PT's Parking Blog

GPS

As Robyn and I were driving to the mall to visit the after Christmas Sales, I discovered that I didn't exactly know where the mall was. We were in a city (San Diego) we didn't frequent often and although I had been to Horton plaza hundreds of times when we installed the parking equipment in the project (that was 15 years ago and it has long since been replaced) So as we neared the town, I was fumbling with my new Blackberry to call up a map of the area and pick an offramp. R started to chuckle and pushed a button the dash of her new ride.

A map appeared showing our location, to the inch, and the surrounding streets and buildings. Wait until the freeway ends, turn right on Broadway and you were there.  That was the easy part.

However she had never used the GPS on her new car to actually give her directions to a particular location. I saw my opening and went for it.  "Tell you what, why don't you go in and shop and I'll meet you in half an hour. I'll program this sucker to take us home."

Actually it wasn't too hard, after I figured out how to turn it on. It even told me that I was not on a "digitized" street and the process would begin when got on one.

After shopping we got back to the car with the anticipation of a kid on Christmas Morning. We were actually going to use this new toy.

Sure enough it worked perfectly.  A kindly but forceful female voice telling us every turn to make, distances, and the like. There was one minor problem -- the last three miles were different than our normal route. We liked to take the freeway and it took us over surface streets. I expected to be berated by the machine for not taking the correct off ramp.

However, as soon as we missed the turn, the thing went into a "recomputing" mode and in a few seconds had a new route programmed in that took us home the preferred way. Sorry, but I was impressed.  I have no clue how all this works but it works very VERY well.

I have a friend who believes that the person who invented this program lives next door to him. They way it takes him from his house to work, down back streets and using alleys, would be, he says, impossible to know if they didn't drive the route each day.

I know, I know, this stuff is old hat to most of you, but to this old dog, its a new toy, and a fun one, too.

JVH

Parking Wars

There is a new series on A and E called "Parking Wars."  You can get a taste of it here.

Basically is a series of video clips of the parking enforcement folks in Philadelphia going about their jobs and the people whose cars are towed, booted, and cited.

I just don't know what to think of this.  It had to be coming. I will reserve comment until I actually see an episode or two, but frankly its hard to see how anything good can come out of it for our industry.

We'll see

JVH

The Night before Christmas --

Twas the night before christmas and all through the house, not a creature,,,

When children reach the age of reason (usually about two or three years old), they believe in Santa Claus. Its a wondrous time when magic and fable intermingle and all is right with the world. Gifts come from a jolly man in a red suit and he somehow, we don't ask this question too fervently, makes it to all the houses of the little children, around the world, and he does it in one night. That's the "wonder and magic" part. There are reindeer, Mrs. Claus, all the elves, and of course cookies and milk waiting for him. We climb up on his knee in the shopping center and whisper our wants in his ear. And, wonders of wonders, at least some of that list appear under the tree on Christmas Morning.

Then, when the kids are about to enter puberty, they are "grown up" and realize that there is no Santa. Its a sad time for them, but part of the right of passage.  They learn just who provides the gifts, and how important it is to keep this information from the little ones. Let them find out at their own speed. Christmas takes on a different meaning to these young people and can become at once jaded and crass. The magic and wonder simply leave these teenage pragmatists. Their education and life's experiences have turned them in to cynics. These teenage years are tough times for our kids. They have moved from the wonder and belief of childhood to the questioning and cynicism of their teen age years.  There's no talking to them. They just have to survive it.

The real transformation takes place when we have a small child in our lives, either as a parent, relative, or friend. We weather the malls, find the perfect gift, wrap it, and put it under the tree, often noting on the card that it is for Ashley, from Santa. Its then that we are hit with the realization, there is a Santa Claus, and he is us.

We, without the red suit, long beard, and ho, ho, ho, are Santa Claus.Our goal is to be certain that there is no disappointment in the eyes of the young on Christmas Morning. IF we come to affluence, the pile around the tree is great. If we come from lesser means, we consider for months the 'perfect' gift that will ensure that the young believer holds to his or her Santa Legend just one more year.

First we believe, then we don't, then we discover that we are. Seems like a nice process. And it works for many things. We live for a while in denial, then see the problem, wrestle with it, and then discover, to our amazement, that we are the problem. The Santa story is an allegory for life itself. And the fact that its the happiest time of year and also the most stressful, makes it all the more real.

The young don't need "facts" to believe, they just do. And their lives are uncomplicated and filled with fun and joy. The teens must have "proof" and question everything. That's good, for without questions, we would have no growth. But adults, with the wisdom of time and experience, know that belief of the young and the questioning of the teen is the tap root of life and as the "real" Santa, its up to us to keep both the children's beliefs and the questions of the teens up and in full tilt. Our maturity came from both and without either, we will be lost.

But can't you take it one step further. Isn't everything about Christmas belief. Aren't the things we worship magical. Isn't the entire story of the birth and life of the person who changed the world two thousand years ago really a story of a child who believed, a teen who questioned, and then an adult who knew the truth.

Christ's story may seem implausible to some and miraculous to others but it has persevered over the  centuries. A story that lasts that long, and has such a message of hope and sacrifice, must have something going for it. The gift giving, Santa, shopping, the madhouse at the mall, they all focus right on the message of the holiday. We are being taught to be tolerant, giving, thankful, and  a bit spiritual, we are being taught to believe  in  magic.

