Tag Archives: transportation

IPMI & Member News, Resources, Technology, Transportation & Mobility

Member News: Associated Time Becomes An Official Parker Technology Dealer

May 14, 2020 Rachel Yoka Leave a comment

May 14, 2020 – Parker Technology today announced a new dealer partnership with Associated Time Instruments, out of Dallas, TX. The relationship will involve collaborative sales and marketing efforts to incorporate Parker’s customer service offering as a value-added differentiator to Associated Time’s parking installation projects.

“We are thrilled to partner with Parker Technology. The addition of their two-way video communication will truly enhance the customer experience for our end users. Parker’s customer service and response times are second to none in the industry and we are excited to offer our customers this state of the art solution.” Says Christopher Archer, President of Associated Time Instruments.

Brian Wolff, President & CEO of Parker Technology added “Chris and his team at Associated Time have built an impressive business and we are thrilled to formalize our partnership with this agreement. Equally as exciting is the progress we’re making by building important integrations with the TIBA equipment that Associated Time represents. We expect the combination of our joint sales and marketing efforts and technology advancements to create significant benefits for Associated Time’s customers.”

Data suggests that the challenge for parking operators is not to make machines or technology more reliable. The fact is that over 85% of the time, a human is confused or has failed in some other way, and the only way to save that customer experience is with a patient, well trained, knowledgeable human being. That is exactly what Parker did over a million times last year.

About Associated Time

Associated Time Instruments is a leading supplier of Parking and Revenue Control Equipment, Access Control, Parking Guidance Systems, and Workforce Management Systems Our company is a leader in all of our markets, we distinguish ourselves by providing superior products, expert consulting and engineering, quality installations, comprehensive support, and professional services. Associated Time Instruments provides both standard software products and custom software solutions, we have consistently provided modern and effective solutions to our customers during the past 60 years!

About Parker Technology

Parker Technology is a fast-growth tech-led software and services company that provides parking facilities with a premium customer experience, by helping resolve issues for parking guests when they fail in the face of automated payment kiosks. Parker’s patient, well-informed customer service specialists answer and resolve intercom “help” calls 24/7, and boasts being the only company in the parking industry that can deliver this service with face-to-face, two-way video communication. Putting this personal, human touch back into an automated situation enhances the customer experience, improves operational efficiencies and increases successful payments and outcomes. Learn more at www.helpmeparker.com

IPMI Blog, Resources, Transportation & Mobility

Are Parking Minimums a Thing of the Past?

May 14, 2020 Rachel Yoka Leave a comment

By Jonathan Wicks, CAPP

In this time of evolving transportation needs and consumer preferences, municipalities and developers are asking: Are old-school parking minimums applicable to today’s usage? Developers often find them inflexible, frustrating, and costly. The planning community is increasingly opposed to parking minimums, concerned that they perpetuate an auto-centric nature of American cities that dedicates more land to cars than people, housing, and quality design. Transportation planners point out that parking minimums increase the distance between destinations, making cities and towns less walkable and—subsequently—have even more parking.

Cities are beginning to respond to the need for less parking in a meaningful way by reducing or removing minimums near transit, in downtown districts, and even city-wide. In a 2020 IPMI Virtual Parking & Mobility Virtual Conference & Expo panel led by Walker Consultants’ Sue Thompson, Chrissy Mancini Nichols, and me, we’ll dive deep into parking minimums. Expect to learn the current story of trends and data around parking minimums, see real-life case studies and analysis on minimum requirements compared to demand, and build a how-to toolbox of the policies and plans for parking and the curb to take back to your project or town.

Jonathan Wicks, CAPP, is a consultant with Walker Consultants. He will present on this topic during the 2020 IPMI Virtual Parking & Mobility Conference & Expo, June 1-2, wherever you are. Click here for details and to register.

IPMI Blog, Resources, Safety & Security, Sustainability, Technology, Transportation & Mobility

COVID-19 & the Curb: Private Sector Works to Adapt and Offer Creative Solutions

May 13, 2020 Rachel Yoka Leave a comment

A woman in a medical mask and gloves hangs a "curbside pickup" sign. — Image: Downtown Santa Monica Inc.

