Tag Archives: university

Embracing “E” Words for Campus Mobility

College student wearing a mask and biking on campus.By Sarah Blouch, Carl DePinto, Zachary Pearce, and Keith Palma

Initiating changes to parking and mobility systems on college campuses can be difficult and frustrating for campus parking professionals. New solutions to old problems abound as technology and innovation flourish in the industry. But the fear of the unknown, competing needs for a scarce resource that require established priorities, and the inability to gain consensus (much less a direction) on those critical priorities are all frequent reasons why university leaders tend to resist making changes. They have enough challenges to deal with at any given time, so why create more?

Well, it turns out there is nothing like a good crisis to help the evolution of change move forward! While the pandemic forced everyone into crises management mode for the past 15 months, we have now shifted into planning for a “new normal” and at the same time, seizing opportunities to implement long-desired changes to make our systems more effective for the customer and efficient for operations. Flexible and scalable parking options to address hybrid work schedules, protocols around cleanliness and social distancing, and event parking changes to better manage traffic and enhance safety for the sellers are all now possible (and in many cases required) to manage the long-term aftereffects of COVID-19.

It is time to embrace the ”E” words: Evolutions in operations to Enhance Efficiency and Effectiveness.

Carl DePinto and Zach Pearce are with Duke University and Duke Health; and Sarah Blouch and Keith Palma are with CampusParc. They will present on this topic at the 2021 IPMI Parking & Mobility Conference & Expo, Nov. 29 – Dec. 2, in Tampa, Fla.

Telecommuting and Space Use at UCLA

As COVID-19 took hold in spring 2020, UCLA closed its campus to all but essential employees and its world-renowned medical center, which continued to operate throughout the pandemic, as expected. Beyond that, however, nearly 80 percent of campus employees (excluding medical center staff) were sent home and asked to telecommute for the foreseeable future. A committee was formed to assess the state of telecommuting on campus, and to seek how to lock in, or continue, the benefits of telecommuting that seemed to be existent during the mass telecommuting period.

At the same time, it had become apparent that—contrary to published research that suggested public transit was not a significant source of coronavirus transmission—many bus riders who were part of the essential workforce were no longer traveling via public transit. In fact, many were driving to and from campus on a daily basis. As expected, modes of travel that involve close proximity to other people experienced dramatic declines in participation during the pandemic. As society recovers and campus activity returns to previous levels, survey data indicates strong and continued reticence for many of these previous sustainable transportation commuters to get back on the bus or into a vanpool, which worries parking administrators.

Read how UCLA is preparing for campus re-opening this fall, including its plans for cars, transit, and other modes of transportation in a COVID-transformed environment. The whole case study is in the July issue of Parking & Mobility magazine; click here to read it.

Free Online Shoptalk: Airports: Short- and Long-term Recovery Moderated by Matt Sherwood, CM – MWAA

Airports: Short- and Long-term Recovery Moderated by Matt Sherwood, CM, Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority – MWAA


March 3, 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm ET

To register, click here. 

Free to all industry professionals. 

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.


Shoptalk Summary 

With COVID-19 vaccines becoming more widely available and life—and travel—returning to something resembling normal, airports are seeing more traffic, which means more people parking and using mobility options. Recovery is in sight.

Join us to talk about how airport parking and transportation operations are recovering: What’s going back to “normal,” and what new technologies, practices, and ways of doing things will stay permanent. Bring your challenges, solutions so far, questions, and observations for an open roundtable discussion.

Submit your questions and thoughts for the discussion on the registration page.


Matthew Sherwood, C.M., Metropolitan Washing Airport Authority – MWAA

Matt Sherwood is a revenue strategy program manager for the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, whose mission is to develop, promote, and safely operate Reagan National and Dulles International airports. He has been in the parking and ground transportation industry for 15 years. Matt is part of the team that is responsible for managing the airports’ commercial parking portfolio and his primary focus is consumer strategy, enhancing the customer experience, revenue optimization, and pricing.

He is actively involved in the industry and is currently serving on IPMI’s Technology Committee and Awards of Excellence Committee.

