secured the worldwide distribution rights to a parking control technology called Meter-Eye.

Meter-Eye can detect when a vehicle has overstayed in a parking bay and notifies parking enforcement staff.

Wilson managing director John Nolan said it had decided to test the technology, engineered in New Zealand, for the first time in Australia by installing sensors in local council bays along Napoleon Street in Cottesloe.

 “The shop owners in Cottesloe think it’s fantastic. They’ve got half-hour parking bays out front that without this regulation, would ordinarily have little vehicle turnover,” he said.

“This technology is not all about generating profit, it’s about re-educating motorists and helping traffic flow.”

Mr Nolan revealed a number of large WA councils and shopping centre retailers had expressed an interest in the timing device for their open car parks, which he said was simple and cost effective to install.

The company was also interested in trialling other products with the Meter-Eye range, including space availability indicator lights that can direct traffic flow in multi-level car parks. 

Mr Nolan said Wilson was buoyed by the enormous growth of the security industry in the state during the past few years, and recognised a  number of opportunities to grow its business in the sector through new contracts guarding high-net worth assets, courts and banks.