/ DIVERSITY, EQUITY, & INCLUSION
Cool Tech? Look Again with Equity Glasses By Richard Easley, CAPP
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HIS ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS THE EFFECTS of innovative mobility technologies and parking applications
affecting a large segment of our nation’s population. What may seem to be the perfect solution to some may actually be a large hindrance to others whose needs go largely unheard. As parking and mobility professionals, we must recognize that stakeholder input today is largely limited. Tomorrow, we must do better; this article illustrates some of the oversights we have created as well as some potential new practices to make parking and mobility safe, efficient, equitable, and provide value to all. Technology We have some amazing technology applications in the parking industry. Some people would be quite surprised if they knew just how “cool” technology has become for the seemingly mundane task of parking a car or a truck or a bicycle or any other means of transport using our streets (and yes, our sidewalks too). As a parking professional (CAPP for short), I know that most of our parking related technologies can change lives for the better by improving safety, decreasing costs, and saving busloads of time. But what we do not recognize often enough is that this amazing technology does not serve all our stakeholders equally. In fact, in some cases we do a great disservice to a segment of our stakeholders by deploying some of these “cool” technologies in the manner that has become acceptable. Pay-by-phone: A darn good application of technology that allows folks like me to pay for parking when goodness knows I don’t have change in my pocket to put in the meter. A great application that allows me to pay for my parking without touching any piece of equipment that may or may not have just been used by someone infected with the COVID virus. I’d say it’s an all around win-win technology application—I’d make that statement for me today until I remember where I was not so long ago.
My wife and I were just starting our lives together and struggling to make ends meet. We shared one (usually broken down) Toyota Celica and we rode the bus a lot. In those days of driving downtown and going to the stores and doctors’ offices and college classes (I couldn’t afford an on-campus parking permit), I had to feed the meter each and every time. Now, you might think the payby-phone would have helped but you see, there was no way in heck that any bank would give me a credit card. I still remember the celebration we had and the envy experienced by our friends on the day that the credit gods bestowed upon me the glorious Exxon gas card. It was an amazing day!!
14 PARKING & MOBILITY / JUNE 2021 / PARKING-MOBILITY.ORG
Keep in mind that there are still very many people today who live just as my wife and I lived those many years ago. Now imagine that there is a street that allows anyone to open a pay-by-phone account with their credit card to experience the joy of not having to carry lots of change or to touch a parking meter. Further, imagine those jurisdictions that are so enamored by this amazing technology that they remove all meters and only offer the one option of paying by cell phone. Saves time. Much more convenient to not have to worry about coin collection nor have to worry about making our patrons hunt for change or (heaven forbid) have to run to a store and beg for change for a dollar—and so much easier for enforce-