The Parking Professional January 2016

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Ending Disabled Placard Abuse

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Designing Good Internships

34

Airport Parking Technology

THE INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE

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Salary-Based Parking Rates

JANUARY 2015

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WAYFINDING JANUARY 2015 | Volume 31 | Number 1

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THE TWO-

lmost everyone can tell an anecdote about disabled placard abuse. One of mine stems from a visit to the California capitol building in Sacramento. After noticing that cars with disabled placards occupied almost all the metered curb spaces surrounding the Capitol, I talked to one of the state troopers guarding a driveway entrance. He watched all the arrivals and departures at the nearby metered spaces every day. When I asked the trooper to estimate how many of the placards he thought were being used illegally, he responded, “All of them.”

TIER SOLUTION Ending disabled placard abuse at parking meters.

By Donald Shoup and Fernando Torres-Gil 20

INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE | JANUARY 2015

Newspapers often report placard abuse, such as the scandal that occurred when 22 University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) football players were found using disabled placards to park on campus; the athletes got their placards by forging doctors’ signatures for such conditions as asthma and palsy. UCLA seems unusual only in the large number of athletes who were caught misusing disabled placards, because similar scandals have erupted on other campuses. Placard abuse is common enough to have its own website: handicappedfraud.org.

Making curb parking accessible to people with disabilities is an essential goal, but treating disabled placards as free parking passes has encouraged widespread abuse by able-bodied drivers who simply want to park wherever they want, whenever they want, without paying anything. Because of the widespread abuse, disabled placards do not guarantee a physical disability. Instead, they often signal a desire to park free and a willingness to cheat the system.

Widespread Abuse Frequent and flagrant disabled placard abuse makes it harder for drivers with serious mobility impairment to find convenient parking. If all the curb spaces near their destinations are occupied by placard abusers, drivers with severely impaired mobility must park farther away or even abandon their trips. Reducing placard abuse will therefore increase accessibility for drivers with serious disabilities. The goal should be to give convenient access to mobility-impaired drivers, not to subsidize every car with a disabled placard.

State governments encourage placard abuse by mandating that any driver with a disabled placard may park free for an unlimited time at any municipal on-street meter. Drivers in Los Angeles and San Francisco can save up to $40 a day by using a disabled placard at a parking.org/tpp

parking meter. The high cash value of a placard and its ease of abuse help explain why 2.1 million people in California have disabled placards.

Placard abusers not only harm the disabled community but also damage businesses and kill jobs. A UCLA study in downtown Los Angeles found that cars with disabled placards park an average of seven times longer than other cars. One placard abuser thus takes up a space that would otherwise be used by seven paying parkers.

By reducing turnover, placard abusers thus steal parking spaces from customers of nearby businesses.

Placard abusers also steal public revenue. The UCLA study found that 44 percent of the cars parked at meters in downtown Los Angeles displayed disabled placards.

Meters on one block charged $4 an hour but earned only $.28 an hour because cars with placards occupied most of the spaces for most of the day. Several drivers with disabled placards were observed carrying heavy loads between their cars and the adjacent businesses. The meter exemption is an invitation to obtain and abuse placards for personal gain.

Ending disabled placard abuse at parking meters.

TECH CHECK

Tech Check

I

had the pleasure of attending the Airports Council International (ACI) conference in Atlanta recently. Like any participant, I spent a good deal of time attending the seminars and walking through the exhibit hall. It became clear early on that ACI is a tight organization in that everyone seems to know everyone else; it also became clear that the organization spends a lot of its resources assisting airports on the airside of operations. I was especially interested in landside innovations, specifically airport parking systems. Having spent my entire career in the parking and revenue control industry, I wanted to see what innovations had captured the attention of ACI’s membership.

You would think the Internet would have tons of information and statistics on parking as it relates to airports across the country, but that isn’t the case for whatever reason. So I was pleasantly surprised when I saw ACI dedicated a lecture to parking and how airports can increase revenues. I spent a good deal of time discussing new

The systems and advances American airport parking operations should consider implementing to stay competitive.

By Pierre Koudelka

If all Americans knew the extent of this uncontrolled abuse, most would be outraged, and the rest might try to get their hands on a placard if they don’t already have one. Placard abusers learn to live without their scruples, but not without their cars.

JANUARY 2015 | INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE

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Spiraling Upward

A unique parking deck enhancement supports community transformation.

he City of Allentown, Pa., is experiencing a significant makeover of its downtown as a result of many exciting development plans. During the course

of two short years, the city and its downtown core have transformed from a rather uninviting stretch of pawnshops, tattoo parlors, and old dilapidated buildings to a vibrant mix of restaurants, office space, and commercial activity.

Anchoring this transformation is the new PPL Center, a 10,000-seat arena that’s the new home of the Philadelphia Flyers’ minor league affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.

The arena will host all Phantoms home games, as well as a variety of concerts and entertainment attractions.

INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE | JANUARY 2015

parking.org/tpp

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38 SANDAG Parking Management Toolbox

A unique parking deck enhancement supports community transformation.

By Juan Ramos, LEED AP BD+C

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The Two-Tier Solution

34

F

How do communities implement parking management strategies?

or cities well-staffed and versed in all things parking, it may seem easy: Assess the problem, apply the solution, and keep moving along. But what about communities or towns who have never even considered the benefits or impacts of parking management?

How do they begin the process? How do they measure success? Is it a one-time endeavor?

By Antoinette Meier, AICP, Marisa Mangan, and Brett Wood, CAPP

These questions challenge planners, policy makers, and administrators throughout the country. Often times, parking management strategies are picked at random based on limited knowledge of their potential impacts. But what’s the basis behind the selection? And what’s the true issue to be solved? This myriad of questions is at the center of an effort led by the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) to help its local jurisdictions and communities tackle tough parking problems.

The Regional Parking Management Toolbox is an interactive tool that helps professionals in the region assess parking problems, define potential solutions, apply strategies, and communicate with the parking public. Through the development of this tool, the staff at SANDAG found that the application of parking management strategies was less about the solution and more about the process of defining, developing, and implementing the right mix of solutions. And the critical element involved in the success of parking management strategies? Using a community-driven process based in data and communication.

INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE | JANUARY 2015

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Starting on the Foot STARTING RIGHT FOOT Right A well-designed hen I first set out to choose a career, I didn’t picture myself as a parking professional. In fact, as a college student in 1993, I probably didn’t even realize that there was such a thing. But more than 20 years later, I’m a confirmed parking lifer and I owe it all to an internship program.

Like millions of other young professionals, I sought out internship opportunities during my freshman year in college as a way to make a little money and learn about the design industry. I had just finished my first year at the University of Illinois and didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life. I had always been fascinated with buildings and looked at structural engineering firms close to my hometown, hoping an internship would give me a chance to learn and confirm whether engineering was for me.

One of the most interesting opportunities was offered by Walker Parking Consultants. My coursework had revolved around basic engineering and chemistry, physics, and drafting. I certainly wasn’t learning how to design parking garages! The thought of learning a new type of engineering—one that plays such an important role in our communities—was intriguing, so I decided to accept an offer to intern at the company’s headquarters in Elgin, Ill. I soon found that my internship was like an after-school program that rounded out my education. I was learning design

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internship program offers multiple benefits for both students and parking organizations.

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By Melinda Scott Anderson, CAPP

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nstead of employing new and exciting rate strategies designed to maximize revenue and space utilization or simply continuing with proven strategies, sometimes we are required to go in a direction that runs counter to our understanding of best practices in the industry and even our strongest recommendations regarding best course of action for our agency or institution.

Facing Challenges

ISTOCK

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Salary-Based Rates Take Off

How a medical center launched a new parking rate structure with great success.

SALARYBASED RATES TAKE OFF

By Casey Wagner, PE

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parking.org/tpp

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ON THE

A well-designed internship program offers multiple benefits for both students and parking organizations.

INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE | JANUARY 2015

After more than 35 years of relying on geographic-based employee parking rates (rates set according to the location of the parking facility), with all customers paying the same price for the same level of convenience and service, the decision was made at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) to convert to a salary-based parking fee structure.

MUSC is an academic medical center located in the historic city of Charleston, S.C. MUSC’s 95 buildings occupy 82 acres in the city’s medical complex, which also includes the VA hospital, Charleston County medical offices, and a large private hospital. MUSC’s six colleges—medicine, nursing, dental medicine, pharmacy, graduate studies, and health professions—have an enrollment of 2,777 students.

The university’s medical center sees more than 1.2 million outpatients and admits almost 36,000 patients to its four inpatient facilities (709 beds plus 58 neonatal care beds) each year. The university and medical center employee population totals 12,749 and is comprised of research and clinical faculty and medical, research, and university staff.

The MUSC parking system is self-supporting, depending entirely on user fees to operate, maintain, and grow the system and retire debt. Albeit at a rate well below market, employees and students have paid for their personal parking since the formalization of the campus parking system more than 35 years ago. While the medical center picked up the parking tab for its patients for many years, it gradually moved to a fee-based rate structure for inpatients and outpatients. Today, every patient or visitor who parks with us—approximately 800,000 annually—pays at least part of his parking fee.

When the national economy fell on hard times in 2008, out of concern for our employees, a planned series of pre-approved employee parking rate increases was discarded. The absence of rate increases for a number of years and the addition of new debt service for a parking.org/tpp

SANDAG Parking Management Toolbox How do communities implement parking management strategies?

The Process of Parking Management The prevailing finding from the development of the Regional Parking Management Toolbox was that the application of effective and successful parking management strategies is a multi-step process that requires input from multiple channels. It’s not as easy as pulling a book off the shelf and picking the strategy du jour. And those steps are somewhat introspective, defining who you are and what you really want to accomplish.

As we went through the process, we managed to define it in eight steps that start with the basic understanding of your program and end with a fully functioning parking management entity. So, what’s involved? Let’s take a look.

24

The systems and advances American airport parking operations should consider implementing to stay competitive.

How a medical center launched a new parking rate structure with great success.

recently-completed 1,600-space parking garage caused the parking system to fall into deficit mode. During this time, the university began examining its budget methodology and started its move to a new budget model: responsibility-centered management (RCM).

RCM budgeting moves the responsibility for resource allocation for university and hospital general services (including parking) from central administration to the main operating divisions of the institution—the six colleges and their deans.

Responsibility for the parking deficit then moved to the six colleges. In RCM meetings and discussions held over many months, the six colleges and medical center were faced with two choices: fund the parking deficit themselves based on a demographic formula or implement an employee rate-increase plan that would eliminate the parking revenue shortfall within a few years. The decision was made to increase rates, the only question was what basis to use for an increase. Two pricing approaches were considered for moving employee rates to system break-even over a five-year period: ●● ●Geographic-based/desirability of parking location. ●● ●Salary-based/ability to pay.

Parking management believed then and now that parking spaces are no different than other goods and services we purchase. As consumers, we make choices based not only on what is available but on the cost and the value to us of the good or service.

We reasoned that the parking spaces cost the same to provide, so why should one person pay more or less than another for parking in the same facility?

We believed (and still do) that given the university’s waiting list assignment system and without the economic influence of a standard rate established in accordance with demand for the location, eventually, the number of lower-salaried employees parking in the system would be greater than the number of higher-salaried employees, tilting the revenue scale unfavorably.

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Editor’s Note

DEPARTMENTS

4 Entrance 6 IPI Board Member Profile 8 Consultants Corner 1 0 The Green Standard 1 2 The Business of Parking 1 4 Sociability 1 6 Parking Spotlight 1 8 IPI’s Ask the Experts 4 6 IPI in Action 4 9 Committee Communiqué 50 State & Regional Spotlight 5 2 Community Digest 5 8 Calendar of Events 5 9 New IPI Members 6 0 Parking Consultants 6 2 Advertisers Index 6 2 Parking Break

THE DISABLED PARKING DILEMMA

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y daughter and I left the house early on a recent Saturday morning to do our grocery shopping before the stores got too crowded. I blearily fumbled with keys and bags and lists as we walked from the relatively empty parking lot to the store entrance and didn’t notice a school acquaintance parking in a reserved-for-military space until Maddie poked me in the arm and pointed.

“Is she military?” she whispered. I sighed and shook my head.

“Why is she parking there?” I shook my head again. “I don’t know,” I said, “but she should know better.”

At 11, my daughter is still openly flummoxed when grown-ups bend the rules to serve their own purposes. At 40-something, though, her classmate’s mom had no issue taking a space that was reserved for someone else, even when the parking lot was all but vacant. It happens with spaces reserved for the military, expectant parents and young families, and the disabled and poses a huge challenge for municipalities, campuses, health care facilities, and even grocery stores.

In this issue, parking guru Donald Shoup shares his thoughts on handling disabled parking abuse and offers a two-tiered solution and valuable food for thought for all sectors of the parking industry, starting on p. 20.

Also in this issue, you’ll read about a fascinating and innovative spiral garage renovation in Allentown, Pa., (p. 24), how to design internships so both the company and the intern get the most out of a program (p. 30), and thoughts on what American airports can learn from their European counterparts to be more productive, efficient, and competitive (p. 34).

Of course, ’tis the season for new year’s resolutions (organizing the office and/ or losing weight, anyone? Me too!). Perhaps this is the year to take advantage of IPI’s Online Learning and Training for your staff—there’s a course for everyone from the frontline newbie to the upper-level manager, and subscription programs make it easy and affordable to keep everyone in the organization up to date. Learn more at parking.org. It’s a resolution that’s good for everyone in the industry.

As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts, ideas, and feedback—my email address is below. I wish you the happiest of new years and 365 days of peace, prosperity, and productivity. Until next month…

6 4 Exit fernandez@parking.org

parking.org/tpp

JANUARY 2015 | INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE

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ENTRANCE Publisher Shawn Conrad, CAE conrad@parking.org Editor Kim Fernandez fernandez@parking.org Contributing Editor Bill Smith, APR bsmith@smith-phillips.com Technical Editor Rachel Yoka, LEED AP BD+C, CNU-A yoka@parking.org Advertising Sales Bonnie Watts, CEM watts@parking.org Graphic Design BonoTom Studio Proofreader Melanie Padgett Powers For advertising information, contact Bonnie Watts at watts@parking.org or 571.699.3011.

The Parking Professional (ISSN 0896-2324 & USPS 001436) is published monthly by the International Parking Institute.

1330 Braddock Place, Suite 350 Alexandria, VA 22314 Phone: 571.699.3011 Fax: 703.566.2267 Email: ipi@parking.org Website: parking.org Postmaster note: Send address label changes promptly to: The Parking Professional 1330 Braddock Place, Suite 350 Alexandria, VA 22314 Interactive electronic version of The Parking Professional for members and subscribers only at parking.org/tpp.

Periodical postage paid at Alexandria, Va., and additional mailing offices. Copyright © International Parking Institute, 2015. Statements of fact and opinion expressed in articles contained in The Parking Professional 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 IPI. Manuscripts, correspondence, articles, product releases, and all contributed materials are welcomed

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

The subscription rate is included in IPI annual dues.

Subscription rate for non-members of IPI is $120 per year (U.S. currency) in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. All other countries, $150. Back issues, $10.

The Parking Professional is printed on 10 percent recycled paper and on paper from trees grown specifically for that purpose.

4

NEW YEAR, NEW PERSPECTIVES

By Dennis Garrett, CAPP

H

appy new year to everyone! As we bid 2014 goodbye, we start contemplating what the new year will bring. Here at IPI, that means looking down the road to the 2015 IPI Conference & Expo, June 29–July 2, in Las Vegas.

