Lot Groups Management
Lot Groups in OPS-COM allow administrators to logically group similar parking lots together, treating them as a single entity for certain configurations. This feature simplifies management by enabling shared settings like free parking time and vehicle count limits across multiple lots, providing a more streamlined approach to parking administration.
Setup & Configuration
A lot may only belong to one group, and membership in a group is optional.
- Hover over the System Configuration (Cog) menu, Parking and click Manage Lot Groups.
- Click the Add Lot Group button.
- Lot Group: Enter a descriptive Group Name in the text box.
- Optionally, set a Free Parking Time Limit in minutes. This setting is typically used for lots equipped with pay-by-plate meters to provide a grace period for users to register their license plate.
- Offence Location: Offence locations for lot groups are used in conjunction with static cameras. Through the use of a static camera report, a violation can be written that uses the offence location associated to the lot group the camera is in.
- Vehicle Counts Limit: Enter a numerical value for the Vehicle Counts Limit. This sets a maximum vehicle count for the entire group of lots.
- Click Save Changes to create the new lot group. The newly created lot group will now appear in the list on the Manage Lot Groups page.
Assigning a Lot to a Lot Group
Once a Lot Group is created, you can assign individual lots to it from the Lot Edit Page:
- Hover over Parking Management, Lot Administration and click Pricing & Lot Admin.
- Click on the Lot Name of the lot you wish to assign to a group.
- On the General tab, locate the Lot Group dropdown menu.
- Select the desired Lot Group from the list.
- Click Update Lot to save your changes.
Best Practices & Considerations
- Logical Grouping: Group lots that share similar operational characteristics or pricing rules. For instance, all visitor lots could be in one group, or all faculty lots in another.
- Pay-by-Plate Integration: The Free Parking Time Limit is crucial for lots using pay-by-plate systems. Ensure this setting provides adequate time for users to complete their registration.
- Centralized Control: Using Lot Groups allows for centralized management of certain settings, reducing the need to configure them individually for each lot.
- Deletion Note:
- Deleting a lot group is a permanent action from the list.
- While the group will no longer appear, its associated data (connections to permits and parking lot historical data) remains stored in the OPS-COM system. This ensures data integrity for past transactions.