Parking & Mobility magazine, April 2022

INTERNATIONAL PARKING & MOBILITY INSTITUTE APRIL 2022

DELIVERING A

FIVE-STAR

EXPERIENCE

Houston Airports Continue to Put the Guest Experience First

INSIDE: Clear Skies Ahead?

Industry experts come together to discuss the current state of parking and mobility in aviation.

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- Patrick Keenan, Director of Student Life Operations University of Minnesota Duluth

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INTERNATIONAL PARKING & MOBILITY INSTITUTE APRIL 2022 VOL. 4 / N0. 4

FEATURES

18

Clear Skies Ahead?

Challenges, Opportunities, and the Future of Parking & Mobility in Aviation

By IPMI Staff

26

Five-Star Experience

Houston Airports Continue to Put the Guest Experience First

By Kenneth Hall

34

Adapting to Electric

Parking Facilities Can Be the Gas Station of the Future

By Andrew Sachs, CAPP

42

Retail Partnerships or Payphones?

Creative Solution to Serving the Underbanked While Giving Retailers a Boost

By Adam Kriegel

2

PARKING & MOBILITY / APRIL 2022 / PARKING-MOBILITY.ORG

PAY HERE FOR YOUR PARKING

/ EDITOR’S NOTE

DEPARTMENTS 4 ENTRANCE

Continuous Improvement & Healthy Habits

By Robert Ferrin, CAPP

6 FIVE THINGS

Criteria for 5-Star Airport Ratings

8 THE BUSINESS OF PARKING Change and Civility in the Workplace and Society

By Julius E. Rhodes, SPHR

10 THE GREEN STANDARD

The Sustainability Perks of Smart Parking

By Tim Maloney

12 DIVERSITY, EQUITY, & INCLUSION

See Something, Say Something

By Tiffany Peebles

14 MOBILITY & TECH

Demystifying Curb Management

By Erik Nelson and Kevin White, CAPP, AICP

16 ASK THE EXPERTS 40 SPONSORED CONTENT

The Value in Digitizing Parking Assets

47 IN SHORT 49 AROUND THE INDUSTRY 54 PARKING & MOBILITY CONSULTANTS 56 ADVERTISERS INDEX

I AM NOT A GOOD TRAVELER, plain and simple. As an

extreme Type A, I need a plan for everything. As part of this chronic preparedness, I insist on being very early when I fly. Very early. OK—let’s be honest—very, very early. I like to be sitting at the terminal that I will fly from hours in advance, and I have lost many travel partners over the years to my chronic need to turn a short flight into a day-long event.

My willingness to eat a cellophane-wrapped sandwich off my lap at my gate outweighs my drive to sit, relax, and eat at one of the awesome restaurants now housed in the bustling terminals. I may miss an important announcement or gate change! And yes, I have the apps. I am just a little crazy when I travel. Everyone knows that the last thing any form of travel can be called is predicable –with air travel, there are just so many variables that can impact even the best planned trip.

Ask me, I can list them all for you.

My need to control the details of my travel is a struggle to be sure, but it is nothing compared to the challenges faced by today’s airports. Aviation facilities have been significantly impacted by the pandemic, with air travel experiencing unprecedented disruption and a downturn never imagined.

A sharp decline in air travel in 2020 and 2021 has led to the need for airports to completely re-think operations and profit to survive. According to Travel Daily, prior to the COVID-19 outbreak the airport industry was expected to generate more than $175.8 billion in revenues in 2022. However, the impacts of the coronavirus crisis on airport revenues will continue in 2022, reducing them by an additional $60.8 billion, or 34.6%, compared to the projected baseline. Airport revenues in 2022 are forecast to only reach 72.6% of 2019 levels.

So, what are airports doing to ensure they remain operational until the world begins to travel regularly again? This issue of Parking & Mobility focuses on many of the solutions that airports have come up with, from 5-star service to technology improvements. The aviation sector has seen an increased focus on automation, increasing digitization, and increased agility to handle the fluctuations in demand.

Despite a slower than hoped for recovery, the aviation industry is set for a big comeback. Opportunities abound to come out on the other side of the pandemic stronger than they went in.

Thanks for spending some time with us. We hope you find value in all the great content delivered by the best of our industry. As for me, you know where to find me. Sitting in the terminal, three hours early with a sandwich in my lap, listening to make sure they don’t change my gate or make other important announcements I may miss. Alone—since no one else travels quite like me!

58 CALENDAR

Melissa Rysak, editor rysak@parking-mobility.org

PARKING-MOBILITY.ORG / APRIL 2022 / PARKING & MOBILITY

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/ ENTRANCE Continuous Improvement & Healthy Habits PUBLISHER

Shawn Conrad, CAE

conrad@parking-mobility.org EDITOR

Melissa Rysak, CPSM

rysak@parking-mobility.org TECHNICAL EDITOR

Rachel Yoka, CAPP, LEED AP BD+C yoka@parking-mobility.org CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

Bill Smith, APR

bsmith@smith-phillips.com ADVERTISING SALES AND SUBSCRIPTIONS

Tina Altman

B

By Robert Ferrin, CAPP

Y NOW, if I had to guess, most of your New Year’s resolutions

have fallen by the wayside. Don’t feel bad. A New York Times article stated that more than half of all resolutions fail. I’m guessing it’s higher than that given my own personal track record. It’s gotten so bad that in recent years I’ve stopped making New Year’s resolutions all together.

taltman@parking-mobility.org PUBLICATION DESIGN

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info@bonotom.com For subscription changes, contact Tina Altman, taltman@parking-mobility.org or 888.IPMI.NOW. Parking & Mobility (ISSN 0896-2324 & USPS 001436) is published monthly by the International Parking & Mobility Institute.

P.O. Box 3787 Fredericksburg, VA 22402 Phone: 888.IPMI.NOW Fax: 703.566.2267 Email: info@parking-mobility.org Website: parking-mobility.org Send address changes promptly to: Parking & Mobility or submit online at parking-mobility.org.

P.O. Box 3787 Fredericksburg, VA 22402 Interactive electronic version of Parking & Mobility for members and subscribers only at parking-mobility. org/magazine.

Copyright © International Parking & Mobility Institute, 2022. Statements of fact and opinion expressed in articles contained if Parking & Mobility are the sole responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent an official expression of policy or opinion on the part of officers or the members of IPMI. Manuscripts, correspondence, articles, product releases, and all contributed materials are welcomed

by Parking & Mobility; however, publication is subject to editing, if deemed necessary to conform to standards of publication.

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4

What’s the point of making a list of things to do for the New Year when you inevitably won’t achieve them? Well, this year I decided to get back into the resolution game. However instead of making a long of list of things to work on, I wrote down one thing: form healthy habits.

As parking and mobility professionals, we all know a little something about habits and how hard they are to change. We are in the business of forming and changing habits for our customers: “What do you mean I can’t park in ‘my’ parking space?”

“It’s always been a dollar an hour, who are you to change the rate?”

“Now I need a permit to park on my street? No thank you!”

We all have habits, and if habits are hard to change then it is even more important to form healthy habits. So, this year I’ve set out to form some healthy habits. What better way to achieve these goals than having the entire industry keep me honest? For me, it’s all about continuous improvement, how can I make myself a better spouse, parent, manager, professional, and community member.

Here are the goals I have set for myself, and that I hope you will consider as well: ● Be Opportunistic. Do you take full advantage of the resources provided to you through work, IPMI, or in your personal life? Do you delete that email listing training opportunities or

PARKING & MOBILITY / APRIL 2022 / PARKING-MOBILITY.ORG

informational webinars without really considering the impact they can have on your life and career? Many opportunities are hiding in plain sight, and I intend to be intentional about pursuing them. ● Strengthen Relationships. Our industry is built on relationships. Are there relationships out there you want to take to the next level? Or re-establish all together? Of all the things the pandemic taught me, I learned to value the relationships I have and seek new ones to broaden my perspective and learn something new. ● Slow Down. When life gives you an opportunity to breathe, take it. We are conditioned to work non-stop and that’s been the mark of a successful career and life. When that meeting gets postponed, when school is cancelled, when plans change, I am going to try to take it as an opportunity to slow down and reflect.

Thanks in advance for keeping me honest for the rest of this year. I encourage you to check in with yourself and think about what your short and long-term goals are, and how you can utilize your resources to their fullest potential. And good luck forming those healthy habits! ◆ ROBERT FERRIN, CAPP, is assistant director, parking services with the City of Columbus, Ohio, and a member of IPMI’s Board of Directors.

CRITERIA FOR

5-Star Airport Ratings 5-Star ratings are few and far between in any industry and are even more rare in industries that directly service the public. So, when Skytrax, the international air transport rating organization, gives the only 5-Star rating to an airport in the United States, we wanted to know what it took to achieve the recognition. Later in this issue, you can read the details on what Houston’s William P. Hobby Airport did to earn a 5-Star rating. In addition to reviewing the security screening, immigration services, transfer services, terminal facilities, shopping facilities, and food and beverage offerings, the following five parking and mobility categories need to be top of class.

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3

Arrival—walking distances, availability of toilets, baggage hall facilities, baggage delivery times, baggage carts, meet and greet facilities.

Ground Transportation— public transport options, distance to public transport, airport taxi service, car rentals.

4 2

Wayfinding & Signage—ease of wayfinding for arrivals, transfers, and departures, clarity of signs and symbols, sign language choices, terminal maps, airport app navigation, airport “help” staff, information kiosks, help counter service.

Departure—signage to check in, congestion around check in, queuing systems, seating near check in, signage to security/departures.

5

Terminal Comfort—congestion around terminal, air temperature, décor and condition, seat availability, seat types and comfort, power/charging points, cleanliness of seats, washrooms, and public areas, passengers with reduced mobility (PRM) washrooms, baby changing rooms.

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/ THE BUSINESS OF PARKING /HUMAN RESOURCES

Change and Civility in the Workplace and Society

By Julius E. Rhodes, SPHR

I

T SEEMS LIKE JUST YESTERDAY we were all wrapped up in year-end activities and celebrating the holidays,

and now we are almost 25% percent done with another year. This just emphasizes the adage that things change in the blink of an eye. As we contemplate where we are at this moment in time, none of us could have imagined the significant and unprecedented upheaval that our lives, personally and professionally, would undergo. As a result of all that has transpired in the two years, many of us feel overwhelmed, stressed, burntout, and downright pessimistic about the prospects for the future. Many people are uncertain whether the changes we have undergone will continue (yes, they will, because there is no going back) and this uncertainty has manifested itself in a continuation and exaggeration of behaviors that show a palpable lack of civility towards others.

As we concluded 2021 and prepared to head into 2022, many employers were planning a return to work for their team members. To be sure, a return to work in 2022 is quite different than a return to work might have been in 2019. In 2019 and prior, people routinely worked five days a week in their offices. Sure, there were a few ‘enlightened’ companies that provided for one day a week to be worked outside of the office, summer hours, or some sort of compressed workweek—but the reality was you were expected to be in the office more days than not. Even in those ‘enlightened’ companies there was always a tacit or unwritten expectation that the office environment is where people belonged, and the concept of facetime was seen as indicative of a person’s desire to want to advance within the company.

Today, people are fed-up, and they no longer feel compelled to abide by a set of espoused values that confined their ability to be viewed as fully human. They have no interest in being controlled by the politics of organization or the society around them.

The change that we’ve all undergone has thrust us into a situation where we have lost control and had no say in the matter.

The lack of civility we are seeing is a result of that lack of control, and a change we did not want or ask for.

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When my dad worked in the stockyards of Chicago back in the 1950s and 60s, there was an implied psychological contract that provided a day’s wages for a day’s work, and that job was yours for as long as you wanted it to be. Fast forward to our modern times, and we see corporations continue to downsize and eliminate positions despite record profits as a matter of routine. With this as a backdrop, how do we create the conditions for more civility in our workplace, and by extension in our society?

Let’s take a look.

Wherever we look, we are confronted with an array of confounding situations that are difficult to understand, and though which we need to maintain the balance required to pursue our aspirational goals.

As the German Philosopher Nietzsche once said, even the strongest have their moments of fatigue. We’re all fatigued, or have been fatigued, mentally, physically, spiritually. Sometimes all three at once!

Here’s something we all intuitively know, and we need to make allowance for and accept as a reality: it’s okay to not be okay with the situation in the world today, but we cannot let that paralyze us.

The remote, virtual, or socially distanced world that we have experienced over the past 20 months is not going away. We are not going back to the way things were

PARKING & MOBILITY / APRIL 2022 / PARKING-MOBILITY.ORG

because the genie is out of the bottle. But we can and must make things better as many of us prepare to have employees return to the office. We need to ensure their physical safety, but more and more we need to ensure they feel psychologically safe in a world that continually reminds them of their fragility. People are on edge; we hear about it and if we pay attention, we see it. Addressing issues of change and civility are essential in our workplace and in our lives. Change is as old as creation; the natural order of things is dictated by change. As Maya Angelou said, “What you’re supposed to do when you don’t like a thing is change it.”

Civility comes from the Latin word “civis” which means citizen. We are all citizens of this world. Without civility, there is no community, no communication, no collaboration, and ultimately nothing binding us together. Civility is about much more than politeness; it is about shared service and sacrifice. It is about self (responsibility) and others (accountability). It is about claiming and caring for one’s identity, needs, and beliefs while not denigrating or invalidating the identity, needs, and beliefs of others.

Further it is displayed through personal actions, interpersonal relationships, and two-way communication.

Put more simply, civility allows us to disagree without being disagreeable.

