Technology

Is the curb for parking, deliveries, valet, ride-share, taxis, horse and buggy, or buses?   If I had been asked this question over 20 years ago, I would have said it was for parking and generating revenue to help pay for infrastructure improvements to drive economic growth. But today, the answer is all above! Our industry has changed so much over the decades due to many different needs. But what I do know is that the curb is at capacity! So, the big question becomes, how do we manage it? Today’s technology plays a major role in helping us manage the curb.   I remember what a big deal it was to put solar pay stations on the street that allowed me to remove 12- 14 single space mechanical meters.  But looking at the technology today, you can place a sign with a QR code and that will lead the customer to platform to pay for parking by using the phone.   You do not really need anything else!  Nashville has been spending the past year working on a technology platform that manages the curb - all uses of the curb! This program is called Connect Downtown.  From the study, we set goals for a safe and comfortable downtown, one that’s connected and convenient, focuses on equitable and accessible, meets sustainable and resilient needs, is vibrant and inviting but balanced and reliable.   Wow, that is a lot to deliver to the community.  We are accomplishing this with five (5) big moves.   The first big move is managing congestion.   We are upgrading our signals to real time to manage special events, people and safety of all modes.  The next one is improved safety.  Being a vision zero county, we are making our roadway network safer for people.  Move three (3) is prioritizing our transit for better service and reliability throughout the region.  Building complete street networks with connected walking paths, bikeways, and micro mobility options for first and last miles is the fourth big move.  And the last big move, maximizing the curb by flexing the use based on needs, creating passenger loading or service unloading zones for deliveries, rideshares, taxis and AVs. Do not forget to include local businesses’ needs, venues and their modes of transporting people.  But mostly, make sure you address everything for your residents.  They are the foundation of everything that’s planned.   In the last year, we have added over one hundred and forty-five (145) bike and scooter corrals.  We’ve piloted a transit lane designed for special events that’s allowed for improving the time of exiting from the downtown Hub by over 50%.   We’ve established additional unloading zones that are flexed at 4 PM to 4 AM for ridesharing, taxi, etc and did a ridezone pilot that improved the traffic flow.  We’ve also organized the parking system for the curb, so that we have technology providing turns for businesses.  And now we are working closely with the community on the technology platform for managing the curb, similar to parking.  Technology is allowing us to advance and optimize how the city manages the curb, and we’re transforming how our downtown operates — making life easier for residents and business owners Diana W. Alarcon, PTMP, is the Director for Nashville Department of Transportation & Multimodal Infrastructure. Diana can be reached at diana.alarcon@nashville.gov.

We received so many great responses to the December 2025 question that we wanted to share them all!

Paris, France, and Miami, USA – Survision, the pioneering Franco-American company specialized in automatic vehicle recognition technologies, is proud to announce a major milestone in its history: a successful Management Buy-Out (MBO) supported by the majority fund Capital Export, secured through a €25 million investment to accelerate its growth and strengthen its position as the independent leader in License Plate Recognition (LPR) and Vehicle Identification solutions. A New Chapter of Independence and Ambition This operation marks a new phase in Survision’s strategic development. With the support of Capital Export, Survision reinforces its long-standing commitment to remain independent, standing out as one of the few LPR companies not acquired by an industrial player. “This investment allows us to pursue our vision of creating a truly open, neutral, and platform-agnostic vehicle recognition ecosystem,” said Jacques Jouannais, CEO of Survision group. “Our ambition is to become a global Vehicle Recognition Platform, seamlessly compatible with any payment or mobility system.” A Strategic Move Toward Global Leadership The new funding will accelerate Survision’s AI innovation roadmap, international expansion, and the deployment of next-generation vehicle recognition technologies that power smart cities, parking , tolling and access control worldwide. In addition, this operation provides Survision with the financial strength to pursue a build-up strategy, enabling the company to acquire and integrate other key players in the mobility sector. These targeted acquisitions will reinforce Survision’s technological edge and broaden its global footprint. Capital Export’s participation brings strategic and financial expertise to support Survision’s growth, while ensuring that its entrepreneurial DNA and technological independence remain intact. Managers and Employees at the Heart of the Adventure One of the most distinctive aspects of this MBO is that Survision’s managers and some employees are now shareholders. This collective participation embodies the company’s values of unity, authenticity, and shared success. “The fact that the team is directly invested in the company’s future gives Survision an authentic and unique energy” said Charles-Antoine Eliard, Managing Partner at Capital Export. “Our role is to provide the long-term capital and strategic support that will allow Survision’s teams to fully realize their international ambitions while preserving their independence and innovation culture.” About Survision Founded in 2001, Survision is a leading provider of Vehicle Identification and License Plate Recognition (LPR) technologies serving transportation, mobility, and security industries across more than 36 countries. The company’s proprietary camera and software solutions deliver unmatched speed, accuracy, and reliability to partners in parking, access control, tolling and smart mobility ecosystems. Survision’s vision is to create a global vehicle recognition infrastructure, empowering seamless interaction between vehicles and digital services worldwide. Website: www.survisiongroup.com Press Contact: Sofia Kuhn sku@survisiongroup.com About Capital Export Capital Export is a French private equity firm dedicated to financing and supporting the international growth of small and mid-sized companies. By combining long-term capital investment with operational expertise, Capital Export helps entrepreneurs accelerate their development abroad while maintaining strategic and operational independence. More information: https://www.capital-export.fr/en

