Parking system with centralized reservation, payment and enforcement

A parking system for enabling centralized parking reservation, payment and enforcement, comprises a central computer communicating with user terminals and service terminals over a data network. The parking system maintains maps for all parking facilities administered by the respective owner and maintains information regarding the user of the respective vehicle; this information is particularly useful in security sensitive areas. A subscriber may access the system using a wireless or wireline web-enabled terminal, or with the help of an agent, to identify a convenient, un-reserved parking space, reserve that space (advance reservation is available) and pay a fee corresponding to the time the space was used. For subscriber's convenience, payment is cashless, and is tailored to the subscriber's needs; overtime parking protection is also available. The service terminals enable automation of most parking operations. Efficient supervision and enforcement operations of a parking facility are ensured through use of fixed or portable license plate readers (LPR). The parking supervisor/enforcer is provided with the ability to upload into the system the current parking occupancy, download maps with the expected occupancy, and issue parking tickets to offenders. The information on delinquent cars may be sent to the local authority or Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to identify repeat offenders for appropriate enforcement in traffic courts.