PT's Parking Blog

Automated Garage Reopens in Hoboken

According to the New Jersey Journal, the trouble plagued automated garage in Hoboken reopened last week.

The garage, which had new software and some modifications by an Israeli company, had been closed for 10 months for the work.

"I've learned you need to wait a little while before you're the first to try something new," joked Mayor David Roberts at the ceremony. "But in Hoboken we like to be the first."

The futuristic structure, which is still the largest in the nation, uses computer-controlled lifts, conveyors and shuttles to automatically park and retrieve cars. Vehicles can be parked two and three deep, and with very little headroom.

The new, more efficient system means just a two-to-three minute wait for customers, and even less as the computer automatically learns customers' routines and has cars ready in advance, said John Corea, director of the Hoboken Parking Utility.

Last Week's event celebrated the transfer of power from the garage's designer, Unitronics, to the city, although the transfer itself occurred Dec. 1. The garage reopened at a lower capacity in October and has slowly been assigning the $200-per-month spaces to people on a waiting list. The city soon hopes to offer hourly parking at the lot, using spaces temporarily vacated by the monthly cars.

"This new computer system has four and five checks and balances," he said. Improvements include three backup systems, one of which is manual, more sensitive lasers to measure cars and detect motion, and 144 electronic controls throughout the system that allow one part to be fixed while the rest continue running.

Corea also pointed out the new garage is more economical, costing about $250,000 per year instead of $1 million for a comparable conventional lot, due to its density of cars and the need for fewer staff. The lot, in fact, will only be staffed during peak hours. Other times customers can call a hotline with problems, most of which can be solved remotely, he said.

As for people who fear for their cars? Corea says he gets 10 times as many complaints about damaged cars from the conventional lots, since vandalism, theft and minor fender-benders are much less likely at the automated facility.

I'm at a PT deadline -- I'll comment on this in the next few days..

 

 

Can One Man have Done all This?

I had breakfast the other day with a consultant and two of his staff, one of whom was the former head of the fraud squad at a major police department and the other who at one time ran the parking for one of the largest building owners in the US. The conversation was fascinating.

I posited that the parking business had changed considerably in the past 30 years, moving from operators who negotiated leases with building owners to the concept we see in most of the country (except perhaps the Northeast) where the operator is under contract on a month to month basis. (This change in how garages are operated has, many think, caused major problems with the business of owning and running parking operating companies. Income has gone down and the business has become more and more cutthroat. Fees are so small that often operators can't afford to properly staff and run the garages. They are forced down by building managers who think that paying the lowest price is best, and the operators who are willing to take the job for such small fees.)

One of the group commented that this phenomenon  may have been cause by one person, the then head of the largest parking operator in the country. That was Monroe Carrel and Central Parking. Its well known that Monroe's goal was to be the biggest and strove to take over parking operations across the country and around the world. At one time Central had over 5000 locations. Monroe once told me that one of his goals was to get as many "take aways" as possible from his competition.

It makes some sense, but frankly there are other factors at work. Asset managers are also incentivized to lower costs and paid on how much they can keep down expenses. So they were quick to jump on board and sign contracts, some with incredibaly low fees (I know of one case in SF, where the operator, not Central, ran the garage for $1 a year and a piece of the action over a certain amount, and never hit that amount -- but that's another story.) They then thought they could browbeat the operator into a performance level that was impossible to achieve with the money available.

Of course, when you have such low fees and want to stay in business, you begin to look for ways to lower your costs and the concept of charging for every piece of copy paper, having the garage manager run four garages in the neighborhood, and charging for FICA and SDI even when the employees was over the payroll limit becomes routine.

This lowballing also brings the sleazier side of our business out into the open. They are willing to "perform" for incredibaly low prices, but then under report income and don't pay taxes, pay their staff in cash under the table, and pocket the difference. Legitimate operators find it difficult to compete in that environment and lose market share. 

So whatcha think?  Was this change in the parking business due to the influence of one person or is there more to it than that. Let's face it. Monroe Carrel is an extremely successful parking operator. He provided good jobs for thousands over the years and ended up selling his company for hundreds of millions. He must have been doing something right.

JVH

Update:  I received a call from a senior VP at Central -- he told me that although Central and Monroe did strive for new business, that bonuses at the company were based on the profitability of a location.  He said that certainly in recent years, the goals of  managers have been to make a location well run and profitable using  technology and  good operations. In our discussions he concurred that there has been downward pressure on fees and that this has hurt the business. Asset managers are always looking for a 'better deal' and often his firm has to walk away from contracts because there just isn't enough money to do the job.