So, Santa - as you make that last present run to the mall, or wrap that last package, or drink the milk and eat the cookie lovingly put out on Christmas Eve by a "good little girl or boy." you are in one of those places where you cannot fail. Your children will love whatever Santa brings, assuming you have done your job correctly the rest of the year.

Remember, Santa checks lists, knows whose naughty or nice, and has a bit of magic to ensure all is right in the world, at least from that "belief" point of view.

This season is filled with Santas, wonder, and excitement. But its message is clear.

And we heard him exclaim as he flew out of fight, Merry Christmas to all,,,,and to all a good night.

JVH

Just an easy question...

Read this article

Then tell me how much they charge for onstreet parking in Crystal Lake, IL.

Keep in mind, they have a lot of free off street parking in the evenings in the Metra lots, but they have continued issues with on street parking in the areas where the local restaurants, bars, and clubs are located.

HMMMMM....

JVH

Parking Charges in Scotland a "tax on the sick"

Let's see, you go to the hospital for a check up in the UK, its absolutely free, paid for by the government (of course it isn't free, its paid for by you due to the confiscatory taxes charged by the government, but never mind).  However if you have to pay to park, its a tax on the sick.

The health service in Scotland has issued a fiat that sets the maximum that a hospital can charge for parking. ($6). It makes no difference if the hospital is sitting in the center of Glasgow or Edinburgh, or on an open heath in between, the price will be maxed at the same.

The Health officer said, of course, that parking should be free, but understood that sometimes charges were needed. If charges are needed at all, the question is how can you set the maximum?  It makes no sense. If a garage is located across the street from the hospital and charges $10 a day, and the hospital is charging $6. Where are people going to park?  Ok, for those of you who don't understand, and probably work for the National Health Service in Scotland, I will splain.

If the hospital charges less than the surrounding area, folks from the surrounding area will flock to the hospital and park there. If you institute a validation program so people who visit the hospital get a lower rate, you will have a "underground" validation system spring up almost immediately.

In hospitals where parking was "free" there were tremendous parking issues, ambulances couldn't even get in to the emergency room. The day that parking charges were instituted, there were plenty of parking spaces for employees and for patients.

I'm certain that many of the "sick" who visit hospitals in the UK actually are driven by friends who can drop them off and then pick them up later.  Virtually everyone has a cell phone and can call their friends when their appointment is over.  Arrangements can always be made for employees to park nearby and take a shuttle. The hospital, can if it wishes, make arrangements for these folks and pay for their parking. That would free up space for visitors and patients.

When I go to visit my doctor, I park in a lot that charges $2 and hour. However my doctor has cut a deal with the lot and my charge maxes out at $2. It seems that the vast majority of people who visit that particular doctor stay less than an hour.  My guess is that virtually every parking ticket costs the doctor Zip.Problem solved.

Since all the money in the National Health Service is funny money anyway (it all comes from the same source and bureaucrats simply move it around), what difference does it make if they validate and then charge back the hospital for the difference. That way the patient could pay a smaller amount and the hospital the rest. The hospital would then know just what parking costs and the legislature could argue over  parking charges and money moved from account to account.

In actuality, parking fees are probably the only outside income received at the hospital and they need that money for operating costs. 

This all boils down to the quote that "Parking should be Free."  Once people get that into their head, there is no turning back. If a person can afford a car, and afford $8 a gallon gasoline, and insurance, and road taxes, they can afford to pay to park it. Period.

JVH

Small Towns have a Parking Issue, too

Here we are in Warren County, Me. There is a parking crunch brought on by eliminating a few spaces on street, marking nine spaces in front of the courthouse as reserved, and a heavier load in the superior court. What to do, what to do?

They are sending a letter to all employees asking them to parking behind the Sheriff's Office, where, one assumes, there are plenty of parking spaces. But for some reason, the employees are parking on street (where it is free). The voluntary solution will be worth about the amount it costs for one sheet of the paper used to notify everyone of the council's request.

Remember, we are talking about probably fewer than a couple of dozen spaces here. The parking crunch is not that overwhelming. However the same solution as mentioned time and again on PT's blog would work and work well.

The city could call one of the parking meter manufacturers, order up thirty or so parking meters, have em set for the amount of time and money necessary for folks visiting the courthouse and that would be that. There would be plenty of parking available, the office workers would find it in their best financial interest to park in the free spaces behind the Sheriff's office, and all would be right with the world.

What works in New York, Champaign, and Portland, works in Warren County.

JVH

Champaign -- They got there, but its confused...

The City of Champaign, IL, has raised its downtown on street parking rates to 75 cents an hour, up from 25. They are doing this because they have built a new parking garage and need the revenue to pay off the bonds. They have reported that they expect an increase in revenue of over half a million bucks a year.

A couple of the councilpersons have stated that they think the new rates are a good idea because it will free up some parking for folks who want to run in to the shops for a short time. The mayor is against the hike, and has already tasked the parking folks to monitor the situation and see if the downtown merchant income goes into the tank.

Read the article here.