It was a little humorous when my boss walked onto the Expo floor for the first time during the 2013 IPI Conference & Expo in Fort Lauderdale. He stopped for a moment, looked around, and said, “Wow. I never realized how large the parking industry was.”

We, of course, know that the parking industry is large and there are a lot of pieces to the puzzle. I spent a large portion of that day leading him through the various vendors and services that are part of our parking world. He came away from the conference with a whole new perspective on our industry and what we do (and he still talks about the show).

I still remember getting the call about a transportation and parking position at a university where I’d applied for a job (in a different department). When I hung up the phone, the first thing I thought was, “What’s the big deal? You pull into a parking space and you leave a little later. What could possibly be so complicated?”

Needless to say, I soon learned.

I was recently asked to mentor a new person in the parking industry. She, too, knew little about parking, and as we started getting more and more into the parking operations and administration, it was fun to watch her learn some of the more detailed aspects of what we do. It is exciting to see new people enter into our chosen field, provide us with a new set of eyes, and ask the questions about things we take for granted or are second nature to most of us.

I hope everyone takes advantage of bringing new people into our industry and that we each embrace the opportunity to impart to our new colleagues some of the knowledge and experience we have—I also hope we never stop seeing our operations through the eyes of someone who’s never been down this road.

I, as always, look forward to the 2015 IPI Conference & Expo and look forward to seeing everyone in Las Vegas. Have a great new year!

INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE | JANUARY 2015

DENNIS GARRETT, CAPP, is general manager of parking for the City of Greenville, S.C., and a member of IPI’s Board of Directors.

He can be reached at dgarrett@ greenvillesc.gov or 864.467.4900.

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T E C H N O L O G Y

IPI BOARD MEMBER PROFILE

IRENA GOLOSCHOKIN Member, IPI Board of Directors EVP, Strategy and Products, T2 Systems, Inc.

I

“

showed empathy,” my five-year old daughter said a couple of Saturdays ago.

We had just thanked her for letting us sleep in, and this was her response. After picking our jaws off the floor, my husband and I asked her what empathy meant.

Imagine our surprise when she explained that she knew we were tired and needed more sleep, so she stayed in her room an extra-long time after waking up. Apparently, they were learning about empathy in her kindergarten class and had an “empathy tree” for displaying the names of those who showed empathy to others. Needless to say, her name was on the tree.

That Saturday was a great day for the Goloschokin family; we were better rested and immensely proud of our daughter for having mastered one of the greatest skills in life—understanding other people’s needs and finding ways to meet them.

And our daughter learned another useful lesson: when you show empathy, you win. She pretty much got everything she asked for that day.

The reason I wanted to share this story is not just to show how sweet and smart my daughter is, although bragging about her is something I do on a regular basis. Empathy in our professional lives can be very rewarding.

One of our customers—director of parking at a large university—has coffee with a professor to hear

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INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE | JANUARY 2015

why that reserved parking space is so important and personally explain why the department doesn’t provide reserved spaces. The professor feels better and it’s easier to uphold departmental rules.

Another, the parking manager in a college town, learned his visitors typically made several stops downtown and implemented pay-by-license plate so they could pay once and move their cars as needed. Parking revenue increased.

Empathy comes from asking questions, observing, and learning about others and their needs. It has been my privilege to ask questions, observe, and learn about the needs of parking professionals and your customers. I hope to gain knowledge and act in a way that will one day make our customers say, “She showed empathy.”

Ad Name Page 7

CONSULTANTS CORNER

SETTING THE AIRPORT GROUND TRANSPORT ROAD MAP

By Cristina Lynn and Shane de Wit

W

e’ve all been told, “Don’t run before you can walk.” How many times have we tried to do so, whether physically or metaphorically? And what were the results?

Airports around the world find themselves in various states of development, whether due to demand for travel and interest on the part of the airlines or as a result of their current ownership, management, or access to resources. The supply of ground transport services, which are often a major source of non-aeronautical revenue, sometimes lag behind demand. Investment in infrastructure is expensive and the land required to meet demand conflicts with other development.

1. FACILITY No/little reporting or monitoring of performance No one is accountable for performance Low understanding of customer needs CRISTINA LYNN is managing partner of Parking & Traffic Consultants. She can be reached at cristina.lynn@ parkingconsultants. com.

Capital plan No price plan No product strategy

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2. MANAGED Regular reporting and monitoring Customer service is a priority and is measured Understand key business processes SOPs and KPIs developed Understanding of the key business drivers Someone is accountable

3. MARKETED

4. OPTIMIZED

Customer segments identified and assessed for attractiveness

Business performance is optimized

Products developed to attract attractive market segments SHANE DE WIT is partner and senior consultant at Parking & Traffic Consultants.

He can be reached at shane.dewit@ parkingconsultants. com.

Planning for ground transport must be an integral part of an airport’s master planning process. Similarly, the types of products offered as part of the ground transport strategy need to be aligned to current and future demand, access to other modes of transport, and the ability of the airport to meet marketing and management requirements to analyze the ground transport business and make informed decisions.

The chart below illustrates the typical development

Communication plan in place The impact of product and price initiatives are well understood

Integrated element of the whole airport customer journey experience Benchmark best in class performance Instant yield management

Price strategy

Dynamic pricing

Marketing budget

Well funded and resourced

INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE | JANUARY 2015

journey for airport parking and provides a roadmap of the potential journey airports might consider.

The development road map illustrates the steps that can be taken to advance the business. Each step provides the foundation of the next step in the journey, helping the business prioritize initiatives.

At the facility stage, a small regional airport may have identified the need to provide controlled or paid parking in the vicinity of the terminal, leaving long-term customers to park for free in informal areas further away. Lack of control will also mean lack of information about the customers’ current behaviors, length of stay, and car park occupancy. This makes planning for future growth difficult and does not give management a clear picture of the potential of the parking business. Parking is seen as a facility or, at best, a service that must be provided, instead of as an opportunity to enhance the customer’s airport experience and add to profitability.

A managed ground transport facility will have controlled parking areas that feature product definition (long term/short term/ business/valet and associated areas for other transport options). Information produced by the access control system is reported upon by a dedicated person or team.

Progression to a marketed approach is marked by the identification of customer segments and development of specific product, pricing, and marketing strategies to attract business from other modes of transport.

Regular market research is undertaken to gain customer insights and understand the key attributes that will attract customers. A strategic plan and marketing budget with a long-term view is developed. This entails understanding future demand and how and where parking will be delivered.

Airports that reach the optimized stage implement strategies to maximize the return from their parking assets by applying more sophisticated and technologically savvy strategies such as variable pricing, online booking engines, and high level of communication strategies with their customers. Yield management will ensure that the profitability of the parking.org/tpp

parking business for the airport is maximixed.

They clearly understand parking’s role as an integrated element of the passenger’s journey, and parking is incorporated with other areas of the airport. Technology is used to enhance the customer’s experience.

By adopting a strategic approach to the development of the parking and ground transport business, airports will ensure that they achieve ever-improving results and maintain a high level of customer service.

JANUARY 2015 | INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE

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THE GREEN STANDARD

GREENING THE AIR(PORTS)

By Michael Cramer

I

spent a recent drive to the airport thinking about how to write a column on airport operations with a sustainability angle. It’s a challenge because my 30-year career has been in class-A office tower, and while I’m sure airports have lots of sustainability programs, I don’t know about any of them.

I merged onto the crowded freeway, moved over one lane, took the correct exit, and then bore toward the left fork on the ramp. Each decision I made was assisted by either a sign or roadway graphics. Gradually, an idea emerged: I don’t work at an airport, but I fly a lot.

I’d just used a series of static signs to perform a tricky freeway maneuver. Getting to my flight was part of a larger process.

Technology

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INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE | JANUARY 2015

moment. A barrage of signs adds to the confusion.

Regulars, including shuttle drivers, know what to do.

For others, there are three options: parking, dropping off, and picking up. Simpler, dynamic signs would guide infrequent parkers to one of the options.

Guidance Inside the garage begins the greatest time-wasting, ­fuel-guzzling process: the hunt for the best parking space.

How about parking guidance? The knock on these systems is that they are expensive. Prices are dropping, though, and I think they’ll become increasingly cost effective as sustainability drives operational efficiencies. Ideally, the systems could be programmed to lead parkers to the most desirable spaces on a first-come basis. By following the guidance system, parkers will go to the best available space. As I rarely find anything next to the elevator, I’m good with the best available.

Eventually, I parked and pulled my bags from the trunk. I looked around and snapped a photo of where I was parked. But where were the elevators? There were no readily visible signs, so I had to guess the direction.

Pedestrian-oriented signs are crucial. I don’t see them very often in airports.

Inside the busy airport, signs smoothly guide you to your departure gate. They aren’t overwhelming, nor complicated. Why couldn’t parking be as easy? Ironically, my flight was delayed. The airplane went to the wrong gate.

ISTOCKPHOTO

MICHAEL CRAMER is executive vice president of Winpark and a member of IPI’s Sustainability Committee. He can be reached at michael. cramer@winpark.com or 832.786.3741.

Airports are notorious for being confusing, and as I drove, I considered how technology might help the process. The easier it is to navigate, the faster people can park, drop off, or pick up. That means fewer carbon emissions and less wasted fuel and time. There was my sustainability angle.

On my drive to the airport and then to the terminals, the signs were static. Unfamiliar drivers have to read the signs, process the information, and then perform maneuvers that take them to one of several terminals.

Drivers could skip the airport experience by parking at one of several off-airport locations conveniently located on the main drive. The approach to the airport is the perfect place to incorporate dynamic signs that let drivers know the number of available spaces at onand off-airport parking facilities. The airport parking authority and off-airport operators could coordinate their control systems through a cloud-based solution that fed dynamic signs. At busy airports, such a system would reduce congestion, fuel waste, and the population of nervous drivers looking for parking.

Driving into the airport complex, static directional signs indicated terminals used by the airlines. It is a long list and more than once, I’ve forgotten my terminal before reaching the end. Dynamic signs might be more effective because they could be programmed to show fewer airlines at one time but the scroll could be coordinated over several signs.

Approaching my terminal’s parking garage, the signs become very confusing. Motorists slow to process signs but regular airport traffic does not. It is easy to miss a sign and find yourself in the wrong lane at the critical

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THE BUSINESS OF PARKING MARKETING

2015

RESET YOUR MARKETING IN THE NEW YEAR

By Bill Smith

D

on’t you hate New Year’s resolution articles? Now that the calendar has changed over, experts are climbing over each other to offer top 10 lists about how to run your organization better, blogs are full of pithy entries with Father Time references, and social media outlets are crammed with links to 2015 forecasts. You need a break, don’t you?

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what sets you apart—and make your people think in these terms. Then start communicating what makes you indispensable to customers. Don’t be afraid to seek out a brand transformation firm that can help you identify and articulate what makes your organization special.

Rethink Your Brand

Getting Social

Your brand isn’t just about what you do or what you’ve done in the past. It’s about who you are and why you do what you do. If you are a designer or planner, you don’t just design facilities or create parking plans; you transform communities, promote local business development, or make operators’ properties more desirable to tenants and other customers. If you are a technology or equipment provider, you don’t just design and market equipment; you change the way people park and make it more convenient, comfortable, safer, profitable, or manageable. If you’re an owner or operator, you don’t just provide a place to park; you offer a valuable, safe, and convenient service.

The first step in your marketing reset is to rethink what your organization does and what it represents—

Many organizations have been slow to jump on the social media bandwagon. If you haven’t yet, now is the time.

Create a social media strategy through which you are informing the marketplace about what’s going on with your organization and its products and services. Be sure to coordinate your social media campaign with your web marketing and publicity efforts.

Most importantly, make sure that all of the elements of your revamped marketing effort are coordinated.

Messages should be consistent and the different elements—website, publicity, social media—need to present synchronized messages across all platforms.

Sure, it’s a cliché, but the new year brings new opportunities. Now is the time to reset your marketing if you want to keep up with your competition.

INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE | JANUARY 2015

In with the New The 21st century is all about new media, right? Not exactly. Traditional media still offer extraordinary reach.

Look for opportunities in industry, business, and general media to publicize your products and services to customers and prospects. As you introduce new products or look to establish your organization as a leader and your people as authorities, publicity is still the best and most cost-effective ways to reach huge numbers of people.

Your website is another 20th century technology that’s essential to marketing. Does your online identity reflect your newly updated brand? If not, it’s time to update the site.

SHUTTERSTOCK

BILL SMITH, APR, is principal of SmithPhillips Strategic Communications and contributing editor of The Parking Professional. He can be reached at bsmith@smith-phillips. com or 603.491.4280.

I’ve got bad news: You’ve come to the wrong place.

The truth is that when it comes to marketing, the new year presents the perfect opportunity to evaluate and refresh your marketing efforts. It’s not just a good idea— it’s essential. Your competition has probably already hit the reset button and begun ramping up their marketing.

Why is this the time for a marketing reset? Because the industry is on the move again. The parking industry is more entrepreneurial than ever, with equipment and technology providers introducing a steady stream of new tools that are redefining how we park and how facilities are managed. Development is taking place across the U.S., and parking designers and planners are in high demand. And owners and operators find themselves locked in stiff competition for parkers’ business. For forward-thinking organizations that have a handle on their marketing, these are exciting times. But those who don’t keep up will be left in the dust.

Here are three New Year’s resolutions to help your organization meet the challenge.

San Jo Jose se International Airport ort Pa Parki rking n Str ng S uct ucture ure, San a Jos se, CA Archit Arc hitects: Fentress Archit h ect ects, s, Den Denver ver,, Colo ver Colo.. & TrranS an nSyst ystems tems Co C rp.., Phoe Phoe hoenix nix,, Ariz nix Ariz..

Photo: Pho to: Mikki Piper

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SOCIABILITY

A HOME (PAGE) REMODELING JOB

by Ted Janusz

T

here may be something critical you haven’t dusted off since 2007 that is ­adversely affecting your patrons’ ability to do business with you. No, it’s not the top of your credenza. It’s your parking facility’s website, which is the main vehicle many of your patrons use to find out the location, hours, rates, and other important information about your parking facility.

The second column is for navigation and graphics.

Use meta tags, which provide information about your website, such as page description, keywords, the author of the document, and when the web page was last modified, but are not displayed. Because meta tags have been abused by so many shifty search engine optimization (SEO) experts, search engines are increasingly giving higher priorities to page titles instead. Therefore, every page of your website should have a unique title. ●● Host your blog inside your website. Why? Every time you publish and promote a blog post, the blog drives traffic to your website. And the more content you publish under your website URL, the higher your parking facility will rank in search engine results. Fresh blog content gets priority over static web pages. ●●

You now have tools available that may not have been as popular a dozen or more years ago when you first constructed your site, including a content management system (CMS).

TED JANUSZ is a professional speaker on the topic of “social media for baby boomers,” author, and marketing consultant. He is the author of the Social Media Marketing Guide for Parking Professionals, which is a free publication for IPI members and can be downloaded from parking.org/ socialmediaguide.

He can be reached at ted@ januspresentations. com or 614.440.7487.

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A software program that allows for easy editing and maintenance of your website, a CMS may free you from the chains to a third party when it comes time to edit or add pages—something you may have been putting off for years. Examples of popular CMS programs include WordPress, Joomla!, and Drupal.

You may even want to consider a simple, web-based publishing tool and hosting site such as Squarespace, which can allow you to do everything yourself right from the start.