New to the game

A developer here in LA asked me to come and look at a garage he had purchased. He is going to fix it up, add some offices, and wants to be certain he is running it properly.

I arrived a bit early, parked on the roof, and decided to walk down the ramps to the first level. The garage is probably 75 years old and needs considerable work.

When the owner arrived I asked him how many spaces were there. He told me that the plans showed 600.  My count was 380. He immediately told me he wanted to add equipment. The current cash control was the fist of a young woman that held a wad of $5 bills.  No gates, no spitters, no counters, nothing.

However I detected a larger problem. about half or more of the florescent  tubes in the place were out. It was very dark. He was a lawsuit waiting to happen. I suggested he get someone in there asap and get all the lights working. The garage was also painted white but hadn't been pressure washed in decades. A quick washing would greatly increase the light level.

I also recommended that he hire an operations consultant to come in and look the place over before he started putting in equipment. He was charging a flat rate per day. The lot on one side charges a flat rate, on the other its hourly. He needs a rate survey and a recommendation on the "way" the garage should operate.  I also recommended that he might look into a legitimate operator to run the place -- the operator in there now is under indictment by the City of Los Angeles for tax evasion. 

Remember, this fellow's total exposure to the parking industry before buying this garage was parking in one.

Oh yes, as I walked across the floor I thought I detected different sounding footsteps. The floor seemed hollow in some places. Could have a spalling problem.

There are a lot of new folks like this one coming in to our business. They have great ideas, but need help with the basics.  New blood is always welcome, but too often their philosophy is "Parking, how hard can it be." Often its very expensive to find out.

JVH

They are getting there!!!

The Athens, OH, city council is discussing the removal or reduction of parking requirements for new development and possibly for existing stores in their downtown area. Here's a great story on the discussion.

The deal is this -- when you have parking requirements for businesses and apartment/condo development you usually end up with more space than needed. This means that the apartments cost more, housing costs go up, and people have to pay more for shelter.

In emerging downtowns, the problem is different.  You have an empty building that was a hardware store. A restaurant wants to move in. They can't because the hardware store only has 10 parking spaces in the back and the code says restaurants need 25. So the store sits empty. This goes on in towns and cities across the fruited plain.

Stores empty because there's "not enough parking." Of course that's absurd.  Read the article. Downtown Athens has a plethora of parking. I have seen shopping area after shopping area that has plenty of parking, its just a bit difficult to find. Proper signage and perhaps a few traffic directors during peak times and the problem is solved

The alternative is on street valet.  The valet company finds nooks and crannies to place the cars, and folks simply drop off their Belchfire 8s with the valets and go about their shopping or eating or whatever. Works great in city after city.

Stopping development because the business that want's to go in need "more" parking that is available is absurd. If a business is successful, they will find a way to park the cars.

Way to go Athens. Keep it up. Go Bobcats.

JVH

Surf's Up

Here's the deal -- Surfers in the Waikiki area of Honolulu are complaining that the local authorities are going to start charging for parking along the beach. Read about it here. I just loved their quote:

Melissa Ling-Ing said she has difficulty finding parking to go surfing off the Ala Wai Boat Harbor, noting that a state proposal to add more paid-parking stalls would further limit public access to the shoreline.

"It's a real inconvenience," said Ling-Ing, spokeswoman for Common Ground Hawaii. "We're opposed to it because it will deny us beach access."

HUH?  How does charging for parking deny them beach access.  The money is going to maintain the harbor, but since the surfers ride the waves outside the harbor, they feel that they shouldn't have to pay to park.

They are complaining that there's not enough spaces for them to use, and they want more free parking, not less. The problem seems to be that non beach goers are using the spaces. Charging to park would stop that and give the surfers enough space to park.

How do people decide that there is a certain inalienable right to free parking. The spaces have to be paved, lighted, patrolled by the police and the rest.  Should all that be free. I'm sure that the surfers have complained that there are too many potholes, or that there aren't enough cops when you need them. But they shouldn't have to pay for that.

It boggles the mind.

JVH

The United States Postal Service

I received a letter this morning. It was a hand written envelope from one of our best customers. Inside it was another window envelope, obviously a check, addressed exactly the same as the outer envelope, marked "return to sender, moved left no forwarding address."