This is a case of particularly bad PR on the part of the council. What they should have reported to the press, and said in the meetings, was that the increase was due to a need to increase parking availability downtown. The increase would entice employees of local merchants to use the parking garage and make the more convenient parking available to shoppers.  However, by stressing the "need" to raise revenue for the new garage, they are telling their constituents that parking charges are another tax.

The garage couldn't make it on its own, so we have to raise on street rates to pay for it. In fact what will happen is that by raising on street rates, which they should have done in the beginning, they will move a lot of parkers into the garage and most likely it will begin to pay for itself, as it should. If you read the article carefully, you will find that the city built the garage at the behest of a local developer who built an office building nearby.

OK, the council do mention in passing the reallocation of parking space, but I think that the support of the parking resource should be the primary reason for making these changes.  We do things for the wrong reasons. That's not to complain, in the end, Champaign did the right thing. However if we are going to change the mind set of the city, and the parkers, we need to use the proper PR. This is not a "spin," its a complete change in approach. Parkers need to understand that parking is neither cheap nor free. And the reason it isn't, is that its a limited resource, and its use and cost must be market driven.

JVH

Shame on you Atlanta

It has been reported that 548 parking meters have been stolen off the streets of Atlanta, GA in the past year. That's 39% of the total meters in the city of the Peaches.

Now get this. They are doing nothing about it. It turns out that they don't even report the thefts to the Police. The local police say that unless someone reports the crime, they have better things to do.

The meters cost $500 each to replace. That means that over a quarter of a million dollars in city owned property has been stolen (not counting the money in the meters) and they are doing nothing about it. They couldn't even walk down the hall and file a report. This has to be going on all the time, the numbers say that at a minimum two of these are going missing every business day.

The reporters for the Atlanta Constitution didn't ask the important question: "Why?"

I can guess.  The city is in a project to replace the meters with a Pay and Display system. So why trouble themselves looking for thieves, who, most likely, are a small, organized group that has the equipment to cut off the meters in a hurry and take them. (The city could probably buy them back on eBay where meters sell for anywhere from $150 to $300 each)  Most likely someone has seen the act and if the police asked a few questions, the evil parking thieves might be caught. But, no one seems to care.

Read about it here.

This is a problem for the parking industry as a whole. The message they are sending is that parking equipment and paying for parking and following the rules isn't that important. This story has been reprinted in Minneapolis, New York, Canada, and picked up by the AP.  Folks all across the parking plain in the US will be reading it and thinking "Gee, I can do whatever I want with parking meters and no one will care."

The city feels that when they get the new, multi space meters, since they are more secure and heavier than single space meters, they won't have a problem. My guess is that the thieves will simply upgrade their tools and take them, too. Why not? No one has come after them so far. Then Atlanta will be looking at a $15,000 invoice for each meter stolen. Will that be enough to get their attention?

JVH

Anderson Interim Exec Director of IPI

The IPI Board has appointed Maurice Anderson, former President of the Toronto Parking Authority will step into the role of Interim Executive Director of IPI. Maurice has been a member of IPI since 1990 and a member of the IPI Board of Directors since 2003. The board will begin a search for a permanent Executive Director to replace Kim Jackson who has resigned effective January 1. I have known Maurice for years and I think it would have been difficult for the board to have made a better choice. He has worked with the IPI as treasurer and was closely involved with the inner workings of the organization after the departure of David Ivey.

All the best

JVH

We Blew It!!!!

It has come to our attention that we used a picture of the IPI show held in Las Vegas to promote the upcoming PIE show to be held next year in Chicago. It was an inadvertent error on out part. Here's what we did:

Picture used:

Picture we should have used:

In no way did we want to infer that the PIE show looked anything like the IPI convention. There is no question that the IPI is the larger of the two parking events. The picture appeared in the December issue of PT, and in a mailer that we sent out. It has been removed from all other promotional materials. We apologize for the error

JVH

Jeff Fitzwilliams Sells Standard Parking Systems

I have received word that Jeff Fitzwilliams has sold Standard Parking Systems to his long time second in command, Dave Peters. Dave notes that he takes over January First and will continue to do business as normal.

I exchanged emails with Jeff, asked about his change of status and whether or not he would be playing a lot more golf. He commented:

I started my business January 23, 1978.  So I've been wearing this feedbag for 30 years and I think that is long enough.  Golf is not what I am going to do.  Frankly, I don't know how I will spend my time.  I used to make a living running political campaigns.  I was pretty good at that.  Maybe I'll get back into politics.  Jeff

I told Jeff that running  political campaigns is a good gig. You get paid win or lose, however if you lose too many, you might have trouble finding a job.

All the best to Jeff in whatever endeavor  he finds. Dave has some large shoes to fill, but he does have a good history with the revenue control manufacturer and we wish him well.

JVH

Another Parking Authority Bites the Dust

The Philadelphia Parking Authority is under siege, and the Perth Amboy Parking Authority has been turned into a city utility so the city council can oversee the spending after an audit showed that the group had spent nearly a quarter of a million bucks more than they had taken in in 2006. Whoops. And there may have been some malfeasance along the way.

Although theft can be referred to the local police, and has been, the overspending cannot be controlled by the council since the Authority is an autonomous entity. Now, under the new title, the council can supervise the numbers and whip the Authority, er Utility into shape.

