Intelligent traffic control in commercial infrastructure

The Brama Mazur Shopping Center, as a vibrant retail and entertainment hub in Ełk, requires reliable parking technology. The implemented solution automates entry and exit processes, allows mobile payments directly at the exit, and offers fast transactions at the pay stations.

Parking lots at shopping centers and malls are among the most demanding locations when it comes to traffic organization. In facilities of this kind, what matters most is high vehicle turnover, short processing times at entry and exit, and the ability to apply fees flexibly – including exempting customers from fees in cooperation with the facility's tenants. When designing the parking system for Brama Mazur, we took into account the specifics of a retail facility operating in a touristically attractive location – with pronounced seasonal fluctuations in traffic volume and the need to serve local customers and visitors unfamiliar with the parking layout equally efficiently.

15" entry and exit terminals with voice prompts

At the heart of the system are the entry terminal and exit terminal, equipped with 15" color touch screens that also support voice prompts, guiding the customer step by step through the entire entry and exit process. This solution is particularly important at a retail facility, where a large share of drivers use the parking lot only once or occasionally.

• Entry Terminal CFS-S-E15
• Exit Terminal CFS-S-X15
• 15" color touch screen
• voice prompts guiding the customer through the entry and exit process
• a multilingual user interface, useful during the tourist season as well
• QR code ticket issuance
• mobile and cashless payment support directly at the exit (NFC, BLIK, PayPass)

Voice prompts on the terminals significantly reduce the number of mistakes and misunderstandings at entry and exit, resulting in smoother traffic flow, particularly during peak hours and periods of increased tourist traffic typical of the Masurian Lake District in the summer season. The ability to make a mobile payment directly at the exit further shortens waiting time and eliminates the need to visit a pay station beforehand.

Automatic pay station handling cash and cashless payments

As part of the investment, we installed an automatic pay station handling both cash and cashless payments, allowing shopping center customers to settle their parking fee quickly and conveniently, regardless of their preferred payment method.

• color touch screen with a clear interface
• banknote acceptance and coin change dispensing
• cashless payment support (NFC, BLIK, PayPass)
• QR code support
• printing of payment confirmations, including simplified invoices with a VAT number
• integration with an intercom for contacting the operator

Supporting both payment methods in a single device meets the needs of different customer groups – both those who prefer fast contactless payments by phone or card, and those who still pay in cash, which matters especially at a facility also visited by elderly customers and tourists.

LPR license plate recognition system

The installed LPR system automatically recognizes the license plates of vehicles entering and leaving the Brama Mazur Shopping Center parking lot, speeding up traffic handling and raising the level of security across the entire facility.

• LPR Cameras CFS-C-L01
• real-time automatic license plate recognition
• high reading accuracy regardless of time of day or weather conditions
• integration with the validation system and the vehicle database
• entry and exit without the need to take a traditional ticket

LPR technology at a high-traffic retail facility such as Brama Mazur significantly reduces vehicle processing time at entry and exit, resulting in higher parking lot throughput, especially during peak hours and the tourist season.

Extensive barrier infrastructure

Physical control of entry and exit to the parking area is provided by an extensive barrier infrastructure, selected for intensive, everyday use at a retail facility with high traffic volume.

• Premium Parking Barriers
• high resistance to intensive, everyday use
• fast opening and closing times, minimizing queue formation
• advanced anti-crush protection
• the ability to remotely open and lock barriers from within CarFlow 2.12 software

A properly selected and positioned barrier infrastructure is one of the key factors determining a retail parking lot's throughput – especially during periods of increased traffic, such as weekends or the holiday season in the Masurian Lake District.

Tablet-based parking time validation

One of the key elements of the implementation is parking time validation, carried out using dedicated tablets placed directly at selected shopping center tenants. This solution allows a customer to be partially or fully exempted from the parking fee in exchange for using the services of a specific tenant.

