PT's Parking Blog

Whine Whine Whine

I flew from LA to Atlanta on the first leg of my trip to the UK to attend Parkex next week. Delta did me the favor of upgrading me and I got to use the "fastrack" lane at security. Not bad considering I flew over 75,000 miles with the company last year. But I'm not complaining, yet.

Delta got me in line, but the TSA kept me there. First there is a rule that says flight crews can jump the line and of course they jump the fastrack line, not the regular line. That added about 30 people in front of me. At least they were polite and actually apologized and thanked me for my patience. Little did they know.

I was about 5^th in line before the scanner. Then things came to a screeching halt. I don't know why, but in the middle of scanning a very well behaved and put together family, they simply stopped the belt. No repair man called, no "whoops" sorry, we are Hving difficulties. It just stopped. The wife and one child were on one side of the scanner, hubby and anther were on the other. And we just waited.

There seemed to be some movement around the display where they look at your bags through the exray, but no one seemed to be able to get things moving. Finally after about 10 minutes the belt started again and we began to move, ever so slowly.

When I finally got through, the original person manning the scanner (who had left and apparently started the problem) returned. He then took a couple of minutes to get "settled" and began gossiping with his opposite number in the next lane. Of course the entire time, the machine was not running.

And the TSA wonders why travellers complain about them and make fun of the way they operate. If there was a problem, a simple "we'll have it moving in a minute, folks" would have been all that was necessary. But as I suspect, if there was no problem, just a personnel snafu, then the time has come to replace a manager or two. This is absurd.

And have you noticed inconsistencies. In one line they required you to take your Kendall or Sony Reader out of the case like you have to do with your computer, however in the next line they didn't. What was that all about? I have actually been in lines where I didn't have to take off my shoes, but in others at the same airport where I did. Gives you a real warm feeling when you think about it. Of course they patted down the granny in the walker. They have a special line for those probably terrorists. She got the complete treatment.

EL AL stops you before you enter the terminal. They have a secret list of "tells" that watchers use to detect suspects before even entering the terminal. Those people are taken aside and politely interviewed by very serious police before being allowed to proceed. The rest move quickly through security and on to the planes. Profiling, absolutely. But then El AL has never had a highjacking or bombing. Hmmmmm.

Oh, and did you ever notice that the waiting line for the baggage check in always ends behind a piller so you can't see at least three of the check in stations. And the airline always staffs the stations directly behind the piller. That way, each time a station is clear, they have to yell at you because you can't see anything. Of course there are a dozen unstaffed visible stations all along the wall. However the ones in use are the ones you can't see. Could they move the line ten feet one way or the other, absolutely? Do they? Never

Sometimes I think that the people who work for the TSA, border security, or who set up the handling of passengers during check in have never stood in their own lines. If they have, they should be fired, and if they haven't they should get out there and play like tourists. Why is Southwest such a success? The founder and president regularly rode his airline, unannounced, and often helped the staff serve coffee and clean the cabin between flights. He saw problems and caused them to be fixed.

They could also learn a lot by visiting the number two passenger handling airport in the world, Heathrow in the UK or number seven Singapore or Schipol in Amsterdam. Of course they aren't run by the local government, but by private entities.

Sigh

JVH

Historic downtown building can find no love

Here's the Article in the Houston Chronicle:

 

No one showed up at last week's auction to sell the historic Hogan-Allnoch building, which is now likely to become a parking lot.

It was at least third time that's happened, said Robert Gaskins, general manager for Harris County's Right of Way Division.

This time around, the county, which has owned the four-story, 50,000-square-foot building at 1319 Texas since the early 1990s, was asking $2.4 million for the property, based on an independent appraisal.

There had been two previous auctions where the minimum bids were set at $3.25 million and then $1.98 million.

The building would cost $150,000 to demolish and as much as $5 million to restore, according to estimates.

The former dry goods store that dates back to 1923 has foundation damage and other structural problems, Gaskins said.

Before the auctions, Harris County Commissioners Court wanted to tear it down and use the land as a parking lot, but preservationists persuaded it to give someone a chance to buy it.