Carlsbad, CA — Zevtron, a leading developer of hardware-agnostic, white-label EV charging and parking technology, announced LumaCharge, a transformative advancement in EV infrastructure design. The groundbreaking system deploys EV chargers using existing parking lot and parking structure lighting circuits, eliminating the need to install costly new EV infrastructure and offering considerable savings. The system, enabled by Zevtron’s patented USEV Smart Pedestal with built-in breakers, meets all applicable electrical code requirements. For years, the cost and complexity of installing new electrical infrastructure have been the biggest barriers to EV charging deployment. LumaCharge changes that. By safely drawing power from lighting circuits that now have significant spare capacity due to facility conversions from traditional lighting to high-efficiency LED fixtures, parking owners can install EV charging at a fraction of the cost of traditional methods. “Across the country we see the same pattern: facilities upgraded to LED lighting now have substantial unused electrical capacity sitting in the lighting circuits,” said Bob Andrews, CEO of Zevtron. “Zevtron’s USEV patented Smart Pedestal is purpose-built to utilize that spare power safely and effectively, and the result is often 40–60% lower installation cost with dramatically faster deployment timelines.” At the heart of this breakthrough is Zevtron’s patented USEV Smart Pedestal, which includes an integrated, code-compliant breaker assembly. This means each pedestal can be connected directly to a lighting circuit without requiring a new dedicated breaker in the electrical room. The pedestal functions as a self-contained, stand-alone protective device, ensuring safe operation on circuits that were never originally designed for EV charging, yet now have ample capacity thanks to modern LED loads. A full energy analysis of the lighting circuit is required to determine compatibility, available capacity, and in turn, the number and size of chargers that can be deployed. “Nothing else in the market works like this,” said Chris McKenty, SVP of Sales & Marketing at Zevtron. “The pedestal’s built-in breaker gives owners the ability to deploy chargers almost anywhere lighting exists, while still meeting all safety and electrical-code requirements. It allows us to turn lighting infrastructure into EV infrastructure, simply and intelligently.” -more- Zevtron LumaCharge press release Because lighting circuits typically run to every row or group of stalls, lighting-fed charging is especially effective facilities offering long-stay or day rate parking, including, airport lots and structures, corporate campuses, municipal parking structures, university facilities, hotels, and event venues. These locations see vehicles parked for extended durations, making them perfect for steady, lower-power charging sourced from existing circuit capacity. Zevtron’s USEV Smart Pedestal allows each charger to be isolated, serviced, or swapped without affecting other chargers on the circuit, another differentiator that reduces downtime, reduces maintenance costs, and enables large-scale deployments without operational disruption. Zevtron LumaCharge is fully compatible with Zevtron’s OCPP/OCPI-compliant software platform, which fully supports: • Dynamic pricing • Driver authentication • Load balancing • PCI-compliant payment processing • Integration with parking access control and LPR systems “Our goal is to remove the infrastructure barrier,” Andrews added. “By using lighting circuits that already exist and by engineering a pedestal that eliminates the need for additional breakers, we’ve created a future-ready charging ecosystem that is cost-effective, scalable, and installation-friendly for any parking operator.” About Zevtron Zevtron is a leading national EV software and hardware provider based in Carlsbad, California. The company’s products and services are designed to provide flexibility, manageability, and profitability to building owners, institutions, and parking owners who offer EV charging. Zevtron is the only leading EV provider to integrate its technology with leading parking access and revenue control equipment for easy and convenient EV charging management, and its hardware agnostic software platform allows owners to keep 100% of EV charging revenues. Zevtron can be found online at http://zevton.com/.