OK, people make mistakes, but I thought the PO should know about it so I asked to talk to a supervisor to explain the problem. That was my first step into wonderland.

I showed her the envelopes, she looked at the "returned" one closely and then said she would be back in a moment. When she returned she said that it was all the fault of my customer, since they had put the address in the lower left hand corner and everyone knows that it should go in the lower right hand corner.

I was so stunned that I didn't know what to say. I asked her for a document that gave the address recommendations by the USPS and she left to find one.  She is probably still searching, because after 20 minutes I left.  During that time, I looked at the other 20 envelopes i received today and every one that was a "check" or "invoice" had the window in the lower left hand corner. In addition so did a couple of official letters from the State of California and the State of Arizona.

I then took a close look at the "returned" envelope and noticed that the encoding the USPS put on the bottom was one digit off. Either the machine that attempted to read the address missed it, or the keypunch operator did the same.  So the envelope ended up at the wrong post office.

So, rather than simply tossing it back int he mail stream and having it go to the right place, the wizards at the USPS sent it back to the sender, who put it in another envelope and sent it out all over again.

My point on all of this is that if the "supervisor" at my local post office had simply said -- "Gosh, it looks like there was a keypunch error, it happens, sorry" I would have forgotten the whole thing. However since she attempted to cover it up and blame me for the problem, it has become a cause celebre. 

Remember Watergate and Monicagate.  It wasn't the crime, it was the coverup that caused all the bruhaha.
The postal service has a terrible reputation, much of it undeserved. However I think their problem is their interface with the public. Not the carriers, but in the offices.  I have found most conversations I have with the in house USPS personnel to mirror the one above. They can be defensive, angry, and often rude.

I'll probably never get a letter delivered again. So be it 

This is the problem with a monopoly. There simply is no place else to go, and they have no reason to clean up their act.

JVH

Not a Lot of money in the Maintenance Fund

A parking deck in St. Paul, MN, is in danger of collapse.  Emergency crews have shored it up and the city has given the owner 30 days to affect permanent repairs -- read about it here.

Here's the thing. All garages age.  Most will have problems particularly where there is ice, cold, salt and the other effects of severe weather. What to do, what to do?

When a garage is constructed, a plan for maintenance should be put in place. That means that drains have to be regularly cleaned, that floors need to be washed, that it needs to be inspected, and usually, about every 10 or 15 years the decking needs to be replaced.  Yes, that's right, millions need to be spent on maintenance and repair. 

To do that, a maintenance fund needs to be set up and every year, and hundreds of thousands of dollars put into that fund so when the work needs to be done down the road, the money will be there. When I asked Dale Denda, parking statistic guru, how often these funds are set up and funded, he just laughed. "Almost never."

Most owners don't think of garages as needing maintenance. They are steel and concrete. What can go wrong. When a garage is new, there is no need for maintenance. Its clean, crisp, and strong.  But what happens is insidious.

LIke the ice that breaks up rocks on high mountains, water slowly creeps in the cracks of in the concrete. If the deck coating is allowed to wear off, this happens sooner rather than later.  The water, when it freezes, makes the cracks larger.  Finally the water, usually mixed with salt off the cars, reaches the rebar that holds the garage together. The rebar rusts and expands. Big chunks of concrete fall off the garage onto the hoods for Mercedes and Lexuses. (They never his 10 year old Hondas).

Faster and faster the garage is weakened until finally it can collapse.

Usually, the owner decides just before the collapse that something needs to be done and pony's up a few million so the concrete can be removed from the rebar, the rebar cleaned, and then new concrete poured.

At this point I'm sure the owner wished he had put a maintenance program in place and kept the coatings on the decks properly sealed and in the worst case, put the money aside for the repairs that were certainly coming down the road.

St Paul -- perfect weather for parking deck disaster. Is the maintenance fund in place?

JVH

THe Slide of the Markets DOn't Panic...

We don't even have to wait until the markets open. We now have "futures" that predict what will happen in Wall Street 24 hours in advance. The markets are poised to drop 500 points this AM. Will it really happen? Probably.

The market makers are people. They react to emotion and fear.  They also have, by their nature, a heard mentality. So they will, as Don Ameche screamed at his "man" in the pit "SELL SELL SELL." But it was too late.

It's always too late -- if you are caught in the slide, you have already lost money in the short term, so what to do, minimize your losses. As you sell on the way down, you can hope to have some bucks left to buy at the "bottom". But where is the bottom? 