It seems, however, that one of the councilpersons was the "parking liaison" but had her back covered by the auditor who said that to notice the quarter of a mil going out the door, she would have had to have been on site in the Authority office daily, an impossible task.

Ok, so now we have the city council overseeing the Parking Authority. Is this like the fox watching the hen house?  No offense, I'm sure the elected officials of Perth Amboy are doing a good job and will whip the parking folks into shape. But wouldn't simply firing the head of the Authority have done the job.

Whoops -- there was no one who could fire someone at the Authority. But wasn't there a board, or someone around to check the place out?  Guess not...

Isn't parking wonderful.

JVH

But where do you put your car?

The recent blizzards in the central plains and the northeast have caused the cities to institute  parking bans. Since I'm from Southern California where the snow we get falls in the form of rain, I have little understanding of such things. However I can assume that the reason is so the snow plows can get through and clear the snow from the streets. It makes perfect sense.When there is six feet of snow drifted up on the streets, how would a plow know if there is a car there or not?

My question, and perhaps some of my avid readers can answer this, is Where the heck do people put their cars when a snow day ban is on? 

I guess it goes further than that. If there are places to put your cars when it snows, what about the rest of the year?  People complain about on street parking availability, but during snow bans, they find somewhere to park, don't they?

OK, OK, I know that winter can be hell, I mean we are going through a major storm here in LA right now, may get up to an inch of rain and it will close many intersections, but I digress...I just seems to me that there can't be much of a parking problem if people can find places to put their cars off street during a snow storm.

Just asking...

JVH

Its getting Dangerous out there

There have been two incidents reported concerning parking spaces. The first, in Pennsylvania, tells of a woman who was struck by a car when she was saving a parking space. The second, concerned a man in New York that was struck in the face by ice when he tried to take a space that had been shoveled out by another.

OK, I'm as much against violence and parking as the next guy, but there reaches a point where people crack.

In the first case, we all know, I mean its an unwritten law, that you DON'T SAVE parking spaces. Period.  When the car arrives, it gets the next space. The concept of the wife finding and saving a space by standing in it is simply not on. Fortunately in this case the woman was not seriously hurt. The driver of the car that hit her was booked on aggravated assault.

I can imagine he was aggravated. How would you feel? You had just spent 20 minutes cruising the lot looking for an empty space. You spied the space up ahead, and then when you arrived, you found Mazie standing in the space waving you off. Aggravation is the least of it.

As for the guy in New York...Frankly I have no sympathy for him. Having shoveled out a space or two in my time, I gotta tell you that gives you every right to the space.

A friend of mine shoveled out a space filled with six feet of snow at the Mammouth Mountain Ski resort in California a few years ago. He then went to get his double parked car. When he returned another had taken the space.  When the errant parker returned he found is car filled with snow. Now that's justice.

By the way, the fellow who threw the ice is still at large. I'm sure the NY cops have a task force out looking for him.

JVH

And Speaking of Global Warming

Read this article -- I'm sure you won't see it in the local main stream media. There is a radio host that says that if something becomes all encompassing and everyone in on board, it most likely is wrong. He comments on the fact that coffee is bad for you, and then becomes good for you. Wine is a good example. Used to be bad for you, now its good for you. -- and of course we all know that 20 years ago, science was warning us about global COOLING and the ensuing disaster.  Oh and what about stem cells - now we find we can make them from skin cells -- It just goes on and on. Whenever politics are involved, be afraid, be very afraid.

JVH

Discounted Parking for Hybrids -- Stop Global Warming

Sigh -- Read this article in the Miami Herald about Miami Beach preparing to allow Hybrid owners to have discounted parking and reserved spaces.  Then read the outrage from folks who live in the area. The biggest argument -- there are many vehicles that get better mileage than hybrids -- many smaller cars like Minis, Civics, etc get over 35 miles per gallon, and many hybrids, particularly SUV's get much less mileage.

The folks are hollering "Discrimination" and "where is the ALCU when you need them" and "most green house gases come from politicians."  I love that last one.

Once again, it would be so easy to solve their problem -- raise the parking rates, use the money to build more spaces if they need them and get on with their lives. All this other nonsense solves nothing and simply causes recrimination.

Miami Beach will have a hundred reason why I am wrong, but they all relate to the city not having the political will to really solve a parking problem. I'm making up the following, but it would be great if someone would set me straight:

They have 100,000 cars coming into the area on weekends and what 17,000 city owned spaces. Well, duh. Private industry would solve that problem in a New York minute if they didn't have to complete with very low priced 17,000 city owned spaces.  If you raised the rate on on street parking to be higher, much higher, than off street parking, it would make commercial sense to build more parking, or for people to set up shuttle services, or complete the local rapid transit into the area, or walk.

As long as private industry has to compete with the local government, they will simply go somewhere else.

JVH

Parking RV's on Street -- I have the definitive solution

This article about a family in Oakland that has been targeted for parking their RV on street along with three other vehicles brings a solution to mind. Why not charge for parking on residential streets.

OK -- give each homeowner one permit, and after that, require that they either pay for the privileged to get an additional permit (say at $100 a month or so, or they can pay $5 a day.) Install a P and D or pay by cell operation for the visitors.. And why not?

The money could go into a kitty and pay for repaving the streets, new sidewalks, tree trimming and the like.