It’s about respect for people—all people, all citizens—and not just the respect of a person. It entails the ability to selfregulate, which is the ability to curtail one’s self-interest when needed. Civility is about looking at the systems we have put in place and understanding that what we have done in the past has gotten us to where we are today, but it will not be enough to get us where we need to be in the future.

There have been, and there will be, times when people will behave in an uncivil manner towards you and others, either directly or indirectly. Incivility starts with a thought, which leads to aggressive words, negative behaviors, and if unchecked, physical aggression.

A lack of civility in the workplace creates conditions that result in decreased adherence to accepted norms and performance, a lack of engagement and motivation, increased stress, unethical behavior, and at its worst discrimination, injustice, inequality, and exclusionary practices.

The results we have achieved are perfectly in-line with the systems we have created. If we require a different result, we need to change our systems and our

STOCK.ADOBE.COM / ANDREY POPOV

thoughts. We need a critical rethink, which means some systems will survive, others will fail, and further we will need to create new systems for situations we have not even contemplated.

Now, let’s try to synthesize this by sharing some things you must do to address change, create civility, and offer a psychologically safe environment for the members of your team as they return to work.

■ Our existence must be tied to something bigger than ourselves. We do not live in isolation, and we are by nature social creatures. Let’s focus on ourselves less and others more.

■ Provide people with a chance to share and author their story. During the past 20 months some people have fared quite well, but others have struggled. We can’t assume people are a monolith. They are as varied as leaves on a tree or the fractal patterns of a snowflake.

■ Do not invalidate the feelings of others. In the words of Dale Carnegie, “Remember when dealing with others we are not dealing with creatures of logic but of emotion.” Everything we do has an emotional component.

■ See others as psychological equals.

Ethnocentrism says my ideas are either better or worse than yours because they

■

■

■

■

are mine and whether in the affirmative or negative, they are both fallacies. We can and must accept the fact that we can learn from anyone at any point in time if we are open, willing, and treat others as equals.

Challenge assumptions and do not always go to our default position, whatever that is.

Allow ourselves to be vulnerable and share with others. Doing this doesn’t make you weak and less human, it makes you strong and more human and others will see that and reciprocate.

Share you journey. Sharing is caring and it helps others connect with you.

Finally, don’t have an impoverished, fixed mindset. We need to engage, inspire, and empower others by showing we care for them, and we must communicate, communicate, communicate. In many cases people are offended not by what was said or done, but by what they believe was said or done. This is because we don’t see things as they are—we see things as we are. ◆

JULIUS E. RHODES, SPHR, is founder and principal of the mpr group and author of BRAND: YOU Personal Branding for Success in Life and Business. He can be reached at jrhodes@mprgroup.info.

PARKING-MOBILITY.ORG / APRIL 2022 / PARKING & MOBILITY

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/ THE GREEN STANDARD

The Sustainability Perks of Smart Parking

By Tim Maloney

P

ARKING IS NOT SOMETHING WE TYPICALLY ASSOCIATE with sustainability. That’s

not surprising, considering that the transportation sector makes up 14% of global greenhouse gas emissions. But small changes in how people park can have a huge impact on overall emissions. In fact, 30% of traffic in cities is attributed to drivers searching for parking. Getting drivers into parking spaces more efficiently can reduce those overall emissions and help mitigate the environmental impact of cars.

Smart parking technology makes parking easier for consumers and simplifies management for owners and operators. But it can also play a role in making parking garages, and the mobility ecosystem, more sustainable.

From digital tools that reduce waste, to smart ways of tackling the last mile, to becoming hubs for EV charging, parking garages have a myriad of new opportunities to be part of the sustainability revolution.

Helping drivers navigate to an available garage is one of the main ways smart parking technologies can promote sustainable practices in our communities. eParking reservation apps let drivers reserve and pre-pay for parking. Some interface with popular maps apps, offer recommendations for specific garages based on price and distance sensitivity, and even let drivers enter the garage via Bluetooth.

Digital signage is another great way to get drivers into spaces more efficiently. Real time displays of space availability and rate transparency can attract drivers that may be looking for a place to park. Within garages, sensor systems used in conjunction with digital signage can be implemented to help guide drivers to open spaces.

Digital Payments Even if drivers don’t reserve and pre-pay, digital payments can still help to get them on their way faster.

QR codes can be placed on tickets or on signs around a garage to direct parkers to an online payment portal.

If drivers pay on their phone before they exit a garage, they spend less time hovering at the exit.

Especially for large-scale operations and event venues, eliminating even seconds at the exit can have big benefits in terms of reducing lines, wait times, and idling. Reducing that time spent in line at the exit both improves user experience and reduces emissions. A double win!

Last Mile Transit Introducing popular last-mile technologies like eScooters is a new way parking asset owners are capitalizing on the sustainability movement. More and more consumers are choosing the small electric mobility devices for short trips over alternatives like driving or rideshare. Today, up to half of all scooter trips replace those that would be taken by car. Of all trips taken by car in the U.S., at least 40% are under three miles, a distance well within the range for eScooter rides.

With eScooter rentals inside parking assets, drivers can choose garages further away from their destination, save money, and reduce the emissions of their overall trip.

EV Charging With 35 million EVs anticipated to be on roads by 2030, there is an unprecedented level of demand for charging that parking assets can help to meet. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory estimates that for every 1,000 EVs, we will need 40 Level 2 charging stations. That adds up to somewhere

STOCK.ADOBE.COM / ANDREY POPOV / X.DESIGNER

LAX Economy Parking Structure Now Open! around 1.2 million level 2 ports. To meet that estimated demand, we would need to install 380 EV charging ports each day for the next nine years, according to Forbes.

The recent 1.2 trillion infrastructure bill sets aside $7.5 billion to build 500,000+ charging stations across the country, with a focus on Level 2 chargers. With standard charging (as opposed to DC fast), the expectation is that drivers will plug in more often, for shorter periods of time. For parking assets, this opportunity is ideal: Level 2 chargers are much more affordable to install, run, and maintain and will be utilized by more parkers, with greater frequency.

The parking industry has an opportunity to be an asset in the EV revolution and contribute to a more sustainable future of mobility. It starts with closing the gap between charging supply and demand from EVs.

How to Start Making Your Operation More Sustainable Today The first step in making garages more sustainable is to evaluate whether your technology partner can support and integrate with add-ons like digital signage or mobile payments. Then, look at your customer base and decide which implementations will be most impactful to them. If you have an abundance of repeat customers or monthly parkers, digital signage is probably not as important as mobile payments or even ameni charging. Those added amenities make repeat customers loyal customers.

Finally, look at what’s next in sustainability trends. With the EV revolution right around the corner, ramping up electric capabilities is key. In garages that are not yet electrified or haven’t been evaluated for EV charging, running ample power may be a lengthy process. It’s best to get started with the process now and be prepared when EV charging is something most drivers are looking for.

Technology is the key to all of this: having the right tools in your hands to see consumer insights, add-on the right sustainable capabilities, and track the success of new implementations. ◆

TIM MALONEY is vice president of enterprise solutions for FLASH, and a member of the IPMI Sustainability Committee.

PARKING-MOBILITY.ORG / APRIL 2022 / PARKING & MOBILITY

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/ DIVERSITY, EQUITY, & INCLUSION

See Something, Say Something

By Tiffany Peebles

I

N 2020, people across the U.S. and across the world were outraged at what they witnessed in Minneapolis,

Minnesota. People of all races and walks of life took to the streets and expressed their disdain, disappointment, and disgrace for reprehensible behavior that was caught on camera. It was a sad and intolerable day in our great country when George Floyd lost his life at the hands of a police officer who was sworn to serve and protect. Immediately, the world started to say something—because they saw something. The world saw something that needed to be spoken up against, and the protest began. Voices were raised to promote change and prevent anything like this from ever happening again.

Nearly two years later, the streets have emptied, and the signs are down. In many places, there appears to be less discussions around securing justice for those who are disenfranchised and overlooked.

Fortunately, most injustices don’t end in someone losing their life. But the fact of the matter remains that whether it is a life, someone’s livelihood, or just the pursuit of happiness, there should always be efforts to ensure there is diversity, equity, and inclusion for all. Those in the position to

promote change should be compelled to do just that, change a system that is lacking in what is right for all. We need to continue to use our voices to bring that change forward.

In the parking and mobility industry, we are huge proponents of see something, say something. After all, the observation of others can help us ensure safety in our workplace. People having their eyes and ears open creates an overall better and safer experience when getting from one place to the next. The parking and

mobility industry preaches for our teams and our patrons to simply say something when they see something suspicious. As people are moving about their day, we simply ask that if you see something that doesn’t seem quite right, say something.

Most would agree this is a simple ask - for people to be alert and report suspicious activity to protect property, people, and our community. Now, we need to go a step further and apply this to observing vulnerabilities in diversity and equity.

Speaking up can be challenging, to some even frightening, but we need everyone’s courage to make a change. And, who better than you to get the conversation started.

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See something, say something was envisioned to make everyone responsible for watching out for the general safety and wellbeing of the public. I am suggesting we exercise this same energy and purposefulness to look out for people of all races, classes, ages, and sexual orientations. As an African American female, I’d appreciate something being said when others can blatantly see there are infractions against others in the workplace.

At a quick glance, we can identify if our organization does a good job in creating a diverse and equitable workplace.

Most companies do well in hiring a diverse workforce for their frontline employees. The challenge comes when filling executive and middle management roles, which are areas where diversity can be most impactful and where different voices need to be heard. If you believe this is an issue for your company and are not aware of current initiatives to change this deficiency, someone should be saying something. I challenge each of you to look, and then say something if you see a disparity. Nothing ever changes when people remain silent. Speaking up can be challenging, to some even frightening, but we need everyone’s courage to make a change. And, who better than you to get the conversation started.

We can all make an impact. The fact of the matter is everyone is influential; it is just a matter of how you choose to use that influence. Being silent when you observe a lack of diversity could appear as if you are comfortable with it. After all, if you believe there are inequities, why would you not speak up to change the balance? Whether intentional or otherwise, many organizations create and maintain environments where there is an overabundance of resources for some and while creating a deficit to others. The thought of adding diversity to middle management and executive leadership can be a grave threat to those that may not benefit from changing the “look” of who occupies the corner offices.

It has been proven time and time again that diversity improves the overall experience for employees and those we serve by ensuring a wider array of perspectives. Limited viewpoints caused by a lack of diversity have the potential to negatively impact our long-term success. If there is a lack of inclusion in decisionmaking, how do we ensure we have offered the best product and services for all? To gain multiple perspectives, you must ensure diversity around the table. It is critical to a company’s bottom line to choose a path of inclusivity; companies risk losing out on the next generation of innovators if they do not make diversity and equity a priority. So, what is keeping companies from choosing this obvious path?

Belief effects behavior. When we don’t believe in something, our behavior will show this disregard. If companies do not believe in the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion, it shows in their lack of action. They do not seek out opportunities to change the

SHUTTERSTOCK / FIZKES

trajectory and benefit from a diverse workforce. If we as observers of the disbelief simply allow things to persist, to be business as usual—it becomes our failure. It is our responsibility to speak up, and to change the belief systems within our companies.

When diversity, equity and inclusion are not a priority in an organization, when it is spoke of, but nothing appears to change to make it a reality, we need to say something. Seeing something without saying something is like a bird with one wing, it flaps but it goes nowhere. We all have the potential to be emerging leaders; if inclusivity is not being achieved, then you be the one to lead your company towards it. As Ernest Hemingway said, “Ask not for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for you.” See something, say something.

I see no reason why our industry can’t make history for leading the world in changes towards diversity, equity, and Inclusiveness. It is a worthy and necessary cause. It means we not only see something and say something, but we do something. ◆ TIFFANY PEEBLES is executive director of the Parking Authority of River City, Inc, and is a member of IPMI’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee and the Research & Innovation Task Force.

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/ MOBILITY & TECH

Demystifying Curb Management Leveraging Tools to Meet Your Operational and Policy Goals

By Erik Nelson and Kevin White, CAPP, AICP

C

URB MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES and technologies (cameras, sensors, mobile applications, cloud

services) have been a hot topic in the parking and mobility industry for several years now. The emergence of transportation network companies and shared micromobility, coupled with the continued growth of commercial deliveries, has increased congestion in a location previously occupied solely by parked vehicles and an occasional bus stop. A consensus of professionals might agree that curb lane management is balancing many competing uses for limited curb space in a way that is equitable and at the very least, revenue neutral. Between parking, transit, micro-transit, passenger pick-up/drop-off, dining, parklets, and art installations among other things, that can be a tall order.

The coronavirus pandemic has further increased the demand for curb space via outdoor dining, parklets, and food delivery.

Cities have been examining new ways to think about and manage curb space, and vendors have jumped into the space with both new and re-purposed technologies to help with curb use data collection, monitoring, enforcement, and monetization.

Many cities have deployed technology, are conducting pilot projects, modifying policy, and being more deliberate about managing curb space for these various users, particularly in highly congested urban areas. A scan of the technology marketplace unearths an almost dizzying array of new technologies and vendors.

Beyond IPMI, curb management is a hot topic among a myriad other related planning, transportation, and smart cities organizations and disciplines.

What does it mean for you and your streets and on-street parking and mobility operations? Following the curb management topic and discussion over the past several years and it’s easy to see that much of the discourse about strategies and technologies has centered on highly congested urban areas of cities like New York, Seattle, and San Francisco. Driven

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by a strong need to manage scarce curb space, these cities have undoubtedly paved the way with new technologies, policies, and techniques. In many cases, however, these cities are unique and truly unlike the vast majority of mid to large cities across the United States.