Best Practices As you reconstruct that all-important virtual portal to your parking facility, here are five web design best practices to keep in mind, as suggested by Heather Mansfield, author of Social Media for Social Good. ●● Have a simple, visually powerful home page design, using large images and minimal text. Squarespace offers templates that embody this best practice. Just plug in your text. ●● Format text for easy reading. Limit paragraphs to two to four sentences. ●● Limit the layout to two columns. One column takes up two-thirds of the page and is used for content stories.

INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE | JANUARY 2015

There are two simple sections you can add to boost your site: ●● FAQs. Include a frequently asked questions page on your website to answer typical questions your visitors might have. It’s also great for SEO because you can add keyword-rich sentences to your website. Just ask your employees, “What are the questions we get repeatedly from our patrons?” Your customers may end up finding this to be the most useful feature of your website. ●● A resource page can provide useful information to readers and contain not only those all-important keywords your patrons are searching for but also links to the websites of nearby businesses and attractions.

Again, not only can this be useful for search engines to get you better placement, but it can also help your human visitors as well. Further, if you can get links from one or more of these websites back to your own, this action can be mutually beneficial for the websites of both businesses.

Remodeling your neglected website may be a lot easier (and more fun) than you ever imagined. By doing it, you can improve your Internet search engine rankings.

But more importantly, you can provide better and more complete information to the parking patrons you are here to serve.

THINKSTOCK

Two Tricks to Aid Your SEO Efforts What Is a CMS?

For all of your landside parking and transportation needs, think

.

Offering the unique combination of airport planning specialists and parking and transportation professionals, Kimley-Horn identifies customized solutions to fit your airport’s needs.

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PARKING SPOTLIGHT EPA CONGRESS

GLOBAL OPPORTUNITY: THE 2015 EPA CONGRESS AND PARKEN

By Claudia Goehler

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he 17th European Parking Association (EPA) Congress will take place in conjunction with the trade exhibition Parken at the Estrel Convention Center in Berlin, Germany, Sept. 23–25, 2015. Featuring expert views on “Parking in the World of Tomorrow,” this event offers a forum for inspiring discussions as well as the chance to meet and network with people from around the parking (and literal) world.

The thematic scope of the Congress results from the activities of the Scientific and Technical Committee, made up of 16 academic, parking, mobility, and industrial experts; this year’s committee is chaired by EPA Vice President Laurence A. Bannerman. The conference will be presented in English with simultaneous translation available in several languages.

As with two previous EPA Congress meetings, the 2015 event will also host the Global Parking Association Leaders (GPALs) Summit, which brings together parking leaders from around the world for discussion and analysis of parking trends. The International Parking Institute (IPI) is one of the key founding members of

CLAUDIA GOEHLER is project manager for the 2015 EPA Congress. She can be reached at claudia. goehler@mesago. com.

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INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE | JANUARY 2015

GPALs, and the group meets alternately at the EPA Congress and the IPI Conference & Expo.

Presentations Delegates can expect high-level experts to address issues fundamental to the parking industry: ●● Parking in the digital age. ●● Parking and its role in urban mobility as an integral part of efficient cities. ●● New challenges for parking operators. ●● Scientific research on parking. ●● Parking and its relation to new technologies. ●● New players and new partners.

These issues are of key relevance for all parties directly and indirectly connected to the parking sector: politicians, transport and urban planners, designers, public and private parking operators, equipment producers, the building industry, consumer associations, commercial operators, and others.

The Congress EPA Congresses have taken place regularly since 1983 and attract up to 500 international delegates. Thanks to its history, the EPA has had numerous opportunities to prove the importance and effectiveness of parking management as an essential tool. The organization contributes both to the overall regulation of the mobility demand and to urban requalification processes that confirm parking as an integral part of the urban mobility system and essential for positive environmental and economical development.

Parken The German trade exhibition Parken will take place in conjunction with the 2015 EPA Congress.

Parken is the only trade exhibition in Germany that exclusively covers the planning, construction, and operations of on- and off-street parking. It has grown into a must-see event for experts and individuals who are involved in parking. Exhibitors will meet a well-informed audience of professional planners, architects, parking operators, and state representatives from the entire federal territory.

More than 90 exhibitors presented their products in more than 9,800 square feet of exhibit space in 2013. More than 1,250 visitors took the opportunity to inform themselves about the latest innovations and trends. Thanks to the conjunction of Parken and the 17th EPA Congress, an increase of exhibitors and visitors is expected for 2015.

Half of 2015’s exhibit space was booked a year in advance.

Among the confirmed exhibitors are the key players of the industry, parking.org/tpp

including bebarmatic, DESIGNA, Parkeon, Scheidt & Bachmann, and SKIDATA. Exhibitor information and applications are available at parken-exhibition.com/exhibitorkit.

Michael Kesseler, EPA board member, emphasizes the importance of the event: “The international EPA Congress is a constant entry in the calendar of the decision makers of the entire parking industry in Europe and abroad. The opportunity to hold Parken and the EPA Congress under one roof will offer delegates and visitors the network, inspiration and technical content they need to make successful business decisions. I look forward to Berlin 2015.”

EPA Awards In a special ceremony and as a part of the Congress, the EPA Awards will be presented, showcasing the most interesting parking solutions all over Europe. Awards will be presented in five categories: ●● New parking structures for public use. ●● Renovated parking structures. ●● Parking projects and innovations concerning on street parking in public domain. ●● Innovative technologies and/or working processes related to off- street parking. ●● New category: Marketing and communication on parking, contributing to improved image on parking by the public.

The Venue The award-winning Estrel Convention Center will host the 2015 EPA Congress and Parken. Delegates can easily walk from their hotel rooms to the exhibition hall and into the Congress hall. An attractive evening social program is being planned that will not only provide a suitable framework to continue networking but will also give an impression of Berlin, the fascinating capital of Germany.

Early-bird rates are available until March 27, and special rates are also available for ­single-day tickets.The full Congress program as well as the online registration, are available at epacongress.eu.

JANUARY 2015 | INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE

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IPI’S ASK THE EXPERTS

Joseph Sciulli

Vice President and Senior Operations Consultant CHANCE Management Advisors, Inc. Keep documenting the abuse through surveys to calculate lost parking opportunities and increased traffic circulation.

Educate legislators and advocacy groups on the results to create champions for change. Cite cities and states that won the fight and propose their legislation as models, then add blue HP meters on each blockface to create parking for the disabled. Lastly, be persistent—it can be a long war.

Roamy Valera, CAPP Senior Vice President, Municipal and Institutional Services SP+ Customers should produce proper identification as required by most state/local ordinances. In addition, rotate parking attendants to work in different shifts and facilities to maintain additional audit and performance controls.

David Hill, CAPP

Chief Executive Offier Clayton Hill Associates, LTD Accessible parking placards are distributed by authorities based on a doctor’s attestation. A doctor who prescribes a false prescription can lose his license to operate.

If you suspect inappropriate issuance or misuse of a placard, send a letter of complaint to the issuing authority and ask them to remove the privilege and take it up with the doctor.

Timothy Haahs, PE, AIA President

Timothy Haahs & Associates, Inc.

Duke Hanson

Regional Vice President Duncan Solutions, Inc. The city of Raleigh, N.C., addressed this issue by eliminating the incentive for abuse: free onstreet parking. Recognizing that accessibility is the primary concern for disabled parkers, the city re-programmed its pay stations to accommodate a paid duration-of-stay longer than the posted time limits for vehicles displaying disabled placards. An article in the January 2011 edition of The Parking Professional provides a detailed description of the approach.

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In most facilities, there are too many unused accessible parking spaces.

We ought to consider those spaces as on-demand, with a sign in front of a certain number that can alternate between disabled and regular parking. This can be achieved by using an individual parking space monitoring system and limiting the number of hours those spaces can be used by regular parkers.

The opinions, beliefs, and thoughts expressed by the contributors do not necessarily reflect the opinions and viewpoints of the International Parking Institute or official policies of IPI.

What steps do you recommend parking operations consider to decrease abuse of parking placards/spaces for the handicapped?

HOW TO WIN A TOP AWARD IN PARKING (by entering IPI’s Awards of Excellence Competition) Streamline d entry process. All materials submitted online.

Deadline for submissions: January 16, 2015 Entries are now being accepted in seven categories for IPI’s 2015 Awards of Excellence competition recognizing outstanding achievement in parking facility design, operations, and management.

The awards are open to parking facilities completed or renovated since January 1, 2012. Winners receive the red carpet treatment during the awards ceremony at the 2015 IPI Conference & Expo in Las Vegas, June 29-July 2, and become stars in a national publicity campaign.

Categories: • Parking Facility (Fewer than 800 Spaces) • Sustainable Innovation (New/Existing Facility) • Surface Parking Lot

• Parking Facility (800 or More Spaces) • Operations/Program Innovation • Facility Rehabilitation or Restoration

• Architectural Achievement

For more information, visit parking.org/aoe Contact: Lauri Chudoba, 571.699.3011 | aoe@parking.org

THE TWO-

TIER SOLUTION Ending disabled placard abuse at parking meters.

By Donald Shoup and Fernando Torres-Gil 20

INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE | JANUARY 2015

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lmost everyone can tell an anecdote about disabled placard abuse. One of mine stems from a visit to the California capitol building in Sacramento. After noticing that cars with disabled placards occupied almost all the metered curb spaces surrounding the Capitol, I talked to one of the state troopers guarding a driveway entrance. He watched all the arrivals and departures at the nearby metered spaces every day. When I asked the trooper to estimate how many of the placards he thought were being used illegally, he responded, “All of them.”

Newspapers often report placard abuse, such as the scandal that occurred when 22 University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) football players were found using disabled placards to park on campus; the athletes got their placards by forging doctors’ signatures for such conditions as asthma and palsy. UCLA seems unusual only in the large number of athletes who were caught misusing disabled placards, because similar scandals have erupted on other campuses. Placard abuse is common enough to have its own website: handicappedfraud.org.

Making curb parking accessible to people with disabilities is an essential goal, but treating disabled placards as free parking passes has encouraged widespread abuse by able-bodied drivers who simply want to park wherever they want, whenever they want, without paying anything. Because of the widespread abuse, disabled placards do not guarantee a physical disability. Instead, they often signal a desire to park free and a willingness to cheat the system.

DANNY McGARVEY

Widespread Abuse Frequent and flagrant disabled placard abuse makes it harder for drivers with serious mobility impairment to find convenient parking. If all the curb spaces near their destinations are occupied by placard abusers, drivers with severely impaired mobility must park farther away or even abandon their trips. Reducing placard abuse will therefore increase accessibility for drivers with serious disabilities. The goal should be to give convenient access to mobility-impaired drivers, not to subsidize every car with a disabled placard.

State governments encourage placard abuse by mandating that any driver with a disabled placard may park free for an unlimited time at any municipal on-street meter. Drivers in Los Angeles and San Francisco can save up to $40 a day by using a disabled placard at a parking.org/tpp

parking meter. The high cash value of a placard and its ease of abuse help explain why 2.1 million people in California have disabled placards.

Placard abusers not only harm the disabled community but also damage businesses and kill jobs. A UCLA study in downtown Los Angeles found that cars with disabled placards park an average of seven times longer than other cars. One placard abuser thus takes up a space that would otherwise be used by seven paying parkers.

By reducing turnover, placard abusers thus steal parking spaces from customers of nearby businesses.

Placard abusers also steal public revenue. The UCLA study found that 44 percent of the cars parked at meters in downtown Los Angeles displayed disabled placards.

Meters on one block charged $4 an hour but earned only $.28 an hour because cars with placards occupied most of the spaces for most of the day. Several drivers with disabled placards were observed carrying heavy loads between their cars and the adjacent businesses. The meter exemption is an invitation to obtain and abuse placards for personal gain.

If all Americans knew the extent of this uncontrolled abuse, most would be outraged, and the rest might try to get their hands on a placard if they don’t already have one. Placard abusers learn to live without their scruples but not without their cars.

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The Two-Tier Solution

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DONALD SHOUP is distinguished professor of urban planning in UCLA’s Luskin School of Public Affairs and the author of “The High Cost of Free Parking.“ He can be reached at shoup@ucla.edu.

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ecause California requires free parking at meters for placard users without compensating cities for the lost revenue, the meter exemption is an unfunded mandate. How big is this unfunded mandate? If, for example, cities lose meter revenue of only $100 a year per placard, the total statewide loss is $210 million each year lost to placards.

Little of that subsidy benefits drivers with seriously impaired mobility. An audit in San Francisco found that the city lost $22.7 million in 2013 because cars with disabled placards accounted for 20 percent of all the occupied time at on-street meters.

Equal access under the Americans with Disabilities Act should mean convenient parking for every person with a fundamental disability, not free parking for every car with a disabled placard. Because of widespread abuse, we cannot assume every driver with a placard has a serious physical disability that impairs mobility.

Placard abuse is not a victimless crime. If all Americans knew the extent of this uncontrolled abuse, most would be outraged, and the rest might try to get their hands on a placard if they don’t already have one. Placard abusers learn to live without their scruples but not without their cars.

Requiring all placard holders to pay at meters would eliminate the financial incentive for fraud. Nevertheless, some drivers have disabilities that severely limit mobility, and free parking at meters greatly increases their access. Rather than require all placard holders to pay at meters, states can adopt a two-tier reform that allows free parking at meters for everyone with a disability that seriously limits their mobility.

INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE | JANUARY 2015

Michigan and Illinois have adopted a two-tier system that takes into account different levels of disability. Drivers with disabilities that seriously limit mobility continue to park free at meters. Drivers with less serious disabilities must pay at meters. Enforcement is simple: Able-bodied drivers who use the special serious-disability placard that allows free parking at meters are obviously breaking the law as soon as they hop out of a car and stride away.

Giving free parking only to drivers who have serious physical disabilities can eliminate the scourge of placard abuse and thus ensure convenient parking for truly disabled drivers. This new policy can be based on the models in Michigan and Illinois.

To explain the two-tier reform, here is the key provision in the Illinois law: The Secretary of State . . . shall issue a meter-­ exempt decal or device to a person with disabilities who . . . is unable to . . . approach a parking meter due to his or her use of a wheelchair or other device for mobility or walk more than 20 feet due to an orthopedic, neurological, cardiovascular, or lung condition in which the degree of debilitation is so severe that it almost completely impedes the ability to walk.

In addition to exempting drivers with impaired mobility, the Illinois law also exempts persons who can walk but are unable to operate a parking meter. Many of those who cannot operate a parking meter, however, are chauffeured by someone who can operate a parking meter. To accommodate the few who do drive but cannot operate a parking meter, cities can waive the usual transaction surcharges for paying by cell phones or other in-vehicle devices.

States can also mandate additional measures to ensure that convenient meter spaces are available to drivers with limited mobility. For example, the state can require cities to dedicate a specific share of convenient curb spaces only for cars with a limited-mobility disabled placard, and these spaces would not need meters.

When Illinois adopted the two-tier reform, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel said, “This law is about preserving free on-street parking for motorists with disabilities that prevent them from being able to pay a meter.” The Commissioner of the Mayor’s Office for People with

Making curb parking accessible to people with disabilities is an essential goal, but Disabilities said, “The availability of accessible parking has long been an issue that needed to be addressed on behalf of the disability community. The high level of abuse prevents people with disabilities from carrying out day-to-day activities and also limits their full participation in the community.�

The two-tier reform will greatly reduce the financial incentives to cheat and will improve life for everyone except drivers who now abuse disabled placards. If a state does remove its mandate for free parking at meters for all cars with placards, however, any city can continue to offer free parking at its own meters for all cars with placards.

Using the New Revenue The two-tier reform will reduce placard abuse and increase accessibility for drivers with impaired mobility, but it will also require meter payments from legitimate placard holders with less severe disabilities. Although the goal of reform is to curb placard abuse, the increased meter payments can give the impression that cities want reform mainly because they want the meter revenue.

