Randwick residents and visitors will be able to find parking at Coogee Beach quickly and easily, starting Friday 4 September, thanks to new smart parking technology being trialled that will let drivers know how much parking is available at Coogee Beach and Coogee Oval car parks.

A combination of cameras and in-ground sensors will keep track of parking availability to identify how many parking spaces are available in a given area. Drivers will be able to access this information via the newly installed LED smart signs, located outside the car parks, to see the number of available spaces.

Alternatively, they can use the PayStay app to see if there are high, medium or low numbers of car spaces available at the Coogee Beach car park and Coogee Oval car park in Coogee.

PayStay parking meters have been installed and will be operational by Friday 4 September and the digital smart signs will be operational by the end of September.

“There will be no change to the number of metered parking spaces, how long people can park in spaces and certainly no new metered parking,” explained Randwick Mayor Danny Said. “This new system is all about decreasing the amount of congestion on popular roads as people spend time looking for parking spaces.

“Smart parking is designed to save time, frustration and fuel and will increase road safety because drivers won’t be distracted while looking for a place to park. We’re keen to see how well this new system works over the next few months and, if successful, we plan to roll the technology out to even more areas within Randwick City.”

New meters will be installed only in the currently metered Coogee Oval and Coogee Beach car parks. Users will be able to pay using credit card, coin or their phone, or via the PayStay app, which allows users to only pay for the time they use.

App users simply choose their registered vehicle and enter the zone number, which will be clearly displayed on signs. Through the app they can start and stop their parking session and only pay for the time they are there. Users can also opt to receive a reminder message before their parking session is about to end.

Smart parking trials will also be rolled out to locations in Kingsford and Kensington later in the year.

The Integrated Smart Parking project is being jointly funded by Randwick City Council and through a grant from the Australian Government’s Smart Cities and Suburbs program.