What has caused all this. I believe its perception.  First of all -- The Holiday Sales.  They were DOWN. No they weren't. They were up 3 percent over the previous year. That's a gain, not a loss. OK its not 5 percent, but its in positive territory. It, in the face of the housing bubble and talk of complete financial meltdown, was UP, not down. Doomsayers, have to find a problem with everything.

The housing bubble -- Well, how many people do you know that have actually "lost" their house. OK, perhaps the house you live in now is worth less than it was six months ago, but its still worth more than you paid for it. And its price is probably more reasonable.

There are hundreds of thousands of people who now live happily in their first time houses, paying their mortgages, and are part of the American Dream because lenders provided sub prime mortgages. They took a risk and they  (the homeowners) came out winners.  The lenders did, too. The problem is, that they expected to "turn" the mortgages quickly and make a fast buck  but a tightening credit market stopped that they were stuck with the paper.  It happens when you are greedy. And Banks can certainly get greedy.

My solution for all this is sit tight. Stay in your home. Make your payments,  save your money, work the best you can and live your life.  In a few months (no more than 15) all this will be history, and we will growing at a flaming rate (which, by the way, we are now, but no one wants to talk about those numbers). and all with be right with the world.

The first words in the "Hitchhikers Guide to the Universe" are "Don't Panic".  We would do well to follow them.

jhv

Seven Days without a Blog and Pay by Cell in London.

Well, whine whine whine, I was traveling. And of course there was no wifi (lie) where I was staying so I couldn't blog.

The reality --I was just lazy.  I was in the UK and The Netherlands on PT Business. I met with our foreign correspondent, Peter Guest, some of the organizers of massive trade shows in Amsterdam, and Ian Betts, consultant and on line guru in the UK. Most of the meetings were over lunch and frankly, my waist line was a bit the worse for wear.

Weather was horrible, typical British winter -- cold, rainy, and miserable.  So the goal was to stay in, keep warm, and read a lot.

Oh I did notice that Pay by Cell Phone is expanding in London. I stay in a B and B near Regents Park and as I walked down to Marleybone High Street for some tea and crumpets, I noted a sign advertising the ability to pay by cell phone. The interesting thing was that the sign was cardboard, obviously temporary.

The usage of this payment technique is spreading so rapidly in London that they can't manufacture permanent signs fast enough.

I returned the day after a 777 slid into Heathrow airport.  It lost power about 2 miles from the runway and came up about a click short in a plowed field. I think all the injuries were people jumping off into the slides.   They were minor.  However, I did note that my AA flight was a triple seven. Obviously Boeing didn't think the problem was theirs.  So far, they appear to be right.

Whew

JVH

Oh Please

Did you know that there are places in Maryland where the parking enforcement officer must get the signature of the driver of a car when writing a parking ticket?  Yep, its true. 

Let's get the scenario  Officer sees a car parked in front of a fire hydrant. Its an obvious violation. No question. What does he do?  Knock on surrounding doors inquiring after the owner?  Buy a dozen donuts and eat them while waiting for the driver to show up? Return periodically to the crime scene to hopefully be there at the same time as the driver?

It boggles the mind that the legislators in the Terrapin state could have come up with this one. Why even attempt to enforce parking laws?

It seems, however, that his applies only in certain areas of the state -- most cities have laws that allow the enforcement officers to slip the citation under the windshield wiper.

What brought all this to mind?  A state legislator that is not a member of the "Flat Earth Society, Maryland Branch" has put forth a bill in the state legislature to allow writing of tickets without the driver being present and getting a signature. Her name is Pamela Briedle.

All Hail

JVH

But Take Care, UW

The University of Wyoming has a problem. Its a parking problem. They are studying the problem. They found that most students don't buy permits. They park for free in surrounding neighborhoods. Bad students, bad.

They are considering a solution. Bus lines, bike racks, convenient transportation. Did they consider charging for parking? Charging in the neighborhoods around the school? You know the answer.

Will they spend millions on bus lines, bike racks, convenient transportation? You know the answer.  Will the students ride the bus? You know the answer.

However, if on street neighborhood parking costs more than on campus permits, will the students consider the bus?  You know this answer, too.

JVH

Go Caspar

Not, the ghost, silly -- Casear Wy...The had a meeting of downtown merchants about parking and I was pleasantly surprised to find someone who actually understood the problem. Read about it here.