Curb Management in Your Community The truth is, if you have curb space in your community and allow parking, loading, or outdoor dining, you are managing your curb. You may have a program that allows for the installation of a loading zone or a valet zone. You may permit food trucks to park on your streets. You may or may not have time restrictions or paid parking. All the policies, technologies, and practices you employ to manage that space have likely evolved over the years, perhaps in an ad hoc manner as your community has evolved with new development, new uses, and new demands.

No matter how you manage your curb space, you may be following the curb management discourse and hearing about the new fancy technology and wondering, “how does this apply to me and my operation?” Intentionally or not,

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the discourse and new technologies (i.e., focused on cameras, sensors, commercial loading, and monetization in highly congested urban areas) that have emerged in the curb management space over the past handful of years have really focused on solutions for the significant urban centers of this country, and not on the vast majority of small to medium-size municipal operations in the United States. These operations may not have a paid parking program or a highly congested curb, yet still have a need to manage this space effectively. They are still taking part in curb management.

Regardless of the sophistication level of your curb space management, and regardless of whether your curb space is highly congested and not significantly busy, there is value in understanding the curb management landscape and how to leverage tools and technologies to advance your system’s goals. Think about where you are on the spectrum of curb management, and where you want your curb management journey to take your community. Who are the users trying to access your curb, and what programs, policies, and technologies do you need to enable their access and the enhance the vibrancy, equity, and quality of life of your community?

PHOTO COURTESY OF WALKER CONSULTANTS

A critical step is to be able to state the problem to be solved plainly and clearly.

This statement should be simple, and easily understood, such as, “We need to enforce delivery restrictions.” From there, it will likely be necessary to refine that problem statement into a more detailed requirements or performance specification that can be taken to market through an RFI/RFQ/RFP process. This information should be clear enough so that both the municipality and the vendor know what the objective is, who the users will be, and what performance levels are required of the technology.

Navigating the Curb Management Technology Landscape The curb management technology landscape has evolved significantly over the past several years, and there are now a range of vendors supplying numerous technologies in this space. Although they all have different and unique attributes, they tend to employ some type of data source, and some sort of application to manage the data being provided by that source. Be it a camera, a Bluetooth beacon, crowdsourced data, or something else, there are

many choices. How would one even begin to sort through them?

Before COVID-19, there was a significant focus in the curb management space on managing Uber and Lyft and passenger loading areas. Cities were employing the use of flexible curb spaces that could serve as parking areas during one part of the day, and Uber/Lyft pick-up and drop-off areas in other parts of the day. Recent years, especially the past two, have really accelerated the focus in curb management on managing (and eventually monetizing) commercial loading zones.

Cities are conducting pilots and examining camera and other technology to monitor and facilitate commercial loading activity in urban areas. One goal (and certainly not the only goal) that many cities have is to set up a program where commercial drivers can pull into loading spaces along the curb, the city can employ technology to monitor dwell time, and commercial delivery companies are invoiced for time spent on the curb using an enterprise account in the city’s backend permit and billing system. The ideal scenario is that once set up, the system manages itself, and the delivery drivers and the city do not have to take any extra

manual steps to facilitate loading, tracking, invoicing, and payment. The industry is eagerly waiting to see if these types of dynamic systems can be successfully completed at scale in all types of weather and geographies and sustained indefinitely.

Commercial loading is only one part of the curb management spectrum. Wherever you are in your curb management journey, it’s important to continuously refocus on your curb users and promoting access and quality of life. While following the latest curb management technology is important, make sure that technology is never viewed as more than a tool to help you achieve important community goals, not an end in of itself. ◆

ERIK NELSON is the director of operations and technology consulting for Walker Consultants, and he is a member if IPMI’s Research & Innovation and Awards Committees.

KEVIN WHITE, CAPP, AICP is a parking and mobility consultant for Walker Consultants and is a member of the IPMI Research and Innovation Committee.

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ASK THE

EXPERTS Walt Gray

Director of Parking and Ground Transportation Houston Airports With the growth of app-based mobility services, there is a larger demand for curb space at airports. With the linear feet of curbs fixed at most airports, the increased pressure on curbs by app-based services is changing traditional curb management practices at airports. We are seeing a need to relocate certain mobility services away from the curb and put them in a parking garage or different airport facility, and the need to incorporate technology to better manage the flow of traffic to the curb. I see airports needing to put greater thought into how their curbs are priced and how to monetize non-revenue activities on the curbs. Proper curb pricing can reduce pressure there, moving activities off the curb and into paid parking.”

Allen Corry, CAPP

Assistant VP, Parking & Transportation Business Unit DFW International Airport The use of electric shuttle buses promotes the development and use of zeroemission of airport ground transportation to achieve the emission reduction strategies the airport’s Mobile Source Strategy, State Implementation Plan, and Sustainable Freight Action Plan. These electric buses provide a more enjoyable and quieter ride when transporting passengers to and from the parking lots on fixed, short routes to the terminals while providing zero-emissions and reduced air pollution in accordance with local government air pollutions plans. The operational characteristics of shuttle buses are well matched to today’s electric vehicle technology and increased parking charging stations in the parking garages and lots.”

What do you see as the biggest driver of change for the aviation industry in terms of parking and mobility?

Katherine Beaty VP of Implementation TEZ Technology

I think the LPR and A.I. technology is changing how parking is managed at airports as it provides an equipment light option not only as a revenue control system but can be used in nesting programs for designated areas for things like ride share zones, car rental areas, taxi zones and employee parking.”

Robert McConnell, PE, SE Vice President, Parking Solutions WGI, Inc.

Air travel has rebounded from its COVID low to about 75% of the late 2019 demand, but business travel, which traditionally makes up about 12% of the total number of trips and about double that share of revenues, is still far below 2019 levels. Similarly, TNC ridesharing is also well below its peak due to lower demand and driver shortages. The pandemic showed us that we can effectively collaborate remotely and virtually, which has and will continue to cut into business air travel for the foreseeable future.”

/ HAVE A QUESTION? Send it to editor@parking-mobility.org and watch this space for answers from the experts.

The opinions and thoughts expressed by the contributors do not necessarily reflect the opinions and viewpoints of the International Parking & Mobility Institute or official policies of IPMI.

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Casey Jones, CAPP, PMP Director, Customer Success FLASH Parking

Aviation is experiencing a dramatic industry-wide shift as it flexes to adapt to pandemic impacts.

Airports must fully automate, digitize and be more agile. From the consumer perspective, Business travel, once the market staple, has been slow to rebound while leisure travelers show pent up demand necessitating holistic shifts in marketing campaigns with an eye towards experience over the functional logistics needs of the business audience.”

Matthew Sherwood

Commercial Parking Revenue Strategy Program Manager Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority With the emergence of TNCs, airports have had to reimagine their parking offerings. Many airports have launched online reservation systems enabling pricing flexibility and resulting in a more predictable and convenient customer experience. It is critical that we continue to be innovative and take a customer-centric approach to meet the expectations of today’s passengers.”

Mark Lyons, CAPP

Manager City of Sarasota, Florida The biggest driver is the everchanging flight schedules along with an increase of accessibility into smaller markets. Both require nimbler management teams, more creative solutions to recruiting and developing strong local managers.”

STOCK.ADOBE.COM / VECTORPLUS

Erik Nelson, PICP Director of Operations Technology Consulting Walker Consultants

Although the aviation industry is still coping with the tepid postCOVID recovery in business travel, I see the biggest drivers of change in terms of parking and mobility as increased use of technology to manage the parking and mobility experience. Beyond vast parking structures and the latest PARCS, APGS and vehicle charging systems, Airports are using technology more than ever to manage the flow of patrons in and out of the airport through curb management programs, TNC/ground transportation management, and further integration with transit.”

Jim Anderson

Market Development Manager, Building Solutions Team MBCC Group The advent and use of transportation network companies (TNC’s). They are an increasing popular and efficient mode of transportation and airport operations management is recognizing its impact on various parking and mobility revenue generators.”

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ClearSkies

Ahead?

Challenges, Opportunities, and the Future of Parking & Mobility in Aviation

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Expert Participants Some of the most elite organizations in the aviation space have come together to pass along their thoughts on the challenges faced by the sector, and the opportunities presented for the future.

2020

will be written in the history books as one of the worst years on record for many industries, and the aviation industry is no exception. According to the International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) Annual Review 2021, the passenger airline business continued to be adversely affected by the COVID-19 crisis into 2021. Although global economic activity rebounded on the back of booming manufacturing production, travel restrictions kept air passenger numbers low, especially for international travel.

Second-quarter 2021 numbers improved compared with those for the first quarter because of the reopening of some domestic and regional markets.

Herold Hensley, SVP of Parking and Transportation, Denver International Airport (DEN). DEN is the third-busiest airport in the world, and the primary economic engine for the state of Colorado, generating more than $33.5 billion for the region annually.

In looking so far at 2022, IATA reports that total demand for air travel in January 2022 (measured in revenue passenger kilometers or RPKs) was up 82.3% compared to January 2021, however, it was down 4.9% compared to the previous month (December 2021) on a seasonally adjusted basis due to the Omicron variant. So, it seems we are still on the roller coaster, and unsure as to when we will disembark.

How are airports keeping up with the rapidly changing conditions, while at the same time looking to the future and what it holds for the industry? How has the uncertainty affecting parking and mobility at airports, and how is revenue being looked at differently under today’s lens?

Parking & Mobility asked organizations to give us their perspective on the challenges, and opportunities, that today’s airports are navigating.

From the airports themselves to the companies that provide services to the industry, we have gathered a broad perspective on the current state of our airports parking and mobility services, as well as a glimpse into what the future may hold.

John Schmid, CEO and Chairman, Propark Mobility. As a national near-airport parking provider, Propark Mobility creates a seamless customer experience for air travelers, from their first mile to their last.

Allen Corry, CAPP, AVP, Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) International Airport Parking/Transportation Business Unit (TBU). The TBU is the largest source of non-aviation revenue that continues to maintain financial strength and remains cost competitive.

Jack Ricchiuto, President, Airport Division, SP+. SP+ manages their airport operations through a dedicated Airport Services division with over 65 years of airport-specific parking experience, including parking operations, valet services, technology solutions, shuttle transportation and more.

Robert McConnell, PE, SE, Vice President, Parking Solutions, WGI. With a deep understanding of the airport parking ecosystem, WGI’s parking experts provide parking planning and design, as well as comprehensive professional services, cutting-edge technology, and resources for planning and designing airport parking facilities.

Bob Miles, President, Bags. Bags serves airline, airport, and hospitality clients as a leading provider of baggage delivery, remote airline check-in, and other related services.

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CLEAR SKIES AHEAD?

“Denver International Airport has a robust parking and ground transportation program that provides our passengers with a variety of options to meet

Operations How have airport operations changed because of the pandemic, and how will operations evolve as travel demands change post-pandemic? How have airports accommodated changing patron behavior in their operations?

Parking at Denver International Airport

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We downsized all our operations during the pandemic. We closed 17,112 public parking spaces and almost 7,000 employee parking spaces. Another 4,479 public parking spaces were converted to employee parking. We also closed our valet parking facilities. As passenger traffic has returned, we have been slowly reopening our public and employee parking facilities. We will return to 2019 operations this year except for our valet product. We are converting the valet product to a reserved parking product. As we look to the future, we will use our Vision 100 strategic plan to guide our decisions on ground transportation to ensure we can effectively serve 100 million passengers in the next eight to ten years.

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their needs. We understand that an efficient and reliable parking experience is what our travelers want, and we continue to make improvements and implement new programs to enhance the travelers’ experience.”

To meet the increasing passenger demand, TBU has experienced several major changes to focus on streamlining operations, combining function, and re-alignment of teams. Operational focus is on: ● TBU, Customer Experience and Innovation departments collaboration teams. ● Re-align Employee Engagement Teams (post-COVID). ● Reshaping teams to focus on current needs. ● Enhance the customer journey. ● Seamless communication. ● New technology. ● Filling essential vacancies. ● Internal promotions. ● Employee engagement teams.

To align TBU’s Strategic Plan with DFW’s Strategic Plan and ensure projects are successfully implemented, we’ve employed our plan to employ analytical business approaches to drive change in thought and operations, leveraging technology and data by: implementing new business solutions through partnership with our IT; building and maintaining mobile dashboards and predictive models for traffic demands; utilizing comparative data acquired from various sources; analyzing current and forecast future market condition; evaluating changes and impact of customer behavior; and aligning systems for predictive analytics focusing on tomorrow to align resources and strategies.

When the pandemic first hit, we needed to swiftly adjust to the decrease in demand, while we implemented a plethora of COVID-19 mitigation measures around cleaning/ sanitation and contact/distancing all in accordance with government mandates, client policies, and our own company protocols put in place to keep our employees safe. Some of those implementations have expanded and evolved because they are good ideas. For example, the touchless technologies we use will continue to apply because they have proven to be desirable for travelers.

The convenience of user-friendly reservation systems, touchless payment options, and remote airline check-in are just some of the evolving parking and transportation logistical services we continue to provide and develop.

The largest change in the travel industry, post-pandemic, has been the shift from business travel to leisure travel. Historically, one of the keys to Propark’s success was catering to the needs of the frequent business traveler by providing a high-amenity product with a focus on consistency and convenience.

Because many businesses learned how to sell and serve their clients remotely during the pandemic, corporate travel decreased. Even as travel is becoming safe and accessible again, this trend is expected to continue, with many businesses choosing to keep their people at home.

As travel and parking demand become driven more and more by the leisure traveler, we are seeing a shift toward more competitively priced products. The leisure travel customers, individually, travel much less frequently and make their purchasing decisions on a trip-by-trip basis.