• validation performed by scanning a QR-coded ticket or entering the license plate number
• automatic granting of a discount or free parking time after verification
• validation can be applied whether the customer is starting or ending their stay
• full control and reporting of granted discounts from within CarFlow 2.12 software
• increased attractiveness of the shopping center for both customers and tenants

Tablet-based validation is a convenient solution for both shopping center customers and the tenants themselves – staff at a retail or dining outlet can independently and instantly grant a parking discount, without involving facility administration or additional equipment.

Intercom communication system

Every key point in the system – the entry terminal, the exit terminal, and the automatic pay station – was equipped with an intercom module, enabling immediate voice contact with the parking operator. This is an important feature at a high-traffic facility, where unusual situations – a lost ticket, a payment issue, or a faulty card – occur regularly.

• immediate voice communication between the customer and the parking operator
• the ability to redirect the call to a phone or a monitoring center
• quick problem resolution without the need for physical intervention on site
• increased comfort and sense of security for shopping center customers

CarFlow 2.12 software with a reservation module and remote administration

All the elements of the installation – the terminals, the automatic pay station, the LPR system, the barriers, the validation modules, and the intercoms – were integrated within a single, coherent ecosystem based on CarFlow 2.12 software. This gave the shopping center's administration a central tool for overseeing all parking traffic, accessible from anywhere.

• remote parking management from a web browser
• a parking space reservation module – useful, for example, when organizing events or promotional campaigns on the mall premises
• live view of any device screen in the system
• management of validations and discounts assigned to individual tenants
• real-time reporting of parking traffic and granted discounts
• email notifications about events requiring the administrator's attention
• the ability to further expand the system as the shopping center grows

The parking space reservation module allows the mall's administration to flexibly manage the availability of selected parking zones, for example during periods of particularly high interest in the facility or when organizing special events. Remote system administration, in turn, means that control over the parking lot's operation is possible without the constant presence of technical staff on site – particularly valuable at facilities operating extended opening hours typical of the tourist season.

Results of the implementation for the Brama Mazur Shopping Center

Thanks to the integration of all elements within a single ecosystem, the Brama Mazur Shopping Center's parking lot operates efficiently, intuitively, and is ready for the needs of a facility with an intensive operational profile:

• faster, more intuitive customer service thanks to voice prompts on the terminals
• convenient cash, cashless, and mobile payments directly at the exit
• greater throughput thanks to the LPR system and the extensive barrier infrastructure
• increased appeal of the facility thanks to tenant-driven parking time validation
• fast customer support thanks to the intercom system
• full management flexibility thanks to the reservation module and remote administration in CarFlow 2.12
• a system ready for the seasonal traffic fluctuations typical of a tourist destination

Why do shopping centers choose Car Flow System?

A modern parking system at a retail facility is far more than the devices installed at the entry and exit. It is a comprehensive solution that genuinely increases the parking lot's throughput, improves customer comfort, and simplifies the facility administrators' day-to-day work.

The project for Brama Mazur in Ełk shows that a system of this kind works equally well in large metropolitan areas and in smaller cities with a distinct tourist character, where seasonal traffic patterns call for a solution that is flexible, scalable, and resistant to significant load fluctuations.

Project summary

The Car Flow System parking system implemented at the Brama Mazur Shopping Center in Ełk is an example of a comprehensive solution designed with the specifics of retail facilities in tourist locations in mind. The installation includes an entry and exit terminal with 15" screens and voice prompts, an automatic pay station handling cash and cashless payments, an LPR license plate recognition system, an extensive barrier infrastructure, tablet-based parking time validation, an intercom communication system, and a full package of CarFlow 2.12 software with a parking space reservation module and remote system administration.

Thanks to the integration of all elements within a single ecosystem, the parking lot operates efficiently, intuitively, and is ready for the needs of a facility with an intensive operational profile. We thank our client for their trust and are glad that Car Flow System solutions support the development of yet another retail investment in Poland.