Its just not reasonable that people who have garages and driveways park their vehicles on street and clutter up the place. Most zoning required a garage because the city wants folks to park off the street. My plan would motivate them to clean out their garages and put their cars away each night.

There's a fellow just down the street from us who has four cars (one junque covered with a tarp in his driveway, a standard town and country van, a white ford van, and a monster commercial van with an extended top (so you can stand up in the back). They all park on the street. It looks horrible, and frankly there is no need for it. He could move his junk car back and use his garage for two of his vehicles -- of course he is using his garage for commercial purposes so he can't do that.

No one wants to complain because he and his wife are "real nice people" but frankly our neighborhood is looking a bit like tobacco road because of him, and a few others.

I just feel that people need to understand, like the comment in the "crisis" post below, that parking is not FREE. OK, you can have one permit -- give it to your friends when they come to park. Or use it to park one of your cars on the street. For other cars, or visitors, pay. 

Can anyone give me a good reason why not?

Oh, this would solve the problems of the motorhome above because you could charge double for it since it took two spaces. Those folks would be paying $500 a month for all their vehicles. . My guess is that they would solve the problem instantly.

There is a fellow in our neighborhood who has at least count six vehicles including a monster motor home and a boat.  He parks them all off street in his driveway. Admittedly it looks a bit crowded but I'm certain he can get to what he needs to drive when he needs it.  He sets a great example.

JVH

Who do we know in Yonkers?

The city of Yonkers is giving free on street parking today and next Saturday, but keeping the off street parking charges at their normal level.  According to everything I know about parking, this is exactly reverse of what they should do if they want to ensure there is available parking for the folks in town.

My guess is that what will happen is that the employees of the stores downtown will take all the free on street parking spaces and folks will be forced into the off street lots. Or, the on street spaces will fill and folks will cruise round and round to find a free spot, causing major congestion.

Who do we know in Yonkers -- I'm going to email someone in their parking department and get a report on the result of this Christmas Kindness.

JVH

$150,000 to Park for an hour

The Norwegian city of Trondheim has a problem. They are charging people up to $158,000 to park on street for a couple of hours.  OK, its obviously a mistake, but consider the problem.  You use your debit card to park on street -- it gets hit for say $37,000.  It leaves your account vastly overdrawn. Or, the bank understands that there is a problem and shuts off your card. All right smack in the middle of the Christmas Shopping Season.

What had happened was that the P and D machines were multiplying the parking charges by 10,000 and then happily sending the charges off to the bank.  The bank was either voiding the cards or in many cases paying the money and marking the accounts spectacularly overdrawn. (This is not unusual in European banks, doubt if it would happen here.)

Now the embarassed city is calling banks and the banks are attempting to reverse the charges. But have you ever tried to make that happen. It could take as long as a week or two. In the mean time, no shopping. Maybe a good thing.

The moral of the story -- be careful when you have the ability to charge folks credit and debit cards. You could cause a disaster. I know of one case where the parking revenue control system automatically charged all the monthly parkers in a garage twice for their monthly parking fees. The money was taken out of their bank accounts, and many, who were sailing pretty close to the wind, found their accounts overdrawn. It was a nightmare for the parking operator.

Thanks to Kyle Cashion for the heads up.

 

JVH

Now its a "Crisis"

I already commented on how amusing it is that politicians are "shocked SHOCKED" when shown that the government is screwing up in some way. The other word they use consistently is "Crisis".

One of the councilmen for the city of Washington DC is declaring that there is a "crisis" around the new Washington Nationals' ball park and that he has a solution. OK I am making fun of his dialog, but his solution is right on the mark.

I am frankly amazed.  This courageous politician, one Tommy Wells, is proposing that the onstreet parking rates be set at an amount equal to the cost of parking in the stadium parking lot. He wants to actually use market rates to stop the congestion around the stadium. WOW!!!

I just love this quote:

The ballpark visitors are going to be very tempted to look for cheap parking" on city streets, said Neha Bhatt, a planner in Wells's office. "We've got to get that out of people's heads that free parking exists here."

These folks are right on. Now if he can just get it through the city council, it will be interesting to see if the proposal actually works. I predict it will if they set the rates ABOVE the parking structure rates so people will be more liketly to park in the structure to save money.

Set the rates so that there is a 15 % vacancy factor. People who shop in the area will have a place to park, congestion will be minimized and those visiting the ball park will immediately go and park in the stadium parking or use some other type of transportation.

Way to go DC.  If it takes calling it a "Crisis" then I'm all for it, and shocked SHOCKED that they are actually considering a Shoupista approach.

Rah

JVH

Attack Geese

They don't have enough to do in Barbara Chance's Office. Joe Sciulli send me the picture below with this comment:

This sign is at PATCO's Woodcrest parking lot in New Jersey. Those Jersey geese are tough, boy, They must be Mafia geese.  If ever I don't come in on time again, you'll know what happened to me:Accosted by aggressive geese

To which Barbara added:Hey -- it's New Jersey I can just see the new show -- The Honkers; instead The Sopranos

Well, It is pretty funny, unless you have been chased by one of these suckers. They are mean, and they can hurt. Barbara reminded me of a sign in Banff, Alberta we saw years ago when attending a Canadian Parking Conference. "Beware of Elk". And sure enough, there were elk wandering freely in the city.