  Here's Tom Feagins email to the author:

  It is all about money and taxes and this time the city is correct.  
The highest and best use for the property would be to tear it down and put in a pay parking lot. The theory that parking lots are ugly by preservationists is not in the best interest of downtown. to me parking lots are not ugly. Parking lots help pay for property taxes while an empty abandoned building generates no cash flow that can be used to pay for property taxes.The public prefers a parking lot to a parking garage for security and other reasons.   The process of recycling real estate by converting unoccupied downtown buildings into pay parking lots has been a blessing for Houston for many years. Cities that don't allow this "recycling process" to occur become blighted in my view. Everyone should watch "Parking Wars" on TV and they would see the effects on Philadelphia where every building is a "historical monument" or so it seems. 

Couldn't have said it better myself. We have a article in the March issue of PT on how surface lots can be beautiful. Check it out.

JVH

 

 

Do the Right Thing

The debate continues in the UK over whether hospital parking should be free, especially for patients with serious illnesses such as cancer.

"Macmillan Cancer Support is calling for free car parking for cancer patients in England," says Helen Rainbow, a Policy Analyst for Macmillan. "This call is in line with the views of people affected by cancer and recognizes their status as tegular users of NHS hospitals, and the unnecessary financial burden these charges place on them."

Parking is now free at almost all hospitals in Scotland and Wales, and for very ill patients in Northern Ireland, so Macmillan is now specifically focusing efforts to get England onboard as well.

In September, Andy Burnham, the UK Health Secretary, said he would like to see parking charges for inpatients, their relatives and friends phased out over the next three years. Then on December 29, 2009, he launched a consultation by the UK Department of Health to determine how to provide fairer hospital car parking to patients. The eight week consultation will end on February 23, 2010.

"I want to see a fairer and more consistent approach to parking across the NHS, which recognizes the pressure that patients and their families come under," Burnham says. "People in hospital are often at a low point in their lives - emotionally and financially - and high parking charges can add to stress or limit visits from family and friends."

"I am launching this consultation to develop a clear set of principles which balance fairness with the financial pressures that hospitals will be under in the coming period," Burnham adds.

There is no question that this is a financial situation as well as a moral one – someone has to pay for the parking. So it is understandable that Burnham wants to establish a plan that makes sense. What's more, his heart seems to be in the right place.

While this can be viewed as real progress, we will have a better idea of the results on February 23. But meanwhile, I have to ask: Why are some hospitals in England still charging patients with serious illnesses such as cancer?

Although Burnham may change this, currently the decision whether or not to charge for parking at NHS hospitals is left to the individual NHS trusts. Some hospitals do not to charge for parking. For those who do charge, the Department of Health has provided recommendations such as a "season ticket" for reduced rates or free parking; a weekly cap on parking charges for patients; and free parking for patients who are treated on a daily basis.

Despite these recommendations, Research by Macmillan Cancer Support has found that almost 60% of patients are still paying full price for parking.

"This is despite Government guidance stating that hospitals in England should offer cancer patients free or reduced parking," says Macmillan's website.

"Current guidance on recommended concessions for cancer patients is poorly complied to across the country," Rainbow adds.

It may be not be a mandate yet, but UK hospitals need to do the right thing.

Pete Goldin

Its Starting to Tick me Off…

(I asked Mark Rimmer of Realistic Tranportation Alternatives to join me periodically on the Parking Blog. Here is his first effort. JVH)

I was reading this article the other day which was yet another attempt at trying to explain away the downfall of the urban environment as the center of American life by trying to correlate the decline in someway with parking. Seems like I read at least one of these every week where the Author is claiming the cause of urban decay is either too much parking, not enough parking, too much free parking or customers having to pay for parking. And they always seem to have pictures to "prove" their point. Frankly, it's starting to tick me off.

Let's face it, downtown's started dying off because it was too cost prohibitive to revamp older buildings to meet new safety/fire codes, retro-fit them for newer HVAC systems, re-wire for newer lighting, remediate things like lead paint and asbestos, update them to meet new ADA rules and to redesign the interiors to fit the ever changing needs and desires of the consumer. It was much more affordable to simply build a new store, office building or apartments than to update the old.

Once you boil the debate about who/what killed downtown to a simple dollars and cents discussion it's easy to see what happened. There was an excellent, and fairly short article written by a gentleman named Malcolm Gladwell a few years ago that appeared in the New Yorker entitled "Annals of Commerce: The Terrazo Jungle") that makes more sense about why we saw the commercial core shift from the urban to the suburban environment than any of the countless papers, dissertations and studies I've read trying to explain it with or blame it on everything from parking to elevated roadway construction.