This post is part of a special series on curb management and COVID-19. A joint effort of International Parking and Mobility Institute (IPMI), Transportation for America, and Institute of Transportation Engineer’s Complete Streets Council, this series strives to document the immediate curbside-related actions and responses to COVID-19, as well as create a knowledge base of strategies that communities can use to manage the curbside during future emergencies.

By Mae Hanzlik

Flexible curbside management is a small, but key, piece of many cities’ response to COVID-19. Often, these efforts have been supported or made possible with the support and technology of private-sector partners. Transportation for America reached out to its Smart Cities Collaborative sponsors to hear how they’re responding to COVID-19 and working with jurisdictions to adapt curbside management.

Adapting their platforms and launching new tools

To accommodate increased food takeout and deliveries, Coord, a curbside management software company, is offering their platform at no cost for 90 days to cities in its coverage area. Coord also worked with existing city customers who were identifying locations for temporary loading zones and fast-tracked specific feature requests.

Downtown Santa Monica Inc. (DTSM), a business improvement nonprofit in Santa Monica, Calif., used Coord’s data collection and analysis to help them quickly stand up a program where essential businesses could temporarily convert metered parking into short-term loading. “[We] were looking for any opportunity to support our district businesses during the COVID-19 crisis,” Benjamin DeWitte, DTSM’s research and data manager, shared with us. “Our prior research into curb usage, driven by COORD data collection and analysis, indicated that a shift from metered parking to short-term loading could positively impact access and efficiency for those who rely on delivery and take out business.”

Populus, whose data platform helps cities manage their curbs, streets, and sidewalks, is working with their existing city customers to provide digital solutions that support “Open Streets” and “Slow Streets”. They’re also inviting cities and agencies to apply to their Open Streets Initiative where they’ll partner with a handful of cities on implementing dynamic street policies and provide them with complimentary access to their Street Manager platform. The deadline to apply is May 15.

Lacuna, a transportation technology company, is launching a dynamic curb reservation system in May that allows cities to remotely allocate sections of curb in real-time to accommodate deliveries of food, freight, and other essential supplies.

Establishing internal teams to work directly with cities

Uber has put together an internal team that’s dedicated to working with cities and stakeholders to ensure safe access points for trips to essential places like hospitals, grocery stores, and pharmacies. They are also reaching out to cities to learn how they can best support city efforts to ensure adequate space for social distancing, offering the use of geofencing and in-app routing changes to support car-free streets.

Preparing for the future

A number of companies are starting to think about what the world may look like post-COVID. Passport, a parking and mobility software company, is starting virtual conversations through its webinars on the future of the mobility industry and the equity impacts of cashless payments.

Strong public and private partnerships are key to emergency response. We hope to continue to see the private sector work alongside municipalities to offer support and transformative tech solutions.

Mae Hanzlik is a program manager for Transportation for America in Washington, D.C.

Consumer Resources, IPMI & Member News, Outreach and Media Relations, Resources, Safety & Security, Sustainability, Transportation & Mobility

Member News: Heart of the Park Partners Band Together to Feed Baltimore

May 12, 2020 Rachel Yoka Leave a comment

May 5, 2020

We’re at our best when we all work together.

Since its late March launch, Heart of the Park, a partnership between Harbor Park Garage and several local organizations and businesses, has distributed about 13,000 meals to Baltimoreans in need and to those on the front lines, serving the community during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The initiative includes daily meal distribution at the downtown Baltimore garage, where visitors can head to the third floor to pick up free boxed lunches and dinners, and packages of rolls or loaves of bread.

In addition to the meals given out at the garage, Heart of the Park delivers weekend meals to the COVID units at three local hospitals: Johns Hopkins, University of Maryland’s downtown hospital, and St. Joseph Medical Center. In early May, Heart of the Park also launched “New Medical Center Wednesday,” when it donates 50 meals to healthcare workers at a different medical center each week (starting with Mercy Hospital).

The Heart of the Park initiative is headquartered at Harbor Park Garage but its success is driven by the generosity and creativity of several businesses and organizations located throughout Baltimore City. The garage’s partners include:

Pierpoint Restaurant

Fells Point mainstay Pierpoint Restaurant, and its chef/owner Nancy Longo, have been the backbone of the Heart of the Park initiative from day one. Chef Longo’s celebrated restaurant has been an integral – and delicious – part of the Fells Point neighborhood for years. She is locally (and nationally) famous for her creative takes on Chesapeake cuisine.

