Tag Archives: recovery

Free Online Shoptalk: Planning for What’s Next: Roadmap to Recovery the Parking, Transportation, and Mobility Industry

Planning for What’s Next: Roadmap to Recovery the Parking, Transportation, and Mobility Industry

Download the Shoptalk here.

Join IPMI for our next online Shoptalk addressing the parking, transportation, and mobility industry’s response and recovery planning. Open to all, join us for discussions centered on best practices, next steps, and the challenges ahead.

Our moderator for this shoptalk:

Carmen Donnell, CAPP, Vice President, Sales, West

Carmen brings more than a decade of parking, transportation, and mobility industry experience alongside a keen interest in relationship management. Carmen is a respected sales leader and an active participant in many industry organizations. As such, Carmen prides herself in viewing parking solutions from the client’s perspective. She has the knowledge and background to customize operations to serve any need. As VP, Sales, West, Carmen is responsible for functional aspects and members of the sales team in the central and western US, and Canada. Working closely alongside the CEO, the VP, Sales, East, and other operative departments at PayByPhone, Carmen’s top focus is to deliver results that are aligned with PayByPhone’s overall growth strategy.

Free Online Shoptalk: The Leading Edge – Response, Reopening, and Recovery for the Parking, Transportation, and Mobility Industry

Download the Shoptalk here.

Join IPMI for our next online Shoptalk addressing the parking, transportation, and mobility industry’s response and recovery planning. Open to all, moderator Gary Means, CAPP, will lead the group in discussions centered on best practices, next steps, and the challenges ahead.

We understand this is an extremely busy time and will record the online shoptalk and distribute to all members and colleagues. If you have a question or would like to share something that has worked for your organization in advance, please email Fernandez@parking-mobility.org.

Gary A. Means, CAPP, Executive Director, Lexington & Fayette County Parking Authority

Gary is a Certified Administrator of Public Parking (CAPP) with a BA in Broadcasting from Eastern Kentucky University. Gary is a member of the International Parking & Mobility Institute Board of Directors and Chair Elect on their Executive Committee. Locally, Gary serves on several boards/committees including Lexington Area MPO Bike Pedestrian Advisory Committee, Town Branch Park Partners and Downtown Lexington Partnership. In 2000, he received Downtown Lexington Corporation’s “Outstanding Individual” Award. Gary has worked in the parking industry for over 25 years in both the public and private sectors. Gary and his wife Melissa have two children and three grandchildren.

IPMI Blog, Resources, Transportation & Mobility

What’s the Answer?

June 9, 2020 Rachel Yoka Leave a comment

By David Feehan

These have been particularly sad and disheartening days for me. I am a native of Minneapolis, Minn., a city that has always prided itself on being enlightened when it comes to race. I owned a house just off Lake Street, where the burning and looking occurred. My nephew knew George Floyd from the club where he worked. In the 1970s, I directed a Model City program in this neighborhood that sought to encourage better communication among a very diverse group of residents. I thought my hometown was working hard to improve communities and race relations. Then George Floyd was murdered, and cities around the world exploded.

What can parking professionals, city officials, and other concerned citizens take away from the ongoing protests? We would be well advised to listen to what the protesters are saying.

Any examination of police policies, practices, and training is a must. Obviously, some cities have made greater progress in this area than others. Apparently, Minneapolis has not been a leader in this regard. But most parking facilities use either private security officers or municipal police. How prepared are we for incidents like some of the recent tragic killings in the Twin Cities and elsewhere? Most of these incidents have included an automobile.

The parking industry has made strides in hiring and promoting people of color. IPMI has worked to increase diversity, but even IPMI’s board and staff are not as representative of the employee base of most our members as they could be.

I am part of an online public policy discussion forum. I noted as we have discussed the George Floyd incident and subsequent protests that only one of our forum members is a person of color, and he is Hispanic. I questioned how many members of our group have personal friends who are African American, with whom they could have a heart-to-heart conversation concerning race relations. I’m sure most of us have Black colleagues with whom we work, but have we ever invited them to our homes? The answer to our current dilemma begins with understanding, and my guess that understanding that leads to positive change is in short supply these days.

I have a great fear that our downtowns and community business districts (all of which depend on parking) are in great jeopardy because of the COVID crisis. We don’t need to see boarded-up buildings or burned shells as we work to recover. I don’t have all the answers, but I know recovery has to begin with communication and understanding. Let’s get started.

David Feehan is president of Civitas Consultants, LLC.