We saw many airports put parking projects on hold at the beginning of the pandemic when air travel dropped by 80%. A year later, personal

and leisure air travel resurged due to relaxation of restrictions and pent-up demand, and air travel has rebounded since then to about 75% of the late 2019/early 2020 demand. That said, business travel, which traditionally makes up about 12% of the total number of trips and about double that share of revenues, is still far below 2019 levels. The pandemic showed us that a lot of collaboration can happen over web conferencing platforms, and it will likely take several years for business travel to recover. Transportation Network Companies (TNCs) were also off about 80% during the pandemic, and, while they have rebounded somewhat, driver shortages and residual reluctance to ride in a stranger’s vehicle have kept ridership below prepandemic highs. Perhaps the silver lining there is more people driving their own vehicles to airports and paying for parking.

“One of the most dramatic impacts of the pandemic was the stress placed on all employees regardless of if they worked on site or remotely.

Many of these workers had to quickly adapt to a new working situation while sharing their workspaces at home. Some of our employees found themselves in difficulty maintaining engagement with the workplace. They found it challenging to feel engaged while working separated from the workplace.

Some had issue separating the home life from their work life.”

We have found that when airlines directly communicate with passengers to provide transportation information regarding wait times and parking suggestions on the day-of or day-before travel, it helps direct travelers to the most efficient airport locations and improves the passenger experience.

Revenues/Pricing Models How are facilities planning for annualized parking revenues given the changes in customer behavior? How have pricing models been altered in response to current conditions?

Our shuttle lots were closed, and we proactively provided information regarding our off-airport parking partners during the pandemic to provide low-cost options for our customers.

As we reopen DEN owned shuttle lots, we are focusing

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CLEAR SKIES AHEAD?

our communication on these lots to regain the market share. We maintained our pricing throughout the pandemic. We are now looking at new pricing models to possibly implement in second quarter 2022. The new pricing models will take into consideration the uptick in leisure travel and the decline in business travel.

Overall, our pricing model is shifting to promote growth and leverage of variable pricing for drive-up customers as well as pre-paid online.

Revenues at larger airports have returned to a level consistent with the prepandemic environment, and in many cases, we are seeing higher volume than before. The leisure traveler is more focused on price, and we are seeing a shift from premium and valet airport parking options to economy and selfpark options. We are finding success with demand-based pricing models and aggressive marketing through multiple channels.

“As consumer needs continue to change, it’s important to invest in technology that will adapt with you to meet market demand. We are partnering with equipment and service providers that offer flexible, easily upgradable systems that can adapt to new technology and changes in customer behavior.”

To bridge the revenue shortfall, airports will need to be more efficient with staffing, relying on automation for payment and enforcement.

They will need to drive up occupancy using parking guidance and, perhaps, dynamic pricing. They will also need to up-sell the paying customers with services such as valet parking, concierge services like carwash/ detailing or lounge reservations, prepaid parking and reserved spaces, and VIP premium parking areas.

Because we are a full-service mobility provider, we can generate additional revenue streams beyond parking and shuttle transportation for the airports we serve. Offering supplemental services and technology products provide the opportunity to accumulate additional competitive management fees based on the success of our clients.

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Additional services include web pages, data analytics, digital marketing, payment and reservation systems, geo fencing, baggage services, remote check-in, valet, and frequent parker programs—that all tie back to the optimizing the customer experience.

Technology How have airports changed their operations to accommodate changing patron behavior? What technologies and innovations are they and should they be implementing to streamline operations and maximize revenue?

We are working diligently to implement a reserved parking product, pre-booking, and the use of 6C (ISO/IEC 18000-63) tags for ingress/egress and payment of parking fees. These products offer frictionless parking and the peace of mind knowing your parking will be seamless at any of our facilities. These enhancements will provide our passengers with more options that allow them to take control of their parking experience. During the pandemic, we have installed a new parking revenue control system. A significant upgrade with the new system is frictionless parking using License Plate Recognition (LPR). Frictionless parking allows the patron to exit the facility with minimal interaction with the equipment or a cashier, creating a more efficient experience.

The TBU Special Busing operation section is made up of 80% Off-Gate (Hardstand) Cobus operations, that offload passengers from aircraft that are not gated. DFW is the first airport in the U.S. using Electric Cobus’. In addition, this section is responsible for coordinating parking and busing during irregular transportation and busing emergency operations.

Other future innovative projects include but are not limited to: ● Terminal C Construction (garage and traffic impact). ● Virtual taxi queue.

Curbside—vehicle recognition. ● Electric vehicle chargers are being expanded and programed in for the next five years. ● Continuing to update garage facilities including a Parking Guidance System, fresh paint, and adding elevators to legacy garages. ● Exploration of the customer journey is an on-going

SP+: “People continue to expect instant access to information and options at their fingertips. Travelers are no exception. The entire travel experience needs to feel seamless and logistical information must be easily accessible.”

effort to expand information regarding available parking and transportation to customers through use of our website, mobile application, and signage.

Parking guidance, ideally with individual space sensing, and occupancy detection are going to become ubiquitous at airports. Capitalizing on that data is important. This includes pushing availability and rates out to mobile and the web, as well as to dynamic street signage - perhaps even to the resale market.

Another technology that needs to be embraced by airports is integration with the highway tolling systems. Toll tags are everywhere, and they enable transactions that are operationally efficient and convenient to users.

We are collaborating with our airport clients in variety of different ways. For example, at Denver International Airport, we are providing remote airline check-in at two distinct and convenient locations near the airport campus. One remote airline check-in station is at the train station that stops at the terminal, allowing travelers to avoid ticket counter lines and the hassle of carrying bags up the escalator and through the terminal. A second drive-up location allows passengers to complete the entire check-in process—from paying for baggage fees to having luggage unloaded from

the trunk of their car—all from the comfort of their car seat. The drive-up remote airline check-in operation is designed to provide airports with a value-added amenity for their economy parking lots to compete with off-airport parking options. In this instance, the airport did see a market share shift to their economy lots. In addition, United Airlines also promoted the service to direct checkin activities away from the ticket counter areas to alleviate congestion. Additionally, we launched our Curbside Concierge™ service in 2021, as an option for passengers to utilize curbside check-in services at airlines/airports that had not resumed skycap services.

Trends What is on the five-year horizon for airport parking, transportation, and mobility?

We anticipate innovative transportation options to request the ability to operate at airports. Like the TNC’s and car sharing, these options will require airports to creatively accommodate them. Car sharing will continue to grow and become a more and more viable option for airport customers. The trend toward electrification will continue with a growing need for infrastructure at airports for passenger vehicles and larger vehicles such as shuttles and buses. The

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CLEAR SKIES AHEAD?

“We are intensely focused on improving the passenger journey— while we see airlines and airports doing the

development of autonomous vehicles will also change the way parking is utilized at airports. Because of the many interrupters such as TNC’s and car sharing, we will see creative uses of parking facilities in the future to optimize the revenue that is being generated by these assets.

Over the next five years our business management will employ an analytical business approach to drive change in thought and operations by leveraging technology and data, implementing new business solutions through partnership with our IT. We plan on building and maintaining mobile dashboards and predictive models for traffic demands and utilizing comparative data to analyze current and forecast future conditions to evaluate changes and impact of customer behavior. We will also be supporting green initiatives by expanding EV charging stations and transitioning fleet to electric vehicles. These efforts involve collaboration with our environmental department, as well as conducting studies with national research labs.

As technologies continue to advance, the workforce will need to adapt. That means retraining the workforce to efficiently manage new systems as they assist travelers, especially in customer-facing support roles.

Demand for air travel is improving and will continue to grow. As more people can perform their work remotely, the lines between business and leisure travel will continue to blur. Travel will no longer be relegated to weekends and two weeks a year.

People are free to travel more frequently and for longer periods when they can bring their office with them. We expect to see continued growth in this segment, and the keys to success lie in the ability to adapt to rapid

same. A significant part of that journey involves technologies for touchless transactions, convenient check-in options and other services that help create a frictionless travel experience.”

technology change and to keep pace with the way that people shop for and purchase everything in their lives. To succeed, our parking operations need to be cutting edge, and not a relic of the past.

Airport parking transactions will become more hands-free. There are a variety of technologies and operating methods available, running the gamut from highway toll tags to mobile Bluetooth to the technology built into vehicles that will enable drivers to zip in and out of airport parking facilities with all the transactions occurring in the background. Additionally, mobile apps will consolidate and link all travel modes into smart trips, covering everything from driving directions and traffic reports to availability and cost of parking, airline boarding passes, luggage claim checks, ridesharing, accommodation reservations, dining options, and anything else a traveler might conceivably need.

Looking back to 2016 projections for worldwide air passengers to double by 2035, the pandemic surely took some of the steam off that growth. However, we are seeing some phenomenal growth rates during the recovery that may lead us to that curve in the future. Since many airports are land locked, there may be challenges to accommodate that growth.

The industry and those who support it continue to consider streamlining passenger journeys, integrating mass transit into airport campuses, and accommodating autonomous and electronic vehicles.

“Construction costs rose nearly 16% from 2020 to 2021, which obviously impacted all capital projects.

Computer chips continue to be in short supply. We’re also seeing some vendors over-promise and then try to upcharge for expediting, substituting, or even deleting components. Hopefully, this is not a trend. Protection from supply chain crunches and overcharging starts with a well-defined program, a solid set of solicitation documents, and a contract that locks in performance and pricing. This needs to be followed up with thorough oversight throughout the purchasing, installation, and shake-down processes.”

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TRAVEL IS BACK. It may not look the same, it may not follow the old rules, but

make no mistake, the aviation industry is waking up. Looking forward, airports and the companies that serve them will need to re-examine everything, including how they look at parking, mobility, and transportation. Special thanks to these market leaders who have given their perspective on the challenges and opportunities that the sector is taking on. What do you think are the key factors for future success of parking and mobility in the airport space? Give us your feedback and thoughts at editor@parking-mobility.org. We would love to hear from you! ◆

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What it Takes to Deliver a Five-Star Experience Houston Airports Continue to Put the Guest Experience First

By Kenneth Hall

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AN UNRELENTING FOCUS ON THE GUEST EXPERIENCE continues to pay off handsomely for Houston Airports—and most importantly, for its millions of passengers each month. In January 2022, William P. Hobby Airport received notice that it had become the first and only 5-Star rated airport throughout North America in the Skytrax World Airport Star Rating for 2022. Hobby Airport excelled in all 29 rating categories to achieve the exceptional honor.

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The Skytrax World Airport Star Rating is a global benchmark of quality evaluation for the aviation industry.

The 5-Star rating is Skytrax’s ultimate quality recognition for an airport, awarded to airports achieving a very high, overall quality performance. This top airport rating recognizes airports providing excellent facilities for guests, combined with high-quality airport staff service.

Skytrax’s complimentary review highlighted the airport’s “wide range of substantial guest experience upgrades to the terminal interiors, passenger facilities, and customer service initiatives.” Recent improvements at Hobby Airport include new children’s play areas, state-of-the-art restroom facilities, modern signage and information systems, a prayer room, and a new stage for live music performances, to highlight just a few. Hobby Airport becomes one of just 16 airports with a 5-Star rating across the world.

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George Bush Intercontinental Airport maintained its 4-Star rating for a fifth consecutive year and consistently improved its score across the rating categories.

Construction continues to advance Bush Airport’s international terminal redevelopment program, which will support the efforts to achieve the goal for Houston to serve as home to not just one, but two 5-Star rated airports. Plans for a domestic redevelopment program have been announced as well.

The 5-star honor for Hobby Airport was the result of years of intentional, strategic efforts— all designed with the guest in mind. In October 2021, Houston Airports unveiled its new guest experience brand promise, specifically designed to intimately serve all its guests—every single customer who visits Bush, Hobby, and Ellington Airports.

The focused efforts had already yielded results before Hobby’s 5-star recognition. A few months earlier, at the

Skytrax 2021 World Airport Awards, Bush and Hobby in mind,” said Liliana Rambo, the airport system’s chief Airports received a bevy of honors in various categories. terminal management officer. “We have left no stone There, Bush Airport garnered top honors, with the unturned as we navigated our path to truly becoming a highest ranking among U.S. airports in the World’s Top 5-star global service gateway. Great airports get the basics 100 Airports category, achieving right—making the experience the distinction for the second memorable from curb to consecutive year. Bush Airport gate, with an enjoyable guest HOUSTON AIRPORTS’ climbed six spots in rank to No. experience in mind.”

CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE BRAND 25 among the top 100 world Rambo said that so many PROMISE STATES: airports. Bush Airport also factors—parking, concessions, “From your house to ours, ranked as the cleanest airport passenger terminal layout and we promise to deliver a ffve-star in the U.S and finished fourth design, amenities, and more— airport experience for our guests in the rankings for Best U.S. all weigh heavily on creating that showcases world-class service, Airport Staff. an exceptional passenger modern facilities and uniquely Perhaps a portent of positive experience.

“Houston friendly” hospitality— things to come, Hobby Airport Walt Gray, commercial ffrst time, every time.” received several noteworthy development—parking accolades at the 2021 awards, and ground transportation including the most improved director at Houston Airports, airport in the U.S. It also ranked third in the Best Regional concurred. Gray talked about the importance of efficient Airports in North America category. In the Top 100 Best parking and transportation in the overall travel process.

World Airports category, Hobby Airport placed 49th, up “Parking factors heavily in the satisfaction of our from 67th in 2020. Additionally, Hobby ranked tenth in guests,” Gray said, “and we have been very intentional in the Cleanest Airports—North America category. seeking to respond and cater to the needs of our visitors.

