Nelson Bay is a major tourism centre in the Hunter Region of NSW. Well known for its whale and dolphin watching, surfing, and other water-based recreational activities, it is a popular holiday destination for many.

Port Stephens Council offers intelligent parking services for safety, accessibility and convenience for locals and visitors and Park Agility were engaged to supply and install seven wayfinding signs covering the Nelson Bay precinct area and to capitalise on existing technology which includes over 970 in-ground sensors located in open air car parks and on-street parking.

Three large signs that are powered off the grid are positioned at the main entry roads into Nelson Bay, providing guidance and information to motorists to facilitate access to available parking bays. Each wayfinding sign shares real time parking data from the in-ground sensors with directional arrows, the number of available bays and if bays are on-street or within a car park. Two of the larger signs also feature information panels and three public information messages rotate in a continuous cycle, with each message being displayed for 10 seconds before rotating to the next. These messages are easily edited and shared on an ‘as needed’ basis for events, public health orders and other important community messaging.

The four smaller wayfinding signs are situated in open air car parks within the shopping precinct. All are solar powered in line with Council’s policy of installing renewable technology where possible to address the climate emergency. More compact in design, these signs share bay availability and directional signage for the six Council-owned car parks in the busy central precinct.

Park Agility’s SenseIQ management system communicates in real time with the data collected from the in-ground sensors, providing accurate parking information to drivers. This technology helps contribute to less congestion, less pollution and reduced driver frustration during peak season for this busy tourist haven and allows Council to monitor usage and plan for the future.

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