Curb management planning and strategy was already well underway in Washington, D.C., when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, but the virus still managed to change almost everything. On-demand delivery services–DoorDash, Grubhub, etc.–took over crowded curbsides in what felt like overnight and demand for temporary parking space outside businesses skyrocketed from city residents taking the opportunity to pick up their own groceries, meals, or other necessities without violating stay-home orders.
For the District Department of Transportation (DDOT), once the initial situation had been managed, focus shifted to our eventual recovery from the pandemic. And now that the recovery is beginning, focus is squarely on how lessons from COVID-19 will shape the short- and long-term future of the curb in the city.
David Carson Lipscomb, curbside management planner with DDOT, shares the city’s experiences and lessons in this month’s Parking & Mobility magazine–and they’re largely transferable to other operations. Click here to read his story and see how Washington, D.C.’s COVID-19 lessons may shape the way we all think about the curb going forward.
The District of Columbia Office of Contracting and Procurement (OCP) on behalf of the District Department of Transportation (“DDOT”), is issuing public notice of its Request for Proposals (“RFP”) seeking offers from firms (“Offerors”) interested in performing curbside asset management services including the development, deployment and maintenance of a Curbside Management System; asset installation and decommissioning; program management; maintenance and repair; revenue collection and counting; and associated services for approximately 20,000 parking meter spaces and over 250,000 on-street parking spaces within the District of Columbia. The District intends to award a single contract resulting from this solicitation to the responsible Offeror whose offer conforming to the solicitation will be most advantageous to the District, cost or price, technical and other factors, specified elsewhere in the solicitation considered. The Offeror’s proposal shall demonstrate their compliance and achievement with all aspects of the solicitation. The resulting contract will contain a mix of lump sum, fixed unit price, and % of revenue type line items, and the period of performance will consist of a two-year base period, a two-year option period and a one-year option period for a potential total of five years of performance.
Offerors must download the RFP from https://DTAP.DDOT.dc.gov and navigating to the “Projects” tab – Clicking “Solicitation-Open Bid” under the solicitations section – Click “i” next to “DCKA-2020-R-0034” – Click “Bid Documents”.
Amid COVID-19 concerns, the ParkMobile app will allow people to avoid touching the meter and pay for parking on their mobile device.
Washington, DC – June 2, 2020 – ParkMobile, the leading provider of smart parking and mobility solutions in the United States, announced today a new partnership with the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) in Washington, D.C., to promote contactless parking payments to reduce the number of people touching the meters. The mobile payment option protects the safety of both the people paying for parking and DDOT’s workforce by reducing physical interactions with meters at over 19,000 parking spaces around the city. With the recent COVID-19 crisis, many city leaders across the country are encouraging residents to use the app versus the meter to prevent the spread of the virus.
“We are proud to work with DDOT on this important initiative to promote contactless parking payments in Washington D.C.,” says Jon Ziglar, CEO of ParkMobile. “We have millions of users in the D.C. metro area who should avoid touching the meter and pay for parking through their mobile device.”
The ParkMobile app is a free download for both iPhone and Android devices. To pay for parking with the app, a user enters the zone number posted on stickers and signs around the meter, selects the amount of time needed and touches the “Start Parking” button to begin the session. The user can also extend the time of the parking session on their mobile device, without having to go back to the meter. The ParkMobile app can be used to pay for parking in over 400 cities across the United States and is widely available in the D.C. metro area from Arlington to Alexandria, Virginia, to Montgomery County, Maryland.
The District of Columbia Government continues to require all non-essential businesses to remain closed and is encouraging people to stay home to prevent the spread of COVID-19. You can get more information by visiting the DC Coronavirus website, coronavirus.dc.gov, or calling the District’s COVID-19 hotline at 1-888-349-8323.