Since Heart of the Park launched in March, Chef Longo and her team have created interesting and healthy meals to share with the community every day. They’ve been working, safely and tirelessly, to make sure the community has healthy and tasty lunches and dinners every day.

H&S Bakery

Starting in May, H&S Bakery is donating loaves of bread and packages of rolls for distribution at the garage – helping locals in need fill their pantries during this tough time.

H&S Bakery opened in Fells Point in 1943; visitors often notice the yeasty scent of baking bread when they’re strolling around the neighborhood’s historic cobblestone streets. In the years since, the bakery, which creates products sold under several brand names, has established itself as a generous community member, donating time, resources and bread products to many local organizations – including directly to Baltimoreans, through Heart of the Park.

Downtown Partnership of Baltimore

Downtown Partnership of Baltimore is working with Heart of the Park to solicit, organize and distribute the funds necessary to keep meal distribution going.

The organization is a champion of downtown businesses and events – part of the dream team that coordinates major city happenings like Baltimore Restaurant Week. During the COVID-19 emergency, Downtown Partnership has put its organizational skills to work, acting as a hub for community resources and a helpful collector and disseminator of information and funds.

Italian Cultural Center of Maryland

Food is an integral part of so many cultures but perhaps no cultural group is as closely tied to culinary glory as Italians. The Italian Cultural Center of Maryland, a group that educates and promotes Italian culture and heritage among Baltimoreans, is tapping into the culture’s great culinary tradition, assisting Heart of the Park with food donations.

What’s Next

As need persists in Baltimore, Heart of the Park will continue to provide meals for hungry locals and healthcare workers on the front lines. Harbor Park Garage management aims to keep the program growing as long as the need remains – and to do that, they plan to expand partnerships with local organizations of all types.

The collaboration between the garage, restaurants, associations and other local businesses has been a bright spot in the midst of a tough battle against COVID-19. By banding together, Charm City’s businesses help keep local residents in need and those on the front lines fed – and fed well.

Harbor Park Garage is located at 55 Market Place in downtown Baltimore. For more information and current news about Heart of the Park, including information about how to contribute to help feed Baltimoreans in need, visit: INFO

Pierpoint Restaurant is located at 1822 Aliceanna Street in Fells Point. For more information, call 410-675-2080 or visit https://www.pierpointrestaurant.com/

Operations, Planning, Design & Construction, Podcasts & Videos, Resources, Transportation & Mobility

The Parking Podcast Episode E28: An Interview with Dennis Burns and Conversation about Consulting

May 12, 2020 Rachel Yoka Leave a comment

Dennis Burns, CAPP, Senior Practice Builder with Kimley-Horn, discusses consulting, strategic plans and Frisbee golf.

Check it out here

https://www.parkingcast.com/

Free Online Shoptalk: How to Not Suck at Virtual Networking

Friday May 15, 2020 11 am-12 pm ET

Free to all industry professionals

Access Recording here

Networking is such a personal activity—it is not a one-size-fits-all practice. It’s easy to get bogged down in the details and miss out on the foundation of how to build and retain a retain an effective network. At the end of the day, no one cares what you do as much as whether you know and like them and whether you can be trusted.

In an industry built on the power of connecting face-to-face, establishing and growing meaningful relationships is undeniably critical to long-term success. During the current pandemic, networking has shifted from onsite to fully online.

Are you prepared to nurture your network this way? Are you prepared to take advantage of online opportunities to learn, collaborate, and grow through platforms like the 2020 IPMI Parking & Mobility Virtual Conference & Expo and IPMI’s ongoing free industry Shoptalks?

Get registered for this interactive webinar (it’s free!) and get ready to grow your personal and professional network, with lots of takeaway value and strategies you can use right away.

In this presentation, networking concierge Ashley Owens shares ways to nurture your current business relationships to create your own tactical, individualized approach. Save time by recognizing the best strategic partners and effectively engaging contacts through email, messaging, social media, and other digital tools. Dive in and engage with your peers in this highly interactive keynote, and learn how to balance your strengths, network strategically and with confidence, and craft an authentic, powerful, professional networking process to achieve a wildly successful career.