“Houston Airports takes great pride in serving our We focus on best practices and provide affordable, guests efficiently, effectively, and with care and safety efficient options for our guests.”

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“Parking is often the first and the last impression for many of our guests. We recognize that it’s critical to make that first and last impression count.”

He also noted Bush and Hobby Airports recently installed LED lighting and lighting control updates at multiple locations, all part of a recent sustainability initiative.

“Guests” is a word often heard at Houston Airports, according to Dawn Hoffman, terminal manager at Hobby Airport.

“It is genuinely the heart of Houston Airports to serve each and every guest with excellence,” Hoffman said. “We are gratified by the 5-star recognition and the numerous recent awards we’ve received, but they only validate our interest in serving the public well. They don’t allow us to ‘rest easy’, but they incentivize us to continue moving forward with the guest in mind.”

Even considering the COVID-19 pandemic which literally crippled the aviation industry around the world, Houston Airports continues to advance. Steve Runge, director of operations, was emphatic and enthusiastic as he discussed the airport system’s robust response to so many often-evolving challenges.

“We are in a time of tremendous growth and expansion at Houston Airports,” Runge said. “Communication with our guests—and each other—is more critical than ever as we modernize and create facilities of which we can be proud. Our current programs—the IAH Terminal Redevelopment Program, ITRP, at Bush Airport and the upcoming domestic redevelopment program—plus significant infrastructure improvements at Hobby Airport and the ongoing expansions at Ellington Airport/ Houston Spaceport are all making the City of Houston

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even more attractive and more appealing as a destination for business, for leisure, and for passing through.”

Runge said that at the early onset of the pandemic, Houston Airports implemented FlySafe Houston, an internationally accredited passenger and employeefocused safety and health initiative that helps reduce the spread of COVID-19 throughout the facilities. The FlySafe Houston health initiative was developed to work in unison with Houston Airports’ airline partners’ existing health and safety programs to create a “curb to sky” safety promise. Safety measures that were quickly implemented included mandatory masks/face coverings, touchless kiosks at select airline ticketing counters, facial comparison technology at select departing and immigration entry points, deep cleanings, social distancing markers in queues, safety shields at counters, additional installment of hand sanitizer stations, increased frequency of air-filter replacements and public announcements and signage to promote good hygiene and social distancing.

“Again,” Runge reiterated, “we work every single day with the guest squarely in mind.”

Houston Airports Director Mario Diaz recently said, “Our customer-first mentality has served us well, and we continue to be vigilant in our efforts to safeguard the health and welfare of every single guest, visitor and staff member at Houston Airports.”

Rambo expressed her appreciation for Houston Airports’ staff and airport partners that have led to so many award-winning accolades in recent years, including the Skytrax World Airport Awards rankings.

The rankings were based on an annual airport customer survey for the Passenger’s Choice Awards that

H “ obby Airport delivers an excellent customer experience across frontline areas and customers will nd upgraded interior décorfi nishes, new play areas for children and enhanced nursery facilities for families. There is a broad range of seat choices, and charging sockets and free fast WiFi is available throughout the terminal. The airport has very effcient processing for key formalities at security and immigration, and this is reinforced by short walking distances for departure, arrival, and transfer i ghts.

Dining is provided from a range of local and national brands and o ers a good choice and u q ality.”

—SKYTRAXRATINGS.COM

PARKING-MOBILITY.ORG / APRIL 2022 / PARKING & MOBILITY

31

was conducted from August 2020 until July 2021. Many travelers voted for their favorite / best airport based on pre-pandemic travel experiences, while other customers voted after their COVID-19 airport experience during the 12 months’ prior.

Ronnie Pickard, managing director, guest experience and strategy said that the entirety of the guest experience has been carefully broken down and analyzed. “We’ve looked at everything,” Pickard said, “from the time a guest arrives at the airport, through wayfinding, activity in the garage, experience at the check-in counters, availability and usefulness of amenities—everything that has an impact on the customer.”

Additional international facilities, an aviation and aerospace technical training center, 5G technology, and reduction of natural resource consumption are among the myriad of factors driving Houston Airports to continue

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reaching for the stars.

“Our organizational philosophy is built on the foundation of mastering safety, capacity and efficiency to provide exceptional and unmatched service for our millions of passengers each year,” Runge said.

Runge said that yes, recordsetting growth in passenger numbers has clearly been slowed by the worldwide effects of COVID-19, but that Houston Airports continues to proactively work and prepare for the robust return of air travel.

“In 2019, nearly 60 million passengers arrived, connected, or departed from Houston Airports,” Runge said. “In 2020, it was right under 25 million and in 2021, more than 33 million. We are working through the strains, variants, and other challenges of COVID-19, but we are very optimistic about the future of air travel, certainly a modern societal essential.”

Darryl Daniel, Houston Airports’ chief technology officer, talked about the technologically driven advancements that Houston Airports continues to make, all in line with an ongoing five-year strategic plan.

The plan’s pillars: experience, service, efficiency, capacity, and safety.

“These priorities,” Daniel said, “are what propels Houston Airports’ innovative advances regarding passenger comfort and convenience—with one key area being biometrics.”

In 2020, Hobby Airport became the first airport in Texas to have fully biometric boarding and international entry. Houston Airports also fast-tracked the biometric program at Bush Airport and began testing other touchless technology to enhance the efficiency of the passenger’s airport experience: touchless bag drops, kiosks, and future passenger screening checkpoint pilots.

Daniel also noted, “Houston Airports has long been the aviation industry leader in development, adoption, and deployment in Smart Restroom technology, particularly in monitoring usage, cleanliness, and capturing real-time customer feedback.”

“Houston Airports is very active when it comes to bringing the latest, greatest, and safest technology to our airports. Innovation is a constant driver,” Daniel said.

Houston Airports serves the nation’s fourth-largest city with a dynamic economy and a diverse population base. Collectively, the three airports form one of North America’s largest public airport systems and serves as a premier gateway to Latin America.

“The aviation industry is literally changing the paradigm by which customer service has been traditionally measured,” Rambo said. “We are really excited about the future for our passengers.”

“As a city, we are honored to be recognized on the world stage,” Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said, in recent comments. “As our city recovers from the global pandemic, our airports remain a world-class gateway for business and leisure travel. Global connectivity drives our economy, and we are proud to say that Houston is leading in this way.” ◆ KENNETH HALL is communications manager for Houston Airport System.

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F

ROM THE DEATH OF PARKING due to self-driving Ubers to concerns over chauffeured

teens that will never get a license, the parking and mobility industry has seen a recent spate of dubious predictions that have turned out to be overblown and overhyped. The notion that parking can and should be the gas station of the future is not one of them.

The Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) market is in transition and the time is right for the parking and mobility industry to take advantage of that shift. But to ensure that that future becomes a reality, we must start planning and implementing now.

Why now?

While BEVs represented only 1.5% of the U.S. market in 2020, the number of new BEV registrations more

than doubled during the first half of 2021—an increase of almost 118% in six months. While BEVs still only represent a small percentage of the market for new cars now, a revolution in car-buying is underway.

BEV’s are currently clustered in states like California, Texas, and Florida, where average incomes tend to be high and solar electricity popular. But that is changing fast, as car buyers are increasingly open to the new technology.

PARKING Can Be the

GAS STATION

34

PARKING & MOBILITY / APRIL 2022 / PARKING-MOBILITY.ORG

First, the market is influenced by regulatory changes.

California will ban the sale of Internal Combustion Engine [ICE] vehicles in new cars starting in 2035, so car producers have no choice but to adapt to stay relevant in that large market. They will need to do so well before 2035 if they want to keep up with Tesla, which sold one million BEV’s in 2021 and has a market capitalization more than $1 trillion, more than Ford and GM combined.

Beyond that, several trends, happening concurrently, will boost EV sales. The cost of purchasing a BEV is coming down, single-charge driving range is increasing, and relative costs of ownership appear to drop as the price of gas increases (as it did, by almost 60%, in 2021).

Even if gas prices come down, BEV’s sales are not likely to decrease. Why? Because we are rapidly

approaching a tipping point in terms of preference. The best example of this is the introduction of one electric truck: the Ford Lightning F-150.

The Lightning, which goes on sale this spring, is one of about 100 pure electric car models that will be introduced by the end of 2024. But, as the electric version of the pickup that belongs to the best-selling vehicle line of any kind in the US, it stands out from the pack as the vehicle that could help Ford compete with Tesla in terms of EV sales and, in doing so, tip the U.S. into an electric destiny.

This is because the F-150 Lightning is, well, cool, with plenty of features designed to appeal to the traditional pickup crowd. The driver can now fit two full sets of golf clubs or secure valuable tools in that front area that used to hold the costly, smelly, dirty, oil dripping ICE. Or if they

FUTURE

By Andrew Sachs, CAPP

of the

SHUTTERSTOCK / PETOVARGA

But only if we adapt!

PARKING-MOBILITY.ORG / APRIL 2022 / PARKING & MOBILITY

35

If Ford can bring the BEV to the masses, it can slay the reputation that electric vehicles are only for the rich. want, they can fill the space with ice and chill beer. Yes, there is a drain plug built in. In a blackout, the electric F-150 can reverse the flow of electrons and power a house for up to three days or serve as a generator on a job site.

Plus, it can rocket from zero to 60 in 4.5 seconds. If Ford can bring the BEV to the masses, it can slay the reputation that electric vehicles are only for the rich. And like a massive bolt of Lightning, the market will be rapidly and permanently changed.

So far, signs point to that happening. In December 2021, Ford had to close pre-orders after 200,000 reservations flooded in, overrunning production projections. They have since doubled the initial production run for 2022-23 to 400,000. In short, there is a better vehicle class quickly gaining popularity, with features that take driving to the next level. And if BEVs help save the planet, that is a nice little value add.

Leveraging the Disruption in the Market Place

But why is this disruption in the market parking’s opportunity? Won’t gas stations simply convert to charging stations?

WHAT EV APPROACH IS RIGHT FOR YOUR LOCATION? Not all parking facilities are the same, so to maximize the opportunity for EV charging, owners and operators must consider the specifics of the location and type of community the facility serves.

Airports:

Airports are tricky, since most customers park for days, not hours. Level Two will charge the typical BEV in hours and once charged, the vehicle needs to be moved unless an oversupply of Level Two chargers are installed. In this scenario, Level One super slow charging may be a good option: significantly cheaper to install throughout the facility and more than adequate to meet demand. At the same time, airport valet services will do well to return BEV’s fully charged as this is the kind of perk that elicits repeat business and positive reviews.

Commercial Off-Street Operators:

Commercial parking facility operators must be prepared for a significant shift in approach; their job has gotten much more complex since the advent of PARC’s computer systems and incorporating EV charging, while beneficial, will add another layer of complexity.

• Monthly chargers: Level Two charging is appropriate for monthly chargers. This 36

cost can be built into pricing models or kept separate, with a per kWh fee.

• Entertainment, sport and restaurant patrons: These parkers will be easily sated with Level Two charging. Fees can be wrapped into discount deals offered with the venues in exchange for marketing, offer free charging as a competitive advantage, or simply charge by the kWh. • Fast casual restaurants, coffee shops and quick stop services: Parking facilities with enough of this sort of business should explore long-term deals with the networks that provide Level Three charging.

Hospitals:

Because few people make it in and out of a hospital in less than two hours, Level Two charging should suffice both for staff and visitors. But policies must consider that patients and doctors may not be able to stop what they are doing to move their vehicles when charging is complete. This

PARKING & MOBILITY / APRIL 2022 / PARKING-MOBILITY.ORG

calls for a higher number of chargers and lenient policies that allow workers to occupy charging spots for their entire shift.

For hospitals with spare capacity, an exploration of Level Three network providers could be worthwhile.

Universities:

• University Faculty and Staff: University professionals will need Level Two charging – and this population will not want to move their vehicles after charging is complete.

Given this, a workable approach could involve extra Level Two chargers and the option of “extended stay” as a perk for more established professors (or those who are willing to pay for it).

• Students: Students fall into two categories. On-campus residents will need Level Two charging. Commuters will primarily be well-served by Level Two as well, but for students who drive long distances for a short stay, Level Three could be a valuable service (though forcing students to move 30 minutes into a 60-minute class is unlikely to work).

• Campus visitors: For most visitors, Level Two chargers will be appropriate, though the addition of Level Three chargers may

SHUTTERSTOCK / PETOVARGA

Not necessarily. And even if they do, consumers won’t necessarily continue to use them—if they have a better alternative.

Already, EV users are establishing new habits. The California Air Resources Board estimated that “upward of 85 percent of EV charging occurs at home.”

Given this willingness to change behavior, there is an opportunity for parking facilities to establish themselves as the go-to spot for EV charging, instead of gas stations.

Traditional gas stations, with their mini-marts, are designed around the needs associated with a quick stop for a five-minute gas refill. The EV charging experience, which takes a minimum of 20 minutes at the fastest current rates, would be better suited to a different environment.

Charging speed is a key factor in decisions around away-fromhome EV charging. Currently, there are two primary types of chargers, each of which delivers a specific product: Level Two 240volt chargers, which can recharge a vehicle in about eight hours, and Level Three DC Fast chargers, which can charge an EV from empty to full in just 20 to 40 minutes.

prove to be an interesting way to attract non-university traffic to the campus (if this is desired).

Apartment Buildings:

Level Two charging is perfectly suited for housing and having the option will quickly become a determining factor for tenants who have BEVs. Free charging is a great inducement that can justify higher rents or be given as a sign-up perk.

Office Parks:

Level Two is sufficient for office parks and presents a competitive advantage. At one office I frequent, the CEO had to run an extension cord to his parking spot from inside the building. This was one of the contributing factors to her decision to move the office to a new location.