IPMI & Member News, Research, Resources, Transportation & Mobility

Member News: ParkMobile Data Shows a Slow and Steady Comeback in U.S. Cities

May 28, 2020 Rachel Yoka Leave a comment

Parking transaction data from over 400 cities indicates that people are getting back on the roads

Atlanta, GA, – May 27, 2020 – ParkMobile, the leading provider of smart parking and mobility solutions, revealed new data today that shows increasing parking transactions in cities across the U.S. In early to mid-March, as fears of COVID-19 spread and more cases were diagnosed, cities and states shut down and people stayed at home. This caused a significant drop in the number of daily parking transactions in cities. The ParkMobile app is available in over 400 cities in the U.S., so the company’s data presents a clear view of the impact of the pandemic on consumer mobility.

Chart 1 in the infographic shows the severe drop in parking transactions as COVID-19 cases increased in March and states started to shut down. Compared to the previous month, parking transactions were down almost 95% across the country. This indicates that most non-essential workers were following the stay at home orders to help prevent spread of the virus.

In recent weeks, ParkMobile data reveals that activity is starting to gradually pick up. Cities and states are lifting some restrictions and parking transaction volume is slowly increasing on a week-to-week basis. This is a clear sign that people are going out more often. In Chart 2 in the infographic, you can see the week-over-week growth in parking volumes. It is still not clear from the data if and when things will get back to pre-COVID-19 levels.

The top 10 cities in the U.S. saw a slower rate of decline in early-to-mid March than smaller cities overall. Chart 3 in the infographic shows that the big cities hit their bottom about a week after the smaller markets. The rate of recovery for big cities has also been flatter than smaller cities because they did not initially decline as much.

Beach communities are seeing the biggest increase in parking volume as people are looking for activities where they can be outdoors while social distancing. Chart 4 in the infographic shows that parking transactions in beach communities are outpacing those in cities. As summer approaches and the weather gets warmer, beach parking transactions should continue to increase. ParkMobile recently introduced service to the Borough of Belmar at the Jersey Shore. According to Belmar Mayor Mark Walsifer, “The Borough of Belmar wants to ensure the safety of visitors and residents. By partnering with ParkMobile to offer contactless parking payments, we are working to provide our community with a smart mobility option for anyone looking to spend time at the beach.”

While parking volumes are picking up across the country, the way people are paying for parking is also changing. Cities are actively promoting contactless payments through apps like ParkMobile in an effort to stop people from touching the meters. Many cities are reporting that utilization of the app versus the meter has shifted heavily towards the app over the past three months. One large city reported that utilization of the app versus the meter jumped from 60% up to 80%.

In a recent move, New York City Department of Transportation launched the ParkMobile app in addition to the current ParkNYC app, also powered by ParkMobile, to give people more mobile payment options in the city. According to a recent statement from NYC DOT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg, “DOT is asking all New Yorkers who can to switch to Pay-By-Cell, which will reduce the need for physical cash transactions at our 14,000 parking meters. Contactless Pay-By-Cell reduces exposure risk for the public and our workforce. Please help us reduce the need to physically service parking meters and collect, sanitize, and securely store cash during this crisis.”

“It’s very clear that one of the lasting impacts of COVID-19 will be that people want more contactless payment options,” says Jon Ziglar, CEO of ParkMobile. “We’re proud that we can partner with cities to promote use of the app in order to keep people safe and protect city workers.”

ParkMobile continues to encourage people to do everything they can to prevent the spread of the virus including wearing masks, washing hands, and social distancing. The company’s headquarters in Atlanta, GA, has been closed since March 12^th, and all 200 employees have been working from home since that time. The company hopes to reopen in the near future but will only do so when it is safe for employees to return.

View the full report here.

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 7 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 2019 Stevie Awards for Most Innovative Tech Company and Best Travel App. For more information, visit ParkMobile.io or @ParkMobile on Twitter.

IPMI Blog, Management & Human Resources, Resources, Safety & Security, Sustainability, Transportation & Mobility

What Do We Do Next?: COVID-19 and the Triple Helix Model of Innovation

May 27, 2020 Rachel Yoka Leave a comment

triple helix association — 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.

IPMI Blog, Management & Human Resources, Operations, Research, Resources, Safety & Security, Transportation & Mobility

Learning from COVID-19: Connecting with the Research Community

May 20, 2020 Rachel Yoka Leave a comment

COVID-19 Research and recovery — TRB/NAS

By Stephanie Dock, AICP, and Katherine Kortum, PhD, PE

This blog post is part of a special series on curb management and COVID-19. A joint effort of the International Parking & 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.

The research community is quickly engaging to help understand and evaluate responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. Practitioner and researcher collaboration will improve our understanding of what has worked and what has not, and how we might change our curbside in the longer term–whether for pandemic responses or for everyday operations in the coming “new normal.”

The Transportation Research Board (TRB) has coordinated and undertaken research for decades. While TRB’s completed research efforts are not specific to COVID-19, prior research is valuable for planning and responding now. Transportation in the Face of Communicable Disease details research on response strategies, transporting essential personnel, communicating clearly during a public health crisis, and more.

