Tag Archives: parking

The Language of Parking

January 24, 2020 Kim Fernandez Leave a comment

By Kathleen Federici, MEd

Our local borough’s parking garage just moved from a pay-and-display meter to a type-in-your-license-plate and be-on-your-way meter. Change, however, is not something most folks are comfortable with. This even applies to the new meter on the bottom floor of our local parking garage.

I am in the borough five out of the seven days in any given week due to the kids’ schedules and activities. So, I am very familiar with the changes in the garage. I’d estimate from sight, about 95 percent of people still go back to their car and display their tiny receipt on their dashboards, just in case.

Recently, my friends and I went into “town,” as we call it, for lunch. As typed my license plate number into the new meter, we casually chatted about how much time I needed to pay for. One of my friends said, “Well, it has your license plate number, can’t it just keep adding time if you’re running late?” I said, “No, it doesn’t have license plate recognition capability, that’s a different software.” There was a line behind me at this new meter and the guy behind us chimed in and asked us if we work for the meter company. I said, “No, I am in the parking industry.”

It was at that moment I realized that my friends actually listen to me when I talk about work. It was a proud moment for me–I can speak the language of parking and my friends retain that information.

Kathleen Federici, MEd, is IPMI’s director of professional development.

IPMI Blog, Resources

Discovering the Future of Mobility–in a Video Game?

January 23, 2020 Kim Fernandez Leave a comment

By Matt Davis

Parking does not have a lot of crossover with pop culture, so imagine my surprise to discover an innovative vision of the future of parking and mobility in an unlikely place: a video game.

If you’re familiar with the video game industry or have a kid who’s a regular adventurer in the virtual realm, you may be aware of the Fallout franchise by game developer Bethesda. This post-apocalyptic role-playing game imagines a society where the transistor was never invented and nuclear fission drives innovation, mixing 1950s-style nostalgia with a warped sense of humor.

What does this have to do with parking? An upcoming location in Fallout 76 invites players to explore Watoga, a “city of the future” built atop a massive automated parking garage. According to the game’s website:

Watoga, The City of the Future, envisions a bustling, walkable metropolis where the streets are clear of illegally parked automobiles, traffic, and hit-and-run accidents. The city is built on top of a massive series of automated parking garage systems, which allow citizens to drop off their cars and store them until they’re needed again. The dozens of silos can store cars safe and secure, out of sight and out of mind!

You may have seen the garage entrances scattered throughout Watoga. It’s a simple process to pick up or drop off your car–just enter your personal ID at one of the many conveniently located terminals and the system will do the rest. You can also order up maintenance or detailing, and even buy a new car without ever talking to a salesman! Of course, these services are no longer available to the citizens of post-apocalyptic Appalachia, but it’s nice to imagine how things used to be.

As we explore the potential of smart, connected cities and look to the future of mobility, the city of Watoga sounds like a dream come true: a safe, walkable environment designed around the user experience, supported by well-integrated parking that goes above and beyond expectations by providing convenient amenities.

Watoga may be fictional but its holistic approach to parking doesn’t have to be. By shifting our mindset away from thinking about parking for a single site and instead considering it in context with the surrounding community, we can find ways for multiple user groups to share parking and meet demand without overbuilding. Likewise, while the size and scope of Watoga’s automated parking facilities may pose a challenge in the real world, many cities are discovering that mechanical and automated parking solutions provide a great deal of value when conditions are right.

Apocalypse aside, Watoga indeed sounds like the kind of city we should aspire to create. What do you think of Fallout’s “City of the Future?”

Matt Davis is associate principal with Watry Design, Inc.

NEPC 29th Annual Conference and Tradeshow

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The NEPC Annual Conference and Trade Show brings together parking and transportation professionals from universities, municipalities, hospitals, airports and from the private sector. More than 250 attendees will gather in Boston for two days of education and networking. Forty vendors will exhibit the latest in parking and transportation products and services.

Join NEPC at the Seaport Hotel in Boston, MA for our 29th Annual Spring Conference & Tradeshow! This is a great opportunity for networking with professionals in the industry, earning CAPP points and learning about the latest programs and products in parking and transportation.

IPMI Webinar: A Portrait of El Paso Parking Using Geographic Information System (GIS)

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IPMI Member Rate: $35 per webinar, live or on-demand.
IPMI Members Bundle: Buy 3 Webinars, get the 4th Webinar Free. Contact professionaldevelopment@parking-mobility.org for additional details.
Non-Member Rate: $85 per webinar.

Description:

Cities are beginning to utilize technology as a tool to write the history of parking and pave the path for the future. To achieve real-time solutions and capture usable parking data, the City of El Paso put Geographic Information System (GIS) to the test. This webinar will demonstrate how to apply GIS to paint a parking portrait specific to your operation.