Shopping Centers & Strip Malls:

Retail charging needs vary depending on the type of retailer: • Fast-casual restaurants: These establishments will see increased traffic with Level Three chargers and partnerships with popular EV networks are key. Drivers are more likely to choose the barista or burrito shop that allows them to take advantage of the free “fill-up” offered by their car manufacturer. Level 3 Chargers should also be in prime locations close to the front

The Level Two chargers hit the parking industry’s sweet spot.

They are ideal for people parking their cars for long periods, either all day while they are at work or, for city dwellers without access to a private driveway, overnight. These needs can be easily met by garages and parking lots spread across densely packed urban areas where people work and live.

Level 3 DC Fast chargers function more like traditional gas stations—but not exactly like them. They are primarily needed along major interstates, strategically placed between population centers.

But because the charging time can be up to 40 minutes, consumers will look for options beyond an old-fashioned mini-mart, such as coffee shops and nice restaurants that offer a place to relax for up to an hour.

The network of fast chargers is rapidly growing. With $2 billion in funding from Volkswagen’s 2016 diesel emissions settlement, Electrify America is building out a national network of Level Three fast chargers. Soon this network, open to any BEV, will rival Tesla’s extensive but closed network of fast charging locations. Several other companies are also competing for market share.

doors to make it easy for customers to move their vehicles when the time is up.

• Quick-stop shops: Grocery stores, garden centers, lumber yards, and other establishments that typically take 30 minutes or less will also benefit from having Level Three chargers. My local grocery chain has a few free Level Two charging stations, and while free is free, I only get a few miles of charge while I am inside, making it hardly worth the effort to plugin. But customers who can fill up while they shop will gladly pay for the convenience. As BEV adoption expands, more drivers who do not have home chargers will likely become regular customers of shopping centers that allow them to fill up while they run their errands.

• Longer-stay establishments: Movie theaters, sit-down restaurants, bars, and other venues that attract customers for longer stays will benefit from Level Two chargers. These do not need to be in prime locations but should not be hidden.

Hotels:

Hotel operators need to step up their game fast. Level Two charging is all that is required, but BEV drivers are already making choices based on the ability to plug in and charge overnight. If a hotel does not offer charging, the result is that the BEV driver must find a fast-charging station

nearby and cool their heels while they refuel. Not having enough chargers causes the same problem.

Municipalities:

Cities and towns have the difficult job of figuring out how to ensure that BEV drivers have adequate charging opportunities. The issues are compounded by the fact that as BEV adoption expands, more residents who don’t have access to private driveways will need convenient options to recharge.

Low-income residents will also need subsidies to encourage both BEV adoption and recharging. While that subject is worthy of an article all its own, it is worth repeating that on-street charging is costly and rarely the ideal solution. Instead, municipalities should focus their efforts on creating policies to encourage the smart implementation of chargers in places where residents regularly visit, such as grocery stores.

At first glance, this approach appears to run counter to the trend of reducing or eliminating parking minimums for builders, but tax incentives for builders that provide off-street charging and subsidies to help cover the cost of the charging infrastructure will provide motivation. The long-term result will be healthy cities with the local markets determining the demand for BEV vehicle charging while creating more opportunities to better utilize the curb.

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PARKING CAN BE THE GAS STATION OF THE FUTURE

The initial fast charge build-out has focused on strategically placing Level Three chargers at critical points between dense population centers. But there is also a secondary need for fast chargers dispersed within major population centers—and this too is an area where the parking industry can thrive.

The charging networks are actively looking for locations that will provide fast charging opportunities when a driver is shopping at the grocery store, eating dinner, hitting the gym, or running quick errands. A 30-minute quick charge costs more than an eight-hour charge, but convenience can make it worth the premium.

Plus, Audi, BMW, Lucid, and others are partnering with Electrify America to provide up to three years of free charging with the purchase of a new vehicle, making the fast charge option even more attractive.

The charging networks are actively looking for locations that will provide fast charging opportunities when a driver is shopping at the grocery store, eating dinner, hitting the gym, or running quick errands.

So, the race is on to install branded fast-charging stations in high traffic locations next to businesses, restaurants, and services that attract customers for 20-60 minutes already well served by the parking industry. As BEV’s replace ICE’s as the propulsion of choice, demand for charging will skyrocket.

A Coordinated Strategy

To help meet the rising demand for charging options, the 2021 Infrastructure Bill includes a $5 billion investment in state-administered grants for deploying electric vehicle (EV) charging stations nationwide.

As an industry, we need to formulate a coordinated and comprehensive strategy to pursue the government funds offered and use them to establish the parking lot as the natural location to “refuel” your car when away from home or unable to charge at home.

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As an industry, we can make the argument that street parking, already losing ground in the fight for the curb, is not the ideal solution for our looming electrification needs. It is more expensive to wire, install, and maintain chargers on the sidewalk, which makes it harder to recoup the investment into charging stations. It is also harder to determine the balance between electrified and non-electrified spots needed in a rapidly evolving market that also has to consider city planning and use needs including traffic, delivery trucks, TNC passenger zones, restaurant carry out pick up, and valet. Charging stations are rarely the highest and best use for valuable curb space.

Instead, we should focus on charging in off-street parking lots and garages. Here, stations can be clustered close to the electricity source and the number of stations can be easily expanded via simple conduit runs to adjoining spaces. In off-street locations, drivers can charge their vehicles free of concerns about traffic and pedestrians can traverse sidewalks without concern of tripping over charging cables or having their view of street traffic blocked by charging equipment.

The $5 billion in EV charging infrastructure is currently being divvied out to state governments—so now is the time for national parking and mobility institutions to work together with regional trade groups to collectively lobby the 50 states. This is not about a money grab; it is about ensuring that the professionals and industry best suited to answer this rapidly growing demand have a strong voice in guiding the policies being written right now.

How to Monetize

Earlier this year, I was shocked to learn that some garage owners were removing charging stations from their facilities. Across the street, in my garage, I am providing free EV charging and turning a profit for my efforts. Why would they give that up?

The answer, it turns out, was simple. These facilities installed stand-alone chargers in inconvenient locations and neglected to provide consumers with relevant information. You can’t wait for BEV drivers to enter your facility to let them know via a 12”x12” sign that you have charging available. You need to market them.

Traditional gas stations install giant signs on the side of the highway to let drivers know, from miles away, that they can refuel at the next exit—and those signs work. While roadside signs are effective for gas, reaching the BEV consumer requires a slightly different approach.

SHUTTERSTOCK / PETOVARGA

BEVs are loaded with technology and their drivers use smartphones. Given this, installing chargers that are connected to a specific charging network is critical. Drivers use these apps, many of which are integrated into vehicle entertainment systems, not just to find nearby charging but to locate specific stations that are available, learn about charging rates, and even to make reservations for a specific charger. Failure to be tied into a network means that drivers will not find you.

So first, research the charging networks and choose one that has a high adoption rate in your community.

These networks also offer flexibility, with online tools that make it easy to set and adjust pricing and publicize those rates. In one facility, I provide free charging for up to four hours or when the battery is full, then the price jumps to $5 an hour, to motivate drivers to move their vehicle. The network I work with advertises my spaces and brings in drivers I would not have otherwise been able to target.

And if I need to make an adjustment in pricing structure, I can do that with a few clicks of a mouse.

Additionally, I have worked with one of the Level Three network providers on a ten-year agreement to rent dedicated parking spaces in my facilities, so they can sell Level Three fast charging. The agreement, like a cell tower lease, gives fast charge drivers an hour

of free parking, with the expectation that some will move their cars to a traditional spot (paying standard rates).

What’s Next?

Of course, not all spots need to be electrified. Traditional vehicles are not going away completely—and even if they did, a full transition to EV would take more than a decade. Plus, not all drivers will need to charge every day. While the exact number of charging stations vs. traditional spaces is not yet clear, it is likely between 15% and 30% - still a significant number. Now, before that need explodes, is the time to start preparing.

So how do we begin? First, place charging stations in prominent easy to find locations. Work with established networks and think creatively about pricing models that make sense for you and your customers, and most importantly—remain flexible. As an industry, we need to remain nimble, learning as we go.

ANDREW SACHS, CAPP is president of Gateway Parking Services, and serves on the IPMI Conference Program Task Force and the Education Committee.

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SP O N SOR E D C O N TE N T

Value Digitizing THE

IN

Parking Assets

What does digitizing parking actually solve?

T

HE CONCEPTS OF DIGITAL TWINS,

Infratech, and PropTech are increasingly impacting on the management and improvement of parking assets. Like other asset classes, the parking industry is increasingly looking at using the Internet of Things to create smarter, more connected infrastructure asset management for improved yield and better customer service.

Parking is still one of the most frustrating and confusing problems afflicting U.S. cities and university campuses.

Some of the key challenges that are facing parking administrators: ●

●

●

●

●

Confusion—Parking options are unclear to drivers.

Finding a space is time-consuming and frustrating.

Inefficiency—Sub-optimal utilization of existing parking spaces and locations.

Disjointed—Disjointed technology ecosystem adds time to day-to-day management.

Uninformed—Lacking consolidated, easily accessible data for effective analyses and planning.

Uncertainty—In how to take the first step towards the future of parking & mobility.

When cities and universities first consider moving to technology to help with these issues, it often seems overwhelming, time consuming, and expensive. Smart parking technology is growing and evolving, and the industry is continually changing, as is evidenced by recent merger and acquisition activity in the parking management and mobile payment space.

As featured in the recent IPMI Learning Lab, what we discovered working with CampusParc at The Ohio State University is that asset owners can gain immediate improvements and lay the foundation for a future technology roadmap by establishing a digital database of the parking assets and associated rules. It is surprising to cities and campuses we speak with how simple and low-touch this process is.

40

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This article is sponsored content provided by our advertising partner, SPOT Parking.

“Our customers are surprised to learn that an entire campus can be digitized within three months, with very little resource required on their part,” said CEO and Founder of Spot Parking Elizabeth Zealand.

“We often hear, ‘we don’t have the technology to measure occupancy’ but digitizing campus parking doesn’t rely on measuring occupancy. You can still vastly improve customer experience and efficiency of parking management without this technology,” Zealand added However, if parking asset owners already have some existing occupancy technology or do decide to implement occupancy hardware in the future, ensuring the digitization is in an open platform format and able to integrate with any occupancy or payment technology is crucial.

Gone are the days of “one size fits all” for parking technology.

Through the creation of a digital model of parking assets, asset owners can cherry pick the technology to reflect the level of reporting detail they require, or the value of the parking asset.

For example, a university we work with has multiple occupancy solutions according to the business requirement. They built a greenfield garage for a high value, high volume medical center, and that garage has occupancy tracking down to the individual bay. In other surface lots, cameras at point of entry/exit are enough to provide general counts, and at other sites without mixed use parking, loop counters provide the data.

The advantage of having all the diverse assets digitized means

that regardless of the technology chosen, cities and universities can have one dashboard for reporting on asset performance, and one source of truth to communicate to drivers about where best to park.

The digitization of the parking assets is increasing across the world, with major cities such as Montreal and Dublin recently seeking industry feedback on digitizing the curb to meet their sustainability and customer experience objectives. The challenge for the industry is to preserve an open, standard digital library so that mobility between and within cities is seamless.

Think about it—just as we look at a physical parking sign to understand where we can stop, an autonomous vehicle will need to be guided geospatially to a permitted curb space. And for cities to implement dynamic curb management, micro-mobility, enhanced urban freight deliveries, and rideshare zones, they need digitized curbs and off street assets.

“Digitization is one of the most cost effective and rapid result investments parking asset owners can make in their journey for productivity and profitability improvement. It is a force multiplier of value to the other significant investments made in parking management technology for a fraction of the cost,” Zealand added.

We are excited to help asset owners embrace the notion of the Digital Twin and the opportunities it provides. And it's not as daunting as it seems.

Spot Parking digitizes parking assets for cities and campuses— see the latest brochures, case studies, and set up a chance to chat via the Spot website here. ◆

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41

Retail Partnersh E

VALUATORS OF NEW PARKING POLICY should always start with the

question, “Who are the actual people that will be parking in these spaces?”

Policy decisions will affect the daily parking needs of the entire community, making it important to be fair and inclusive, while gaining a thorough understanding of who is paying for parking here. That understanding begins with neighborhood demographics while also exploring the actual groups of people relying on available parking to see their doctor, deliver a package, grab a cup of coffee, or meet for lunch.

These difficult decisions often intersect with conversations around equity and inclusion, two critical pieces of modern urban planning. Both are defined differently in various settings, but there is almost always some element of opportunity, access, fairness, and/or belonging.

But does equity or inclusion mean we should factor every single person in our planning? Should we do so regardless of how small the segment of our population?

Let’s look at a recurring question we are still hearing:

Does implementing mobile technology exclude the unbanked or people without mobile phones?

Now, sometimes we do need to plan infrastructure around minority groups of people - parking for the disabled being a good example. While only some will use these reserved parking spots, it is still critical to include everyone in our planning.

However, this conversation of equity and inclusion can sometimes be clouded to include extremely small groups of people; specifically, those who don’t own cellphones.

So, should cities continue making planning and purchasing decisions around the needs of the unbanked and non-phone users? My take is planning decisions, yes. Purchasing decisions, probably not.

According to Pew Research Center, 97% of Americans own a cellphone, with an even steeper curve for recent smartphone adoption.

When you dig into the data further, it shows people ages 18-49 are now considered at 100% cellphone ownership, with people ages 50-64 now at 97% cellphone ownership. Which begs the question: how many drivers are parking in our downtown cores without any mobile

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or Payphones?