Dawn Stevenson, Casper merchant, put it this way:

Part of the solution, Stevenson said, is for downtown businesses to fill a niche customers want.
"You become a destination point because people like to shop with you," she said.

Yeah -- That's it...If you build it they will come.  Parking isn't the problem, its part of the solution. According to the article Casper wants to redo its down town area. What better way than to charge for parking and take the money and clean up the streetscape, install lighting, attract businesses, and increase security.

They have taken the first step. Way to go Casper.

JVH

The WaPo Does it Again...

Shannon MacDonald has written a book called "The Parking Garage" and in full disclosure, PT's articles have been quoted in a couple of places. She also used some pictures we printed. Judging from the correspondence we received from Shannon over the past couple of years, this has been a lot of work, and a work of love.

All that having been said, the Washington Post and its staff writer Phillip Kinnicott has taken out after Shannon and the parking garage industry in general. Actually, they were rather kind to the book, but didn't particularly like Shannon's speaking abilities at a presentation she made at the Library of Congress. I think personal swipes at non professional speakers is out of place in general, but Phillip's diatribe against parking garages is simply over the top. Read it here

He criticizes garages that no longer stand, he criticizes garages that have been built for decades, and then he criticizes the industry in general for building garages at all. 

It should be noted that he comments that Shannon has said that many garages are monoliths and that the industry should, (and has) taken a design view of garages so that they fit more into their environment and are multi use projects, rather than simply focused on the automobile.

However his take that all the problems of the world are caused by garages built in central cities is nonsense. Of course the garage has evolved. Of course when garages were first built they were clumsy and difficult. Of course early designs weren't as good as current ones. That's what happens in life, Peter.

As long as there are cars, there will have to be places to put them. Its as simple as that. If we want to change our modes of transportation, so be it. But don't blame the stable because you were kicked by the horse.

In my humble opinion garages have evolved in many ways. They are now smaller, more efficient, and often multi use facilities, bringing shops, housing, and offices to what was once barren brownfields.

It seems that Peter has simply followed the rule that its easier to write 17 inches of criticism than  17 inches of  reality.

Oh, buy the way, Peter, where is your car parked at this moment?

JVH

The Law of Unintended Consequences Strikes Again

An "artist" in Denver has covered a group of parking meters with hoods that say "Ride a Bicycle." Thanks to the comment here, we learn that the intention did quite work out.

The local drivers eschewed their bikes and drove in masse to the area. Why? The covered meters indicated "free parking" to them.

Just think what might have happened had they put on at 10 dollar surcharge on each meter for the day. Bicycles would have been dusted off all over the mile high city.

Artist, stick to your brush...

JVH

Big Brother

We have seen how the police have captured terrorists by checking cameras which are pervasive here in the British Capital. They say its impossible to walk down the street without being picked up on at least two or three cameras at all times. 

Now parking is in the act. Seems that if a car is spotted by a camera and the license plate is visible, and it is in violation of some rule, they will simply mail a citation to the owner.

I'm a bit concerned about all the camera's anyway. Having camera's to check the traffic so the police will know where to put control officers is one thing, but having a camera to watch you as you walk your dog at 3 AM is frankly quite another.  I understand the state of the world, but I can sit in my room's window on Portland Place and see half a dozen CCTV cameras that were put up by the police, plus dozens put up by private firms.

It seems to me that a lot of the benefit to getting a parking citation is to be caught "on the spot" so to speak. You know you have overparked, or parked in a red zone, and when you don't get a citation under your windshield wiper, you assumed you have dodged the bullet. However when you get the ticket in the mail a week later, you have already forgotten the incident.  You don't even know where or when. The anger and frustration is compounded and parking enforcement becomes even more hated. It means that the concern is less about enforcement, and more about collecting the fine, or tax on the vehicle.

I just think this is a bad idea. But here in the UK, where privacy is eroded daily, nothing should surprise one.

JVH

Driver apologizes for "FU" on Citation

A Pittsburgh area driver was cited for improper parking and in a fit of frustration wrote obscene language on the ticket and returned it to the authorities. He was charges with disorderly conduct.Through his lawyer he apologized, agreed to pay the fine, and admitted that what he did was wrong and done in a "fit of frustration." Charges were dropped.

I am imagine that the judge understood the man's "frustration" with parking. We all get it and I'm sue a few "FU's" have issued forth. It was good, however, to make a bit of an example of someone. Respect for the parking rules needs to be upheld.