Presenters:

Jeremy Rocha, PE, is a parking consultant with WGI with more than 20 years of experience in parking, project management, engineering, and planning. His focus at WGI is planning and project management. He has led multiple projects as a design team project manager nationwide. As a representative of the parking industry, he is committed to making parking friendly and understandable.

Amy Hunter, GISP is responsible for GIS field data collection, analyses, and deliverables, as well as being a certified Geographic Information Systems Professional (GISP) and FWC Authorized Gopher Tortoise Agent. Amy has project experience with state, county, municipal, and private clients, including the creation of mobile applications for data collection; development of maps for field review, reporting, and permitting; and clients to provide geospatial and tabular data. She also provides the design of geodatabases, and reviews of GIS data/reporting.

Paul Stresow, is the Assistant Director with the City of El Paso’s International Bridges Department, where he manages three of the community’s international ports of entry. He has been involved in solving parking and transportation issues for over 20 years, including 8 years as Parking and Transportation Director at The University of Texas at El Paso. Paul serves on the Board of The Texas Parking and Transportation Association, where he serves as a Co-Chair to the Education and Roundtables Committee.

IPMI Webinar: Enabling Daily Parking Decisions For Faculty and Staff: How More Granular Choice Has Reduced Parking Demand and Delighted Customers

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IPMI Member Rate: $35 per webinar, live or on-demand.
IPMI Members Bundle: Buy 3 Webinars, get the 4th Webinar Free. Contact professionaldevelopment@parking-mobility.org for additional details.
Non-Member Rate: $85 per webinar.

Description: UCLA has long been a leader in reducing drive-alone rates. Historically, this has been accomplished by subsidizing alternative transportation products. In an era of constrained resources, this approach is limited. This webinar will explore what additional gains UCLA has been able to accomplish by granting customer flexibility rather than through subsidy–faculty and staff can now purchase daily parking pre-tax online via payroll deduction. Also, hear what our customers are saying about this added flexibility.

Presenter:

Chris Lechner, CAPP has 8 years of experience leading cutting-edge initiatives at university parking organizations. This has included early adoption of LPR and efforts to reduce neighborhood impacts of university parking demand at Loyola Marymount University. Recently, Lechner has led efforts to move UCLA from physical permits to virtual permits and as part of that project has introduced innovative programs to increase operational efficiency and provide customers the ability to make more granular parking choices.

EV HUB, IPMI Blog, Resources

U.K. District Offers Free Parking for Electric Vehicles

January 21, 2020 Kim Fernandez Leave a comment

EV parking space In response to what it’s calling a “climate emergency,” one district in the United Kingdom plans to offer free parking for electric vehicles. Traditionally-fueled vehicles will continue to pay to park.

The Warwick District Council announced the plan yesterday, offering parking permits at no charge to drivers of EVs; it appears hybrid cars do not qualify for the offer. The cost to park for other drivers will increase slightly, at least for stays of more than four hours. The Council said the plan is designed to get people thinking more about buying electric-powered vehicles and driving less overall.

Read the whole story here.

IPMI Webinar: PARCS Replacement and Implementing the Latest Technologies – A Case Study of the American Dream project in New Jersey

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IPMI Member Rate: $35 per webinar, live or on-demand.
IPMI Members Bundle: Buy 3 Webinars, get the 4th Webinar Free. Contact professionaldevelopment@parking-mobility.org for additional details.
Non Member Rate: $85 per webinar.

Description:

The American Dream is a retail/dining/entertainment development featuring an indoor amusement and water park, indoor snow-skiing slope, and a high-end retail mall; including 10,000 spaces, 72 lanes of equipment, and 56 Pay-on-Foot machines.

The PARCS included E-Z-Pass Integration, Pay-On-Foot, License-Plate-Recognition, QR/Barcode, PCI-P2PE Credit Cards, touch-screen displays, mobile app integrations, online reservations, and fully on-line analytics and reporting features.

Join us for this informative webinar presentation, as we discuss the RFP, selection, and installation process.

Objectives:

Investigate the latest parking technologies to enhance the customer experience.
Learn about the RFP and selection process.
Understand the best practices and lessons learned during the installation and implementation process.

Geoffrey Posluszny is a consultant with Walker Consultants and specializes in Parking Access and Revenue Control Systems, Automated Parking Systems, and planning studies and evaluations. Geoff is a member of the International Parking and Mobility Institute as well as two regional associations. During his time at Walker, Geoff has consulted on numerous PARCS and APGS specifications, procurements, and contract administration projects.

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.

EV HUB, IPMI Blog, Resources

From Tesla to Parking: An Executive’s Bold Move

January 8, 2020 Kim Fernandez Leave a comment

Cover of the January issue of Parking & Mobility magazine Tesla 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.