Tag Archives: parking

Free Online Shoptalk: The Leading Edge – Response, Reopening, and Recovery for the Parking, Transportation, and Mobility Industry

Download the Shoptalk here.

Join IPMI for our next online Shoptalk addressing the parking, transportation, and mobility industry’s response and recovery planning. Open to all, moderator Gary Means, CAPP, will lead the group in discussions centered on best practices, next steps, and the challenges ahead.

We understand this is an extremely busy time and will record the online shoptalk and distribute to all members and colleagues. If you have a question or would like to share something that has worked for your organization in advance, please email Fernandez@parking-mobility.org.


Gary A. Means, CAPP, Executive Director, Lexington & Fayette County Parking Authority

Gary is a Certified Administrator of Public Parking (CAPP) with a BA in Broadcasting from Eastern Kentucky University. Gary is a member of the International Parking & Mobility Institute Board of Directors and Chair Elect on their Executive Committee. Locally, Gary serves on several boards/committees including Lexington Area MPO Bike Pedestrian Advisory Committee, Town Branch Park Partners and Downtown Lexington Partnership. In 2000, he received Downtown Lexington Corporation’s “Outstanding Individual” Award. Gary has worked in the parking industry for over 25 years in both the public and private sectors. Gary and his wife Melissa have two children and three grandchildren.

Member News: ParkMobile Mobility Study Shows COVID-19 Will Have a Significant Impact on Consumer Behavior

ParkMobile - New LogoSurvey results indicate changing outlooks about where people will go and how they will get there

Atlanta, GA, – June 24, 2020ParkMobile, the leading provider of smart parking and mobility solutions, released a new research study today showing the impact of COVID-19 on consumer behavior. The survey, conducted with over 2,000 ParkMobile users in the month of May, reveals that people plan to make significant lifestyle changes as a result of COVID-19 over the next two years, including less travel, less commuting, and attending fewer events. Additionally, people plan to use mass transit and ride sharing less often and use their personal vehicles more often.

The complete survey results are posted on the ParkMobile website at parkmobile.io/covid. Below are some key highlights.

  • People say they will work about 50% fewer hours in an office environment
  • 29% of respondents expect to use their personal vehicles more often
  • 46% of respondents will take public transportation less often and 29% of respondents expect to use ride sharing options less often
  • Over 40% of respondents plan to attend fewer concerts, sporting events and other large gatherings.
  • 30% expect to do less personal travel and 34% expect to do less business travel

 

Additionally, survey respondents expect to increase usage of contactless payment options, allowing them to pay without needing to hand someone cash, a credit card, or touch physical payment hardware. According to the survey, 40% expect to increase their use of contactless payment options in the coming year, while only 4% expect that use to decrease.

“It is clear that COVID-19 is creating a ‘new normal’ for people everywhere,” says Jon Ziglar, CEO of ParkMobile. “This study shows that people are being extra cautious when it comes to the places they are going, how they are getting there, and the way they are making payments. These behavior shifts will most likely continue until there is a vaccine.”

 

About ParkMobile

ParkMobile, LLC is the leading provider of smart parking and mobility solutions in North America, helping millions of people easily find, reserve, and pay for parking on their mobile device. The company’s technology is used in thousands of locations across the country, including 8 of the top 10 cities as well as college campuses, airports, and stadiums. People can use ParkMobile solutions to quickly pay for on-street and off-street parking without having to use a meter or kiosk. Additionally, ParkMobile offers parking reservations at stadium venues for concerts and sporting events. Reservations are also available in metro area garages, allowing people to drive into the city without having to worry about finding parking. ParkMobile has been named to the Inc. 5000, Deloitte Fast 500, Smart Cities Connect “Smart 50,” and the Atlanta Journal Constitution’s Top Workplaces. Additionally, the company won the 2020 Stevie Awards for Product Innovation. For more information, visit ParkMobile.io or @ParkMobile on Twitter.

 

ParkMobile Contact:
Jeff Perkins, CMO, jeff.perkins@parkmobile.io

Member News: Gabe Klein, Founder of Cityfi and Former Chicago & D.C. DOT Commissioner joins Automotus Board of Advisors

Gabe Klein Autonomous ImageGabe Klein has joined the Automotus Board of Advisors. Gabe has been a leader in the transportation industry for both the public and private sectors for nearly 20 years, having held positions as the Commissioner of the Chicago and Washington D.C. Departments of
Transportation and as a Vice President at Zipcar, before co-founding Cityfi.

Automotus, a mobility-focused video analytics company, uses video analytics to help automatically analyze, monetize, and enforce all forms of curb activity. Gabe’s experience in spearheading mobility innovation in city governments is a natural fit with the company’s mission of creating more accessible and equitable urban mobility.