Presenter: Ashley Owens

Ashley Owens is the first and only networking concierge who puts you in the right situation or gets you out of the wrong one. Ashley works as a strategic partner, attending events with professionals as an extension and champion of them. Starting her career as a personal and executive assistant to two celebrities in New York City, her experience in networking grew as she obtained positions in customer service, business analytics, and account management. Since 2017, she has grown her business into something she could have never dreamed of. Ashley is a host of two digital TV talk shows on RVNTV and This is It TV, speaking and interviewing on the topic of tactical networking. She has taken more than 700 introduction phone calls with business professionals looking to grow their network, and has made close to 1,000 introductions. She has spoken to over 50 networking groups, organizations, companies, and conferences, including the coveted Pennsylvania Conference for Women. She has been interviewed on the Mel Robbins Show on CBS, produces and hosts a podcast talking to entrepreneurs about their screw-ups, raises thousands of dollars for local nonprofits at her Cocktails and Conversation networking event, has over 185 referral partners,and has keynoted around the U.S.

IPMI Blog, Resources, Transportation & Mobility

Parking, COVID, and Universities

May 12, 2020 Rachel Yoka Leave a comment

By David M. Feehan

I have spent the last couple of years working to strengthen a business district organization in Dinkytown, the district adjacent to the main campus of the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. This historic district is the place where Bob Zimmerman from Hibbing, Minn., got his start as a folk singer and changed his name to Bob Dylan.

As with any major university (and this is one of the largest in the U.S.) parking is always an issue. Student parking, staff and faculty parking, visitor and customer parking all must be managed and managed well, or chaos ensues.

Now, however, the university and surrounding areas must deal with a new and unexpected problem: no cars. A decision has not yet been made, but the fall semester may be conducted mostly online; there may be no football season; and most businesses are either closed or in limited operating mode.

So obviously, this presents the university, the city, and private businesses with a whole host of problems. One is obviously the loss of revenue. Football games are a tremendous source of revenue for the university, and parking revenue on game days is substantial. Football season for the business district is like Christmas for shopping centers. Local restaurants and bars can do half of their annual sales during the football season. But loss of customers does not mean expenses go away. Lots and garages still have to maintained, utilities stall have to be paid, and employees are still on the payroll unless furloughed.

Parking for students is another issue. Many students may elect to live at home with parents if classes are online. This represents additional revenue loss for the university. It also means lost revenue for the city, as on-street parking serves commuting students as well as restaurant and shop customers.

How long will the crisis last and what will be the lasting impact on parking? Will, for example, students who drive to campus opt for public transportation or purchase bikes? Will carpooling become more popular? Will more student housing be built so students can walk to campus? There are so many things we don’t know right now. But the “new normal” is upon us, and if you manage university parking or parking near a university, now is the time to get your plan in place.

David M. Feehan is president of Civitas Consultants, LLC.

Education & Training, Management & Human Resources, Operations, Resources, Safety & Security, Transportation & Mobility, Webinar

Free Online Shoptalk: Leadership on Their Terms to Ease Stress and Enable Focus

May 11, 2020 Rachel Yoka Leave a comment

Wednesday May 6, 2020- 2:00 PM EST

Free Online Shoptalk: Leadership on Their Terms to Ease Stress and Enable Focus

Free to all Industry Professionals

Access the Recording here

IPMI invites all industry professionals in parking, transportation, and mobility to discuss how the COVID-19 crisis has impacted your various mobility programs and options, including how we plan for municipal on street operations post COVID-19.

Now more than ever, empathy, self-awareness, and sensitivity are key aspects to leading teams and maintaining healthy relationships (just ask any celebrity busted on social media for complaining about cabin fever from their palatial home). Meeting employees where their heads are to communicate change, celebrate success, and break bad news are the leadership qualities that win the day in today’s environment.

If you’re leading others and, would like to go from good to better or haven’t really had to lean on these aspects of leadership until now, this online Shoptalk will be well worth your time. Join Colleen Niese and Vicki Pero from The Marlyn Group for a highly interactive session to discuss key strategies and take away easy-to-implement tactics to ensure your leadership from a distance will:

Objectives:

· Make decisions that consider team members needs in a COVID-19 world.

· Help manage stress for your team and you(!).

· Support all in accomplishing the work at hand with as much focus as can be expected.

Speakers:

Colleen M. Niese, SPHR understanding of what makes a business tick comes from her nearly 25 years of parking industry experience, and her insatiable curiosity about high-performing business.