Serving the unbanked while giving retailers a boost.

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PAY HERE FOR YOUR PARKING

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RETAIL PARTNERSHIPS CREATING PARKING WIN-WIN

device? Somewhere around 1%, depending on local demographics?

Perhaps even less than 1%?

Percentage of Ownership Per Mobile device Cellphone

Smartphone

Ages 18-29

100%

96%

Ages 30-49

100%

95%

Ages 50-64

97%

83%

Age 65+

92%

61%

Total

97%

85%

SOURCE: SURVEYS OF U.S. ADULTS CONDUCTED 2002-2021., PEW RESEARCH CENTER

So where does equity come into play?

If 1% of people don’t own a phone, is this a reason to install physical payment hardware? Are there any other purchasing decisions your division makes based on less than 1% of your parking customers?

We do not see municipalities installing and maintaining payphones to accommodate that 1%, so why should this population drive the decision to move, or not to move, to virtual payment for parking?

We can again use parking for people with disabilities for some context. 26% of adults in the United States have some type of disability according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC).

Further, people aged 18 to 64 with disabilities use personal vehicles for 74.8% of their trips, according to Bureau of Transportation Statistics.

This is very significant usage, further justifying the need to factor people with disabilities into all urban planning. What about non-mobile phone users and the unbanked? Does equity mean we should install temporary payment hardware on every block for these outliers without phones? And if so, should we also be installing payphones for that same population?

What if there was another option?

Partnerships with local retailers can remove the need for unnecessary capital investment, promote inclusion for people looking to pay with cash, while giving brick and mortar retailers another angle in their everevolving fight against the online giants.

Engagement with local merchants can increase foot traffic, positioning them as a stop

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PARKING & MOBILITY / APRIL 2022 / PARKING-MOBILITY.ORG

along the parking journey and bringing the community aspect of our city neighborhoods back into focus.

You might find the local shop is more eager than expected to be an ambassador for your parking program. A great example here is seen on the Galveston Seawall. When paid parking was launched in 2013, the City opted to redirect $500,000 in capital investment, forgoing the purchase of new physical payment hardware, while having visitors use mobile payment technology as the primary method for parking payments.

The next concern was for those drivers without a phone available to call the number or use the app. A seemingly fair question (back in 2013), to which a creative solution was found, and our first retail partnerships were launched. City-approved vendors placed a sign on their window saying, “Pay here for your parking.”

Inside the store, drivers could easily pay the retailer to process their parking, even with cash as a payment option.

Within the first three months of the program’s implementation, more than 34,000 drivers had signed up with the mobile technology provider. Today, over $750,000 is processed annually in Galveston from over 200,000 users. One local surf shop has now processed over $10,000 in parking revenue, as well as realizing a significant increase in surf training as a direct result of new visitors to their store.

Six years after launch voters decided to continue with the successful program and increase the hourly parking rate from $1 to $2. “I thank the voters of Galveston for voicing their opinion and supporting the continuation of the Seawall Paid Parking program,” said mayor Jim Yarbrough.

“This program affords the city the ability to add and maintain new amenities to the Seawall in a manner that visitors contribute to the cost.”

This has led to other innovative thinkers to consider launching new paid parking initiatives, with little to no upfront investment. Not only relying on the “herd immunity” of over 99% cellphone users, but also engaging with neighborhood shops to provide options for payment in cash for the unbanked, or for the person(s) without a mobile device.

After all, if you are going to develop your curb monetization strategy around the 1% of people without cell phones, you should also include payphones in the plan so you don’t miss capitalizing on your target audience! ◆ ADAM KRIEGEL is vice president, enterprise sales—North America for PayByPhone, and is a member of the IPMI Research & Innovation Task Force.

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TAKE THE NEXT STEP Earn the leading credential in parking and mobility

Get started here:

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Talk to a CAPP about the process.

Apply for the CAPP Scholarship for funding for online courses and in-person events.

Questions? Want to talk it all through? We’re here to help.

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Register for Free Shoptalks Live online Shoptalks bring the IPMI community together to discuss and explore the most relevant topics in parking, transportation, and mobility.

Industry experts moderate virtual interactive discussions featuring our challenges and opportunities.

Share your experience, bring your questions, and connect with your colleagues online.

Click here to explore topics, moderators, and more.

Shoptalk recordings available online and on our YouTube channel.

Free Shoptalks Connect Industry Professionals on the Latest Topics Wednesday, May 4, 2022 Impartial Parking Policies and Curbside Equity Moderated by Matt Darst Wednesday, September 7, 2022 Innovations at the Curb Moderated by Robert Ferrin, CAPP Access recorded Shoptalks at IPMI's YouTube channel, including: How Parking Plays A Key Role in the New Hybrid Work Environment The Impact of COVID-19 on Consumer Behavior and the Future of the Parking Industry

Generously supported by our exclusive 2022 Shoptalk Sponsor

IN

short

Highlights from the IPMI Blog

Positioned for Success

By Robert Ferrin, CAPP

Ready for more? Read IPMI’s blog in your Forum digest email or at parking-mobility.org/blog.

Have something to say? Send post submissions to editor Melissa Rysak, rysak@ parkingmobility.org.

Back in November I blogged about just how exciting a time it was now that an Infrastructure Bill had been passed. That excitement is starting to come in focus as guidance is being provided by the federal government on how applicants can access the $1.2 trillion in infrastructure investment being provided over the next several years.

There have been many summary articles written on the Building a Better America (BUILD) program over the past several months. I encourage you to review the guidance accessed off the whitehouse.gov/build website. The guidance documents break down the legislation by program focus area. Some programs that should interest parking and mobility professionals include: ● RAISE Grants: An existing program that focuses on road, rail, transit, and other surface transportation projects that will double the funding available to applicants.

Applications slated to open in the first quarter of this year. ● Bus & Bus Facilities Competitive Grants: Another existing program to replace, rehabilitate, purchase, or lease buses with an emphasis on capital funding for low or no emission bus projects. Applications slated to open in the first quarter of this year. ● Charging & Fueling Infrastructure Grants: Billions of dollars being invested in the deployment of electric vehicle charging stations, as well as hydrogen, propane, and natural gas fueling infrastructure. This program will most likely be accessed through State EPAs as well as directly to larger cities later this year. ● Rural Surface Transportation Grant: A new $2 billion program to improve connectivity and expand surface transportation options in rural areas. Applications slated to open in the first quarter of this year.

And there are many others to review and determine if your program could benefit from these federal dollars.

Be sure to connect with your grant writers, fiscal teams, and parent agencies to get a seat at the table and access these funds for projects that support the goals of the BUILD program. Let’s position ourselves for success and capitalize on this generational investment in our communities and infrastructure.

ROBERT FERRIN, CAPP, is assistant director, parking services with the City of Columbus, Ohio, and a member of IPMI’s Board of Directors.

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APO—If Not Now, When?

By Casey Jones, CAPP

I was with a client recently who shared that they aspire to become an Accredited Parking Organization (APO)…in five years. “Five years, why wait five years?

I think you’re much closer than you think,” I responded. Rationally I get it. One naturally hesitates even with a basic understanding of what’s required to earn global recognition as one of the top parking and mobility organizations.

It’s not easy and it requires significant effort.

While the goal should clearly be earning accreditation, going through the process makes yours a better parking organization. You will be forced to consider shortcomings by creating processes and procedures based on industry best

practices. You’ll look comprehensively at your operation and facilities with a playbook designed by industry thought leaders. And you’ll build teamwork and accountability as you work through evaluating criteria and where you measure against established global standards.

Some folks hesitate pursuing APO because they want everything to be “perfect” before investing the time and energy needed to earn accreditation to which I share Voltaire’s famous advice to not let perfect be the enemy of good. Good organizations can earn their APO and should start now.

What better time than now?

CASEY JONES, CAPP, is director of customer success with Flash, and is a member of IPMI’s APO Board.

What Does Compact Even Mean?

By John W. Hammerschlag

Often, we drive through parking garages and encounter “Compact Car Only” signs. What does that mean to the customer? What exactly is a compact car? The definition of compact car is left to interpretation and can result in parking stalls improperly used, impeded traffic flow, and angry customers.

Upon receiving a recent customer complaint at our flagship garage, The Poetry Garage in downtown Chicago, we were challenged to revisit a common problem in parking – oversized vehicles parked in the end stall of a parking bay. Those parking are generally early risers (often construction workers in their Suburbans or pick-up trucks) who want to park close to the elevators, resulting in very tight turning maneuvers for others circulating in the garage. Traffic flow is hindered, and accidents are known to occur.

We evaluated our “compact car” signage and placement in our facilities and utilized a superior design focusing on a 3-dimensional “small car” eye-catching graphic with specific and clear messaging. Now strategically, visibly, and repetitively placed over each of the end stalls of the parking bays, these signs improve the overall traffic flow in our parking garages.

Along with “gentle” compliance enforcement, not much of which is needed, interpretative creative graphics and precise messaging have made a huge difference in enhancing the customer parking experience.

JOHN HAMMERSCHLAG is president of Hammerschlag & Co., Inc. and is a member of IPMI’s

Planning, Design, and Construction Committee.

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/ Around the Industry provides a briefing on some of the most current IPMI member news and announcements.

For the full listing of all member news, please visit the IPMI & Member News page of the IPMI website.

ACE Parking Announces AENA’s Award of Parking Operations for 34 Airports in Spain Starting March 1, 2022, ACE Parking, in partnership with Spanish companies EYSA & SETEX, began managing the parking facilities at 34 major and mid-major airports in Spain. This includes Madrid and Barcelona Airports.

“This herculean effort by ACE and my team, could not have happened at many US based parking companies. The ones that could have qualified, would have been stuck in committee, legal, or the Board level trying to even look at and respond to this RFP opportunity. Not, so with ACE! As the largest privately owned, 72-year third generation Parking Company in the country, ACE was nimble enough to mobilize our organization within hours and successfully responded to a 34 Airport RFP in less than 60 days— and WON!!!!” said Steve Burton, ACE Parking president.

Scope of the Project ● ● ● ● ●

● ● ● ● ●

90,000,000 million enplanements annually 100,000,000 annual parking transactions 150,000 parking spaces Exclusive management of every parking facility at each airport Services include management of Self-Park, Valet, VIP Programs, Facility Maintenance and PARCS equipment Maintenance Multiple Airport Shuttle Operations Customer Service program management & reporting On-line Reservation Platform coordination and management Electric Vehicle charging services Implementation of Centralized Control Center, Accounting/ Financial/Operational Metrics on Real-time Dashboards.

WGI Names Ravali Kosaraju, P. Eng., PE, PTOE Director of Mobility WGI, Inc., a leading national design and planning firm, today announced that Ravali Kosaraju, P. Eng., PE, PTOE has been named Director of Mobility for the firm. In her new role, Kosaraju will oversee transportation and mobility projects across the United States for WGI clients, including private developers, universities, hospitals, and municipalities.

“I am excited to announce Ravali Kosaraju’s appointment as WGI’s Director of Mobility,” said Jeff Brophy, PLA, ASLA, VP of WGI Inc. “Ravali is a respected leader in the transportation and mobility industries, and she is the perfect person to lead WGI’s Mobility Group as we help our clients thrive in the 2020s and beyond.”

A longtime transportation professional, Ravali Kosaraju is an authority on the most important mobility challenges facing private developers and public entities, including regulatory and zoning trends, roadway sizing strategies, street impact fees and other new funding initiatives, and curb management. She is also an expert in building mutually beneficial relationships between private developers and local and regional government authorities to assure that development projects meet the unique needs of both the developer and the community.

With more than a decade of experience, Ravali Kosaraju is a recognized transportation and mobility leader. Prior to joining WGI, she served as Senior Engineer for the City of San Antonio and before that, Senior Traffic Engineer for the City of Austin.

She is active in the Texas Parking & Transportation Association (TPTA) and, nationally, in the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE). She works on projects across the United States from WGI’s San Antonio office.

PARKING-MOBILITY.ORG / APRIL 2022 / PARKING & MOBILITY

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/ FLASH Secures Over $250 Million in Round Led by Vista Equity Partners to Advance Connected Mobility Ecosystem $1B+ valuation further solidifies FLASH’s leadership position among mobility innovators and accelerates growth.

FLASH (or “the Company”), the leader in cloud parking software and mobility transformation, today announced a $250+ million strategic investment led

by Vista Equity Partners (“Vista”), a leading global investment firm focused exclusively on enterprise software, data, and technology-enabled businesses.

Vista is joined by existing lead investor L Catterton, other prior investors, and management. The minority investment will be used to expand FLASH’s mobility operating system and payments platform, extend digital services, and invest substantially in talent to support FLASH’s exceptional growth.

Launched in 2011, FLASH is the largest cloud-native parking technology platform and provides industry-leading digital and physical infrastructure. This platform creates seamless customer experiences and increases ROI while also connecting thousands of operators and asset owners with a real-time marketplace for digital mobility. FLASH’s operating system is the connective layer that transforms parking assets into multi-purpose mobility hubs where parking, charging, transportation, and logistics intersect with a smart city ecosystem. FLASH enables real estate owners, parking operators, and cities to tackle complex mobility issues such as congestion, lack of visibility into parking supply and demand, and fragmented consumer experiences.

Through integrations with most major automakers, entertainment and hospitality leaders, and every global mapping, navigation, and payment platform, FLASH connects its clients

50

seamlessly with hundreds of millions of potential customers. As it continues its growth, FLASH will continue to help customers become leaders in the evolving future of mobility with solutions including electric vehicle charging stations, autonomous vehicle staging, and mobility-as-a-service.

