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That’s six times what it allocated last year on R&D and should get Calgary Parking “back in the game,” but still pales in comparison to what private companies spend on research and development, said Derbyshire.

“We’ve come very quickly to the realization that a start-up, for example, can eat our lunch,” he said, adding the market has already caught up to the ParkPlus technology.

“We have to stay current and ahead of that as we start to execute our strategy of selling and marketing it around the world.”

Derbyshire was hired last year by the parking authority with a mandate to market and sell the homegrown ParkPlus system in North America and abroad. Since then, the agency inked a licensing agreement with Edmonton and is negotiating another $28 million in contracts with several other jurisdictions and private entities.

“I don’t think we’re spending enough to be the technology company that we have to be in order to achieve council’s aspirations for ParkPlus maintaining its position as the most sophisticated parking management technology in the world,” said Coun. Gian-Carlo Carra.

“The money that we’re spending now keeps us in the race and then it’s a question on whether we want to surge and take the lead or (decide) where we want to go with that,” said Carra, a member of the Calgary Parking Authority board.

Derbyshire hopes to capitalize on licence plate recognition technology, which could make parking enforcement in residential areas more efficient and improve service at parking lots and parkades.