Free Online Shoptalk: Data-driven Parking and Mobility Management Moderated by Kevin White, AICP, Walker Consultants

Data-driven Parking and Mobility Management Moderated by Kevin White, AICP, Walker Consultants


May 5, 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm ET

To register, click here. 

Free to all industry professionals. 

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.


Shoptalk Summary 

From its evolution as a buzzword to part of daily operations, data has grown into a critical part of both regular business and planning for the future—and no more so than in a time of great change for parking and mobility. We’ll talk about how parking organizations are collecting, analyzing, and using data; what kinds of data they’re using; and how they’ve set up their staff to collect, analyze, and use data for right-now and the future—practical solutions and demystifying data-driven parking management. We’ll also talk about several case studies from real organizations and have an open, roundtable discussion with questions and answers.

Submit your questions and thoughts for the discussion on the registration page.


Kevin White, AICP, Walker Consultants

Kevin White is a parking and mobility planner and consultant for Walker Consultants based in their Minneapolis, Minn., office. He specializes in parking and mobility planning, curbside management, and transportation demand management, with a focus on policy and user behavior and integrating all modes of transportation. Kevin is passionate about solving site circulation and parking challenges on campuses and in cities by integrating a blend of infrastructure, program, and policy strategies that promote access for all types of users. He strives to create planning processes that are meaningful and informative, with a focus on stakeholder transparency and the use of data and visualizations to tell a story, generate ideas, and gain consensus.

Free Online Shoptalk: Touchless Technology: The Latest Updates and Case Studies. Moderated by David Hoyt

Touchless Technology: The Latest Updates and Case Studies. Moderated by David Hoyt


April 7, 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm ET

To register, click here. 

Free to all industry professionals.

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.


Shoptalk Summary 

Challenges sometimes present opportunity and that’s definitely true in the parking and mobility industry. Touchless technology saw huge demand and growth in 2020 due to COVID-19 and a desire to put patrons’ minds at ease as they made their way through cities, campuses, medical facilities, airports, and other parking areas.

Join IPMI members to hear case studies of touchless technology implementation, learn where the technology is going (and how far it’s come), share your own successes and challenges, and ask questions of our experts.

Submit your questions and thoughts for the discussion on the registration page.


David Hoyt, SVP, Sales and Account Management, ParkMobile

David Hoyt, a parking and transportation professional with more than 20 years of expertise, manages sales and partnerships at ParkMobile.  Prior to joining Parkmobile, he was national account manager for T2 Systems, responsible for sales and client relations in the Southeast U.S., Caribbean, and strategic accounts. David began his parking career with Standard Parking, where he worked for 13 years and served as vice president of operations, managing the company’s portfolio of municipal and private parking operations throughout the State of Florida.

 

IPMI News: IPMI Releases Roadmap to Recovery, University Planning, Strategies, and Benchmarking for 2021

IPMI Releases Roadmap to Recovery, University Planning, Strategies, and Benchmarking for 2021

Download or read the document online.


 

The fall 2020 semester for higher education campuses has been a mixture of trial and error, adaptation, and survival. With the impacts of the global pandemic continuing to evolve, ensuring some level of education and campus experience has been a rapidly moving target. Within the parking and mobility realm, this challenge has been no different. For programs that manage on-campus transportation activities, defining how to operate shuttles, manage parking, assist with mobility options, and keep patrons and staff safe has constantly evolved with the ebbs and flows of this unique campus life experience.

This document, developed by the International Parking & Mobility Institute’s Research & Innovation Task Force, seeks to assemble data from academic parking and mobility programs across the United States to help understand how the strategies implemented and adapted over the fall 2020 semester met the needs of patrons and helped to support campus life. The data was collected using an online survey that asked questions about enrollment trends, strategies used, lessons learned, and revenue impacts. The information in this document has been assembled to help programs throughout our
industry understand the potential opportunities and challenges associated with individual strategies or combinations of multiple strategies.

Free Online Shoptalk: The University Environment: Planning for Spring and What’s Changed, Moderated by Brett Wood, PE, CAPP

The University Environment: Planning for Spring and What’s Changed, Moderated by Brett Wood, PE, CAPP


January 6, 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm ET

To register, click here. 

