Tag Archives: mobility

IPMI Blog, Resources

Uber Joins Call for Mandated Mobility Features, Regulations

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A bike lane improves mobility on a city streetUber, one of the granddaddies of transportation network companies, this week added its voice to those asking the U.S. Congress to prioritize the safety of bike and scooter users through a number of incentives:

  • New mobility infrastructure legislation that would require bike lanes be included on newly repaved roads according to a formula developed by the National Association of City Transportation Officials.
  • Congestion pricing to help fund mobility infrastructure while decreasing traffic from single-occupant vehicles.

Uber’s City Mobility Campaign will support legislation that improves bike, scooter, and micro-mobility infrastructure. It issued a letter to the U.S. House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure this week and plans to release a free data tool that will let cities and individuals understand and advocate for mobility improvements in their own areas using JUMP bike volume and city views. Read more here.

IPMI Webinar: Reimagining a Sustainable, Resilient Workforce for Curbside Management

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On-Demand: $35.00 for IPMI Members, $85.00 for Non-Members

Description:

There is disruption occurring across cities relating to curbside management. Between innovation and intensifying mobility demands, the traditional management of the curb is being jostled to meet those demands. In municipalities across the US, there is recognition to have a Curbside Management Divisions (CMDs) effectuate the wholesale management of the curb.  This webinar looks to highlight a peer review of municipal best practices and engage in an industry dialogue on the municipal curbside management workforce.

Objectives:

  • Identify principles and guidance in building and sustaining a municipal curbside management team
  • Compare needs and demands among municipal entities and industry partners regarding the future of municipal curbside management
  • Identify workforce development principles to recruit and retain curbside management talent

Presenters: 

Benito O. Pérez is a Curbside Management & Operations Planning Manager with the District Department of Transportation. In his capacity, he works on managing a team involved with creating, accessing, analyzing, visualizing, disseminating, and working with stakeholders to leverage data for policy development, resource allocation, and operations management of the District’s curbside.

 

 

Evian Patterson heads up curbside management in the District of Columbia with a focus on implementing data-driven solutions. He leads teams in managing more than 12,000 smart meter assets for 19,000+ on-street spaces, with 50+ percent of transactions in mobile payments, as well as regulating residential parking. In 2016, he oversaw the expansion of the parking division for next-generation curbside management operations to include access for taxis, buses, freight, and transportation network companies.

IPMI Blog, Resources

Parking Takes Flight

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Flying taxiBy Casey Jones, CAPP

Just more than 116 years ago, Orville Wright piloted the first flight in a “heavier than air” machine at present-day Kill Devil Hills, N.C. The Wright brothers’ success was not guaranteed and plenty of people believed we’d have wings on our backs if we were meant to fly.

As innovations go, human flight fits within the top echelon of transformative endeavors and nearly everyone in the world, whether you fly or not, has benefited from the invention. Heretofore, our industry has largely been worlds apart from flight with the exception, of course, of airport parking and a relatively few helicopter-pad equipped parking facilities. The relationship between flight and parking is likely to change. On January 7, 2020 the first autonomous taxi will be piloted in the U.S., again in North Carolina–this time in Raleigh.

Autonomous air taxis make possible three-dimensional, personal, on-demand air travel principally suited for short inter-city trips, and could very well serve as a key to addressing and mitigating the gridlock and traffic congestion that has come to define life and business in our largest cities.

Parking garages are ideally suited to accommodate drop-off and pick-up and connect air-taxi travelers to other modes of transportation in their capacity as mobility hubs. As our industry’s objective turns increasing to all forms of access and mobility, it behooves us all to take seriously that which may at first seem as impractical and risky, as flight did at the dawn of the 20th century.

Casey Jones, CAPP, is senior parking and mobility planner with DESMAN.

IPMI Blog, Resources

Oregon Establishes Mobility Office

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Oregon yesterday named three members to its new Office of Mobility and Mega Project Delivery, which was established to find ways to ease construction and improve mobility. Among its first projects will be developing a tolling and congestion pricing model.

The office’s members are experienced in transportation and tolling in both Oregon and other states.  Read the whole story here.

EV HUB, IPMI Blog, Resources

From Tesla to Parking: An Executive’s Bold Move

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Cover of the January issue of Parking & Mobility magazineTesla is almost always near the top of lists of innovative, disruptive companies. How could it not be? Known for its long-range, electric vehicles and increasing strides on autonomy, the company is an undisputed leader in the innovative-mobility space. So when Neil Golson, head of Tesla’s energy marketing sales and sales operations, North America, announced plans to join FlashParking, it raised a few eyebrows—why would you leave Tesla to work in parking?