To encourage the disabled community to support the two-tier reform, states can require cities to dedicate the new meter revenue to pay for services that can benefit people with disabilities, such as safer sidewalks, curb ramps, and audible devices at pedestrian crosswalks to assist the visually impaired across intersections.

Because California has issued 2.1 million disabled placards for its 24 million licensed drivers, about 9 percent of all drivers have placards. To improve life for the disabled community after placard reform, the state could require cities to dedicate 10 percent of their total meter revenue to increase mobility services for

parking.org/tpp

treating disabled placards as free parking passes has encouraged widespread abuse by able-bodied drivers who simply want to park wherever they want, whenever they want, without paying anything.

all people with disabilities. In 2012, cities and counties reported $410 million in parking revenues. A 10 percent dedication for placard reform could therefore provide about $41 million a year for disabled mobility services.

Much of the new meter revenue will come not from drivers with disabilities but from the profligate and unmonitored parking subsidies now being stolen by placard abusers. A study in Alexandria, Va., illustrates how placard reform can greatly benefit the entire disabled community. Police officers who interviewed drivers returning to cars displaying disabled placards found that 90 percent of the placards checked were being used illegally. These placard abusers therefore stole 90 percent of the meter subsidy intended for people with disabilities. Spending the full meter subsidy to provide public services that benefit all people with disabilities seems much fairer and more efficient than wasting 90 percent of the subsidy to provide free parking for placard abusers.

Reduced Placard Abuse and Increased Disabled Accessibility Beyond improving access for drivers with severe disabilities and providing funds to finance new mobility services, the two-tier solution will counter the culture of corruption that has developed around disabled parking placards. States encourage this licensed fraud by making placard abuse easy, profitable, and rarely punished. Because enforcement is so difficult and the chance of getting a ticket is so low, even high fines do not prevent abuse.

This simple two-tier solution will reduce placard abuse, increase accessibility for drivers with severe disabilities, and finance added services for all people with disabilities.

FERNANDO TORRES-GIL is professor of social welfare and public policy in UCLA’s Luskin School of Public Affairs and a former U.S. assistant secretary on aging.

He can be reached at torres@luskin.ucla. edu.

JANUARY 2015 | INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE

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A unique parking deck enhancement supports community transformation.

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By Juan Ramos, LEED AP BD+C

he City of Allentown, Pa., is experiencing a significant makeover of its downtown as a result of many exciting development plans. During the course

of two short years, the city and its downtown core have transformed from a rather uninviting stretch of pawnshops, tattoo parlors, and old dilapidated buildings to a vibrant mix of restaurants, office space, and commercial activity. Anchoring this transformation is the new PPL Center, a 10,000-seat arena that’s the new home of the Philadelphia Flyers’ minor league affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. The arena will host all Phantoms home games, as well as a variety of concerts and entertainment attractions.

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INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE | JANUARY 2015

parking.org/tpp

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The Pedestrian Experience

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AFTER

he redevelopment of Pennsylvania’s third-largest city will continue to serve as an important economic boon for Allentown and surrounding areas. But perhaps more important is the example that it offers to inspire similar efforts in other struggling, post-industrial cities throughout the country.

While there are still a number of projects planned for the continued redevelopment of Allentown, one of the most important considerations was, of course, parking. Currently, design is underway to add an approximately 1,000-space parking facility near the PPL Center sports arena site to help significantly alleviate the parking needs of the current and future downtown development. The Community Lot parking facility will include design elements to accommodate future retail and residential space, which will serve as an inviting destination for residents and visitors of the area while helping generate street-level activity.

Because the PPL Center was scheduled to open in the fall of 2014, city officials needed to make plans to accommodate growing parking needs as soon as possible while also utilizing already-existing parking resources.

Thus began plans for the renovation of the Hess Deck parking facility.

One of the most important enhancements required for this project was the pedestrian traffic flow from the garage to the PPL Center. This was not only important to create a more safe and convenient experience for users, but would also become an important ingress and egress issue during events with large crowds. Getting people to and from the PPL Center in a quick and convenient manner would reduce pedestrian and vehicular conflicts, create a more pleasant overall experience, and encourage people to return in the future.

The existing parking facility featured a tunnel beneath the structure that was open to both vehicular and pedestrian traffic and served as a drop-off area for students of a Montessori school. While the tunnel

BEFORE

provided numerous benefits for improving pedestrian and vehicular traffic, it was dark, uninviting, and built at a vehicular scale, creating an unpleasant and unsafe perception for users.

The project team and the city worked together to identify opportunities to create a better feeling and perception of the Lumber Street tunnel. Improvements included painting the walls, adding multiple LED light fixtures, and installing metal panels on the ceiling to create a more pedestrian-friendly scale. The walkway can be seen as a continuation of the pedestrian corridor created with the existing Robert Stern Plaza, which links Linden Street and Hamilton Street.

Enhancing Common Spaces Another important transformation of the pedestrian experience was the considerable decrease in walking distances for patrons from the parking facility to the multiple downtown destinations. Two elevators were located on the west side of the building and the lobby opened up toward Ninth Street. This required patrons to walk the entire distance around the parking facility.

To alleviate this issue, the design team proposed cutting through an existing loading dock and providing a ramp that opens to the Lumber Street tunnel. This

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INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE | JANUARY 2015

Project Challenges modification alone reduced walking distances from approximately 934 feet to 293 feet, through a well-lit, and covered area, helping dramatically improve the user experience immediately upon arrival.

The challenge this presented was that pedestrians would exit the lobby directly onto an active street. The solution was to create a raised crosswalk and open the south faรงade of the corridor with a curtain-wall. This helped with passive security, allowed pedestrians and drivers to see each other, and established a safe crosswalk that substantially improved pedestrian safety because drivers intuitively avoid parking on it when queuing up to pick up and drop off children at the school.

In 2005, several renovations were made to the garage by a local firm, including enhancements to a pedestrian corridor opening up to Ninth Street and a one-stop elevator that allowed parkers on the second tier to have very convenient access to the PPL Office building.

While the location of this second elevator tower was actually more convenient to serving the new development taking place in the city, the elevator only travelled up to the second level of the garage. To create a better user experience and assist with pedestrian ingress and egress, the project included the demolition of the existing elevator and the addition of a new elevator. parking.org/tpp

Improving pedestrian flow to the entrance of the PPL Center and reducing the walking distance between the garage and sports facility.

Accommodating an existing Montessori school on the ground level of the garage and enabling it to continue operating during construction.

Upgrading an existing tunnel beneath the garage to create a more open and safe pedestrian experience.

Need for signage, wayfinding, and garage marketing updates and improvements.

Achieving all project goals on a low budget and accelerated schedule.

Adding lighting, benches, and vegetation to a concrete plaza adjacent to the Eighth Street exit.

JANUARY 2015 | INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE

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Branding and Wayfinding The Parking Authority wanted to upgrade the branding and wayfinding system within and around the parking facility to create a more clear and effective messaging system for its patrons. First and foremost, the city took the opportunity to officially adopt the “Spiral Deck” name. This was easy to do, as the structure had long been known by this name in the community thanks to its iconic concrete ramp.

The long walls of the corridors were used as backdrops for large stenciled wall graphics that help fill these spaces with color and direct pedestrians to their various destinations. The new signage system also included changing the level designations from letters to numbers, which has helped garage users while improving the experience for garage staff performing maintenance and other work within the facility.

The design team also worked with the Montessori school to create new signage for them. This not only gave the school a more modern look but also enriched the aesthetic view of the ground level of the garage for students and passersby.

Design Elements The design approach was to work with the beautiful shapes from the original Brutalist Building and to try to incorporate features from the previous renovations so the building as a whole had a cohesive look to it, all the while focusing on the most important issue of all—improving the user experience and having a positive effect on the community.

Local Allentown firm the Architectural Studio had a very thoughtful approach to its design. The materials were elegant and worked very well to complement the

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building. Steel beams were integrated to accent the elevator lobbies and vehicular entry/exits. A steel bent plate wraps around the top-tier lobby and turns downward, framing the new elevator tower. The same patterns and proportions cast in concrete were implemented to the metal panels.

The sloped shapes for the signage and the metal ceiling panels were continuations of the slopes of the concrete beams running perpendicular to Linden Street.

The already-iconic spiral feature of the facility provided a valuable opportunity not to enhance, but celebrate the façade of the structure. Design team member West Side Hammer came up with a great solution to use light to “paint” the spiral. This offers the opportunity to change the look of the garage throughout the year to promote a variety of events and milestones, such as orange during Phantoms games, pink during breast cancer awareness month, and much more.

An existing concrete plaza was enhanced with grass pavers, flowering ornamental trees, elegant lighting and benches that also serve as bike racks. This area became

a foreground for the spiral and a great space for people to meet before attending an event.

The redevelopment of the Allentown commercial district has helped to transform the city into a more vibrant and attractive community, while significantly increasing its economic viability and potential. The current and planned addition of entertainment destinations, restaurants, and residential and commercial developments will no doubt continue to rejuvenate the city, and will serve as a catalyst for further improvement

and revitalization of surrounding communities.

The growth and energy we see in this city reflects the personalities of its inhabitants. From the parking authority employees and city officials to the construction team of Boyle Construction and CMG, the entire team worked tirelessly to ensure that the project came together. Each team member understood the importance of improving the quality of life for the people who park in the area every day, as well as the visitors to the PPL Center.

JUAN RAMOS, LEED AP BD+C, is project designer for Timothy Haahs & Associates, Inc. He can be reached at jramos@ timhaahs.com. parking.org/tpp

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STARTING

ON THE

A well-designed internship program offers multiple benefits for both students and parking organizations.

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RIGHT FOOT

By Casey Wagner, PE

W

hen I first set out to choose a career, I didn’t picture myself as a parking professional. In fact, as a college student in 1993, I probably didn’t even realize that there was such a thing. But more than 20 years later, I’m a confirmed parking lifer and I owe it all to an internship program.

Like millions of other young professionals, I sought out internship opportunities during my freshman year in college as a way to make a little money and learn about the design industry. I had just finished my first year at the University of Illinois and didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life. I had always been fascinated with buildings and looked at structural engineering firms close to my hometown, hoping an internship would give me a chance to learn and confirm whether engineering was for me.

One of the most interesting opportunities was offered by Walker Parking Consultants. My coursework had revolved around basic engineering and chemistry, physics, and drafting. I certainly wasn’t learning how to design parking garages! The thought of learning a new type of engineering—one that plays such an important role in our communities—was intriguing, so I decided to accept an offer to intern at the company’s headquarters in Elgin, Ill. I soon found that my internship was like an after-school program that rounded out my education. I was learning design

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Organizations that treat internships like entry-level temp agencies don’t just shortchange their interns; they shortchange themselves as well. lessons and approaches they didn’t teach in my college engineering classes! Exposure to budgets, design process, quality control, and the importance of effective communication was incredible for my growth as a budding engineer and sparked an entrepreneurial identity.

The Internship Experience

CASEY WAGNER, PE, is a senior vice president of Walker Parking Consultants and managing principal of Walker’s Houston office. He can be reached at casey.wagner@ walkerparking.com.

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From the beginning, I knew it was a great fit. I fell in love with the people and the corporate culture, and I fit right in. While I mostly handled office work early on, I eventually got an opportunity to learn all facets of the parking business, including design, consulting, client management, and firm management. I was interacting with firm clients every day and gained a new perspective on what they needed, not just in terms of design but in terms of client service as well. This wasn’t just learning how to design structures; it was a series of lessons on how to operate a business.

The firm’s leaders generously offered me access to their time and expertise. They were some of the best and brightest professionals in the parking industry, and the lessons they taught me were invaluable.

I continued to intern with Walker the next two summers and worked on many interesting projects. Some of the most enjoyable revolved around special events, which let me oversee data collection that included car and occupancy counts at Chicago Cubs, White Sox, and Bulls games. Getting to work at professional sporting events was a treat, but more importantly, presented a chance to learn about all the elements of parking consulting, not just engineering and design.

This experience was putting me on the fast track to firm management with a three-year head start on other engineers at my level and experience in firm management that came from the industry’s most accomplished and experienced leaders.

Walker offered me a job after graduation, and there was never any doubt about whether I would take it. I didn’t even solicit or consider any other job opportunities. That internship program had an extraordinary effect on my career. In fact, it set in motion a life-long love affair with the industry. But the benefits of an internship program flow in both directions. Organizations can also derive extraordinary benefits.

Internship Benefits The most obvious benefit, of course, is that internship programs provide an opportunity to give promising young parking professionals a try-out. Book smarts are

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one thing, but not every straight-A student is marked for success. Internships give organizations a chance to see how prospective stars perform in a business environment, away from the ivory towers of the college world.

Equally important are the corporate culture benefits. Internship programs provide an opportunity for organizations to immerse promising interns in their corporate culture. Not only does this give organizations a chance to determine whether the intern is a good fit, but it also serves as a sort of cultural training ground that ensures the prospect will be ready to seamlessly fit into the corporate culture if and when he or she officially joins the team.

Also, as important as internships can be in providing young engineers a head start on their careers, these programs also give organizations a head start in preparing rising stars for leadership roles. Organizational leaders are in a position to identify those interns who show the most promise to become leaders and then provide mentorship to help them learn the skills and gain the experience they need to start on a management path.

As in my case, an internship can be the first step toward helping run an organization in the future.

Finally, internship programs are essential to creating tomorrow’s parking professionals. Colleges aren’t currently turning out parking professionals—they are turning out engineers, architects, and urban planners, some of whom find their way to parking. The parking industry needs young stars who live, eat, and breathe parking. The industry needs people who recognize the vital role that parking plays in our communities and who want to be part of that. As I experienced firsthand, an internship program can be the perfect way to introduce young engineers, architects, and planners to parking and turn them into parking professionals.

Unfortunately, too many organizations treat internships as sources of inexpensive labor. They restrict students to doing grunt work, rather than letting them get involved with more important functions like design, planning, or even client relations. Organizations that treat internships like entry-level temp agencies don’t just shortchange their interns; they shortchange themselves as well.

Organizations that make a commitment to assuring that the internship experience is meaningful and productive for students will also find that the business or institution itself will derive extraordinary benefits.

And they will help create the next generation of parking professionals.

Three Ways to Ensure a Successful Internship Program

By Christopher Brennan, PE Internships can offer a win-win situation for organizations and young professionals alike. Organizations benefit by having early access to young potential stars, being able to see how well they perform away from the classroom, and having an early opportunity to introduce the organization’s culture to them.

At the same time, students benefit by having a chance to learn skills that aren’t taught in the classroom and get a head start on their careers with potential employers. Many organizations have internship programs, but all too often, these programs fail to make the grade.

Here are three tips for making sure your intern program is a success: ●● Give Interns Responsibility. Too many organizations view their interns merely as inexpensive office help. If your interns’ workdays revolve around filing and other menial tasks, you are wasting a tremendous resource and doing a disservice to the students you are supposed to be training. Give interns an opportunity to do real work.

If your organization designs parking facilities or creates parking plans, let students participate in the creative process. If you develop parking technologies, let them help write code or participate in development meetings. Not only will the students get more out of their experience, but you’ll likely find that they have useful skills and good ideas you can use. ●● Treat Interns Like Members of the Staff. Let your interns sit in on staff meetings and let them work with firm leaders. They are there to learn your business, and that includes how to run it. Give them full access to the business side of what you do, including how decisions are made and how leaders behave. For many organizations, this is the first step to creating future leaders. ●● Partner With The Right Colleges And Universities. This may seem obvious, but not all universities are created equal. Nor are all schools the right fit for every organization. Our office, for instance, partners with local universities with co-op programs. This gives our interns an opportunity to incorporate their internships into their degree programs. The benefits to the student are obvious—they receive guidance from educators and earn credit for their work with us. But it also benefits our organization by providing a more formal structure to the intern program and input from our interns’ educators.