On the other hand -- these are females, and they are protecting their nests. Never get between a mother and her young, no matter what the species.

Just one more thing for the parking facility owner to have on his "worry list"

JVH

 

Travel Tips

As the Christmas travel season goes into full swing, here are some tips from the Airline Industry through their blog, Travelhacker.com.  Its all common sense, but due to the fact that most seasoned travelers are smart enough not to take a plane between December 15 and January 5, the average traveler has little experience and doesn't know the "ropes". My advice is that if you must travel, simply let out a deep breath, lower your shoulders, and go with the flow.

Whether you’re traveling for business or pleasure, airport security is a fact of life. You’d probably rather not deal with it, but it doesn’t have to be an unpleasant experience. The key is to know the rules and be prepared before you get there. Follow these guidelines for a stress-free screening experience the next time you take to the skies.

• Take an early flight

  Early birds enjoy more than fewer flight delays: they get to be first in line at security. Monday mornings are even better, as lines are generally populated with ultra-efficient business travelers who know what they’re doing. Some airport security screenings open as early as 4 AM.

• Keep your paperwork up to date

  Have you forgotten to renew your driver’s license? I can tell you from personal experience that if that’s the case, you’d better be prepared for a second screening. Anyone without a valid government ID will be subject to extra security screenings that take longer and are more invasive. This generally means they’ll look through your carry on and have you go through a physical pat-down or puff test.

• Check wait times before you leave

  If you take a look at TSA’s average wait estimates, you’ll be able to figure out a good time to get to the airport. As an added bonus, you may even be clued in to smaller security checkpoints that are less utilized and therefore less crowded.

• Become a Registered Traveler

  Under the Registered Traveler program, you can pay a fee and have your background checked to get registered. You’ll then get credentials that give you access to reserved security lanes and shorter lines. Registered Travelers are also allowed to keep coats and shoes on as well as leave laptops in their bags. However, this program has been criticized for privacy problems, specifically the extent of information that is collected about a traveler.

• Be prepared

  This is simple: pay attention and be ready to go through security. If you’re still on the phone when you get to the metal detector, you’re going to cause problems for everyone, including yourself. Empty your pockets into your carry on, hang up your phone, and get your ID and boarding pass out for inspection.

• Leave your box cutters at home

  Sharp objects like box cutters, ice picks, and swords are all on the TSA’s prohibited list. Even if you only brought the item by accident, it will get confiscated and you’ll be treated with extreme suspicion at best. Other items that are regarded similarly are baseball bats, guns, ammunition, and tools like hammers and crowbars. If you absolutely must have one of these items, check to see if you can put it in your checked luggage, as many items are permitted this way.

• Don’t bring explosives, either

  This should go without saying, but items like hand grenades and lighter fluid are a no-go. Basically, anything that can blow up or create a fire. So if you’re thinking about smuggling fireworks back from China, think again. These items can’t even be checked.

• Take your shoes off

  Yes, it’s a little gross and somewhat humiliating, but taking your shoes off is just part of the process now. Don’t raise a stink about it, either: the screeners don’t make the policy and they can’t do anything about it but enforce the rules. Complaining just makes you look suspicious. Wear socks or protective booties to create a barrier between you and the floor if you have a problem with the germs.

• Take off your belt and large jewelry while you’re at it

  This is old-school airport security advice, but it’s still important. Don’t be the person who has to walk through the metal detector five times, taking off one item at a time until you make it through. Make it easier on yourself, your screeners, and fellow passengers by removing items that will probably set off the metal detector. This includes belts, watches, cuff links, and keys. If you have body jewelry, consider taking it off before you even get to the airport. Otherwise, you may be subject to a pat-down inspection, or have to get out of line to remove the items in private.

• Don’t stuff your carry on

  If you end up going through a second screening, your carry on will be inspected. So if you’ve got it stuffed to the gills, it’s going to be a pain to get everything out and back in again. Pack lighter and consider placing items in plastic bags so they’re easier to handle and organize.

• Put liquids and gels in a baggie

  Certainly you’ve heard of this by now, but passengers are required to limit liquids and gels to containers that are three ounces or smaller. These items must be placed in a quart size plastic bag with a zip top, and you can only use one. Be sure to keep it out and place it separate from your other items when going through screening. Many airports offer bags outside of their checkpoints, but it’s generally easier to take care of this step before you leave home. Otherwise, you may find yourself scrambling through your bag at the last minute.

• Mind your electronics

  Take your laptop, camera, DVD player, and other electronics out of your bag and put them in a bin to make it easier for agents to inspect them. It also pays to keep everything on, especially laptops, in case the screener needs you to verify that it’s working. You don’t want to have to wait for things to get booted up.

• Don’t be a smartass

  Joking about having a bomb or gun might seem like a funny way to pass wait times, but doing so will make things very serious very fast. Security will be all over you, as they’re trained to zero in on these words. You’ll even be subject to prison time and/or a fine. Stick to jokes about cattle or sardines instead.

• Be nice

  Screeners are people too, and they’re working to keep you safe. Be polite and cooperative, and you just might have a more pleasant airport security experience. There’s no reason to be a jerk to the people that protect you.