“Automotus is entering the market at a critical point for city governments. As cities try to tackle the growing challenges and opportunities presented by shifting behavior at the curb, Automotus’ technology provides solutions that make it easier for cities to align policies and planning with the more complex set of demand we’re seeing today, while also helping cities generate revenue from the freight, ride-hailing, and delivery services that continue to grow their presence at the curb.”

In both Chicago and Washington D.C., Gabe revamped technology platforms and government processes while focusing on putting people first vs. automobiles on city streets. This included launching two of the first and largest bikeshare systems in the U.S. and building protected bike lanes and better pedestrian infrastructure for vulnerable citizens citywide, as well as facilitating private services like carshare and rideshare to reach each city’s mobility goals. Gabe advises governments and companies worldwide on innovation in cities including Singapore where Gabe has been a visiting fellow for the Centre For Livable Cities, working on creating a “car-lite” city-state. In 2015, Gabe also published Start-Up City with David Vega-Barachowitz on Island Press, a manifesto on revamping how (and how fast) we innovate in cities and rethinking public-private partnerships with a triple-bottom-line approach as technology shapes a dramatically different future.

“We are incredibly excited to have Gabe join our team,” said Jordan Justus, CEO of Automotus. He also added, “his experience in the mobility world is unparalleled, and he has unmatched insights into the ways companies like ours must go about addressing the mobility challenges that cities are facing today, and will face further on down the road.”

Automotus was founded in 2017 by Jordan Justus, Harris Lummis, and Prajwal Kotamraju to help communities more easily understand and manage their shifting mobility landscapes, specifically at the curb. They are a Techstars-backed company serving cities across the US, Italy, France, and Austria.

About Automotus
Automotus is building a world where people spend more time where they want to be and less time getting there. The company’s technology empowers communities to measure all forms of mobility, monetize commercial parking, craft data-driven policies, and ensure compliance from all  stakeholders. Automotus can be found online at www.automotus.co.

 

Contact
3415 S. Sepulveda Blvd., STE 1166
Los Angeles, CA, 90034
Tel (805) 504-5750
Contact: Jordan Justus
Chief Executive Officer
Leads to: contact@automotus.co

 

Member News: Tuxen & Associates Announces Release of Nedap’s Groundbreaking New LPR

Nedap Identification Systems Announces Release of Groundbreaking License Plate Recognition Camera Offering Unprecedented Accuracy

Branson, MO (June 25, 2020) – Tuxen & Associates, North America agent for Nedap Identification Systems, today announced the introduction of Nedap’s latest market-leading innovation: The ANPR Lumo. The ANPR Lumo is a highly advanced, ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Reader) that embodies a generational advance in OCR (Optical Character Recognition) technology for use in the Parking and Security Sectors. The ANPR Lumo features advances in character recognition that provide unprecedented accuracy.

 

“We are excited to be partnered with NEDAP to bring their groundbreaking LPR solution to the North American market,” said Nate Leech, head of sales, North America for Tuxen & Associates. “This technology is disrupting the market and will change the way that ANPR/LPR is used in access control for parking and security installations.”

 

The ANPR Lumo is capable of deciphering and producing accurate reads in scenarios involving the complex and multi-faceted features of US license plates that have often baffled other LPRs. This capability uniquely positions it to be in access control applications where exceptionally high read accuracy is essential to success. Plus, the ANPR Lumo boasts impressive features, including:

 

  • An all-in-one License Plate Recognition Camera
  • Ability to upgrade virtually any Access Control Panel for LPR functionality
  • An instant visitor management platform for customers
  • Ability to translate any plate read into a Wiegand signal
  • Output standard and custom Wiegand formats
  • Captured plate reads from 6.5 to 33 feet
  • Accurate reads at vehicle speeds up to 80 miles per hour
  • Network capabilities permitting local or server-based image storage
  • Full rest API for seamless third-party integration
  • Easy-to-use management software tools

 

About Nedap
Nedap was founded in 1929 and has been publicly traded on the European Stock Exchange since 1947. The global leader in long range identification, Nedap operates worldwide with 11 offices and over 750 employees. For more information go to www.nedapidentification.com.

 

About Tuxen and Associates
Founded in 2001, Branson, Missouri-based Tuxen and Associates is a business development company and the exclusive Nedap agent for the Americas. For more information go to www.tuxen.com.

 

Member News: Nashville International Airport Chooses Park Assist

ParkAssist News 2020 06 26 Nashville international AirportNASHVILLE, TN – June 25th, 2020 – Park Assist® has been awarded the Parking Guidance System (PGS) contract for Nashville International Airport (BNA). As one of the fastest-growing airports, BNA’s increased traffic and added service have created a demand for a new parking solution that can handle a heavy volume of travelers. Park Assist’s M4 smart-sensor system was built to improve both garage efficiency and customer satisfaction, as such BNA elected to install this PGS in two of its garages. Park Assist’s first installation is complete and the second project is underway.