Free to all industry professionals. Registration coming soon.

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.


Shoptalk Summary 

Universities have walked a long road since March 2020. With some planning to welcome students back—at all or in larger numbers—for the spring 2021 semester and some still operating mainly or entirely remotely, the road to recovery can still be uncertain.

This open roundtable discussion will include results of the IPMI’s Research and Innovation Task Force’s research paper: Academic Parking-Mobility’s Response to COVID-19. Bring your challenges, your solutions, and your questions and ideas as we talk about flexible permits, mobility options, revenue recovery, staffing, and other issues universities face this spring.

Submit your questions and thoughts for the discussion on the registration page.


Brett Wood, PE, CAPP, Wood Solutions Group 

Brett Wood, CAPP, P.E. of Wood Solutions Group is a recognized industry expert in right-sized parking systems, parking management, and implementation of progressive parking policies. Throughout his 15-year career, he has been at the forefront of parking program design and the creation of innovative parking management practices. He’s worked with municipalities and campuses throughout the country to help create programs structured around community goals, customer service, and improving the overall vitality of the communities and campuses he serves.

Academic Parking & Mobility’s Response to COVID-19

By Brett Wood, CAPP, PE

The fall 2020 semester for higher education campuses has been a mixture of trial and error, adaptation, and survival. With the effects of the global pandemic continuing to evolve, ensuring some level of education and campus experience has been a rapidly moving target.

Within the parking and mobility realm, this challenge has been no different. For programs that manage on-campus transportation activities, defining how to operate shuttles, manage parking, assist with mobility options, and keep patrons and staff safe has constantly evolved with the ebbs and flows of this unique campus life experience.

IPMI’s Research & Innovation Task Force has been working throughout the year on the ongoing Roadmap to Recovery project, helping document the steps our industry is taking to support our campuses and communities. The latest installment–Academic Parking & Mobility Response to COVID-19–documents the findings from an industry survey that sought to understand strategies, policies, and practices implemented in the academic realm to provide safe, flexible, and adaptive parking and mobility options. The results, available soon, highlight strategies that have worked, lessons learned, and overall impacts to program performance.

If you’d like to continue the conversation, join IPMI tomorrow, December 16, for the next free online Shoptalk: Looking Back, Planning Ahead: Leaving 2020 in the Dust and Building a Better 2021, moderated by Casey Jones, CAPP. You can register here.

Brett Wood, CAPP, PE, is president of Wood Solutions Group and co-chair of IPMI’s Research & Innovation Task Force.

Granular Choice, Reduced Parking Demand, and Delighted Customers

By Chris Lechner, CAPP

UCLA has long been a leader in reducing drive-alone rates. Historically, attention has been focused on subsidizing alternative transportation products, but parking policy plays a key role. Though often overlooked, daily discounted parking is crucial support strategy to meeting transportation demand management goals.

UCLA has been able to expand the use of alternatives, lower the drive-alone rate, and maximize the utility of a limited and shrinking parking inventory by selling parking by the day to faculty and staff at a discount from the public daily rate. This flexibility enables customers to drive when they need to, and do something else when they can. Daily discounts remove the incentives of all-you-can-park permits, incentivizing customers to “Drive Less and Save More.”

Recently, UCLA has been able to maximize this transportation demand management strategy by utilizing virtual permits. This has removed sign-up requirements and enabled pre-tax payroll deduction as a payment method. Additionally, the operational flexibility provided by this approach has provided frameworks and flexibility to respond to the impacts of Covid-19.

In an IPMI webinar later today, I’ll lay out the landscape at UCLA, review the history of our daily discounted parking program, highlight some of the operational flexibility afforded to us via this program, and finally review how this has allowed us to respond to the pandemic. I hope you’ll join us.

Chris Lechner, CAPP, is parking data analytics and strategic projects manager at UCLA.

December 15 Webinar: Getting Smart: Strategies to Get Started Creating Smart Communities. Presented by Thomas Szubka, CAPP, Walker Consultants

REGISTER HERE.

View webinar description, learning objectives, and speaker details, and register for free today. 


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