A successful internship program benefits both the intern and the organization. Organizations that follow these three simple rules will find that they and their interns will have a more meaningful experience.

CHRIS BRENNAN, PE, is director of operations for Walker Parking Consultants’ Boston office and oversees the office’s internship program.

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TECH CHECK The systems and advances American airport parking operations should consider implementing to stay competitive.

By Pierre Koudelka

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had the pleasure of attending the Airports Council International (ACI) conference in Atlanta recently. Like any participant, I spent a good deal of time attending the seminars and walking through the exhibit hall. It became clear early on that ACI is a tight organization in that everyone seems to know everyone else; it also became clear that the organization spends a lot of its resources assisting airports on the airside of operations. I was especially interested in landside innovations, specifically airport parking systems. Having spent my entire career in the parking and revenue control industry, I wanted to see what innovations had captured the attention of ACI’s membership.

You would think the Internet would have tons of information and statistics on parking as it relates to airports across the country, but that isn’t the case for whatever reason. So I was pleasantly surprised when I saw ACI dedicated a lecture to parking and how airports can increase revenues. I spent a good deal of time discussing new

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revenue sources with airport administrators who want to increase profits by providing new parking services.

One lecture in particular, “New Strategies to Turn Your Car Lots into a Lot of Gold,” was right up my alley. The speakers and moderator (two consultants and a European airport professional) were quite good. They shared some good ideas about analyzing one’s operation, proper procedures they had just implemented, and recommendations that included new parking and revenue control systems (PARCS).

The European speaker immediately set the stage for advancements that, for the most part, haven’t yet been totally accepted in North America. Being a representative of one of Europe’s largest parking and revenue control manufacturers, I was very familiar with the concepts he presented. Although many areas were covered, four major areas caught my attention: ●● Pay-on-foot stations. ●● Parking reservation systems. ●● Credit cards. ●● Advertising.

Of particular interest during the sessions were the many statistics presented about parking and additional airport revenue, many of which seemed surprising to the people around me. Although these concepts were not new to me, many in the audience shook their heads.

I’m not sure they all appreciated the reasons why these advancements in parking are so important and why they can substantially increase any airport’s revenue stream and profitably while improving the parking experience.

No doubt, these services will all be used in North America in the not-too-distant future.

Changes We have to accept the basic premise that labor costs in parking around the country have increased and that most, if not all, parking-related firms are trying to become more efficient and competitive while simultaneously cutting back on labor costs when possible. The exit-lane cashier booth—an American invention—is doomed. Not only are manned exit booths expensive to operate, but they are rather inefficient; exit cashiering is slow and subject to error and shrinkage.

In the past, airports were noted for having long lines at parking exits whenever a large jet landed. This was time consuming and wasted gas, not to mention straining one’s patience after a long, arduous trip. Collecting money in a lane by any means can be inefficient and problematic—both cashiers and automatic devices have proven to slow exiting traffic. I’m not a proponent of pay-in-lane devices, and I feel they should be avoided whenever possible if you wish to improve operations.

I know that may sound strange as we all grew up with

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cashier exits, but it’s true with today’s technology. Granted, this may not apply in all cases. Greater automation is the prevailing standard today, but any change has to be done wisely and correctly.

Embracing Pay-on-Foot The Europeans introduced pay-on-foot stations in the 1980s. Pay-on-foot stations came to North America in the 1990s and weren’t really accepted until 2000. Even today, many U.S. airports have not yet installed them. Many say we are slow to accept innovation and that it is a cultural thing, but I disagree. We Americans have always been innovators. I think this hesitation is more generational. We are anxious about change, which sometimes forces a conservative approach—perhaps oe that is too conservative when it pertains to parking.

What is a pay-on-foot station, and why is it so much better for any airport operation? Located inside the terminal, think of a pay-on-foot station as a parking ATM that replaces a cashier at the exit. It takes your parking ticket, reads it, calculates the charge, accepts your money or credit card, and hands you a pass to get out. Why is this better than an exit-lane cashier?

It works 24/7, doesn’t error, and the processing time is spent in the comfort of a well-lit, well-heated or air conditioned secure airport foyer so that when a driver gets to the exit point and inserts his ticket (exit pass) in the exit column, the gate opens in just seconds. This speed is absolutely an essential benefit. Granted, if the driver is prepared with money and ticket in-hand and the cashier is fast and doesn’t say much, the transaction time may go down to 30 seconds with a cashier lane. But a pay-on-foot system helps those long lines at airport exits disappear, diminishes traveler frustration, and makes the entire parking experience more pleasant.

Why some airports are still reluctant to use pay-onfoot stations is a wonder. I have been to Europe many times and can seldom find an exit cashier booth in any parking operation. When you do the math, these machines make all the sense in the world for any airport. The speaker I recently heard said his airport was essentially automated due in part to these machines throughout.

Some opponents of pay-on-foot tell me that not all their customers have credit cards. That’s true, but does one design their operation around that one exception or do you service the larger majority of your customers?

Customers who prefer can always pay with cash, but it makes good sense to at least give cardholders the benefit of a faster exit lane.

I’m not a believer that you have to discount a lane to encourage credit card use in airport parking facilities.

The exit-lane cashier booth—an American invention—is doomed. Not only are manned exit booths expensive to operate, but they are rather inefficient; exit cashiering is slow and subject to error and shrinkage.

That is not to say a promotion of sorts can’t be tried early on to encourage use of credit card lanes. But honestly, I see credit cards as self-sustaining. As soon as folks stuck in a cashier lane with 10 cars ahead of them see that credit cards lanes are moving fast, they’ll decide to use a card themselves next time.

Oh yes, the other reason we all like credit cards is that they help ensure accountability. Many airport parking facilities say up to 90 percent of their transactions are handled via credit cards, and that’s great for everyone.

Reservations The last topic that was discussed at ACI that I found most interesting was Web-based reservation. What is it, and why is it good for airports?

Every airport I know of is looking for ways to maximize revenue. Being able to offer a patron a way to reserve a parking space well in advance can be beneficial to all: It gets the facility money well in an advance and usually with a cost premium of 10 to 20 percent per space. It also allows management to estimate use and better forecast demand; you know if you’re going to be full or empty a week from today, which gives you a week to promote these unclaimed spaces through advertising. At the same time, it provides patrons with a great service.

How does it work? Very simply, the airport’s website has a reservations page. Nearly all parking equipment manufacturers are able to link to those websites easily. parking.org/tpp

Once the system is activated, a patron enters his departing and return dates. A fee is shown and the customer pays by credit card.

When he arrives at the airport, he presents his credit card or receipt (printed at home) to an automated reader, which allows entry.

This service can also be offered so travel agencies can book a plane flight and parking space at the same time and usually get a commission for it so everyone benefits.

The patron knows that when he gets to the airport, a space will be waiting for him even if the garage is full.

Some systems offer closer-in spaces, and others go so far as to have rental cars waiting at the destination airport. Others make duty-free purchases in advance and have them waiting for travelers at the gate. I hear these systems have caught the attention of the airlines as well, and they’re interested in the marketing information airport reservations systems accumulate, which can identify client bases and demographics.

This same information allows the airport to communicate directly with clients, which hasn’t been possible up to now. I’m willing to say right now, cultural differences notwithstanding, Web-based reservations are going to become very popular in the next few years. The speaker at ACI stated that his airport reservations accounted for a majority of all transactions already and he expects it to increase even more.

Although parking reservations have been around and offered for years, only now are North American airports and the private sector starting to look at them as a profitable service they can offer their clients to make travel as easy and enjoyable as possible. And, by the way, don’t feel you have to engage only one single reservations supplier. There is no reason you can’t have many different suppliers on your website all linked to offer a wide range of services to all your patrons.

The other aspect not always used to the maximum here is advertising. Being able and willing to really promote parking has many benefits, as it allows you to manage your operations better. If you see a lull in parking next week, you can adjust pricing via advertising and try and fill those spaces. A discounted space is better than an empty space, I always say. Promotions should become a continual work in progress as you begin to steer the ship to profitability.

For all of you in attendance at ACI who had questions and for those who didn’t have a chance to attend that event, I hope we were able to answer some of the questions I was being asked in the hallway. Hope to see you at the 2015 IPI Conference & Expo in Las Vegas!

PIERRE KOUDELKA is business development airport segment manager for Skidata Inc. He can be reached at pierre. koudelka@skidata. com.

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SANDAG Parking How do communities implement parking management strategies?

By Antoinette Meier, AICP, Marisa Mangan, and Brett Wood, CAPP

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Management Toolbox F

or cities well-staffed and versed in all things parking, it may seem easy: Assess the problem, apply the solution, and keep moving along. But what about communities or towns who have never even considered the benefits or impacts of parking management?

How do they begin the process? How do they measure success? Is it a one-time endeavor?

These questions challenge planners, policy makers, and administrators throughout the country. Often times, parking management strategies are picked at random based on limited knowledge of their potential impacts. But what’s the basis behind the selection? And what’s the true issue to be solved? This myriad of questions is at the center of an effort led by the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) to help its local jurisdictions and communities tackle tough parking problems.

The Regional Parking Management Toolbox is an interactive tool that helps professionals in the region assess parking problems, define potential solutions, apply strategies, and communicate with the parking public. Through the development of this tool, the staff at SANDAG found that the application of parking management strategies was less about the solution and more about the process of defining, developing, and implementing the right mix of solutions. And the critical element involved in the success of parking management strategies? Using a community-driven process based in data and communication.

The Process of Parking Management The prevailing finding from the development of the Regional Parking Management Toolbox was that the application of effective and successful parking management strategies is a multi-step process that requires input from multiple channels. It’s not as easy as pulling a book off the shelf and picking the strategy du jour. And those steps are somewhat introspective, defining who you are and what you really want to accomplish.

As we went through the process, we managed to define it in eight steps that start with the basic understanding of your program and end with a fully functioning parking management entity. So, what’s involved? Let’s take a look.

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1

Identify Who You Are

The first step in the parking management process is truly understanding who you are. For SANDAG, the jurisdictions and entities vary from large urban centers to small coastal communities, as well as event generators and institutional uses. While there are certainly overlapping trends and issues among all of these entities, each location posed unique challenges for implementation, ongoing management, and application. By accurately defining your typology, your chances of successfully selecting and implementing the right parking management solution go up dramatically.

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3

Getting to the Root of the Real Issue

Once you have data, you can begin to diagnose the parking issue affecting your program. These issues could range from parking deficiencies to misuse of parking assets to cultural or behavioral issues. For the SANDAG Regional Parking Management Toolbox, we defined these problems based on those that typically plague their various communities. Using the results from steps 1 and 2, the toolbox user can begin to drill down on specific issues and challenges based on real data and community concerns.

Understand What Your System Is Telling You

The second step, and perhaps one of the two most critical, is understanding what’s actually happening with your parking system. This step is highly rooted in data collection and analyses. The process of “knowing the numbers� about your system allows you to effectively diagnose the real problem (as opposed to the perceived problem) and apply management strategies that counter the problem. Data collection and analysis should include parking occupancy, parking duration, review of citations and trends, and user surveys. The results will typically begin to point you to the true nature of your parking issue.

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The Regional Parking Management Toolbox is an interactive tool that helps professionals in the region assess parking problems, define potential solutions, apply strategies, and communicate with the parking public.

4

Selecting the Right Approach

After defining the problem, the toolbox navigates users to choose a direction for the implementation of parking management strategies.

Parking needs, characteristics, and resources can vary greatly between different communities, agencies, and institutions. However, there are a number of common parking management strategies that, if implemented appropriately, can be of great benefit for that parking program. These nine strategies are listed below: ●● Balancing competing users. ●● Enforcement and regulation. ●● Parking demand management. ●● Managing parking supply effectively; ●● Creating new parking supply. ●● Implementing and managing paid parking. ●● Transportation demand management strategies. ●● Sustainable parking initiatives. ●● Communication strategies.

5

Applying the Right Solution

Based on the defined direction from the previous step, the toolbox begins to lay out alternative solutions within each of the nine common parking management strategies. An alternative matrices of solutions is defined for each of the nine common parking management strategies , based on the program’s identified challenges. The matrix approach allows the toolbox user to compare a variety of solutions side by side, each tailored to the unique challenges of that community.

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Trial and Error

To this point, the selection of management strategies has been largely theoretical, albeit based on community specific data. The sixth step involves moving from theory to actual application.

But most evolved programs understand that full-scale

Putting it All Together

The prevailing finding from the development of the SANDAG Regional Parking Management Toolbox is that the implementation of parking management solutions is not cut-and-dry. Effective and successful implementation requires a well-thought out process, community involvement, and a reliance on local data. While the process is more cumbersome than selecting a strategy from a menu of solutions, the resulting implementation often leads to more positive program changes.

The toolbox was developed with input from numerous parking professionals throughout the country. Each provided a unique approach and context for inclusion in the toolbox, which helped to define a holistic strategy for implementing parking management strategies. parking.org/tpp

implementation of new strategies and tools is not often the best strategy for success. Most communities are using pilot tests to understand the effectiveness of solutions, allowing parking professionals to assess and tweak implementation strategies to achieve the highest level of success. Pilot studies also allow for community involvement, helping the parking user understand the solution and define the direction of full implementation.

After the completion of the trial-and-error period, a full-scale implementation is typically less challenging and much more effective.

7

Communicating Effectively

The seventh step doesn’t actually need to fall sequentially in order with the others. In fact, if you wait on this step, the solution has already likely failed. Effective communication is the other “most critical” component of parking management. Most evolved programs have learned that engaging the community helps to define the real problem, identify acceptable solutions, and smooth the implementation process by creating buy-in during the development process.

Communication elements include program education, marketing, and community outreach.

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ANTOINETTE MEIER, AICP, is senior transportation planner with the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG). She can be reached at antoinette.meier@ sandag.org.

Defining a Parking Program

A new program typically starts with a few strategies or policies cobbled together to counter parking issues as they emerge. However, over time, these strategies and policies need to give way to a larger management entity that begins to operate the parking system for the good of the community. This last step in the toolbox helps communities and jurisdictions pull this together, focusing on the key considerations for the evolution of a parking program. These include program structure, staffing considerations, operations and management technology, and budgeting/financing.

While each professional provided a different perspective, the common theme echoed through: It’s all about the community and users. Define program elements for them and you will define a successful program.

The SANDAG Regional Parking Management Toolbox can be found on the agency’s website (sandag. org). The document, which is being developed into an interactive website for member jurisdictions, is available for download publicly. While the document is developed specifically for the communities in San Diego, it’s also likely a good reference document for communities throughout the country that are struggling with the challenges of implementing parking management solutions.

MARISA MANGAN is regional planner with the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG). She can be reached at marisa. mangan@sandag.org.

BRETT WOOD, CAPP, is a parking and transportation planner with Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc. He can be reached at brett.wood@ kimley-horn.com or 602.906.1144.

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SALARYBASED RATES TAKE OFF

ISTOCK

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How a medical center launched a new parking rate structure with great success.

By Melinda Scott Anderson, CAPP

I

nstead of employing new and exciting rate strategies designed to maximize revenue and space utilization or simply continuing with proven strategies, sometimes we are required to go in a direction that runs counter to our understanding of best practices in the industry and even our strongest recommendations regarding best course of action for our agency or institution.