After a competitive RFP process to secure the most qualified PGS vendor, Park Assist was awarded the opportunity to be part of BNA’s continued expansion by adding the latest parking technology to its garages. Park Assist’s proprietary M4 PGS and digital wayfinding signage offer BNA visitors advanced guidance from entry to exit. The color-coded M4 smart-sensor system seamlessly guides parkers through the facility to vacant spaces using red and green lights to indicate occupancy, guaranteeing reduced search and park times, and decreased traffic.

This installation will also include several of Park Assist’s advanced software add-ons, such as Find Your CarPark Alerts, and Park Surveillance. Park Assist’s unique Find Your Car feature, created with the customer experience in mind, enables travelers to quickly locate their vehicle upon returning to the facility by entering all or part of their license plate number into a Park Assist kiosk or mobile app.

Park Assist’s Park Alerts and Park Surveillance software add-ons were designed to help increase control and security in the garage. The Park Alerts software extension allows parking management to set automated rules and alerts that help staff enforce policies and remain informed about parking abuse and policy violations within the garage, while Park Assist’s Park Surveillance module enables the M4 sensors to capture streaming video of any movement in or around parking bays. Because the M4 cameras have unobstructed views of each parking bay, as well as the space in between vehicles, they can successfully capture all action in the garage, serving as a proven deterrent of theft and other criminal behaviors.

“Nashville International Airport has been an incredible site for us as we continue to expand our projects in the airport sector and the Nashville market. This is our second major project with the airport and we are delighted to be a part of the BNA vision to help renovate its facility and deliver the best experience for all airport visitors,” said Thomas Alexander, National Channel Manager.

Partnering with GC Messer Construction, site installation is scheduled for completion by the end of June.

 
About Park Assist
Park Assist® is the parking industry’s leading camera-focused innovator with the most camera-based parking guidance installations in the world. Our patented technology helps customers effortlessly find parking spaces in real-time as well as find their cars when they return. Simultaneously, we provide parking operators with tools to improve customer satisfaction, create new revenue opportunities, realize greater operational control, capture parker analytics, and expand CCTV capabilities. Park Assist is part of the TKH Group (Euronext: TWEKA), a $1.8 billion publicly traded company headquartered in the Netherlands. For more information, visit www.parkassist.com.

Contact
Katie Rodenhiser
Global Marketing Manager
katie.rodenhiser@parkassist.com 

 

Breaking Up Is Hard To Do

Blog Post breaking upBy Michelle W. Jones, CAE, CMP

For that matter, any uncomfortable conversation can be hard. Whether you are ending a relationship, asking an aging parent about end-of-life decisions, or inquiring about the possibility of a pay raise, many conversations we have in business or in daily life are stressful. It is natural to want to avoid them.

Mel Robbins is a renowned motivational and keynote speaker, talk show host, creator of The 5 Second Rule, and a best-selling author. (And I have met her!) She says that 67 percent of managers are uncomfortable talking to the people they manage.

Robbins says the most important thing to do is to separate emotion from the matter that needs to be discussed. There are four techniques she uses to stay focused on what she needs to talk about:

  • Acknowledge responsibility. Acknowledging your responsibility in the matter diffuses the other person’s emotion. It actually honors them and puts them more at ease, and more able to listen.
  • Define outcome. The conversation you’ve been avoiding might become a rollercoaster of emotion. Knowing your intended outcome will stabilize your thoughts.
  • Listen and validate. Hear where the other person is coming from and validate their feelings. Rather than argue, acknowledge their perspective and they will be less defensive.
  • Restate the outcome. Keep coming back to the outcome you want to cause.

She adds that as a bonus, you can rehearse with an uninvolved friend.

I once worked for a CEO who said, “Bad news does not get better with age.” So even when it feels uncomfortable, sometimes it’s better to just rip the Band-Aid off, and have that difficult conversation.

Michelle W. Jones, CAE, CMP, is IPMI’s director of meetings and membership.

Authentic Concern and The Potential of Industry Technology Suppliers

Podcast E31 - Brian WolffBy Brian Wolff

“Authentic concern” is defined simply as a company that genuinely demonstrates concern, as opposed to a fake or half-hearted interaction that leaves you feeling less than appreciated or valued. If your company is delivering authentic concern, your customers feel like they are more than a number or a means to an end, and that your company’s intention (thought) and declaration (word) of wanting to deliver excellent customer service is much more than just words (deed).