Nope, don't agree

I commented below that Sarasota, FL, was bundling the cost of parking in with the ticket price to events in their concert hall. I said that this was not the way to go -- that it was simply a way to raise prices and those who didn't drive got screwed.  Here's an alternate view:

John,

As is usually the case, there is an alternate view, which I'm sure you will understand in my following explanation.I am totally unfamiliar with the parking operation in Sarasota as to whether they have a parking structure or surface lots or a combination of the two but here we go!

Having operated the parking for a 21,000 seat amphitheater and 10,000 seat arena, my partner and myself became very annal about tracking the average number of people per car that attended both venues. This is quite simply done by dividing the number of cars parked by the total attendence for that event. By making this our common denominator we were able to establish proper staffing levels for each event based on number of tickets sold for the event. Long story short, we found that at both venues we would average 2.92 people per car per event.

For a sell out show at the amphitheater (approximately 7000 cars parking) we would need 45 cashiers to collect the $8.00 parking fee. On average, each tranaction takes 20 seconds to complete thus causing a fairly significant back-up of vehicles since most people arrive between 30 and 45 minutes prior to show time.

That being said, here is the reasoning behind adding the charge of parking to the ticket price.

1.) Doing so helps minimize traffic back-ups, complaints and gets people into the venue where they can be spending $8-$10 for a beer etc.

2.) Eliminates cashiers and payroll related costs, banking operations and the possibility of theft.

Now I don't know how they came up with the $2.00 per ticket cost or how much they were charging before, but in the end most people are much happier to have the charges all bundled into one price.

Is it always equitable? Probably not in all cases, however if those that run the facility did their simple math and due diligence up front, it should all even out for them in the end from a gross revenue standpoint.

Now the real question in this whole process is this. Were they smart enough to set up a separate account for the parking revenue to pay for maintena, repairs and equipment or was it lumped in general revenue like a city normally would do?

Don Forrester

Thoughtful, experienced, but I think wrong. Bundling parking costs in with other costs simply makes it "seem" that parking is free.  That begins to cause all the problems we see with congestion, cruising, folks complaining that there isn't enough parking available. This is as "anti-Shoupista" as one can get.

People are happier because they don't realize the parking cost is included in the ticket price. Its like VAT in Europe -- The sales tax is added in not as a separate line. That's why we pay 6-8% sales tax and they pay nearly 20%

The point is not how much people are willing to pay for beer, its that some people pay more to park than others. In Don's example above, a "typical" car of course isn't reality. Its either one, two, three, four, five, or six. Assuming its two or four (about where it would fall) The folks in the car with four people would pay about $10.80 to park but those with two would pay about $5.40. Are we certain that the people in the four person car would feel good about not waiting in line to pay in entry if they knew were charged twice as much as the car behind.

If you are truly "green" it should be exactly the opposite -- that is, the more people in the car, the lower the cost.

The solution to all this, is of course, to sell parking permits (one time, season pass) to people separately from the tickets. The money is collected up front, the permit is collected or checked on entry, that that's it. If you don't buy your parking permit with your ticket you are surcharged a lot because of all the trouble you caused by paying for parking at the event.  If you pay with your ticket, you are charged $8. If you pay on the day of the event, you pay $20 and have to go through special lines that take hours to get the money collected.

Just my humble opinion. After all, everyone has one

JVH

 

There is no win

The County in which Ft. Meyers, FL is going to build a $71,000 per space garage in downtown Ft. Meyers to help alleviate the parking problems around the county buildings. The city on the other hand, sees this as increasing traffic and is charging the county $4 million in road use fees (to repair the streets because of the increase in traffic).

The county rightly argues that the new facility will take cars OFF the streets because folks won't be cruising around for on street spaces. Of course all that's contingent on whether or not the city will raise on street rates to be above the rates charged in the structure.

Ah, yes, government, working together for the benefit of all.

JVH

Visa (CISP) A Good Thing for the Industry?

January's PT will have an article basically written by three senior staff from revenue control equipment manufacturers. John Lovell from Zeag North America took an interesting approach. He says that the requirements of Visa and dealing with credit cards and the Sorbanes Oxlen reporting requirements for public companies are whipping manufacturers into shape:

The parking revenue control industry has reacted to outside pressures, helping it begin to “clean up its act.”

Parking Today reached out to manufacturers and asked what had changed the face of the industry of the past couple of years. A number focused on data transfers, differing requirements for transients, VoIP, consolidated credentials and License Plate Recognition.

“The most critical effect that we have seen over the past few years,” said John Lovell, President of Zeag Canada, Ltd., “has been the challenge put to us by the major credit card companies to meet their security requirements. It has forced us to re-think how we transfer data, how we store data, and just how we can meet these more stringent security standards.”

“This is critical to our continuity as a as a leader in this field. If we don’t meet the new requirements, we won’t sell any major systems. The large operators and owners simply won’t talk to you unless you are certified.

“This has forced us, and I believe other manufacturers, to look at the way we do things in depth.  You have to be certain that a credit card processed in the lane, or at a POF terminal, is secure, that the transaction data is secure as it is being transmitted to the parking system server, and from there onto the card processing entity.  It challenges you to rethink everything about how your system manages information.

