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A great man once said that the best currency, the most valuable of all, is gratitude. I believe that the groundwork that’s been laid in the world of parking, the innovations that continue to develop, the people and mentors that have been beacons for others, make this industry a great place to work. Parking means more than just a place to park a car due to the passion and dedication of a good many folks. When our leaders have the vigor to see the industry succeed and continue to succeed for the vast network of folks who are affected by this industry, we are thankful we can also provide the same energy for the folks that we individually affect day to day. During times of challenges and new opportunities, gratitude can provide a sense of grounding, to help us relate to what may be unknown to us, to think outside ourselves. Often times we need this strength to be strong for others, even if we are not feeling that confident ourselves, that gratitude can establish as a tool in the box. Technology changes in the parking world can affect our strategy year to year and we need to continue to adapt with it. To remember this gratitude, this thankfulness of all those who helped us grow up to this point, we are better adept to provide the same leadership for the people who need a little help in the now. Adam Feller, PTMP, is an Operations Manager for LAZ Parking. Adam can be reached at Afeller@lazparking.com.

How did Princeton evolve to meet the new demand for parking? With a multi-pronged approach, they integrated cutting-edge technology, incentivized alternative commutes, and rolled out transit programs, all while maintaining operations on a 275+ year-old campus amidst major construction. Join the Princeton University team as they showcase how data can drive smarter decisions, ease parking stress, reduce congestion, and ultimately improve the campus experience. 

The IPMI Policy & Legislative Cohort administered a survey aimed at identifying the most pressing industry policy topics.  Among the top issues are policies around new technologies that could revolutionize parking management by reducing friction. One of the highest friction points in an operation is the ability to consistently facilitate curbside compliance, aka parking enforcement.  As curbside demands have exponentially increased, the parking enforcement tools in our policy toolbox have generally remained the same. I’m not here to write about the legislative barriers to reduce friction in the parking enforcement process (there are many) or the growing number of case studies of cities that have embarked on their automated enforcement journey (that number is growing).  What I’m here to write about today are the policies that your organization should be thinking about when you are able to reduce the friction in your parking enforcement process and move towards automated enforcement.  Before we begin, what do I mean by automated enforcement.  For the purposes of this discussion, automated enforcement is the ability to utilize fixed or mobile camera technology to identify a parking violation and process that parking violation without placing a parking citation on the violating vehicle. Imagine for a minute your organization has the legislative ability to implement automated enforcement.  Would you be able to implement by the end of the week, month, year?  Here are just a few policy topics your organization should think about when moving towards automated enforcement: Violation Types – does it makes sense to automate enforcement for all violation types? Are there more severe safety related parking violations that should be prioritized for an initial rollout of automated enforcement? Payment/Appeal Deadlines – mailing a parking citation to a registered owner adds time to the notification process. Do your payment and appeal deadlines need to shift to accommodate this new process? Violation Fine Structure – cities that have implemented automated enforcement have seen citation issuance increase exponentially. Knowing this may occur, are there opportunities to revise the fine structure for certain violations? This may be an opportunity to introduce first-time warnings, early payment discounts, or progressive pricing for repeat violators. Don’t get me wrong, the legislative framework to allow for automated enforcement is a top priority to enable your organization to leverage new and emerging parking enforcement technologies.  Equally as important is your policy framework for administering an automated enforcement program. Policies matter, and when developed in a comprehensive manner can lead to long-term success for your operation.  Let’s keep the conversation going on Forum Online Community and the dedicated “Policy and Legislation” community. Robert Ferrin, PTMP is a Mobility & Parking Senior Project Manager with Kimley-Horn & Associates, Inc. and is serving his third term on the IPMI Board of Directors.  Robert can be reached at robert.ferrin@kimley-horn.com.

When you are in the midst of a great revenue-generating event parking situation, how are you handling surge pricing? Is your operator getting the most bang for your buck? Are you setting and forgetting or letting the SHARK come out mid ingress? I have found myself in many different settings according to how the client wants the lot run, but it is quite fun making a run for the money. One tactic is the set it and forget it rule where it is easy to estimate and budget how much you will make in an event. Other tactics include Sharking the competition. In a particular lot at a particular time our owner wanted to make the most bang for his buck and gave us the direction “make money but don’t get me in the paper,” and we ran with it. We had fluctuating rates to be changed on the fly according to the estimated percentages of available parking on the lot. Rates were changed at forty percent, fifty percent and so on. It is quite easy to set rates and forget them but are you making the most bang for your buck? How much are you willing to do, to make the most out of an event? How much do your owners appreciate your efforts? Tate Misiaszek, PTMP, is a Project Manager for LAZ Parking. You can reach Tate at TMisiaszek@lazparking.com.

Food and Parking? The connection is in the eye of the beholder in some sense, but is also an avenue for creating team comradery, a vehicle to discuss goals and connect with our teams or clients, and to both support and find new local restaurants. Plus, we might be able to see in live action how many metered parking spaces are available at some in demand time for lunch or dinner. Either way, it’s the food and business of parking that bring us together. We are fortunate in our locations that there is also a passion for cooking that has been present for some time, and shared and passed down through the years. Whether barbequing or finding some new combination and creation to make for our teams, the drive to bring food and cooking into the workplace allows for us to bring a little bit more of the self than may otherwise have been acknowledged. Whether fresh, authentic tacos, homemade crunch wraps, or Salisbury steak, our creativity is shared so that our staff coming back from performing their duties have a great meal and bonding with the group. Food is a path to share a great meal, discuss project needs, celebrate work milestones, connect with others, and find out who knows how to cook or knows the best spots to eat! Adam Feller, PTMP, is an Operations Manager for LAZ Parking. Adam can be reached at Afeller@lazparking.com.