About ParkMobile
ParkMobile, LLC is the leading provider of smart parking and mobility solutions in North America, helping millions of people easily find, reserve, and pay for parking on their mobile device. The company’s technology is used in thousands of locations across the country, including 8 of the top 10 cities as well as college campuses, airports, and stadiums. People can use ParkMobile solutions to quickly pay for on-street and off-street parking without having to use a meter or kiosk. Additionally, ParkMobile offers parking reservations at stadium venues for concerts and sporting events. Reservations are also available in metro area garages, allowing people to drive into the city without having to worry about finding parking. ParkMobile has been named to the Inc. 5000, Deloitte Fast 500, Smart Cities Connect “Smart 50,” and the Atlanta Journal Constitution’s Top Workplaces. Additionally, the company won the 2020 Stevie Awards for Product Innovation. For more information, visit ParkMobile.io or @ParkMobile on Twitter.
Graphic: Kimatu, J.N. / CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0)
By David C. Lipscomb
This blog is part of a special series on curb management and COVID-19. A joint effort of the International Parking and Mobility Institute, Transportation for America, and Institute of Transportation Engineer’s Complete Streets Council, this series strives to document the immediate curbside-related actions and responses to COVID-19, as well as create a knowledge base of strategies that communities can use to manage the curbside during future emergencies.
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, jurisdictions around the world are preparing to shift from emergency response to recovery with forward-thinking sustainability in mind. The status quo is untenable, meaning innovation will be essential to restoring our way of life.
Enter the triple helix model of innovation which describes the relationship between academia, industry, and government as it pertains to social and economic development. At the model’s core, academia supplies education and research, governments fund or influence educational priorities and regulate industries, while industry provides jobs, infrastructure, and taxes, though these are not rigidly set roles.
Where the triple helix may be most evident is how federal and state COVID-19 response guidelines affected government operations, educational institutions, and businesses. The trickle-down effect has led to ever-evolving resource collaborations and emergency changes to curbside operations and mobility management.
NYU’s C2SMART produced an invaluable tool for municipal responders: an interactive dashboard and white paper on the impact of COVID-19 on transportation in the New York metropolitan area. NYU students also learned how to use modeling techniques to predict the effects of pandemics on transportation systems. Their findings give key insight into mode shifts likely to shape future policy.
Retailers will have a key role in innovation as they adapt to consumer trends. Adobe Analytics data showed a 208 percent increase in curbside pickup during the first three weeks of April. Many jurisdictions face questions about the necessity and sustainability of curbside management strategies to facilitate on-demand delivery services like Uber Eats, GrubHub, Postmates, and DoorDash, which generate about $82 billion and are projected to more than double by 2025. These trends have started to influence government policy and operations with Seattle announcing in May the rollout of curbside pick-up zones for retailers. Future considerations of infrastructure or operations that limit personal contact or facilitate quick curbside access will depend on clear communication of needs.
In the technology world, Apple and Google are working on contact tracing technology that would integrate with government health agency apps. The apps would alert users when they come into contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19, though challenges around privacy, data integrity, and participation remain. Still, successful implementation of this technology could empower users or transportation systems managers to make better real-time transportation decisions based on risk.
The Triple Helix Association is calling for papers on innovation in pandemic and societal crisis response; transportation will be an integral part.
What innovation looks like going forward remains to be seen, but opportunity abounds. For example, the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) hosts an internship program in conjunction with the Howard University Transportation Research Center. These students play a critical role in expanding the DDOT’s work capacity (including now as we deal with the COVID-19 pandemic). In turn they gain real-world experience to boost their careers in the public, private, or academic sectors.
These are a few examples of how governments, academia, and private industry are jointly responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. If you’re aware of other examples, please share it with david.lipscomb@dc.gov.
David C. Lipscomb is curbside management planner for the District Department of Transportation in Washington, D.C.
Curb management planning and strategy was already well underway in Washington, D.C., when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, but the virus still managed to change almost everything. On-demand delivery services–DoorDash, Grubhub, etc.–took over crowded curbsides in what felt like overnight and demand for temporary parking space outside businesses skyrocketed from city residents taking the opportunity to pick up their own groceries, meals, or other necessities without violating stay-home orders.