“This has forced us as an industry to document and update our firmware and software. When you break it all down, I think most of this was always in the minds of software engineers in Europe, here in North America, or Asia.. The certification requirements force us to ensure that our systems are solid, work accurately, and are fully documented.  At the end of the day, this improves the breed to the benefit of the industry at large.

“Sorbanes-Oxley, (the reporting laws required of public companies), has made a big difference too.  One of the major operators sat down with us and told us that their audits required that the numbers in our statistical and revenue reports had to foot with the amount of cash and electronic payments being collected from the system. If things didn’t jibe it would cause them considerable pain with their auditors and ultimately; the Feds.  We had to be sure we met our customer’s requirements, and we are.

“Operators have realized that they must hire top of the line people to run their automated locations. These people check reports, review printouts, and make sure the numbers balance. This has reinforced our understanding of the seriousness of what we do and ensure that our systems are accurate.

“Frankly these two outside forces have unknowingly conspired to make the revenue control industry better. If you aren’t CISP (VISA) compliant and if your reports aren’t correct, you will lose market share. Public companies like Standard, AMPCO and IMPARK can’t risk recommending systems to their clients that aren’t letter perfect.”

Couldn't have said it better myself.

Read what Tom Wunk of Scheidt and Bachmann and Mark McNicholas of Federal APD had to say in addition to John in January's Parking Today.

JVH

Downtown Parking - The Definitive Answer

This article in the Meadville (PA) Tribune and its associated comments say it all. First the Mayor notes that people who drive to other towns or to the mall just outside of town spend much more on gas than they would on parking if the shoopped downtown. He goes through much the same gyrations that I did in my "The experts are full of it" post on November 20. No matter how you cut it, people spend more to drive to the mall than they do to park downtown. So why don't they come downtown to park?

Read the comments under the article.  90% of them say that they don't shop downtown because there is no reason for them to come down there.  Shops are poor, and as one said, the shops close at 5 PM, and most people get off work then and shop after work on week days. The good ole days of mom staying home and going shopping during the day simply are just that. Good Ole Days.

There is even a comment of a worker in a downtown store complaining that he has to go out and "feed the meter" every two hours. Of course it never occurred to him that he is taking a space that a potential customer could use. (Note: There is monthly parking available all over the place.)

Meadville merchants, and those from other downtowns where the business is waning should read this article and its comments. There people hit it right on the head.

Remember my mantra -- if you build it they will come.

JVH

Merry Parking Christmas

Here's a cute little ditty sent in by one of my more cynical readers. Give it a listen.

JVH

How about Balderdash

Peter Guest tells met that I am missing his point...See his comment here on my post "Horsefeathers" below:

No John, your missing the point. We do use common sense, perhaps not always well, to decide when loading is and is not allowed, hence the peak hour bans and off-peak loading. However once that decision has been made and the rules are in place they should be enforced, it can never right be for the local shopkeeper to decide whether or not he is a special case. In most cases the warden will have a quiet word before writing a ticket but the problem there is that when he has had a quiet word five days in a row where does he go next?

When I was much younger I used to commute to work in central London by motor bike. The route was narrow and a bus route and every day one junction was effectively blocked by a morning delivery truck outside the corner shop despite the loading ban We (the council) put in a bus lane to speed up the buses but the effect was totally negated by this thoughtless act. all the guy had to do was park round the corner but no that was too hard.

I and I suspect a lot of parking managers in the real world groaned when they saw your comment above about decisions being made by "smart people on the spot". Think about it, how can that ever be fair?

We do have a system of exemptions and permits but this is for special cases not routine convenience. If the system isn't workingit should be changed, but not by ignoring the rules.

All this over my comment that the traffic warden (parking citation enforcer) should be allowed, nay, required to use common sense in issuing their citations.  I'm afraid that I have to disagree with Peter that in "most cases" the warden will have a "quiet word" before writing the ticket. If that were the case, traffic wardens in the UK, and in the US, would not be the most villified, hated, spat upon public servants in existence.

To clarify my position. I believe that in cases where the traffic warden and the vehicles owner are at the vehicle at the same time, the owner should be given first the opportunity to correct the violation immediately and second, should be given a written warning about he infraction.

That warning should be turned in just as a citation is and tracked. If the person receives a second warning the second warning would be converted into a full fledged citation with all the fines and penalties thereto pertaining. When the warning was given, so would a card that explained the program and that if they received another one, for any reason, it would become a citation and they would have to pay the fine.

I am not advocating lessening of the rules, or an inconsistent application of them. I am simply saying that if the parking enforcement people had the ability to issue warnings in cases where the violation was "iffy" or where the driver was involved in the process, much of the confrontational part of parking enforcement would be removed.

I know that in my case, when I have been caught by the police in a minor moving violation and the officer lets me off with a warning, I drive much more carefully after that.  The warning serviced its purpose without involving money, the courts, or prison.  I think parking violations work much the same way. If enforcement people are trained, as are police, in a little PR, the respect for these parking stalwarts would grow and I think, people will begin to understand that what they are doing is keeping Peter's bus route clear, and not  selectively enforcing unnecessary parking rules and regulations.

We have a uphill battle in educating the public as to the necessity of parking enforcement. I simply think that this is a good place to start. If a driver abuses the "warning" program, tow him and sell his car.

JVH