Facing Challenges After more than 35 years of relying on geographic-based employee parking rates (rates set according to the location of the parking facility), with all customers paying the same price for the same level of convenience and service, the decision was made at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) to convert to a salary-based parking fee structure.

MUSC is an academic medical center located in the historic city of Charleston, S.C. MUSC’s 95 buildings occupy 82 acres in the city’s medical complex, which also includes the VA hospital, Charleston County medical offices, and a large private hospital. MUSC’s six colleges—medicine, nursing, dental medicine, pharmacy, graduate studies, and health professions—have an enrollment of 2,777 students.

The university’s medical center sees more than 1.2 million outpatients and admits almost 36,000 patients to its four inpatient facilities (709 beds plus 58 neonatal care beds) each year. The university and medical center employee population totals 12,749 and is comprised of research and clinical faculty and medical, research, and university staff.

The MUSC parking system is self-supporting, depending entirely on user fees to operate, maintain, and grow the system and retire debt. Albeit at a rate well below market, employees and students have paid for their personal parking since the formalization of the campus parking system more than 35 years ago. While the medical center picked up the parking tab for its patients for many years, it gradually moved to a fee-based rate structure for inpatients and outpatients. Today, every patient or visitor who parks with us—approximately 800,000 annually—pays at least part of his parking fee.

When the national economy fell on hard times in 2008, out of concern for our employees, a planned series of pre-approved employee parking rate increases was discarded. The absence of rate increases for a number of years and the addition of new debt service for a parking.org/tpp

r­ ecently-completed 1,600-space parking garage caused the parking system to fall into deficit mode. During this time, the university began examining its budget methodology and started its move to a new budget model: responsibility-centered management (RCM).

RCM budgeting moves the responsibility for resource allocation for university and hospital general services (including parking) from central administration to the main operating divisions of the institution—the six colleges and their deans.

Responsibility for the parking deficit then moved to the six colleges. In RCM meetings and discussions held over many months, the six colleges and medical center were faced with two choices: fund the parking deficit themselves based on a demographic formula or implement an employee rate-increase plan that would eliminate the parking revenue shortfall within a few years. The decision was made to increase rates; the only question was what basis to use for an increase. Two pricing approaches were considered for moving employee rates to system break-even over a five-year period: ●● Geographic-based/desirability of parking location. ●● Salary-based/ability to pay.

Parking management believed then and now that parking spaces are no different than other goods and services we purchase. As consumers, we make choices based not only on what is available but on the cost and the value to us of the good or service. We reasoned that the parking spaces cost the same to provide, so why should one person pay more or less than another for parking in the same facility?

We believed (and still do) that given the university’s waiting list assignment system and without the economic influence of a standard rate established in accordance with demand for the location, eventually, the number of lower-salaried employees parking in the system would be greater than the number of higher-salaried employees, tilting the revenue scale unfavorably.

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Proposed Monthly Rate Increase by Income Tier Level (On-Campus Parking) $130

Monthly Parking Rate

$98

$65

$33

$0

Base Year

Year 2 (FY 15)

Year 4 (FY 17)

Proposed Monthly Rate Increase by Income Tier Level (Off-Campus Work-Site Rate) $140

Monthly Parking Rate

$105

$70

$35

$0

Base Year

Year 2 (FY 15)

Year 4 (FY 17)

Combining Approaches

Proposed Monthly Rate Increase by Income Tier Level (Off-Campus Parking) $110

Monthly Parking Rate

$83

$55

$28

$0

44

Base Year

Year 2 (FY 15)

Year 4 (FY 17)

INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE | JANUARY 2015

Because we are accustomed to responding to pushback, it was perhaps the least of our concerns. Still we believed that a salary-based fee structure would raise significant pushback from faculty and higher-paid staff.

Using benchmark data from other institutions that use a salary-based system, we presented to the committee our largely-unfavorable findings, along with the benefits of continuing the existing rate plan based on higher rates for more desirable locations. We also presented a number of salary-based and geographic-based pricing scenarios.

Moving from a pricing system that was the same for everyone to a system that would have multiple prices posed significant operational challenges: ●● Many clinical faculty and some employees are paid from more than one source. Charging the correct price to thousands of employee parkers would require accurate capture of total income. ●● Correct pricing would also require a method to inform the parking system when salaries changed and employees moved from one salary tier to another. ●● Revenue projections would become less reliable because the revenue each space would generate would vary.

We made our chiefs aware of the significant amount of work the change would require for parking management, human resources, information technology, and payroll services, but we didn’t allow these challenges to enter into the discussion. The changes could be made, and if we expressed undue concern over the difficulties, it would only weaken our credibility, objectivity, and professionalism in the eyes of the committee members.

The decision by the RCM committee was to employ a combination of the two approaches: ●● The fee structure would continue to recognize the greater convenience of parking in the employee locations closest to major work sites by continuing price differential by parking zone. ●● There would be four salary tiers for each zone. ●● Employees in the highest salary tier would go straight to market rate the first year—a 118 percent increase.

Employees in the lowest salary tier would see a modest increase of 5.5 percent. ●● The two middle tiers would increase by 14.5 and 21.8 percent respectively. ●● The rate change would be effective in July 2013. ●● Increases would be scheduled for each tier for the following four years to achieve break-even in FY2018. ●● Each year during budget preparation, university administration would review the fiscal status of the parking system and the need to implement the rate increase authorized by the board of trustees.

MUSC QUICK FACTS FY13 In the end, changing rates based on salary levels was a philosophical issue. The reasoning of the RCM committee was that while rate increases could not be avoided, lower-paid employees should be protected from substantial increases. This fact, combined with balancing the parking budget, could only be achieved through a salary-based system.

Collaboration When the decision was made for a salary-based fee structure, the parking management department signed on without reservation. Changing to a tiered rate structure required collaboration with university and hospital departments including information technology, payroll, and human resources groups. During a six-month period, we worked through all the implementation issues and hit the implementation date of July 1, 2013.

A piece of the implementation process was to change approximately 700 clinical faculty members from third-party pay (faculty practice) to self-pay by payroll deduction. To our surprise, we received only a handful of complaints from faculty members about having to start paying for their own parking. A second surprise was that about a dozen faculty members cancelled their parking.

For one reason or another, they really didn’t need the parking or only needed it occasionally. Now that they were being required to pay, they thought better of it. It was a financial loss to us because we were paid twice for these spaces: once by the person using it (assigned through oversell capacity) and once by faculty practice for the faculty member to whom it was assigned but didn’t use it. Now, we were only being paid once. But it wasn’t a significant financial loss, and it was refreshing to see what happens when “free” is taken out of the parking equation.

Benefits Other benefits to parking have come from the RCM budget exercise and the decision about parking rates: ●● Increased recognition and respect for the parking department. Key administrators and high-level leadership became better informed about parking’s contributions and nuanced complexities—some had not been at all informed—through our presentations to the committee about parking’s operations, costs, service levels, effectiveness, efficiency, revenue, and overall contribution to the MUSC enterprise. ●● Change in attitude about paying for parking. Parking fees for clinical faculty had been paid by the faculty practice. Also, some departments paid for some of their faculty and a few staff members. Nobody wants to pay for parking, and the attitude of most employee parkers is that if they must pay, all should pay. Those parking.org/tpp

6 Colleges

Medicine Nursing Dental Medicine Pharmacy Graduate Studies Health Professions

Students

2,777

Hospitals

4

Beds Physicians Nurses

709 (+58 neonatal beds) 750 1,950

Total Employees

12,749

Parking Spaces

9,200

Annual Outpatient Visits Annual Inpatient Visits Campus

1.2 million + 36,000 Charleston, S.C. 95 buildings 82 acres

who are the most able to pay should not have their fee paid for them. As a result of the colleges’ adoption of the RCM budget model and decisions about the parking rate structure, there has been a beneficial ripple effect across the university and medical center, resulting in payment-by-others being eliminated in all but a handful of cases. ●● New and increased sense of partnership and teamwork.

Both the decision-making process and the implementation of the new rate scheme gave us the opportunity to work closely with university and hospital units on a project that affected all employees. We made discoveries that led to solutions that were better than we had anticipated, and our relationships were enhanced by greater mutual understanding and respect.

Good Leaders, Good Followers The jury is still out on the longer-term effects of the ­salary-based fee structure and our concerns remain, but for now, benefits outweigh concerns. We put concerns aside because there are times when leaders must be followers.

Now is that time for us. No grumbling or complaining about the lack of wisdom and understanding of others.

No shifting of responsibility to senior leadership when we are sitting down with a customer who disagrees with the decision. No negative comments even when talking privately to colleagues who understand parking. We take responsibility for the decision and work for success of the program.

MELINDA SCOTT ANDERSON, CAPP, is director of the office of parking management at the Medical University of South Carolina. She can be reached at andersme@musc.edu or 843.792.2597.

JANUARY 2015 | INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE

45

IPI IN ACTION INTERNATIONAL

WORKING TOGETHER

By Shawn Conrad, CAE

A

While I was impressed by the investment this operator had made in his company, it was what he told me next that made me smile.

We enjoyed our conversation during IPI’s Parking Conference in Cali, Colombia, the latest iteration of a series of conferences IPI previously hosted in Puerto Rico and Mexico to bring training and products directly to parking professionals outside North American borders. My friend was a frequent attendee at the annual IPI Conference & Expo in the U.S. He mentioned that what Colombia and other countries in South America lacked was their own parking community—a place where parking execs could share ideas, expertise, and knowledge with their colleagues on everything from human resources issues, technology, management techniques, and insurance, and how to navigate the other “P” in parking: politics.

Outreach

SHAWN CONRAD, CAE, is IPI’s executive director. He can be reached at conrad@ parking.org.

46

He was thankful that IPI had taken a leadership role in reaching out to all parking professionals, regardless of their location. What we’ve learned from these outreach efforts is how vital a role parking plays in economic development and urban mobility everywhere around the globe. This role is becoming even more visible as elected officials and city managers seek the parking industry’s help in reducing congestion and vehicle emissions

INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE | JANUARY 2015

while offering multiple modes of transportation and ­inter-mobility options.

During the next few months, IPI will create parking associations in Mexico, Colombia, and Puerto Rico. In the years ahead, we’ll see new associations take root in Chilé, Peru, and Argentina, too. It’s not surprising that the entire parking community has so much to learn from one another. As we all know, information flows both ways.

IPI has a rich history of reaching out to others to fulfill our primary mission—to advance the parking profession. IPI’s leadership sought new avenues to learn from their colleagues around the world. This desire was instrumental in IPI creating the Global Parking Association Leaders (GPALs), through which each year, association visionaries meet to discuss industry trends and collaborate on industry-wide programs.

These new relationships continue to flourish and pay mutual dividends.

When I first got started in association management, my mentor told me that the key to an association’s success was getting people to work together toward your goals. The collaborative spirit is alive and well at IPI. In many ways it’s part of our DNA. We know that working together, we can accomplish so much more than we can on our own.

We are looking forward to a great year of working together for the greater industry.

ISTOCKPHOTO

very successful commercial operator from Colombia recently described to me how his management of several hundred surface lots and garages has changed in the last 10 years. During that time, his company went from a cash-only business to using the latest in technological advances in pay-and-display, pay-on-foot, CCTV, and access and revenue equipment. It was an impressive list of improvements he made to help grow his business. We had a fascinating discussion about the remarkable changes that have occurred in our industry and the tools that are available to make parking management more efficient and customer-friendly.

How to Earn the CAPP Credential What is CAPP?

Getting CAPP Certified, Step-by-Step

CAPP is the parking profession’s most well-respected credential and represents a benchmark of excellence for the industry. CAPP candidates serve as ambassadors for advancing the parking profession through their leadership, expertise, and willingness to give back to the parking community by sharing knowledge through presentations, media outreach, and professional development.

STEP 1: Before you apply for the CAPP credential, be sure you have met the requirements to become a CAPP candidate.

You’ll need:

Developed in partnership with the University of Virginia, CAPP is a rigorous certification program that covers seven topic areas: I. General Knowledge II. General Management III. Operations Management IV. Financial and Operational Auditing V. Federal State and Local Laws VI. Marketing and Public Relations VII. Analysis and Application of Technology Though CAPP was originally an acronym for Certified Administrator of Public Parking, today the credential is most often referred to simply as CAPP because it applies to parking professionals who manage both private and public parking entities.

Good News about CAPP The face-to-face, instructor-led IPI professional development courses (formerly CAPP courses) that have been a highlight of the CAPP Program will continue to be held at IPI-sponsored events, including the IPI Conference & Expo. They are an effective way to prepare for the CAPP exam and to develop close relationships with fellow candidates and instructors.

Attendance at these courses is no longer mandatory, however on-site courses will still be offered and there are now IPI online courses to satisfy professional development points needed to earn the credential. The CAPP Candidate Handbook, downloadable at parking.org/capp, includes an Exam Content Outline and recommended references to help you prepare for the exam.

• A minimum of three years in the parking profession in a supervisory or managerial role.

• To have completed your professional development/ continuing education hours (A minimum of 25 points obtained in the five years prior to your application date).

The CAPP application requires documentation of minimum education levels and experience, required professional development points, and letters of recommendation. Once your application is approved, you have 365 days to sit for the CAPP exam.

STEP 2: Complete your application and submit it only when you are confident that you will be ready to take the exam within one year. You must include your professional experience, professional education, professional development education hours, and an endorsement form from a current CAPP colleague.

1. Include all requested information about yourself.

2. Log all the courses you took to satisfy your minimum 25 professional development hours/points on the CAPP Professional Development Documentation Form.

3. Log your experience on the CAPP Experience Documentation Form.

4. Provide information on your formal education on the CAPP Education/Certification/Licensing Documentation Form.

5. Ask a current CAPP in good standing or your employment supervisor to attest that the information on your application is correct by completing the CAPP Application Endorsement Program form.

Endorsements must be received via USPS or courier independent of the application.

The CAPP Certification Board reserves the right to verify/audit information supplied in the application process and to require additional documentation, if needed.

STEP 3: Submit your application and fee. The fee to apply for the CAPP credential is $450 (IPI members) or $700 (nonIPI members) U.S., which includes a non-refundable $100 application fee.

STEP 4: Upon approval of your application, you will receive a Candidate Admission Letter via email with your login and password. You must take the online exam within 365 days from the date of your application.

Instructor-led courses will continue to be offered but are no longer mandatory, making it possible to become CAPP certified for less travel and less cost. Online course options also offer required points.

STEP 5: Use your login and password to schedule the exam at a convenient testing location at a date and time that fits your schedule. At the testing center, a certified proctor will check your application and government-issued valid photo ID, and give you a locker for storing your personal belongings. The proctor will show you to your computer and explain the tutorial before you begin. You will have three hours to complete your exam.

• If you pass the exam, congratulations! You are now a CAPP! • If you don’t pass the exam, you will receive information explaining your weaknesses. This will help you prepare for the next time you take the exam. You will be allowed to reapply to retake the examination upon receipt and processing of a $150 re-examination fee.

Candidates may retest four times.

Those who earn the CAPP credential must adhere to a code of ethics and recertify every three years to maintain their certification.

What’s the exam like?

The exam is a closed-book examination, given online at a certified testing center. It consists of 150 scored multiplechoice, single-answer questions (see sample questions in Appendix A on page 20 of the CAPP Candidate Handbook).

Each multiple-choice question has four answer choices; only one choice is correct. You will have access to an on-screen calculator at all times and will be provided scratch paper, which will be collected once you’ve completed the exam.

