Municipality of Wageningen transforms parking management with ParQ

Parking management is an essential part of the daily activities of municipalities. Previously, this was often a complex and time-consuming process, both for the municipality and for permit holders. Fortunately, the municipality of Wageningen has recently taken a major leap forward in their parking management with the help of ParQ, an advanced Software as a Service (SaaS) platform specifically developed for municipalities and their parking policy. In this blog article, we share the experiences of the municipality of Wageningen and how ParQ has significantly simplified permit management. We speak with Marian van der Stok, functional application administrator, Paulisca van Telgen, information advisor and Gerwin Donkers, functional application administrator of the municipality of Wageningen about their experiences with ParQ.

A hybrid construction makes way for a modern solution

Previously, the municipality of Wageningen used a hybrid construction, where a physical parking application and a digital desk worked together. However, this caused significant problems because the old on-premise application was not designed with modern technologies and functionalities. It became clear that a new application was needed, built with today's technologies, to make parking management more efficient and effective.

Gerwin Donkers was closely involved in the implementation of the old system to the current ParQ, such as testing the data conversion. Gerwin: "During the market exploration we discovered that the current hybrid construction in the form of a physical parking application and a digital desk in SAAS functions less well. And that really caused problems because that on-premise application was already quite outdated. As a result, things no longer worked well. The realization came that we really need a modern application like ParQ, built on today's technology. So that everything works well."

With the implementation of ParQ, the municipality of Wageningen has taken a huge step forward. ParQ is a user-friendly SaaS application that enables permit holders to independently manage their permits. This has led to an improvement of the internal parking management process and has enabled the municipality to improve their service to permit holders.

Fines and permits under one roof

From her role as Information advisor at the municipality, Paulisca van Telgen was responsible for project monitoring during the implementation of ParQ. "When it became clear that the previous application was being discontinued, I dealt with the question: should we tender or not? Then we first started with market exploration. Eventually we ended up with ParQ. In the implementation of this application, my responsibility lay in monitoring the deadline and linking with matters such as DigiD."

An important change that has taken place is the split of parking tax fines and permits. Previously, these processes were handled within the same application, which sometimes led to confusion. With the arrival of ParQ, it was immediately tested what the most logical distribution would be. Now the parking tax fines are housed at Level Belastingen, while the permits are managed in ParQ. This separation has led to a clearer and more efficient handling of both processes.

A gradual transition and satisfied permit holders

The transition to ParQ did not go without challenges, but in collaboration with Qualogy, the municipality of Wageningen organized the process well. There was careful planning and a structured approach, including extensive test phases. Although it initially took some getting started, the municipality was actively supported and guided throughout the trajectory. This resulted in a smooth transition and satisfied permit holders. Marian van der Stok, functional application administrator says about this: "I found the transition from the old application to ParQ well organized. We were really taken by the hand during the test phase. That was excellent."

Municipality of Wageningen and Qualogy: Working together for a seamless experience with ParQ

Not only during the implementation phase was there good cooperation between both parties. The municipality of Wageningen has built a close relationship with Qualogy's development team. One of the most important advantages of working with Qualogy is the direct and short communication lines. The municipality of Wageningen and Qualogy have regular contact, with bi-weekly updates and releases. This allows potential problems to be solved quickly and frustrations to be prevented. The contact with Qualogy is active and matters are proactively picked up.

Marian: "Every two weeks the updates are released and then we have a digital meeting. I find that very pleasant. That you have personal contact and are kept informed. Not that you suddenly notice in the system that something has changed." In addition, Qualogy organizes customer days on location. Here new developments in parking policy and ParQ are presented and input from municipalities is requested. Marian represents the municipality of Wageningen at these events: "Because every municipality is different, it's hard to compare. But I find it very nice to have that contact. Also to hear how other municipalities have organized their parking policy."

Digitalization and policy rules

The next step in the digitalization of the municipality of Wageningen's parking policy on the agenda are business permits. Visitor permits are also part of the plans for digital expansion. However, Wageningen encounters some policy rules that make the integration of these visitor permits more complex. "The link with these rules and local regulations is crucial. When there are bottlenecks in this link, digitalization is hindered. Advice for municipalities that start with the digitalization of this trajectory: the focus must first be on the policy and local regulations."

Marian says about this: "To digitalize optimally, a as standardized approach as possible is recommended. Exceptions can still be handled personally at the counter. There will always be exceptional cases that are not easy to digitalize. People who have been used to a certain approach for their parking permits for decades may resist changes, such as a new system that imposes restrictions. Perhaps that is also the conclusion; that you can organize the policy 90 percent digitally. And then it remains 10 percent manual. And then I find it nice that we have a package where you can manually change things at the back. That as a municipality you can still deliver customization. Because yes, we are just a small municipality."

Continuously improving and innovating

The collaboration between the municipality of Wageningen and Qualogy has led to a successful implementation of ParQ and a beautiful, personal collaboration. These joint efforts ensure that parking management runs smoothly and that continuous improvements are made to meet the specific needs of the municipality.