JVH

Bad PR in Dallas

I rail constantly about Public Relations and Parking and the City of Dallas (TX) goes out and forgets anyway.  They instituted a resident's only parking policy for certain hours in a area of town and neglected to tell anyone. Read about it Here.

The result was a bunch of pissed off citizens. Why not the following:

1. Promote the changes in the local press for a month prior to the event.
2. Pass out handbills in the area and perhaps put up temporary signs telling people that the change is coming.
3. Give warnings for the first couple of months so people will be aware of the new rules.

No one will be upset, everyone will be happy, and all will be right with the world.

Simply starting a new program and issuing tickets is not on impertinent, its impolite and frankly rude.

JVH

Sam Bhuyan

'm in the UK and met with Peter Guest on Friday. He told me that he had heard that Sam Bhuyan, a VP with Tim Haas and Former senior member of Walker Parking Consultants had passed away suddenly. I didn't know Sam but Peter was eloquent in his praise for this consultant and engineer. When I returned to my hotel, I found the following on my computer from Tim Hass:

Kalamazoo, MITimHaahs would like to take the opportunity to honor the memory of Sam Bhuyan, P.E., who passed away of a heart attack Saturday, January 5 in Kalamazoo,MI.

 Sam had just recently joined our firm last October, as Vice President in charge of our restoration division. Sam was well-known throughout the parking industry for his extensive work with restoration. Although he was only with us for a short time, it was evident from the beginning that Sam had a great deal of knowledge, talent, and passion for his work.

 Over the past few years, Sam dealt with a number of struggles in his life, including undergoing a heart transplant operation in 2005. However, these trials had provided him with a greater compassion and dedication to serving others. Sam’s experiences helped him to gain a greater, more meaningful purpose for his life, and this was especially evident during the last few weeks of his life.

 Please join us in remembering Sam’s family during this time.

JVH

More on Parking Wars!!!

If you haven't heard already, A and E has a new "reality" series called "Parking Wars." I mentioned it late last month and said I would reserve comment until I saw and episode. Melissa Sterzick, our own "Amateur Parker" has written a piece that will appear in February's PT. You blog readers get a preview...

I thought I’d heard everything until I read about the latest reality show: Parking Wars. I’ll be honest, when I first found out about a magazine called Parking Today I was sure it could only be published quarterly. How much could be written about parking? Certainly not 40- 50- 60-pages worth every month. But it’s true: there is a lot to say about parking. Most of it is stuff amateur parkers like me don’t ever think about.

There’s the technology: lights, meters, P&D machines and signage. There’s the legal aspect including the workings of enforcement agencies, city ordinances governing parking, parking enforcement, and the building of parking facilities. There are also the financial aspects always under debate: things like Shoupism, supply and demand, cost analysis and inventory. That’s not to mention the many ins and outs of parking associations, trade shows and industry specific training and discussion.

But a reality show?

At press time, the first episode had yet to air, so I took a close look at the show’s web page on www.aetv.com. A synopsis of the show and a few parking polls and Q&A forums were definitely interesting. Parking Wars follows parking enforcement employees of the Philadelphia Parking Authority in the City of Philadelphia

. Individuals from Ticketing, Booting, the Tow Squad and the Impound Lot brave the metropolis with a camera crew right behind to document the challenges of parking enforcement - every conflict, epithet, argument and breakdown. Brotherly love is not the theme. The brutality and humanity of parking is the theme.

It seems quite a leap to call such a theme entertainment, but these days, Americans are thirsty for exhibition in all its forms. Name the industry or profession, plot a challenge, single out a family, we television consumers are willing and ready voyeurs.

But it seems like this show could be positive for the people and companies behind the scenes of parking. Exposure is almost always a good thing for a virtually unknown entity like the parking industry – as long as it doesn’t go to your heads. Watching these parking enforcement officers do their work will be eye opening. Maybe parkers will have a better understanding of the challenges of the job and be less likely to inflict abuse when they are caught breaking the rules.

I myself came in close contact to a ticketing officer just the other day and the “confrontation” went like this: My very thoughtful neighbor pounded on my door and when I opened it he said urgently, “You’ve got to move your car, like, right now. It’s street cleaning day.” I shrieked, grabbed my keys and tore out the door in my robe and bare feet to the sight of an officer standing behind my car with his electronic clipboard in hand just about to take down my license plate number. Still shrieking I begged “Wait, wait, I’m moving, I’m moving!”