At the end of the testing session, you will be issued a computer-generated report with a score indicating if you passed or failed.

Would you benefit from added face-toface classes?

All former CAPP classes still satisfy the professional development point requirements. You may register to take them at the upcoming 2015 Las Vegas conference. These classes also allow you to network, meet others who work in the parking profession, and perhaps even gain study tips from your peers. All IPI-sponsored courses are consistent with the CAPP Exam Content Outline.

Feel ready to test?

If so, use your login and password provided in your Candidate Admission Letter, to schedule with the testing center near you.

Not sure?

You can self-assess your readiness by reviewing the Exam Content Outline from pages 9 to 13 of the CAPP Candidate Handbook, as well as reviewing the Suggested References on page 13.

You can take the multiple-choice CAPP exam at your convenience at hundreds of testing centers located throughout the U.S. and abroad.

Learn More About CAPP Download the CAPP Candidate Handbook at www.parking.org/capp.

CAPP Cer tific

ation Pro gra

Pres ented by the CAPP Certi of the ficat ion Inter natio Boar d nal Parki ng Instit ute

Questions? Write to capp@parking.org,

or call +1.571.699.3011.

1330 Braddock Place, Suite 350, Alexandria, VA 22314 571.699.3011 Phone | 703.566.2267 Fax | capp@parking.org | parking.org/capp

m

CANDID AT HANDBO E OK

1330 Braddoc

k Place, Suite

350, Alexand ria, VA 22314 571.699.3011 Phone | 703.566 .2267 Fax capp@parking.o rg | parking. org/capp

ADVANCING THE PARKING PROFESSION ONE STATE (AND REGION) AT A TIME

By Josh Cantor

COMMITTEE COMMUNIQUÉ STATE & REGIONAL ASSOCIATION COMMITTEE

D

id you know that many states and regions boast their own parking associations with active members close to you? Thirteen associations welcome members from 35 states for industry participation at a local level. Representatives from each association comprise IPI’s State & Regional Association Committee, which hosts monthly conference calls and an annual meeting during the IPI Conference & Expo.

State and Regional Associations include: California Public Parking Association (CPPA); cppaparking.org ●● Carolinas Parking Association (CPA); carolinasparking.org ●● Florida Parking Association (FPA); flparking.org ●● Michigan Parking Association (MPA); mpatoday.org ●● Middle Atlantic Parking Association (MAPA); midatlanticparkingassociation.org ●● New England Parking Council (NEPC); newenglandparkingcouncil.org ●● New York State Parking Association (NYSPA); nyspa.net ●● Pacific Intermountain Parking & Transportation Association (PIPTA); pipta.org ●● Parking Association of Georgia (PAG); parkingassociationofgeorgia.com ●● Parking Association of the Virginias (PAV); pavonline.org ●● Southwest Parking & Transportation Association (SWPTA); southwestparking.org ●● Texas Parking and TransportationAssociation (TPA); texasparking.org ●● Wisconsin Parking Association (WISPA); wisconsinparkingassociation.com Some associations overlap in the areas they represent and membership is usually open to anyone, regardless of where you live or work. ●●

Conferences As some parking professionals are not able to attend the annual IPI Conference & Expo, where a wide array of education sessions is offered, a major focus of state and regional associations is bringing educational content to the local level.

Many parking organizations and vendors are able to bring multiple employees, including frontline staff, to association conferences that are held every year. The conferences are usually one to three days long and attendees and vendors generally find them affordable and requiring less travel than national events. The conferences most often have between 75 and 200 attendees, offering an environment that allows quality time to spend with fellow parking professionals and suppliers who travel from show to show. parking.org/tpp

IPI’s State & Regional Association Committee works with each of the associations to provide access to presentations from IPI’s Technology and Sustainability committees. This year, IPI partnered with the Green Parking Council to share the details of that organization’s Green Garage Certification process, hosting in-depth workshops around the country. IPI also brought its professional development training, through its Parking Education Partners program, to several state and regional meetings, covering many of the same topics that its recently developed online education courses offer.

Membership Membership in state and regional associations, like the conferences, is very affordable, with many only charging $50 to $100 per year. As with many industry memberships, a member discount on registration to conferences and workshops often pays for the membership itself. As a dues-paying member of any of the state and regional association, parking professionals can sign up for IPI webinars at the IPI member rate.

Board of Directors Each association relies on a volunteer board to oversee its business. The terms of board of directors can vary between one and two years. Serving on a board is a great way to become more involved in the parking industry, network on a regional and national level, and give back to the industry.

One of the missions of IPI’s State & Regional Association Committee is to provide guidance to association leaders and help foster an atmosphere that develops future leaders. A key to finding and identifying future leaders is calling on volunteers to assist the board in areas such as conference planning and membership drives. We can tell you that like many of our counterparts across other associations, while serving on a Board can be a lot of extra work at times, it is a very rewarding experience.

We hope you’ll consider joining your local parking association if you haven’t already. Please get in touch with any member of IPI’s State & Regional Association Committee with questions. We look forward to seeing you all around the U.S.!

JOSH CANTOR is director, parking and transportation, at George Mason University and a member of IPI’s State & Regional Associations Committee. He can be reached at jcantor1@gmu.edu or 703.993.1239.

JANUARY 2015 | INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE

49

STATE & REGIONAL SPOTLIGHT TEXAS PARKING AND TRANSPORTATION ASSOCIATION

ARE WE THERE YET?

By Mary Mabry, CAPP

M

any times throughout the year, it seems like we are on an endless trip—similar to being younger and riding with your parents on the way to vacation—and we know the question most certainly has to be asked: “Are we there yet?” It’s the one question that covers what has been done, if we’ve done enough, where we are in this process, and how much longer it will take us to get there?”

The Texas Parking and Transportation Association (TPTA) has not had to ask these kind of questions recently, which is a good thing—we have not even had the time to ask them. Not only did 2014 just whip past us, but it is hard to believe TPTA will host its 28th annual conference in just a few months.

Many in the parking industry experienced exposure to the great state of Texas during the 2014 TPTA conference in League City (a suburb of Houston) and again during the 2015 IPI Conference & Expo in Grapevine.

Many of us were holding our breath and then felt very grateful the weather cooperated during both conferences.

Believe us when we say it could have been a lot hotter!

50

INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE | JANUARY 2015

2014 Conference and Tradeshow The 2014 TPTA Conference and Tradeshow was filled with great presentations, an outstanding representation of parking professionals, a variety of vendor exhibits and booths, networking, and team-building events. Although a little nerve-wracking for the board and host committee, it was exciting to need a bigger venue to host all the presentations and greater attendance. This conference was highly attended, with more than 248 members and 41 exhibitors on-site. The new site offered a view of the sea and sailboats, 11 effective educational sessions, and our first Meet and Greet for 50 new members, marking a success in and of itself. We received lots of positive feedback.

Another new highlight was our Annual Awards Recognition Program. It encompassed many of the innovative and technology-driven projects across Texas and showcased the professional prowess of our industry. The Houston host committee not only successfully created a great educational venue but brought teamwork into the planned evening events. The luau, which included lessons on hula dancing and a boat building competition, was not only entertaining but also an experience we will forever remember. All our TPTA members (even the spectators) had a great time learning that team-building that way can be tons of fun even if you have no idea how to build a boat. I guess you to come to the next conference to experience it for yourself!

2014 Distinguished Service Award TPTA’s 2014 Distinguished Service Award recipient was Dr. Bob Harkins, associate vice president for campus safety and security at the University of Texas at Austin.

It was a bittersweet occasion, as Harkins also retired from the board of directors during the event. The TPTA board and association are very grateful for all the years of service, dedication, and hard work he gave the association. He has been a mentor to many of us both in Texas and throughout the entire industry, and he has made a difference. He is an icon in our industry, and many of us will miss his support, protection, guidance, and very wise professional advice.

The TPTA Board of Directors met during the conference to elect new officers for 2014-2015: ●● President—Liliana Rambo, CAPP. ●● Immediate Past President—Larry DeLuca. ●● Vice President—Dean Ahmad. ●● Secretary—Mary Mabry, CAPP. ●● Treasurer—Chris Archer. ●● Board of Director at Large—Brad Conner, Marcus Denson, Peter Lange, CAPP, Paul Stresow, Casey Wagner, Peter Elliott.

2014 Awards Submissions were collected and forwarded to be judged by the Pennsylvania Parking Association. All participants parking.org/tpp

were recognized during the awards luncheon. Winners were: ●● New Parking Facility—Walker Parking for Chesapeake Central Park. ●● Parking Restoration—City of Fort Worth for Commerce Street Garage. ●● Parking Program—Walker Parking for Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport Holistic Parking Strategy. ●● Parking Technology—Parkmobile for City of Houston Mobile Payment and Enforcement ●● Parking Guidance Systems for DFW Terminal—A Parking Guidance System. ●● Parking Employee—Robert Harrington, the University of Texas at Austin. ●● Honorable Mention—Orange Bike Program, the University of Texas at Austin.

2015 Conference and Tradeshow We are very excited about our next conference, to be held in Corpus Christi. Plan to join us near the beach for outstanding educational sessions covering current hot topics, award-winning projects, features and contests, networking, and much more.

We are moving forward and even though we feel we are close to reaching our destination, we all know we have much more to do. It is a great feeling to be able to enjoy the success we have had in most recent years and that is only accomplished through our amazing members and their support. The board members of TPTA would like to say thank you to all our members, associates, supporters, and friends in our industry and wish everyone a happy new year.

MARY B. MABRY, CAPP, is associate director, UNT Parking and Transportation Services. She can be reached at Mary. mabry@unt.edu or 940.565.3016.

JANUARY 2015 | INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE

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COMMUNITY DIGEST

Gary Neff Joins Park Assist, Itay Levy Promoted to COO Gary Neff has joined Park Assist as its chief executive officer. Neff has more than 25 years of experience in the parking technology sector, leading the national account program at Amano McGann as senior vice president until 2011. Before joining Park Assist, Gary led a joint venture with BMW to develop and deploy ParkNow, a mobile app designed to provide yield management tools for parking assets and facilitate the development of in-car parking transactions. ParkNow recently merged with ParkMobile, and Neff remains a strategic investor. He is active in the Green Parking Council (an affiliate of IPI), where he currently leads the Partnership Committee.

Taking a new role in the company is Itay Levy, appointed chief operating officer. Levy’s five years with the company provide him with extensive knowledge of the technology and parking industry. In his former roles with Park Assist, he served as VP of field operations and pre-sales engineer, which included implementing and managing a few of the largest projects abroad for the company.

Cubic and Calgary Parking Authority Strike Collaborative Marketing Agreement Cubic Transportation Systems recently signed a letter of intent with the Calgary Parking Authority (CPA) for global collaboration to deliver transit and municipal parking solutions leveraging CPA-developed technology.

The agreement is among the first of its kind in the parking industry between the public and private sectors.

The CPA has developed an innovative, customer-focused parking solution called the ParkPlus System (ParkPlus) for on- and off-street applications that fuses together smart technologies, such as license plate recognition, real-time wireless, solar-­powered smart meters, and mobile devices. The integration of these tools has led to more efficient management of parking availability, the introduction of multiple payment methods, and easier, more effective implementation of enforcement services.

ParkPlus supports both the customer-­ facing and enforcement side of parking man-

52

agement by allowing drivers to register their license plates with their payment accounts or pay at the meter, while streamlining operations to enable enforcement officers to automatically capture violations and issue tickets by recognizing which license plate owners have not paid to park in specific locations.

“We are delighted to establish this marketing relationship with Cubic,” says CPA Interim General Manager Wes Hogman.

“Given an 88 percent parking customer satisfaction with the ParkPlus System, we are excited at the prospect of sharing our technology and experience with municipalities and transit operators across Cubic’s sphere of influence.”

Cubic supplies and often operates largescale electronic payments and revenue management systems for transit operators in major cities such as Sydney, Edmonton, London, New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles. Under this non-exclusive agreement,

INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE | JANUARY 2015

Cubic will integrate ParkPlus technology with its payment processing facilities. This gives users the benefit of a simpler customer experience with the ability to manage a single transportation account for transit and parking, as well as make parking and transit payments with a common smartcard or mobile app. Parking operators and transit authorities will benefit from scale economies in payment processing and support.

“This agreement is a significant step forward for Cubic in expanding our NextCity strategy,” says David deKozan, Cubic Transportation Systems vice president, strategic initiatives. “Users already engaged with Cubic smartcard and mobile technologies will be able to extend their use as part of a multi-modal integrated experience for trip planning, real-time passenger information, payment for transit and parking, and participation in real-time traveler information and rewards programs.”

ParkWhiz and TICKETECH Partner ParkWhiz announced a partnership with TICKETECH, a leading provider of integrated revenue control and data management for attendant-assisted parking facilities.

TICKETECH was one of the first in the industry to introduce a technology–based solution that provides operators with the highest levels of stability, reliability, and ease of use in parking management and revenue control. Now, with an installed base of more than 1,100 systems throughout the Northeast, TICKETECH powers over three-quarters of the valet and attended parking operations in New York, where ParkWhiz offers access to more than 300 parking locations.

In addition to connecting drivers with vacant parking spots, ParkWhiz also helps operators eliminate perishable inventory, provides a robust backend platform that replicates the most complicated rate structures, and gives parking management real-time feedback into their locations’ performance.

With seamless integration and maximum compatibility with third-party parking applications, TICKETECH’s Ultra Suite will give operators who’ve implemented ParkWhiz an all-in-one flexible software program for rapid remote support, making it effortless for management to track incoming online bookings and drivers to redeem their prepaid parking passes.

“The parking industry has changed significantly, especially in the past few years,” says TICKETECH COO Mauricio Cotto. “Our focus on technology as a means to connect all pieces of the parking pie is the reason we have thrived for so long. Partnering with ParkWhiz, a company that is also heavily customer-centric, will ensure that we both continue to drive innovation and evolution of the industry for years to come.”

With more than 1 million active customers, ParkWhiz allows drivers to book daily, hourly, monthly, or special-event parking in advance and guarantees a spot to be waiting for arrival. The company works with thousands of parking facilities nationwide and gives customers access to the world’s largest online parking inventory, covering more than parking.org/tpp

150 cities. ParkWhiz provides access to more than 300 New York City parking facilities, easily making it the company’s largest market for drivers and operators alike.

“ParkWhiz makes parking seamless for parking operators, and having the right sys-

tems in place to manage the new revenue we generate for them is critical,” says ParkWhiz CEO Aashish Dalal. “We’re excited about our integration with TICKETECH and the efficiencies this alliance brings to one of our most important markets.”

Gas Detection Ventilation and Control

Building owners and facility managers want to provide safe and effective parking garages while minimizing the energy costs associated with HVAC. Macurco Gas Detection helps engineers, integrators and installers to provide suitable gas detection and control systems for enclosed parking garages.

Detection products for Carbon Monoxide (CO), Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2), Natural Gas, Propane and other Toxic & Combustible Gases

Made in the USA

Manufactured by Aerionics, Inc. Phone: 1-877-367-7891 Email: info@aerionicsinc.com Website: www.macurco.com JANUARY 2015 | INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE

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COMMUNITY DIGEST

MaxLite Introduces DLC-listed LED Vapor Tight Fixtures

MaxLite’s family of performance- and value-driven LED Vapor Tight Linear fixtures now includes models qualified by DesignLights Consortium (DLC) for use in parking garages.

