Developing a Curb Management Strategy: Three Factors of Formulation

By Andrew Lamothe and Jason Sutton, CAPP

As cities navigate complex parking environments, adapt new policies, and integrate innovations, curb management continues its trend toward mainstream adoption. Most if not all parking and transportation experts across the U.S. agree that an effective curb management strategy is a priority, especially as many cities contend with double digit population growth. Naturally, this growth breeds competition at the curb.

Here are three factors to help formulate a strategy:

1.  Set strategic goals – Strategic goals should correlate with identified challenges. What are the goals if solving for:

• • Congestion
  • Inventory Management
  • Efficiency
  • Equity
  • All the above

After goals and outcomes are defined, move to outline Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). KPI’s will serve as project milestones.

2.  Identify Challenges

• • Legacy code and policies. These are potential hurdles to innovation. Removing or revising these hurdles creates a clear path to problem solving solutions.
  • Innovate don’t imitate. Curb management strategies don’t adhere to the adage “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery”. Every city, university, etc. is going to have its own unique obstacles, so innovate accordingly.
  • Tunnel vision. An effective strategy considers all aspects of the ecosystem (garages, lots, EV, loading zones, timed parking, bike share, etc.) and implements accordingly.
  • Funding. Does an adequate budget exist? The federal SMART grant was created for these solutions. Depending on scope, grant money may fully fund the project or augment resources.
  • Participation. Strategies succeed with stakeholder participation. Collaboration on infrastructure reviews, project scope, and a detailed execution plan is paramount.

3. Solutions

Technologies serving the curb management space are all striving to solve the aforementioned problems. However, a “one size fits all” solution doesn’t exist, so alignment on goals and provider abilities is a must. The spectrum ranges from tech that specializes in loading zone enforcement to comprehensive curb management platforms. Considerations should be made for accuracy and integration capabilities, while identifying the solutions that meet the unique and specific needs of the operation.

Andrew Lamothe is Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Cleverciti. He can be reached at andrew.lamothe@cleverciti.com.

Jason Sutton, CAPP, is Vice President of Channel Partnerships for Passport. He can be reached at Jason.Sutton@passportinc.com.