Golson says there are simple answers to that question, and he sat down with Parking & Mobility to talk about it. Some highlights:

  • “A lot of my focus at Tesla was how people charge their vehicles. You build a super charging network and when people are charging at home, you run off of solar so we’re not building problems. A mobility hub offers a space and a very similar way to think about that challenge.”
  • “People are saying they have not only parking customers but mobility companies coming to them, and they’re coming to me saying they know EVs are happening but how do they do it? How many do they need? What does this look like? And how does this all get organized in a way that it’s integrated into their operation and it’s not just an add-on?”
  • “A lot of this is about understanding what amenities a consumer needs and what amenities a city needs. You don’t need scooters in Detroit in February but you certainly want them all year in San Diego. The same is true for EV adoption.”
  • “I strongly believe that in none of our lifetimes are we going to see less of a need for parking.”

Read more of Golson’s thoughts on parking, innovation, mobility, and how industry professionals can pull it all together for the future in the January issue of Parking & Mobility.

IPMI Webinar: Considering an Alternative to Adaptive Reuse

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  • IPMI Member Rate: $35 per webinar, live or on-demand.
  • IPMI Member Bundle: $99 for five live webinars in 2020 (August through December 2020). 
  • IPMI members always buy three and receive the fourth free!
  • Contact professionaldevelopment@parking-mobility.org to purchase.
  • Non Member Rate: $85 per webinar.

Description:

This presentation will explore how we need to be adaptive in our mindset on how we manage and implement parking in our downtowns and on our campuses, looking at exterior factors like growth, changing transportation demographics, and evolving policies to support better densification and evolution of our downtowns. The presentation will focus on a concept called the surface parking exit strategy, that attempts to right-size parking and help communities grow with changing needs.

Presenters:

Brett Wood, P.E. CAPP has over 15 years of experience as a parking and mobility consultant, working throughout North America to help his clients find creative and implementable solutions. Brett’s passions include right-sized parking, data-driven solutions, and helping to shape a future for the industry that adapts well to the rapidly occurring disruptions around it. Brett serves as co-chair of the IPMI Research and Innovation Task Force, focusing on industry-leading projects around curb management, mobility, benchmarking, and more.

 

 

IPMI Blog, Resources

Midwestern Values in Transportation

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By Shawn Conrad, CAE

At a recent IPMI-hosted event focused on parking and mobility professionals in the Midwestern region of the U.S., we heard from many business and transportation thought-leaders–experts who know parking management techniques and technologies and current trends.

A presentation from the Verdis Group highlighted consumer research from Omaha, Neb. Many of the questions focused on identifying additional ways to enhance Omaha’s transportation environment while stimulating economic development. Omaha commuters shared their perspectives about how they get to and from work and their preferences regarding several mobility and transportation issues. Omaha’s commuters are interested in active commuting options (walking, bicycling, riding the bus, or carpooling). Many of the survey respondents are seeking alternative transportation opportunities, and transportation leaders say this will continue to increase in the next decade as new forms of mobility come on the market.

The survey concluded with the following key findings for business leaders, politicians, and transportation officials to consider when seeking to revitalize Midwestern urban areas and entice people (millennials) to live and work downtown. The six recommendations are:

  • Employers should create active commuting programs for employees.
  • Increase investment in active transportation infrastructure of all types.
  • Address the parking perception issue, organize the parking system more efficiently, and eliminate parking minimums.
  • Pursue and support transit-oriented development.
  • Improve walkability.
  • Convert one-way streets to two-way streets.

To read more about the survey, go to verdisgroup.com.

Shawn Conrad, CAE, is IPMI’s CEO.

IPMI On-Demand Webinar: Micro-mobility and Parking: First and Last-Mile Options and What They Mean for Your Operation

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On-Demand Webinar: $35.00 for IPMI Members, $85.00 for Non-Members

This presentation, offered by the IPMI Technology Committee, provides an overview of first and last-mile mobility services and they can collaborate with your parking operations.  The presentation reviews the various micromobility options available and how they can fit into your existing parking operations. The presentation will review the pros and cons of each mobility service and the importance of integrating data sharing so a Mobility Professional can excel. The presentation also provides an overview of the Alliance for Parking Data Standards and how these standards will reduce your system integration costs and improve your access to data.