The 50-watt luminaires are designed to replace fluorescent strip lights in garages and stairwells with uniform, low-glare illumination that optimizes pedestrian and vehicular safety while delivering critical energy cost savings for 24/7 operations. When purchased with a clear lens, Vapor Tights meet DLC qualifications for parking lighting applications, making them eligible for utility rebate incentives. Standard dimming capabilities add to the fixtures’ overall energy efficiency, while occupancy sensor versions support compliance with Title 24 requirements for commercial indoor lighting in California.

Engineered with leading-edge optics, Vapor Tights deliver 4,197 lumens and exceed the Illuminating Engineering Society’s (IES) footcandle recommendations for parking area, driving lane,

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and stairwell compliance. The luminaires’ special internal reflectors produce a beam distribution that is effective in illuminating both the drive area in front of vehicles, as well as hood and door handle elevations, creating a shadow-free, safe environment for both drivers and pedestrians.

Offered in a standard length of four feet, the Vapor Tight fixture is constructed of a onepiece, non-corrosive polycarbonate body that protects the LED light source from dust, dirt, and vandalism. The body’s stainless steel closures are removable, for easy cleaning and maintenance of the fixture. Vapor Tights are designed for installation by suspension or mounting to walls or ceilings, with direct lead wires that enable easy wiring connections in most locations.

Vapor Tights may be ordered with a clear or translucent lens. Options also include a battery back-up system that allows the fixture to remain illuminated, with no light degradation, for up to 90 minutes in the event of a power outage. Assembly

INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE | JANUARY 2015

in the United States is available upon request.

In addition to parking-specific models, which are denoted with the letters “PKG” in the model number, MaxLite offers a full line of LED Vapor Tight Linear fixtures rated for use in harsh environments, such as car wash operations, airports, tunnels, and maintenance areas.

HOW TO GET A SHOUT-OUT FOR YOUR MARKETING PROGRAMS Streamline d entry process. All materials submitted online.

Enter the Parking MattersŽ Marketing & Communications Awards Deadline for Submissions: January 23, 2015 Show off your PR, marketing, and communications successes. There are no categories, submission is streamlined and easy, and it’s only $100 to enter. Get the recognition you deserve for your strategic and effective marketing programs! For details and eligibility, visit parking.org/marcomm.

Winners will be showcased at the 2015 IPI Conference & Expo in Las Vegas, June 29-July 2.

For more information, visit parking.org/marcomm Contact: Lauri Chudoba, 571.699.3011 | marcomm@parking.org

HOW TO RECOGNIZE YOURSELF (or someone on your staff)

Streamline d entry process. All materials submitted online.

Now is not the time to hide your talents. Nominate yourself, your organization, or a colleague for IPI’s Professional Recognition Awards. There is no entry fee.

The categories to enter are: James M. Hunnicutt, CAPP, Parking Professional of the Year, Parking Supervisor of the Year, Parking Staff Member of the Year, and Parking Organization of the Year.

You only have until January 30, 2015 to submit a nomination. On your Marx, get set, go!

For details, past awardees and submission forms, visit parking.org/prp Contact: Lauri Chudoba, 571.699.3011 | prp@parking.org

COMMUNITY DIGEST

Anagog Launches Beta, Raises $1 Million Anagog recently announced its beta launch, providing drivers real-time visibility into available street parking. Anagog’s CrowdPark™ technology is now rolling out to millions of drivers through the Milgam Cellular Parking Ltd’s Pango’s parking payment service.

“Anagog has built a robust solution to one of today’s most frustrating urban issues: finding parking. The CrowdPark™ technology is a smart parking breakthrough that points drivers to vacant parking spots. We are thrilled to be first in the world to offer this valuable service, pointing out free parking spots, when and where drivers need them,” says Milgam Cellular Parking CEO Roy Elbaz.

Anagog’s patented CrowdPark™ technology delivers roundthe-clock parking visibility for each street section, points drivers to available spots, and shows how long the spots have been open while offering detailed information about parking restrictions.

Anagog provides a short list of ideal vacant spots based on the combination of driving and walking distance and then navigates

drivers turn-by-turn to their chosen parking spots. The solution provides this real-time parking visibility without the need for physical sensors, municipality involvement, or relying on other drivers’ involvement, “We are thrilled to be partnering with global parking payment leader Pango to help millions of drivers find parking faster and cheaper. Our technology removes frustration, uncertainty and cost of not being able to find a parking spot.” says Jake Levant, chief marketing officer at Anagog. “Rather than circling the block, over-paying, and risking being late for an appointment, Pango customers can now find free street parking spots at their ­destination.”

Anagog also raised $1 million in funding from a group of angel investors and entrepreneurs, including Yos Shiran, CEO of Ceaserstone; Dan Vilensky, former chairman of Applied Materials Israel; and Avi Shechter, former vice president of AOL. The funding will be used to accelerate the world-wide adoption of Anagog’s real-time smart parking solution.

IntroducInG IPI’s nEWEst onLInE coursE.

An easy way to advance knowledge and skill sets in the parking profession.

sustainability in Parking

$89 for IPI members* | 2 Hours (Self-paced: Start, stop, exit, return) Course credits: 2 CAPP points/.2 CEUs Sustainability in Parking provides essential background on how parking professionals can support the triple bottom line (people, planet, and profit) through environmentallysensitive approaches to design, operations, and management. The course outlines systems for achieving higher performing assets and greater sustainability using environmental best practices, and is based on IPI’s Framework on Sustainability, and the Green Parking Council’s Green Garage Certification Standard.

Taking an International Parking Institute online course is the best way to enter, advance, and excel in the evolving parking profession. Affordable and selfpaced, these courses have been designed to provide essential information in an easy-to-follow format. Train your entire staff.

Seven courses are now available with more on the way.

*$109 non-member price

Each course earns you CAPP points and CEUs. Want to learn more? Go to parking.org/onlinecourses

Advancing the parking profession

TM

CALENDAR OF EVENTS Highlighted are IPI and IPI Allied State and Regional Association Events

2015 January 21 IPI Webinar Technology Committee Presentation: Big Data ipi.org/webinars

February 25 IPI Webinar Workplace Charging Challenge parking.org/webinars

March 1–3 Mid-South Parking & Transportation Association Annual Spring Conference & Tradeshow Orange Beach, Ala. mstpa.org

March 25 IPI Webinar Show Me the Money parking.org/webinars

April 15–17

June 29–July 2

New England Parking Council Annual Spring Conference Newport, R.I. newenglandparkingcouncil. org

2015 IPI Conference & Expo Las Vegas, Nev. parking.org

April 22–24 Parking Association of Georgia Annual Conference and Trade Show Pine Mountain, Ga. parkingassociationofgeorgia. com

May 8 Pennsylvania Parking Association Spring Training Hershey, Pa. paparking.org

September 23–25 Carolinas Parking Association Annual Conference and Trade Show Myrtle Beach, S.C. carolinasparking.org

December 2–5 Florida Parking Association Annual Conference & Trade Show Amelia Island, Fla. flparking.org

May 20, 2015 IPI Webinar Repairing and Maintaining Airport Parking Structures While in Use parking.org/webinars

Customer service

Want a simple Way to up your game?

$49* | 1 Hour Good customer service is all about skills, including active listening,positively reframing customer words, understanding nonverbal behaviors, and specific communication techniques. Designed for frontline parking personnel and their managers.

intro to parking $135* | 3 Hours Introduction to Parking is a perfect way to acquaint newly-hired parking professionals. This course offers a complete introduction to parking enforcement, on- and off-street parking, revenue control, safety and security, communications, and customer service, to build a foundation to guarantee success.

Conflict resolution $49* | 1 Hour How we handle conflicts lays the groundwork for success or failure. Understanding how communication and conflict styles can be tailored is key for beneficial outcomes. This course identifies stages of group development and sources of workplace conflict while offering techniques for successful communication. *IPI member prices

ACADEMIC

CORPORATE

California State University, Fresno

Fraser Health

Thomas Gaffery

Brenda Welvaert

Santa Clara University

Parqueos Unidos SAC

Milie Kenney

Dilger Alvarado

University of Albany Jason M. Jones

Yale University Ed Bebyn

CONSULTANT Dakota S.A. Marcelo D. Violante

Nick Watry—Architect

NEW IPI MEMBERS

SUPPLIER Elatec USA, Inc. John Tepley

Energy Management Collaborative Jeff Taylor

RETIRED-TRANSITIONAL Karen Winger

Nick Watry

PortfolioFirst Parking Solutions, LLC Jeffrey Gemunder

parking enforcement $69* | 1.5 Hours Designed for new and experienced parking enforcement officers and other interested parking professionals. This course covers the basics every parking enforcement officer should know, including parking ordinances, regulations, violation adjudication, conflict resolution and stakeholder expectations.

“IPI’s online training courses solve a huge problem for us. Onboarding?

Done!” – Tom Wunk, CAPP T2 Systems, Inc.

on-street parking management $69* | 1.5 Hours Managing the supply of on-street parking is one of the toughest challenges facing any municipality. Success hinges on the identification and consideration of various stakeholders, a knowledge of on-street parking management techniques, and an understanding of the principles behind effective parking regulations.

technology trends in parking $49* | 1 Hour For managers, facility operators, and other parking professionals knowing current technological trends is critical to success.

This course covers the latest software and solutions that are transforming parking operations around the globe, from revenue and access control technologies and electronic payment, to data collection/ sharing and customer communications.

IPI Online Courses & Training: An easy way to advance knowledge and skill sets in the parking profession.

Taking an International Parking Institute online course is the best way to enter, advance, and excel in the rapidly-evolving parking profession. These affordable, self-paced courses are designed to provide essential information in an easily-digested format. Train your entire staff. Seven courses are available now, with more on the way.

Each course earns CAPP points and CEUs. Learn more: parking.org/onlinecourses

Advancing the parking profession

TM

PARKING CONSULTANTS

▪ Parking Structure Planning & Design ▪ Studies & Operations Consulting ▪ Restoration Engineering ▪ Structural Engineering

800-FYI-PARK carlwalker.com

DESMAN A S S O C I A T E S

National Parking Specialists Facility Planning Design Functional Design Structural Engineering Restoration Demand Feasibility Design/Build

Providing Parking Solutions for Over 40 Years Boston

Chicago Cleveland Denver Hartford Pittsburgh Fort Lauderdale New York Washington, DC

w w w. d e s m a n . c o m 60

INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE | JANUARY 2015

Privatization?

Transportation?

Automated Parking?

AHEAD OF THE CURVE

We have a consultant for that– and a lot more!

Solving your parking and transportation problems with over 25 years of experience and objectivity.

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Philadelphia, PA n 215-564-6464 n www.chancemanagement.com

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parking.org/tpp

Project Management Design Parking Consulting Structural Engineering Diagnostics

Traffic Engineering Civil Engineering Intelligent Transportation Systems

JANUARY 2015 | INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE

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ADVERTISERS INDEX Aims (EDC Corporation) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 aimsparking.com | 800.886.6316

Macurco. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 macurco.com | 877.367.7891

Carl Walker, Inc.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 carlwalker.com | 800.FYI.PARK

POM. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 pom.com | 800.331.7275

CHANCE Management Advisors. . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 chancemanagement.com | 215.564.6464

Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute . . . . . 13 pci.org/hpprecast | 312.786.0300

DESMAN Associates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 desman.com | 877.337.6260

Rich & Associates, Inc.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 richassoc.com | 248.353.5080

Duncan Solutions, Inc.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C2 duncansolutions.com | 888.99.DUNCAN Global Parking Solutions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 globalparkingsolutions.com | 215.399.1475 IntegraPark. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C3 Integrapark.com | 888.852.9993 IPS Group Inc.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 ipsgroupinc.com | 858.404.0607 Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc.. . . . . . . . . . . . 15 kimley-horn.com/parking | 919.677.2090

PARKING BREAK

JIM BASS is landside operations manager at the Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport, Little Rock, Ark. He can be reached at jbass@fly-lit.com or 501.537.7354.

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INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE | JANUARY 2015

Rydin Decal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 rydin.com | 800.448.1991 Southland Printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 southlandprinting.com | 800.241.8662 Timothy Haahs & Associates, Inc.. . . . . . . . . . . . 60 timhaahs.com | 484.342.0200 Toledo Ticket . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C4 toledoticket.com | 800.533.6620 Walker Parking Consultants. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 walkerparking.com | 800.860.1579 WALTER P. MOORE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 walterpmoore.com | 800.364.7300

educaTIon, exhIbITs, Technology, neTWoRkIng

WInneRs Take all!

Join us in celebrating the “best-of-the best” in the parking industry at the 2015 IPI Conference & Expo. From individuals to organizations, IPI recognizes the best and the brightest in our profession: the innovators, the role models, and the gamechangers. Come see those who are truly changing the industry.

For more information and submission packet materials, email chudoba@parking.org.

■ ■ ■

■

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World’s biggest parking conference with 230+ exhibitors 3,000+ conference attendees from more than 30 countries 60+ educational opportunities, including ShopTalks and PowerPitch forums Facility tours, latest technology demos, and informative sessions and keynotes Network and collaborate with colleagues

“The IPI conference has been a wonderful career boost. By far the best conference in so many ways!”

– Kathryn Hebert Director, Norwalk Parking Authority Among Best of 2014 Winners, Parking Matters® Marketing & Communications Award

®

Register today: IPIconference.parking.org ipi@parking.org 571.699.3011

EXIT

Happy New Year!

We thought we’d kick off 2015 with a parking giggle: A man walks into a New York City bank and tells the loan officer that he is going to Europe for two weeks and needs to borrow $5,000.

The bank officer tells him that the bank needs collateral on such short notice, so the man hands over the keys and title of his new BMW, which is parked on the street in front of the bank. The loan officer agrees to hold the car in exchange for the loan.

The bank’s employees have a good laugh at the man for using a new BMW as collateral against a $5,000 loan. The loan officer then parks the expensive car in the bank’s underground garage.

Two weeks later, the man returns and repays the $5,000 with interest, which comes to $15.41. The loan officer says, “Sir, we are very happy to have had your business, but we are a little puzzled.

You are a multi-millionaire. Why would you borrow $5,000 for two weeks?”

The man says, “Where else in New York City can I park my car for two weeks for only $15.41?”

Have a favorite parking joke?

Email it to fernandez@parking.org—we’d love to hear it!

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INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE | JANUARY 2015

Looking for a more reliable way to gain income from your parking operations?

Find lost revenue and increase efficiency with IntegraPark’s powerful software. For a detailed explanation of its benefits, call Ruth Beaman at 888.852.9993 or visit IntegraPark.com

GREEN AND FLEXIBLE PARKING SOLUTIONS

Toledo Ticket’s RFID hangtags and credentials* with TransCoreenabled technology enhance security for you and your patrons. Our efficient solutions offer built-in accountability to keep your business secure – with reduced emissions and a low carbon footprint.

THAT’S THE TICKET!

VERY GREEN. VERY FLEXIBLE.

1.800.533.6620 ToledoTicket.com

3963 Catawba Street P.O. Box 6876 Toledo, Ohio 43612

SPITTERS | HANGTAGS & CREDENTIALS ACCESS & KEY CARDS | VALET TICKETS | STICKERS STAMPS & COUPONS | SCRATCH-OFFS

TICKETS OF EVERY DESCRIPTION FOR 105 YEARS * Product available only through TransCore Channel Distributors Gumby and Gumby characters are trademarks of Prema Toy Company, Inc. All rights reserved. ©2015 Prema Toy Company, Inc.

JANUARY 2015 The Parking Professional ● ENDING DISABLED PLACARD ABUSE ● SPIRALING UPWARD ● INTERNSHIPS ● AIRPORT TECHNOLOGY ● PARKING MANAGEMENT TOOLBOX