“When FLASH was founded, the parking industry was poised for transformation and digital mobility platforms were nascent,” said Dan Sharplin, Chairman and CEO of FLASH. “We are rapidly future-proofing urban mobility infrastructure by providing an agile, cloud-based, mobile-first platform for the myriad opportunities facing cities, citizens, asset owners, utilities, and parking operators. We are thrilled to welcome Vista as an investor and partner whose expertise and experience will ensure we continue innovating to advance the connected mobility experience.”

Today, FLASH solutions are used at over 10,000 customer locations across all major U.S. cities and Canada, processing more than 11 million parkers per month and over $1 billion in annual transactions. The investment from Vista and L Catterton will accelerate its already significant growth by providing FLASH with the capital necessary to expand core and complementary product areas, provide world-class service to customers and partners, and build its best-in-class team with the expected hiring of over

PARKING & MOBILITY / APRIL 2022 / PARKING-MOBILITY.ORG

200 employees in 2022 alone.

“FLASH has an incredible opportunity to continue its disruption of a massive industry,” said Marc Teillon, Co-Head of Vista’s Foundation Fund and Senior Managing Director. “We are excited to partner with Dan and the entire FLASH team as they innovate to advance the connected mobility experience.”

“FLASH’s visionary team is bringing best in class software and services to the parking ecosystem,” said Aaron Gupta, Senior Vice President at Vista.

“We see massive growth opportunities for FLASH based on market dynamics such as accelerating digitization and the proliferation of connected and electric vehicles, and we believe they are strongly positioned to capitalize on the shift towards a more efficient and sustainable future for mobility.”

“L Catterton is honored to have been a part of FLASH’s remarkable growth over the past few years, and we are excited to welcome Marc, Aaron, and the rest of Vista’s exceptional team and capabilities into the Company,” said Matt Nugent, a Partner at L Catterton. “FLASH is uniquely positioned to facilitate a rapid and necessary evolution across the mobility landscape, to enable the growth of its many customers, and to provide a compelling, fully-digitized, seamless experience to millions of consumers. We look forward to partnering with Vista and the Company to help FLASH recognize its ambitious vision.”

Richard N. Best, Inventor of the True-Presence Vehicle Loop Detector and Past President of Richard N. Best Associates, Passes Away at 89.

Richard N. Best, traffic engineer and consultant, inventor of the true-presence vehicle loop detector and past president of Richard N. Best Associates, passed away peacefully on February 23, 2022, at the age of 89. With more than 50 years of experience working with equipment and systems for traffic and parking control, he will be greatly missed by his family, friends, and colleagues.

Born near Williamsport, PA, Best earned his electronic physics degree at La Salle College, now La Salle University.

He was a registered Professional Engineer in both Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

In the early part of his career, while working at Fischer & Porter in 1964, Richard Best developed the first true-presence vehicle loop detector.

His invention was a groundbreaking contribution to the industry and today continues to be integral to traffic control and transportation planning throughout the world.

Richard N. Best was instrumental in the startup of companies including Deltronic Labs, producing electronic and electro-mechanical devices, and Automated Control Equipment, a manufacturer of equipment such as parking gates and ticket dispensers.

In 1972, he established his own company, Richard N. Best Associates, Inc., providing service for all makes and models of parking control equipment.

Founded on principles of excellence, vision and teamwork, Best quickly grew the company to national stature by applying his unbiased insights to determine the best equipment manufacturers. As one of the top 10 distributors for Federal APD, Richard N. Best Associates consistently won

awards for stellar performance within the national distribution network.

True to its founding principles, Richard N. Best Associates carries forth his legacy today and into the future. Taking the comprehensive view of systems integration, the company continues to grow and expand as it plans and implements parking, access and revenue control systems—security, parking, CCTV, photo identification— using the most advanced technologies to achieve solutions.

Richard N. Best expanded the reach of his company in 1991 by joining the PARC Group, a select network of North American companies working to extend the range of customized, integrated solutions in the areas of systems integration and innovation in the parking and access control industry.

In 2001, Richard N. Best received the President’s Award from the International Parking Institute (IPI) for his work as part of the design team for the West Chester Bi-Centennial Garage.

Under contract with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, Best conducted traffic training programs for all PennDOT Districts, performed inspections of traffic control systems, assisted in the review and updating of PennDOT signalization specifications and standards, and served on many special projects.

Over the years, Best performed traffic impact studies for many municipalities in Eastern Pennsylvania, helping communities assess hundreds of projects and plan for future development. He conducted parking, traffic and parking safety studies for numerous companies, schools, and municipalities. He also worked on many traffic design projects,

parking and revenue control system design projects, and was the national expert called in to lecture on the “Proper Application of Vehicle Loop Detectors” and “Expressway Ramp Control Systems.”

Richard N. Best was Past President of the Bucks County Chapter of the Pennsylvania Society of Professional Engineers and assisted the Pennsylvania Parking Association for more than 10 years as a board member, serving as board president in 1996.

A Fellow Life Member of the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE), he was an active member of the organization, serving as International Director, President of ITE District 2, President of the Mid Atlantic Section, and for four years, as Chairman of Philadelphia Area ITE Activities.

Richard N. Best extended his service with ITE by serving as Chairman of the Technical Committee on Parking Gate Capacities, a member of the Technical Committee on ITE Standards for Traffic Actuated Controllers, and on the Advisory Committee for Intelligent Vehicle Highway Systems (IVHS)/ Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS).

He also was a member of several ITE councils: Consultants Council, Expert Witness Council, ITS Council and the Parking Task Force Council.

In addition, he was active in the National Society of Professional Engineers, IPMI, and the International Council of Parking Consultants.

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APDS News: ISO Formally Adopts Global Parking Data Specification Based on Alliance for Parking Data Standards Data Specification.

Download the Press Release here.

With many thanks to our generous APDS Champion & Advocate Sponsors:

ISO Formally Adopts Global Parking Data Specification Based on Alliance for Parking Data Standards Data Specification The Alliance for Parking Data Standards (APDS) is pleased to announce that the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has formally adopted a global parking data specification based on the APDS specifications for vehicle parking and mobility data. Through its world-wide membership, ISO brings together experts to share knowledge and develop voluntary, consensus-based, market relevant International Standards that support innovation and provide solutions to global challenges.

The global ISO network includes a membership of 165 national standards bodies.

The ISO utilizes its 803 technical committees to evaluate and approve the development and adoption of new standards. More than 24,000 ISO standards cover almost all aspects of technology and manufacturing, in addition to business, healthcare, transport, and now, parking and mobility.

Background In April 2019, APDS approached ISO to formally consider the APDS specification for adoption, establishing a global standard for parking data terms and definitions. Over the past three years, parking experts, along with experts from transportation, automotive, and related segments, engaged in discussions and review of the proposed specification. Following a formal review and consideration process, the 30 contributing National Standard Bodies participating in ISO’s Intelligent transport systems Technical Committee (ISO/TC204) voted strongly in favor of developing and adopting the APDS standard as an ISO Technical Specification This will be published shortly as ISO TS 5206-1 “Intelligent transport systems — Parking — Part 1: Core data model.”

Importance ISO standards are recognized globally and agreed upon by an international community of experts. Adoption of standards and specifications under the ISO umbrella allows for best practices and action across industries and for a variety of use cases. ● For consumers, APDS standards have the potential to enable drivers to find and pay for parking more easily, and further, will unlock the ability to incorporate parking into convenient, sustainable, multi-modal journeys for people and goods. ● For parking and mobility organizations and providers, the adoption of APDS specifications allows our global community of Sponsors, Supporters, and Affiliates to better address industryspecific challenges. These include real-time data sharing, integration of technology platforms to create frictionless systems, and applications of dynamic technologies that maximize revenue,

streamline innovation, and allow for the most sustainable and efficient use of on and off-street parking assets. ● For owners and operators, the APDS specification under ISO will streamline and boost innovation by reducing costs and using available resources better, providing the community with knowledge and best practices of global experts. ● For technology providers and industry suppliers, ISO standards for parking and mobility make companies more competitive by offering products and services that are accepted globally. The specifications allow more entities to enter new markets, providing new solutions to challenges in our sectors.

This progress will have groundbreaking and wide-ranging positive impacts for every market segment: smoother and more efficient operations, reduced congestion, and costs, reduced technical costs to enable data sharing, faster implementation of new technology, and a host of other benefits.

In a highly connected and digital world, the specification enables the parking and mobility industry to interact more effectively and collaborate with other sectors and communities that need access to parking-related services and data by providing a common structure and data definitions to interact.

Nigel Williams, Chair, APDS, offered insight into the importance of this global milestone: “The official adoption of the APDS specifications under the aegis of ISO offers tremendous benefits to the parking, mobility, and logistics sectors. APDS will drive change in those sectors by providing a universal language to facilitate sharing essential data across a multitude of technologies and platforms. We are extremely grateful to our APDS Sponsors, volunteer experts, and the parking and mobility community at large—their combined efforts and input have made this achievement possible.”

APDS and IPMI CEO Shawn Conrad, CAE, shared the impact of APDS on the industry: “Utilizing thousands of hours of industry expertise from leaders around the world, APDS has effectively created a data specification that allows information to flow more freely and to be more understandable across all systems—that will ultimately better our industry and enhance the user and customer experience.”

What’s Next APDS will release Version 4.0 of the specifications in April 2022.

Download the current Version online and subscribe to updates for the official release of Version 4.0 of the global specification for parking and mobility. The ISO Technical Specification will be available through the ISO website, or National Standards Bodies.

PARKING-MOBILITY.ORG / APRIL 2022 / PARKING & MOBILITY

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CALENDAR

2022

APRIL 12 Free Virtual Frontline Training

MAY 25 Mobility & Innovation Summit

APRIL 13 IPMI Webinar

JUNE 14 Free Virtual Frontline Training

Doing More with Less...How to Make Your Data Work for You

Curb Loading Trends (CLT): How to Secure and Leverage Data to Manage, Monetize, and Reinvent the Curb

APRIL 14 Free Member Chat: New Member Networking New Member Chat

APRIL 25 IPMI Conference & Expo Registration

Early-Bird Rates End for #IPMI2022!

APRIL 27 Free IPMI Learning Lab

How Transit & Local Businesses Can Work Together to Drive Economic Growth Presented by Transloc

MAY 4 Free IPMI Virtual Shoptalk

Impartial Parking Policies and Curbside Equity

MAY 5 Free Member Chat: CAPP MAY 10 Free Virtual Frontline Training Beating Burnout: Always Put Your Oxygen Mask on First

MAY 11 IPMI Webinar

Empowering the Parker: The Benefits of True Open Parking Ecosystem

MAY 17 Online, Instructor-Led Course

Analysis & Applications of Technology

Supercharged: Electric Vehicles & Future Trends

Be Memorable: The Importance of Becoming an Office Influencer

JUNE 15 IPMI Webinar

IPMI’s Mobility Framework in Action

JUNE 16 Free Member Chat: Accredited Parking Organization (APO) APO Chat

JUNE 29 Free IPMI Learning Lab

Getting What You Want from Your Parking RFP: SmartParking Presented by ABM

JULY 24-27 2022 IPMI Parking & Mobility Conference & Expo, New Orleans AUGUST 1 IPMI Call for Volunteers Open AUGUST 22 Call for Volunteers Closes SEPTEMBER 7 Free IPMI Virtual Shoptalk Innovations at the Curb

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Leading From the Second Chair: The Importance of Empowering Others

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Everything You Wanted to Know About EV Charging But Were Afraid to Ask—EV Charging Basics

Avoiding Conflict Through Preparation

SEPTEMBER 20 & 22 Online, Instructor-Led Course

To be announced

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SEPTEMBER 28 Free IPMI Learning Lab

PARKING & MOBILITY / APRIL 2022 / PARKING-MOBILITY.ORG

DECEMBER 7 Free IPMI Learning Lab

State and Regional Events Calendar APRIL 13 & 15 Michigan Parking Association (MIPA) Spring Training Sessions

MAY 10–13 Pennsylvania Parking Association (PPA) Spring Conference & Tradeshow

APRIL 18–21 Texas Parking & Transportation Association (TPTA) Conference & Tradeshow

JUNE 8–10 New England Parking Council (NEPC) Conference & Tradeshow

Virtual

San Antonio, Texas

APRIL 26–27 Middle Atlantic Parking Association (MAPA) and Parking Association of the Virginias (PAV) Joint Spring Workshop Alexandria, VA

Allentown, PA

Mashantucket, CT

SEPTEMBER 13–16 36th Annual Carolinas Parking & Mobility Association (CPMA) Conference and Expo Charleston, SC

OCTOBER 18–20 New York State Parking & Transportation Association (NYSPTA) Conference & Trade Show

OCTOBER 19–21 Pacific Intermountain Parking & Transportation Association (PIPTA) Annual Conference & Expo Salt Lake City, UT

OCTOBER 24–26 Southwest Parking & Transportation Association (SWPTA) Fall Conference Las Vegas, NV

DECEMBER 6–9 Florida Parking and Transportation Association (FPTA) Annual Conference and Tradeshow Palm Beach, FL

Buffalo, NY

Stay up to date on industry events and activities!

Visit parking-mobility.org/calendar for the latest updates and additions.

PARKING-MOBILITY.ORG / APRIL 2022 / PARKING & MOBILITY

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Free IPMI Member Event May 25, 2022 12:00 - 5:00 pm ET

Super-Charged: Electric Vehicles & Future Trends Driving Electrification in the Parking, Transportation, and Mobility Industry Get ready for our virtual Mobility & Innovation Summit – dedicated to spearheading the transition to electric vehicles.

Free for all IPMI members, sign up here.