Maybe someday parking will no longer be the "go to" issue when trying to find fault for a city's ills, but I doubt I'll live to see it.

 

Now Here’s a Reason to Join IPI

Finding a parking spot in the U.S. and Canada will soon get much easier. The International Parking Institute's (IPI) newly established joint program with Parking Data Ventures (PDV) will add thousands of parking locations to North America's largest proprietary parking database, available to millions of consumers through the Internet and their mobile data devices.

 

IPI's partnership with PDV allows IPI's members to add their locations at no cost to PDV's database of more than 10,500 parking locations. This database is the basis for virtual parking location maps that are licensed to the leading Internet portals, wireless carriers and navigation device manufacturers, where they can be accessed by travelers seeking parking information. Among this information is a parking facility's location, entry points, hours of operation, accepted forms of payment, price schedule, height restrictions and amenities provided.

   

"Parking Data Ventures' database is a perfect example of how technology can be harnessed to provide greater visibility and profitability for our members," said Shawn Conrad, CAE, IPI executive director. "IPI's partnership with PDV is an excellent benefit for our members and we encourage them to take advantage of this exciting opportunity."

   

"Our partnership with IPI, the nation's largest association for parking professionals, is a real win-win for both consumers and IPI members," said Jason Boseck, president of Parking Data Ventures. "The addition of parking locations to PDV's database will give consumers instant access to vital information. At the same time, the availability of current, accurate parking data on interactive devices will drive new revenue to IPI member parking companies."

Snow Part Deux…..

The New Mayor of Baltimore told the populace last week or so that it was OK to use lawn chairs, saw horses and the like to "save" onstreet spaces after they had dug them out. He changed his tune today and told folks that it was time to take the "space holders" in. He says he hoped God would take care of the problem but it's been too cold to melt the snow.

I commerseurate with both sides on this one. If you spend and hour and a lot of sweat digging out the space, then you should lay claim to it. However from the city's point of view, it's a parking space and well…you can't reserve them.

Baltimore is taking a middle of the road approach. They are asking that folks remove the clutter, but aren't going to write tickets for a few more days.

In the end I'm not sure space saving really works. What, beside winter morality, is going to keep me from simply tossing the chair or sawhorse on the sidewalk and parking my car?

I just asked someone here in the office who comes from snow climes and was told that such action was very dangerous. It meant that you could have flat tires or a good keying. People who dig out spaces take the "reserving" seriously. In one case, a person returned to their car (after taking the 'reserved' space) to find it filled with snow. Actually that seems reasonable to me.

JVH

Snow makes a difference in Parking

I just got off the phone with Charlie Brown of Charlie Brown Airport Parking in Pittsburgh. He told me to call back next week – he had a problem. Snow Snow Snow.

The result of the largest snow fall in history is three feet of snow covering the cars parked in his lot. And he and his crew have to dig them out.

I understand that this is an annual problem with parking lot owners. But those of us in milder climes don't think a lot about it. Not only do they have to clear out the lot so people can get their cars out, they also have to figure out someplace to put the snow. And if they put the snow in open spaces that means that those spaces are no longer available for parking cars, at least until the next thaw.

Snow means loss of money, not only the cost of removing it, but also the loss of rentable space. If a space generates $10 a day and you lose 30 or 40 spaces that are filled with ten foot high piles of snow, well, you do the math.

Good luck Charile and all the rest of your in the snow belt, which I guess streaches from Northern Georgia to the North Pole.

JVH

ABM Names Mark Muglich President of Ampco System

ABM Industries today announced the promotion of two of its senior ABM Facility Services executives. Mark Muglich has been named president of Ampco System Parking. Chris Hansen has been promoted to president of ABM Security Services. ABM Industries, operating through its subsidiaries, is the United States' leading provider of facility services.

 

Muglich has been an executive at Ampco System Parking since 1993 and most recently served as Ampco's executive vice president and acting president. With more than 40 years of experience

in the parking industry, Muglich will lead Ampco's management of more than 1,600 office and multi-use parking operations across the country. Ampco provides parking and transportation

services for a wide variety of facilities, including airports, colleges and universities, commercial offices, hotels, retail complexes, sports and entertainment venues, and hospitals and medical

centers.