We all must work together to make the experience more seamless for the parking customer, and it is important to stitch our systems together behind the scenes on behalf of our operators. As suppliers to the parking industry, we too must demonstrate thought, word, and deed when selling and delivering technology solutions for our customers. Additionally, we must take part in breaking the walls down between companies in the name of a seamless, frictionless, and outstanding customer experience.

Customers know when we’re simply giving lip service to the concept of customer service. How? Do you say that delivering excellent customer service is important on your website and/or in your advertising? Do your ambassadors have smiles on their faces when they greet customers? Do they go the extra mile when a customer needs help? Do your parking customers pull into your facility with a good first impression and leave with the same? Is there clear signage? How long do your customers have to wait when they push the help button? Do your people have the training and the tools to deliver a great customer experience? If the answer to any of these questions is soft, then there’s a disconnect somewhere between thought, word, and deed.

Delivering a great customer experience is hard, but you’ve got to start somewhere. If you’re not sure where to start, look around. There are great customer experiences everywhere – you don’t have to reinvent the wheel! You might even lean on customer service legends to guide your path. But it starts with good thoughts, sharing those thoughts and then doing one thing differently to get yourself on a good path toward delivering authentic concern and a great customer experience.

Learn more about the value of training and mentorship discussed in the latest episode of The Parking Podcast; learn more at parkingcast.com.

Brian Wolff is CEO of Parker Technology.

 

Balancing the Post-pandemic Budget

Blog finance fundsBy Pamela Corbin, CAPP

There is little doubt that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a huge effect on the budgets of parking systems throughout the country. Operating budgets are one of the most important work products in municipalities. They give the authority to incur obligations and pay expenses, allocate resources, and control how departments/programs/cost centers spend.

Governmental parking systems typically fall into one of two categories:

  • General Fund: comes from tax levies and is required by statute to have a lawful appropriation.
  • Enterprise Funds: used to account for operations that operate like a business enterprise with budgeted revenues and expenses in balance.

The City of Orlando is an Enterprise Fund with the requirement for our revenues to cover expenses; in the event they don’t cover, funds are pulled from retained earnings (reserves). During the economic downturn of 2007-2009, referred to by many as the Great Recession, the city parking system was out of balance. This resulted in the requirement to pull down from our retained earnings, and it was clear they could quickly get depleted. As a result, the parking system went through an extensive parking study and raised rates. This enabled us to balance our fund and as the economy recovered, we were able to continue with much-needed maintenance projects.

This pandemic has had the same effect on most of our systems, with impacts on some systems being greater than others. Whether you are an enterprise fund or get your funding through tax dollars, there will be challenging roads ahead as we move to ensure we have adequate funding to run our parking systems.

I have heard the topic of raising rates mentioned by various cities, but given the circumstances, this may present a great deal of public outcry. There is no doubt we will need to go deep into the think tanks to come up with new and innovative ways to balance our budgets through reducing our expenses.

 

Pamela Corbin, CAPP, is parking administration and planning manager with the City of Orlando, Fla.

 

Planning in Unusual Times

urban planning COVID-19 blogBy L. Dennis Burns, CAPP

I recently read an article by Sam Lubell about COVID-19’s effects on cities, in the Los Angeles Times.

In his article, Lubell outlines how “although pandemics have long been a tragic scourge on our cities, they’ve also forced architecture and city planning to evolve. The Bubonic Plague, which wiped out at least a third of Europe’s population in the 14th century, helped to inspire the radical urban improvements of the Renaissance. Cities cleared squalid and cramped living quarters, expanded their borders, developed early quarantine facilities, opened larger and less cluttered public spaces and deployed professionals with specialized expertise, from surveyors to architects.”

“In the 20th century, tuberculosis, typhoid, polio and Spanish flu breakouts prompted urban planning, slum clearance, tenement reform, waste management and, on a larger level, Modernism itself, with its airy spaces, single-use zoning (separating residential and industrial areas, for instance), cleaner surfaces (think glass and steel) and emphasis on sterility.”

Lubell concludes that, “It’s clear that the coronavirus will have — and is already having— a similarly profound effect on today’s built world. It’s shaking loose notions of what is “normal” in a field still employing many of the same techniques it did a century ago. And it’s pushing forward promising but still emerging practices, from prefabrication to telecommuting.”

I encourage you to read Lubell’s article in which he examines six methodologies related urban design and the built environment that are playing a prominent role in the age of COVID-19:

  • Modular construction.
  • Adaptive reuse.
  • Lightweight architecture.
  • The healthy building.
  • Telecommuting and small city living.
  • The town square, reconsidered.
  • Building beyond COVID.

According to Lubell, if history is a guide, the rise of these temporary methodologies likely will become permanent, at least in some form.

 

L. Dennis Burns, CAPP, is regional vice president and senior practice builder with Kimley-Horn.