He very calmly stepped away from my car and said “OK.”

Maybe it was my bed head or maybe he was just being nice. Maybe he thought I looked like the hysterical type and didn’t want to mess with me, either way, I appreciated his generosity. Now I wish I could tell him there was no way on this earth I would have yelled at him or cried. I might have kicked the grass and plead for mercy, but no yelling.

According to A&E, the show is humorous, intense and emotional. Sounds like that 60-second interchange I had the other morning plus some strong language, threats, attempted bribery and all-around crazy behavior – mostly from the motorists. In the words of the shows producers:

“They tuck tickets under our windshields and clamp yellow boots to our car wheels. They are called every name in the book. Some try to run from them. Others try to run them over. They are the people we love to hate, but never before have they been so fascinating. A&E's new real-life series PARKING WARS, is a behind-the-scenes ride with the men and women of the Philadelphia Parking Authority as they manage the chaos that is every driver's greatest nightmare.... parking!

The car is an integral part of the American dream. It is one of the most tangible expressions of a person's freedom and identity. When taken away, the response is often not pretty. PARKING WARS is a first-hand and decidedly playful look at what happens when the citizens of

Philadelphia

comes face-to-face with the PPA.” (A&ETV.COM)

Because of my involvement with this magazine I’ve already taken a closer look at the realities of parking – maybe this show will inspire some fraction of the rest of the parking public to do the same.

We can only hope and pray that Melissa is right. From the promos I've seen on the tube, most of the parking pros look great, and the parkers look like complete idiots.

JVH

 

More from Hizzonner

Mayor Bloomberg in NYC has announced that he will be cutting back by 20% on the number of parking placards, you know, those things you place in your window and you can park anywhere in NYC without a ticket. That seems reasonable until you find that there are currently between 70,000 and 150,000 of these suckers out there. Read about it in the Daily News,

This is a get out of jail free card. With this placard, you can park anywhere, bus stops, fire hydrants, red zones, anywhere, and not get a ticket. This is absurd.  If the city employees had to fight for parking spaces like everyone else, something would quickly be done about the parking problem in the city.

150,000? This sounds like a perk that is handed out to just about anyone who asks.  The mayor should clean up his own house before tinkering with how the rest of the folks park in Manhattan, the Bronx, or Brooklyn. I have a suggestion:

Make the placards work only where there are legitimate parking spaces - no parking is there for a reason, and it's mostly due to public safety - Blocking a fire hydrant or a driveway or a bus stop isn't just taking a space, its causing a problem.

Second -- void all 150000 permits and start over. That' would get rid of most of them.  Have them all handed out by the same office.  Don't give multiples to councilmen or vice mayors to control.

That would solve most of Mayor Bloomie's parking problems

Later

JVH

City Subsidizes Yankee Parking

The Bronx Bombers are building a new ball park. Yankee Stadium is long in the tooth and Steinbrenner has cut a deal where the city is building the quarter of a billion dollar stadium so multimillionaires can play a game  what, 100 days a year. So far so good.

Now we find out that 600 space valet garage has been included int he deal so those very same millionaires and the folks who will be paying the most to come to the game, will be able to have their car's parked at no charge.

Bloomie (that's NY Mayor Bloomberg) is "looking into" this situation. My guess is that as soon as he gets is parking pass, the review will quietly go away.

Not only is the entire concept of the city building this stadium absurd, but the concept that it should supply free parking is really over the top.

Within a few blocks of the stadium is a courthouse, a shopping center, a business district. Wouldn't the garage be a perfect place for overflow parking for these venues, since in most cases, the ball games take place on weekends and evenings.  OH, I guess they will allow folks to park there, at a price.

The well healed sports fans will park for free, at the taxpayers expense, and the locals going to contest a traffic ticket will be charged.

This entire concept of taxpayer's money going to build sports complexes that will probably be named after a soft drink or communications company, is completely absurd. There is no justification for it. Period. Private funds are certainly available, and would be available if the cities involved didn't rush over with buckets of bucks whenever a big money developer decided that a stadium or convention center should be built.

JVH

NCP in UK Seen as Scrooge....

A little post holiday cheer from our friends in the UK. The local Parking Attendant's union is threatening to strike because they had no Christmas Party and no Christmas Bonuses. NCP is being called "Scrooge" and of course the papers are making a lot of it.