 

ABM Security Services' new president, Chris Hansen, most recently served as ABM Security Services' executive vice president, with responsibility for operations and sales. Hansen has more

than 30 years of experience in the security industry. ABM Security Services provides an array of custom, commercial and residential security services, such as on-site security personnel,

background checks and investigative services, patrol and alarm response, access control, security consulting and system design. ABM Security Services is one of the largest employers of security

officers in the country and operates in 34 states.

 

"Mark and Chris are outstanding executives with a proven ability to drive ABM's growth and leadership in parking and security," said Steven Zaccagnini, executive vice president, ABM

Industries, and president, ABM Facility Services. "Important in these economic times, they are also cognizant of the need to make continual operational improvements to help drive efficiencies

and control costs for our clients and their businesses. I am confident in their leadership and look forward to working with them going forward."

 

Public vs private parking, is there a difference?

I have been looking back over the past four or five days of "Parking news" on Yahoo and its hard to get excited about the stories. They are all basically the same. The local merchants/citizens/students are up in arms over parking in the community and the local /city council/mayor/administration is worried/confused/taking some action on the topic.

Rates are being raised/lowered/eliminated/begun to solve the lack of enough parking that supports the local business/building/venue/university/hospital.

Citizens are irate/happy/annoyed/demanding/marching/yelling/ over the situation.

In the end the problems go back to public sector parking. It either costs too much or too little, there isn't enough of it, and it's in the wrong place. Fair enough.

But where is the outrage over private parking. When there's not enough parking, the people just take their custom elsewhere. If it costs too much, they lower the price or the merchants pick up the tab. If the lack of parking is a probleml, the businesses involved make more, install shuttles, hire valets and the problem seems to go away. There is no democracy issue – businesses sink or swim based on parking availability. The customer is always right. But there is someone to pay the bills – the owner, shopkeeper, the parker. The Private sector understands this. If you charge someone for something you had better deliver.

An example – There is "free" wifi at some airports. It usually doesn't work at all. Then there is "Pay" wifi also available. It almost always works right, has high power, and is easy to get access to. You get what you pay for.

In the public sector, Peter's wonderful democracy is in action. Committees are formed, studies done, the Mayor's wife gets her input, and decisions are eventually made. And all hell breaks loose. There are 500 parking articles in US newspapers in the past week, virtually all about on and off street parking issues that relate to the public sector. I tried in vain to find one that dealt with the private sector and could not. Even though half of the parking in the US is from the private side.

Why?

I think it has to do with a term we are hearing more and more these days – "Stakeholders" Wikipedia defines: "a person, group, organization, or system who affects or can be affected by an organization's actions."

Well, let's see. If I am in private business the relationship is one on one. I am the businessperson and you are the customer. There aren't really a lot of other stakeholders in the relationship. If I screw up, you vote with your feet. Pretty easy.

There are hundreds of stakeholders in the public sector and they range from private citizens (who each have individual and "group" interests), to businesses, to government bureaucrats, to politicians. Where a private business takes an action it may affect its customers, but that's usually it. However when the public sector takes an action, everyone's ox is being gored. WOW

A private sector decision is made and that is that. On the public side, hundreds of stakeholders may be involved in the decision. For good or bad. Triangulation and ability to "sell" the deal takes over. Is the best decision made, or is it a compromise, satisfying few…

I have great respect for the public parking sector. They have tremendous pressures and have to work their way through them. AH HA – Perhaps a workshop for the IPI – The Politics of Parking – Maneuvering through the tangled web of public parking policy.

JVH

Necessity is the Mother of….

The term was brough home to me yesterday when I interviewed the inventors of a new product for the parking industry. It's a way to sell validations and validate tickets over the internet. I don't want to go into too much detail since after all, I want you to read the April issue of PT. Suffice it to say, these folks aren't really in the software application business, but they saw a requirement, investigaed, and created a computer app that solved the problem.

Of course there is the corollary to Necessity is the mother of invention – Milk is a necessity, a locomotive is an invention, therefore milk is the mother of the locomotive. Ok I'm told its faulty logic – much the same as if you look out the window and see wet grass at night and the lights are on, you assume that the lights caused the rain.

However my buddies at Sentry System in Sun Valley did the deed. Read all about it APRIL PT

JVH