With a background in leading an international shared services center to then consulting in strategic HR and customer service to now overseeing new business development, sales and client relations for Zephire, the people-first complete monthly parking solution, Colleen is well versed when it comes to a parking operator’s priorities in managing seamless monthly parking. She possesses a unique skillset to listen to a client’s needs and connecting Zephire’s holistic solution to each individual’s expectation. In her spare time, Colleen is a hopeless Cleveland Browns fan (there’s always next year!).

Frontline, IPMI & Member News, Operations, Resources, Safety & Security, Sustainability, Transportation & Mobility

Member News: Penn Parking Develops More than 3,000 Face Shields for COVID-19 Healthcare Workers

May 8, 2020 Rachel Yoka Leave a comment

May 7, 2020- Penn Parking, a Maryland-based parking management company, recently wrapped up the Herculean effort of handcrafting 3,300 PPE face shields for healthcare workers throughout Maryland, Virginia and DC area. The shields are to assist in the fight against COVID-19. Penn Parking leadership, staff and friends worked together to create these vital personal protective equipment resources and donate them to those on the front lines.

Penn Parking delivered the shields to numerous area hospitals and nursing homes. This important project dramatically exceeded the initial goal of 1,000 shields.

Penn Parking CEO Lisa Renshaw stated, “We are on a mission to get our health care workers and first responders the vital equipment they need to keep them and the public safe. We all need to pull together in this crisis.” Lisa went on to challenge every business that is in the position to do so, to please find a way to help in the effort to “slow the spread”

About Penn Parking

Penn Parking is the Only women owned parking management company in US history. She started it by living in her first garage for 3 ½ years. Today Penn Parking manages over 50 facilities in the Maryland, Virginia and DC area. Penn Parking offers a wide range of parking management and consulting services and has provided tailored and budget-friendly parking solutions for over 35 years. For more, visit www.pennparking.com.

Contact

Lisa Renshaw
President
Penn Parking
lisar@pennparking.com

Education & Training, IPMI & Member News, Management & Human Resources, Resources, Safety & Security, Sustainability, Technology, Transportation & Mobility, Webinar

Member News: ParkHub Launches ‘Attendant Academy’ to Support Industry Advancement During the COVID-19 Crisis

May 7, 2020 Rachel Yoka Leave a comment

The company’s online courses aim to help prospective parking professionals develop skills for future employment.

DALLAS, May 7th, 2020 — ParkHub, the leading B2B parking technology company, has launched online courses designed to support the professional advancement of parking attendants during the COVID-19 crisis. The curriculum, coined Attendant Academy, provides in-depth training on ParkHub’s mobile point-of-sale technology, covers industry best practices, and offers certification to registrants who complete the virtual courses. The training is free of cost and available to the public at large.

“As our team witnessed the pandemic taking its toll on parking operations, we became driven to find a way to give back to the industry’s workforce,” said Jake Edsell, ParkHub’s Chief Operating Officer. “The training program we devised reflects the service we strive to provide our partners – comprehensive, forward-thinking, and ultimately, designed to empower. Additionally, we are excited about the prospect of providing our customers with highly trained employees that will decrease onboarding time as well as increase efficiencies once lanes and gates reopen.”

ParkHub serves over 300 professional sports teams, entertainment venues, universities, and State parks across the United States. The company’s mobile point-of-sale device, Prime, processes credit card and mobile payments, digitizes cash transactions, and authenticates prepaid parking passes supplied by numerous ticketing and parking reservation partners. All transactions are stored in Suite, ParkHub’s business intelligence tool, which provides real-time data and robust analytics.

By facilitating contactless payments, mitigating cash, and delivering timely data insights, ParkHub’s solutions are well-positioned to help clients adapt to operations in the aftermath of the Coronavirus. In the meantime, the ParkHub team plans to continue adding enrichment tools to the ParkHub University platform.

Find out more about ParkHub’s Attendant Academy and sign up for courses at this link: https://parkhub.com/parkhub-university/

About ParkHub

ParkHub is a Dallas-based technology company that provides software and hardware services for the parking industry. The company’s products provide multiple payment options, real-time reporting of parking revenue, support for dynamic pricing, and inventory availability and control. ParkHub technology integrates with many prepaid parking and ticketing providers. Founded by parking industry veteran, George Baker Sr., ParkHub has effectively fast-tracked traditional parking operations into the digital age. For more information, visit parkhub.com.