TRB launched its “Research Needs Statement Express” to rapidly capture the questions and research ideas generated by the COVID-19 pandemic. This call for submissions recognizes the need to engender collaboration faster than the typical formal process for developing research ideas. TRB is also partnering with the American Association of State Highway Officials (AASHTO), American Public Transportation Association (APTA), and others to develop and soon publish pandemic-related research needs for all transportation modes.

Finally, TRB is developing workshops to help determine questions (and some answers!) in specific areas. Summer 2020 will likely include a summit on scenario planning for transit and shared mobility during the COVID-19 recovery and in 2021, TRB and the European Commission will jointly hold a research summit on COVID-19 effects on transportation.

Academic researchers bring analytical approaches and resources municipal and private sector partners can look to complement their efforts, including:

Peer review network to collaborate and objectively vet research.
Student researchers (the next generation of transportation professionals), who bring energy and ideas.
Capacity to conduct objective, mutli-disciplinary research and analysis through course projects or faculty research.

Examples of academic research underway or projects supporting evaluation of mobility networks during this pandemic include:

Northwestern University is delving into pandemic supply chain network research.
The Maryland Transportation Institute (MTI) produced a comprehensive, interactive COVID-19 data platform.
A multi-institutional, international endeavor led by the Norweigan University of Science and Technology is aggregating data that measures COVID-19’s effects on mobility.
The National Institute of Transportation and Communities (NITC) has been highlighting community-based mobility issues, such as the effect of transit becoming cashless.

Watch for more studies in TRB’s Research in Progress database. For ideas on who to contact for collaboration, start with USDOT’s directory of University Transportation Centers.

Strong partnerships among municipalities, the private sector, and academia are key to offering support and transformative solutions in our pandemic response.

Stephanie Dock, AICP, manages the research program for the District Department of Transportation in Washington, D.C.

Katherine Kortum, PhD, PE, is a senior program officer at the Transportation Research Board in Washington, D.C.

IPMI Blog, Management & Human Resources, Resources, Safety & Security, Sustainability, Technology, Transportation & Mobility

A 10-Point Roadmap for the New Normal in Parking and Mobility

May 15, 2020 Rachel Yoka Leave a comment

By Kevin White, AICP

Like many other sectors of the economy, the parking and mobility industry has been affected significantly by the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite significant impacts on revenue, staffing, and other functions, municipal operations have deftly adjusted to local conditions and are planning in earnest for an uncertain future as cities and states begin to re-open and we move further into this period of “new normal.” While we have all read and heard a variety of prognostications of what the future of parking and mobility might look like, there is a great deal of uncertainty inherent in all of it.

Looking to the immediate and more long-term future, cities should focus on what they know to be true and what they can control. The new normal places significant importance on being nimble, open, and transparent, and leveraging technology and data to serve customers, understand the parking and mobility demand profile, evaluate performance, and make operational adjustments as the situation evolves.

Chrissy Mancini Nichols and I authored a 10-point roadmap for navigating the new normal in parking and mobility. We hope it’s helpful.

Kevin White, AICP, is a parking and mobility consultant with Walker Consultants.

Free Online Shoptalk: Municipalities, Finance, & Recovery: Current Challenges and Next Steps

Pre-Registration is required to attend.

Free to all Industry Professionals

Access the Recording here

Join IPMI for our next online Shoptalk diving into cars, cash, and financial impacts to operations. Open to all, moderator Tiffany Smith will lead the group in discussions centering on three key questions. First, discuss of the impact to the short-term financial picture, including revenue, plans to streamline operations to cover losses, and anticipated changes to programs and policies for recovery. Second, address changes to consumer and patron behavior, your expectations of demand in the immediate and longer term, and potential medium-term changes in curbside (and off-street parking) management. Finally, explore adaptions to policies, programs, staffing, customers, and tech to prepare for future operations.

MODERATOR:

Tiffany Smith, Director of Parking Authority of River City, Louisville Metro Government

I graduated from the University of Kentucky in 1993 and obtained my MBA in 2001. I have been with Metro, Parking Authority for 23 years. I started in Accounting and moved to Administration and now I am the Director. Team building, customer service and improving our operations through technology, innovation and creative thinking are my initiatives in operating the agency. I’m still very much invigorated and excited about how we can make Louisville a better city to live, work and park. My staff is my greatest professional asset.

I am a lifelong learner and am always excited to know more. I serve on the YMCA downtown board, participate in Toastmasters weekly, serve on the International Parking Institutes membership committee and serve on the Bates Community Development Corporation board. I enjoy spending time with family, exercising and traveling. I teach Sunday school youth and serve as a mentor at Newburg middle school through Metro Mentors.

I am hopeful to return to my studies at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and finish my Masters in Family and Biblical counseling. This is a dream deferred. I have 3 kids that make me smile and give me purpose; they are my greatest life accomplishment.