Every legislative cycle brings forward new ideas about how cities should manage parking, mobility, and the public realm. Most proposals are well-intentioned. Some even sound appealing at first glance. But every so often, a bill emerges that deserves the parking industry’s full attention because its implications reach far beyond the curb. Florida’s House Bill 323 is one of those bills. On the surface, HB 323 appears consumer-friendly: refunding unused parking time, extending grace periods before enforcement, and prohibiting certain uses of public property for paid parking. But underneath that simple narrative lies a much more complex reality that affects revenue stability, technology systems, curb management, university operations, and long-standing public and private partnerships. And this is not the first time we have seen an idea like this circulate. A few years ago, a similar concept surfaced in Iowa that proposed refunds for unused parking time or the ability for leftover minutes to automatically transfer to the next vehicle using the same space. The idea resonated with the public but unraveled quickly once cities, universities, and parking professionals explained the operational and fiscal consequences. The bill ultimately died before advancing. The lesson was clear:  Parking policy may seem simple from the outside, but the operational ecosystem behind it is anything but. In Iowa, the proposal collided with the realities of modern parking systems such as pay-by-plate technologies, LPR enforcement, turnover management, and the financial responsibilities that support local services. Refund mandates and time-transfer requirements introduced accounting complications, revenue instability, and enforcement challenges that could not be resolved with current infrastructure. The industry spoke up, and policymakers listened. Florida now faces a similar moment of decision, and the stakes are even higher. HB 323 extends beyond refunds and leftover minutes. It introduces statewide enforcement delays and eliminates many forms of public and private collaboration on public property. These collaborations support downtowns, campuses, tourism districts, and event venues across the state. The national parking community should care deeply about these conversations, even if the legislation is not in your state. What happens in one large state sets precedent for others. Bills spread. Ideas resurface. Once policy narratives take hold without industry input, they are difficult to unwind. This is the moment for parking and mobility professionals to engage rather than react. We are the practitioners who understand how these systems actually function.  We are the ones who see the downstream effects on safety, turnover, economic development, and municipal budgeting.  We are the ones who bridge technology, compliance, public expectation, and financial stewardship every day. If we want better policy outcomes, we must be part of shaping the conversation early. So here is the call to action: Stay informed. Track legislation in your state that touches the curb, parking enforcement, or public and private partnerships. Educate policymakers. Many lawmakers simply do not understand how operationally complex parking systems are, and they should not be expected to without our help. Share lessons learned. Iowa’s experience matters. Florida’s debate matters. Each gives us insight into how to frame the discussion constructively. Advocate proactively. Reach out before decisions are made. Once a narrative is set, it is far harder to change. Parking is not a passive industry. It shapes how cities move, grow, and thrive. Legislation that affects parking ultimately affects communities. Whether or not HB 323 passes, the conversation it sparks is an opportunity for our industry to show up, share expertise, and ensure that future policies strengthen mobility rather than disrupt it. Now is the time to engage. Brooke Krieger is a Regional Sales Director for Arrive. Brooke can be reached at brooke.krieger@arrive.com.

It has been said that adults do not need to be taught what to think they should be taught, but rather how to think.  How does this apply to the parking and mobility industry?  My answer would be significantly!  We all employ adults, whether part-time or full-time, that need to be onboarded and be expected to work independently.  Often these are the very people that make the difference between out one star and five-star ratings. Adults should be approached in a different way than children and we manage parking considerations for adults.  When we are onboarding new employees, we often don't take the concept of education into account.  We tend to think about training.  This approach may have worked well when most parking was  gate controlled and paid for in cash.  Today's parking patron expects so much more.  Not only do they expect a wide variety of services and payment options, but they also expect the people servicing them will have a higher level of technological understanding.  The industry continues to evolve to more reliance on technology. Managers would be wise to invest some time in their orientation programs.  Standing in front of a group of new employees and asking them to recite facts or memorize policy manuals.  I suggest that the social experiences that an employee has encountered allow them to observe other students' attitudes toward information and successfully emulate good practices through dialogue and observation. We are really in business for two reasons, customer service and problem solving.  As professionals, we (and our staff) need to be good at both. I will continue this discussion in my next blog. Scott Rohde, PECP, PTMP,  is the Director of Public Safety for Wesleyan Office of Public Safety. Scott can be reached at srohde@wesleyan.edu.

As I look back on what was a transformative year for parking, transportation, and mobility, I am inspired.

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