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At airports across the country, rideshare operations are essential – but increasingly difficult to manage. Limited curb space and high passenger volumes—especially during peak travel times—often lead to severe congestion, roadway backups, and long wait times for travelers. Without proper planning and infrastructure, rideshare pickups can quickly turn into a logistical headache for both airports and guests.

Shared parking is a key strategy in urban planning and development, offering innovative solutions to challenges like traffic congestion and inefficient land use. By maximizing the utilization of existing parking spaces, shared parking supports sustainability and improves the quality of urban life. Shared parking utilizes the same space for different parkers maximizing turnover and utilization of one space within 24 hours, minimizing unnecessary urban sprawl. Shared parking minimizes the need for expansive parking structures, freeing up valuable land that can be repurposed for green spaces, housing, or businesses. This promotes more sustainable, efficient land use. By maximizing turnover or utilization of existing parking spaces, shared parking reduces the need for new parking facilities, reducing the time drivers spend searching for parking. This will alleviate traffic, reduce emissions, improve air quality, providing a more sustainable and healthier environment. The parking consultant who specializes in calculating custom shared parking can reduce parking counts by 35% in some cases, encouraging Park Once and multimodal systems, resulting in fewer parking spaces, thus fostering creativity and flexibility for public spaces and urban design. Lia Reyes is a Managing Director and Sr. Principal Consultant for LVR International. Lia can be reached at lia@lvrintl.com.

Parking has a reputation problem. Many motorists perceive parking as penalizing, confusing, and expensive. That perception has persisted for over a century, dating back to the earliest parking meters and tickets. And while parking management technology has advanced tremendously in that time, enforcement models have remained largely unchanged. Other industries have made notable strides in improving the customer experience. Airlines offer miles. Car insurance companies reward safe driving. Banks and credit card companies provide cashback and loyalty perks. The list goes on. Over time, these industries have helped influence positive consumer behavior by establishing trust and long-term customer relationships. Parking can draw inspiration from these industries. At IPMI 2025, leaders from Park Loyalty and RISETEK presented a packed session exploring customer loyalty programs for parking. How can the parking experience reward compliance? What if local businesses gained new ways to engage customers? Picture this: a driver pays to park and receives a coupon from a nearby café. Or they earn a small perk, like a discount on dry cleaning, just for consistently following parking rules. Even parking tickets could become less painful if timely payment leads to a future discount. These simple ideas can shift public perception of parking, promote compliance, and foster new community connections to local businesses. This model introduces a “value triangle” between agencies, drivers, and merchants. Everyone contributes, and everyone benefits. Cities and universities see better compliance. Motorists feel appreciated. Local businesses attract more visitors. This isn’t just a concept. Modern parking platforms can support these strategies. Programs can be agency-branded, tailored to local needs, and integrated into existing systems without disrupting enforcement or revenue. The future holds that parking can still be fair and well-managed while building trust instead of resentment. Full recap: https://parkloyalty.com/parking-rewards-changing-enforcement-for-better-compliance/ Julia Scholl is a Marketing Manager for Park Loyalty. Julia can be reached at julia.scholl@parkloyalty.com.