Objectives:

  • Summarize micromobility options that are available and review the pros and cons of each.
  • Share strategies to integrate micromobility into parking and transportation operations.
  • Provide an overview of the critical nature of international data standards and the APDS and how it can be applied to streamline operations.

Presenters:

Nathan Donnell, CAPP is an innovative technology strategist who comes up with fresh ideas and new systems in the parking and mobility industry. Nathan is the Director of Curbside Management Solutions for Conduent and has 15 years of experience in the parking and transportation industry. He has extensive experience working with municipalities, universities, and private operators to enhance their parking programs with the use of technology that makes parking and transportation more efficient. Nathan attended Grand Canyon University where he majored in Business Management.

 

 

IPMI On-Demand Webinar: Supporting Mobility in an Open Environment

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On-Demand Fee: $35.00 for IPMI Members, $85.00 for Non-Members

Description:

When it comes to mobility, the future of parking is here. You just need to know where to look. Parking professionals across the globe are seeking new ways to promote mobility and apply planning approaches and new technologies to their mobility challenges. We can learn much by looking to the experiences of parking professionals in other parts of the world…the challenges they face and the strategies and tools they are utilizing to overcome those challenges.

In this webinar, we will examine the most common challenges facing us in promoting and perfecting mobility. How do we apply technology to help people get to their destinations more freely and conveniently? What are the most exciting technologies, particularly apps, for promoting mobility? How do we make these technologies integral to the lives of commuters and travelers, without risking app fatigue or burnout? And finally, what can we learn from parking professionals in other parts of the world who have addressed these very issues?

Objectives:

  • The most common challenges we face in promoting mobility.
  • What parking professionals in Europe and other parts of the world are doing to overcome these challenges.
  • How this knowledge these approaches can be applied in the U.S. and Canada.

Presenter:

Roamy Valera, CAPP, PayByPhone’s CEO, Canada, and the US, is an internationally respected leader with over 30 years of parking industry experience. Roamy oversees the day-to-day operations of PayByPhone in the US and Canada and its growth strategy throughout North America. Roamy is also known throughout the industry as a parking and mobility visionary, and as chair of IPMI’s board of directors, he was instrumental in the industry’s evolving focus on Mobility as a Service (MaaS).

IPMI Blog, Resources

Tech-savvy: A Must for Parking and Mobility Employees

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Two women working on computer.By Heather Matthews

We all have a unique story of how we landed in the huge parking and mobility industry. My background is in technology, starting as a computer lab monitor in my children’s school to have something to do, to eventually being a database/system administrator. From these roles, I began to learn software programs, how to troubleshoot hardware issues, and how to run databases–all key skills to have in today’s parking industry.

When I started in the parking industry six years ago, the technology was just starting to take off. Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) was not even a thing yet. My office had been with the same vendors for 20+ years. Most of the technology was outdated and the need for newer, more efficient technology was a must. To navigate technology needs and learn what was available, I needed to get the parking industry trade shows.

My first step into a parking industry trade show hall was mind boggling. The sea of booths  was overwhelming to say the least. The amount of different software, hardware, and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) was staggering. Navigating which technology was best for our offices and operations was challenging. However, with my background in technology, I was able to quickly see who actually had a product that would not only be here in 10 years but who had the infrastructure to mature with the changing needs of 21st century parking operations.

As I made decisions to bring the more efficient, 21st century technologies to my office at a public university, another challenge became obvious. The employees who have to run these technologies on a daily basis needed to have the skills to understand what they are working with. This is somewhat hard to overcome in an office where most people have worked for 25+ years. Having the university acknowledge that IT professionals are extremely valuable employees was also a mounting challenge. Making sure I find the time to train and leverage the people I have is a must.

My advice to parking and mobility professionals is to make sure your new hires are tech savvy and understand how software and hardware work–from customer service, parking officers to parking and mobility operations managers. Don’t rely on just one IT professional to handle your entire department. Technology has permeated all facets of business, education, and our personal lives. Parking is no different. Add in the need for social media management and the necessity is even higher. Your operations suffer without the proper skills needed to run them. We use multiple systems and technologies to run our businesses and operations. Make sure your staff has the skills to handle the jobs!

Heather Matthews is an IT professional with the University of Vermont and also serves on the Board of Directors for the New England Parking Council.