Let's review the bidding. A person goes to NCP and gets a job and is told they will be paid a certain wage, a wage set by the Union to which they are forced to join. They do average work and are paid every week per the agreement. Christmas time comes and they expect 1) A Christmas Party and 2) a $100 Christmas Bonus.

Let's take the party first -- NCP is concerned that there will be alcohol at the party and that some of its employees might drive drunk. If that happens and there is any injury, our courts in their infinite wisdom have made the organizer of the party to blame. (After all, they pulled a gun and forced the revelers to drink to excess). NCP, having deep pockets and well aware that they would be targets of anyone involved (probably including their employees) in an incident, wisely decided to forgo the party.

This is a direct result of the "nanny state" attitude in the UK and creeping into the US.  No one is responsible for themselves. All responsibility has to be placed on someone else. If you get mauled by a tiger you have been taunting, its the Zoo's fault. If you get hit by a drunk driver while standing in a telephone booth beside the road, its the phone company's fault, if you fall through the skylight while burgling a building, its a combination of the landlord and the skylight manufacturer's fault. If you get drunk, drive, and then crash into another car, it's the combined fault of Seagrams, the owner of the bar (who is not in the city), the bartender, the waitress, the friends you were with, and of course, the manufacturer of your vehicle. Your fault? Perish the thought. You get lung cancer. This after 40 years of being told that smoking is bad for you, that it will give you lung cancer. Your doctor tells you, your kids tell you, your wife nags you, even the manufacturer of the cigarette spends billions a year telling you not to smoke. But you do anyway. Whose fault is that -- Big Tobacco, the store who sold you the ciggies, probably Laureen Bacall who looked sexy with a Lucky in her mouth. But your fault -- never.

We have this attitude about who takes responsibility, and the result -- no corporate Christmas Parties. The very Union that places blame on everyone but its members, is part of the cause of this debacle.

But I digress...

What about the Christmas Bonus.  I used to work for a man who didn't give bonuses. He said that people become to expect them and when they don't get them, they turn on the company. Boy was he right. He felt that the bonus money should be paid as salary for doing a job well, not given to everyone who just shows up. Of course, once again, the Union has prevented that.  Bonuses cannot be given for doing a good job that would discriminate against the guy who show up every day and does an average job.

I was at a topping out party for a high rise in Seattle. All the construction managers were there, as were many of the workers. I was talking to the construction head who pointed out a small man across the room. "He's my most valuable employee.  He personally brought this building in two weeks ahead of schedule. He's my crane operator and he's the best. I take him with me wherever I go. I just wish I could pay him more, but the union rules won't let me."

I walked over to the crane operator standing in the corner nursing a beer. We talked about the job and he told me how much he loved it. I told him what his boss had said about his quality of work. I then noted that he would like to pay him more but couldn't because of the union rules. That two week advance in the building opening had saved the company a quarter of a million dollars. All the bigwigs were getting bonuses, but the fellow who actually did the work got a hearty hand shake.

I'm not saying unions are bad, its just that they seem to bring us to a point of honoring mediocrity. Everything is average, all do the same work,all get the same pay, no reason to excel....Somebody set me straight here.

NCP is caught -- it would probably like to give Christmas bonuses but they have become expected. They are now a part of the salary. Its not a gift, its simply another payday. They would like to give a party, but fear the liability...Where does it end.

JVH

Kim's First Task?

When former IPI exec Kim Jackson arrives in Princeton to take over as head of the university’s parking operation, her first job will be to ignore the squabbling that is going on in the community surrounding the institution of higher learning.

Over the past year, the local governing bodies, the borough and the township, had decided to stop the parking subsidy. The library immediately blamed its falling attendance on the parking charges and we are off to the races.

I have a better idea. If you build it they will come. Keep the parking charges and make the library some place people WANT to visit. Set up readings, concerts, (folk, rock, rap, classic). How bout a day care center for moms who want to read, or book circles specializing in mystery, romance, history, great literature, or parking. Give a parking validation to everyone who checks out two books and has none past due. Hold county and city meetings there. Why not a used book sale? How bout having local authors give talks about their books. The list is endless. In my day the library was the center of culture and activity in our small community.

If the librarian were to develop a marketing plan for the house of books to be funded by parking fees and sell it to local politicos, my guess is that a quick compromise could be reached. And the library would become the most popular stop, and parking place, in town.

JVH