The International Parking and Mobility Institute (IPMI) Conference is always a chance to spot what’s next in parking and mobility (and maybe a little of what’s not working yet). This year was Peter Richards’ 5th year attending (and 1st since he founded Parkicity), and it delivered everything from live drone feeds at NFL stadiums to lessons on permit data pitfalls. Here are a few key takeaways from IPMI in Louisville. I’ve been saying it wrong all this time! Permits, Pilots, and Parking Near Stadiums On a tour near the Louisville City FC soccer stadium, we heard about a Residential Permit Parking (RPP) program that was launched – and then quickly shut down – because residents said they weren’t notified. But they were. The area, once home to a car junkyard, now hosts 2,200 gravel lot spaces and has big redevelopment plans for retail and apartments. But enforcement and event planning challenges remain. People park for free far from the stadium, and attempts at event programming (like concerts) have literally torn up the turf. It should also be noted that Louisville is a multi-vendor paid parking app, meaning visitors have the choice of their favourite app. Pick an app, any app From LPR to Insight: The Dirty Work Behind Clean Data A major thread at the conference was data and how to collect occupancy, 24/7 or periodically. One presentation highlighted the benefits but also the complexity of turning license plate recognition (LPR) and camera data into useful information. The raw feeds – LPR scans, citations, permits, payment transactions, even drone images need serious cleanup: Enforcement schedules can skew what’s captured Sensor coverage is patchy, especially beyond pay stations License plates need fuzzy matching (is that a Z or a 2?) Metadata like vehicle type or duration is often missing Privacy measures must anonymize plates before analysis One theme emerged: “Data should inform decisions, not lead them.” Cities need “before and after” metrics – occupancy, permits issued, citation volume, and compliance – to prove that a permit or pay program solves an actual problem. Hayes Valley’s “Pay or Permit” program in San Francisco came up as a model, built on three pillars: Most parkers aren’t local Most non-residents are overstaying Occupancy is consistently high Toronto’s Parking Tech and EV Future The City of Toronto shared its evolving mobility landscape – and how parking is still part of the story. A few standout stats and ideas: One lot near Spadina added Purolator parcel lockers and increased revenue by 33%. Multi-functional lots add value 50% of EV charging users lived within 1km of the charger, 57% of users live within 5 km They’ve processed 50,000 new EV transactions Long-term goal: reduce from 3,100 to 2,000 meters – but keep them for the next decade One big idea or dream floated by the TPA VP of Operations: a future monthly bundle for parking, transit, and bike share access. Not here yet – but the bundling / Mobility as a Service joint offering conversation is getting louder. Digital Curb Challenges from Seattle to Boston Cities are still figuring out how to digitize the curb. A few shared challenges: Cameras are tricky to deploy due to mounting, power, and departmental silos Cyclomedia and Cartegraph are used in Boston, but 20% of signs were missing from digital records Trucks and passing vehicles can feed false data into sensors or AI Even with real-time availability, Minneapolis noted delivery drivers likely wouldn’t use this information – routes, schedule, and habits matter more Seattle’s commercial load zone data showed 80% of vehicles were parked illegally, underscoring that enforcement is essential – especially for small businesses that rely on load zones for survival. It was stressed that the management of these commercial loading zones is a key factor to the value of the permit and if they would actually buy the monthly permits Seattle released the CurbIQ digital curb inventory and real-time information of these load zones, and it’s super cool: https://seattle.curbiq.io/public-default/ Brian Hamlin from Seattle DOT showing up their real-time public map link NFL Game Day Parking is a Logistics Masterclass Walter P Moore walked us through the logistics of managing 26,000 spaces on NFL game day at the Houston Texans’ NRG Stadium: 21,000 spaces are used by fans, the rest for staff, media, and other “back of house” roles Rideshare lots, pedestrian plans, and cashless mobile passes are all part of the playbook “Eyes on approach and egress” with roaming vehicles is key Staff use active guidance to manage entry and exit flow Most fans are parked 15 minutes after kickoff, and the lots are cleared within 1 hour after the game Could Parkalytics and their drone parking surveys support live feed monitoring or drone mapping here in the future? Something for event management planners to consider. Ushering in the New Curbside Management Era: How to Transition from Parking to Curbside Management The Curb Super Group! This municipal workshop was led by experts from Minneapolis, Miami Parking Authority, Washington DC, Fairfax County, City of Richmond (and Parkicity), and centered around various burning questions and issues municipalities are having at the curbside, from policy and regulations, to simply digitizing and mapping their curbs. Despite various sized municipalities, the issues were similar – staffing, budgets, politics, prioritization, coordination, data ownership, and communication Cities want to digitize their curb, but need internal champions Solutions discussed included budgeting for curb-related digitization and studies, using software to aid the process, and starting small with pilots Final Thoughts There’s no single path to modern curbside management, but the ingredients include items such as strong data foundations, clear goals and objectives, city buy-in from top to bottom, smart tech applications, and responsive operations. Open Mobility Foundation bike ride Have questions on any of these takeaways or want to test out some of these strategies in your city? Let’s talk. Peter Richards, P.Eng., is the President and Principal Consultant for Parkicity. Peter can be reached at pete@parkicity.com. This blog is republished with permission from Parkicity: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/volume-8-what-we-learned-ipmi-2025-data-drones-game-day-drama-5jxjc/  

Every year, heading to the IPMI Conference feels a bit like getting in line for a roller coaster for me. There’s that initial moment—right before it all begins—where you wonder how it’s going to go. You’re excited, sure, but there’s also that quiet buzz of nerves in the background. Then you arrive. You start bumping into familiar faces—old friends, colleagues, people you’ve only seen through the computer screen for the past year. Conversations start flowing, and before you know it, you’re in the groove. The energy of the event takes over. You’re swapping ideas, learning from others, and soaking in the buzz of the expo floor where vendors are showing off new technology – and a tiny horse, did anyone see that too?! Just when you’re feeling fully at home, it’s time to present. The nerves creep back in—but this time, they’re different. You and your co-presenter step up, deliver your session, and walk away knowing you nailed it. That’s a high that’s hard to beat. The whole experience is a whirlwind—ups, downs, adrenaline, inspiration. It’s a reminder of why we do what we do. You leave feeling energized by the new connections, the fresh ideas, and the sense that you’re part of something bigger. Sure, there’s never enough time to see and do it all, but that’s part of the magic. We come together at IPMI not just to learn, but to grow—together. And every year, that ride is worth it. Nick Mazzenga is a Parking Technology Consultant for Kimley-Horn & Associates, Inc. Nick can be reached at nick.mazzenga@kimley-horn.com.