Short Parking Stories

January, 2018

‘Forward-Looking Emphasis’ at Annual IPC Conference

Speaking at the annual conference of the UK-based International Parking Community (IPC), its Chief Executive, Will Hurley, urged the accredited trade association delegates to embrace new technologies and new opportunities with confidence.

“Recognizing responsibilities and securing the insight required to take change in one’s stride are absolutely vital for the future success of all parking operators,” Hurley said. “And, as a representative of a large proportion of the [private UK] parking industry, the onus is on the IPC to lead by example and to demonstrate the agility and responsiveness that’s needed to drive up service standards and meet the rising expectations of service users in the digital age.”

The conference was held at The Village Hotel near Nottingham, England, in November, and in keeping with the IPC’s vision, the focus of the event was very “forward-looking,” organizers said.

The association also unveiled the first courses of its Training and Development Academy – a new venture developed in partnership with Trace Training. Other presentations provided delegates with guidance on significant new data protection legislation; insights into the latest developments in electric vehicles and other emerging technologies; and the IPC’s “progressive steps to improve the consumer experience.”

Also, the Lead Adjudicator of the Independent Appeals Service, Bryn Holloway, provided an overview of key matters arising from the process over the past year. And special breakout sessions were held to reflect the specific needs of the university and local authority sectors, along with advice on helping to minimize “blue badge” fraud.

“We’re delighted with the positive feedback we’ve received from conference delegates,” said COO Charles Clowes. “The progressive theme of the event and the selection of speakers reflected topics that are front of mind for many of our members.

“However, we were also keen to highlight potential challenges that the parking industry will be facing ... as a result of continuous advances in technology and a society of increasingly empowered consumers,” Clowes said.

“Turning a blind eye to the significance of such influential matters is not an option for any responsible service provider, and I’m confident we’ve helped to open people’s eyes to many of the challenges – and the huge opportunities - that lie ahead.”

Guest speakers at the conference included: Richard Syers, Senior Policy Officer at the Information Commissioners Office; Helen Dolphin, MBE, who outlined the effectiveness, popularity and importance of the People’s Parking accreditation program for improving the parking experience of customers with disabilities; Natalia Silverstone, Senior Consultant at POD Point Ltd., the UK’s leading provider of EV charging.

And Tom Callow, Director of Communications and Strategy at Chargemaster, the UK’s largest network of public EV chargers; Trace Director Louis Ellis, who introduced the IPC’s new Training and Development Academy and the series of courses scheduled for early in the new year; and Ashley Bijster, Managing Director of Imperial Code Enforcement Solutions Ltd., who provided an overview of the potential impact of technology on the parking sector.

[Source: International Parking Community]

Ohio State Makes Technology Switch With NuPark Integrated Parking Software

When your campus parking system occupies a massive 1,904 acres and manages 36,600 parking spaces across 16 garages for 94,000 students, faculty and staff, your technology needs to be equally impressive to keep up.

To address the challenges at The Ohio State University (OSU), its parking concessionaire, CampusParc, partnered with NuPark, an enterprise parking management solutions provider. Its permitting, revenue and enforcement software solution is now live.

The management software handles data from gated and ungated parking, meters, online payments and permitting, for integrated parking management of the 80,000 cars that visit the Columbus campus on an average day.

Kevin Uhlenhaker, CEO and Co-Founder of NuPark, said, “Our partnership with CampusParc ... exemplifies the value of choosing an ‘open’ technology platform to integrate multiple technology platforms into one operational solution. CampusParc is leading the next generation of ‘smart-parking’ management.”

The OSU parking system is the first full-featured project integration between NuPark and PARC systems provider TIBA. The collaboration, the companies said, will allow integration of permit, transient, occupancy and usage data to seamlessly communicate between the management platform and the gated equipment.

This enables CampusParc to do integrated reporting between gated and ungated parking facilities – “the first gated and ungated multi-system pass-back or shared permit violation enforcement operating in real time.” The new system also provides financial data that allow CampusParc to meet its stringent financial requirements; and it is scalable and flexible to handle future business needs.

CampusParc Chief Technology Officer Bob Murray said, “The management solution we chose integrates seamlessly and cost-effectively with current technologies; provides a user-friendly interface for staff that are managing permit sales and citation processing; and features a user-friendly online portal where customers can perform common parking-related activities efficiently and with minimal staff support.”

[Sources: NuPark Inc., CampusParc]

NPA Awards Top Honors to 2 Skidata Installations in U.S.

Two Skidata Inc. installations in the U.S. garnered innovation awards from the National Parking Association (NPA) at its annual awards luncheon in late October.

The team at the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) Parking Business Unit took home the award for Innovative Organization of the Year. And Innovative Facility of the Year honors went to MGM Resorts International based in Las Vegas.

Both expansive installations feature a full suite of Skidata parking software and hardware, as well as integrations with Indect parking guidance systems.

DFW has been an anchor installation for Skidata Inc. for nearly a decade. It works closely with the company in a consultative business relationship, with upgrades and expansions being implemented to adapt to the changing needs of the airport. Recognized by Airports Council International as the top large aviation facility in customer satisfaction, DFW also was cited on the NPA website (www.weareparking.org) for “organizational innovation and applied best practices” as key to its earning the association’s parking award.

Installation of parking equipment in 11 MGM Resorts International properties, called a complex and technologically advanced project, was completed by Sentry Control Systems, also part of the Skidata Group.

The parking facilities are tied together on a fiber-optic network accessible on a central command center, managed by SP Plus, which allows 24/7 monitoring.

The successful execution of the “monumental task” of installing a system with 13,000 individual parking space sensors, along with wayfinding systems integrated with Skidata’s PARC system, was what made this facility stand above the rest, the NPA said.

[Source: Skidata Inc., Skidata Group]

Santa Fe Adds Conduent Parking Management System

Using new online services, residents of and visitors to the city of Santa Fe, NM, will have an easier way to pay for parking tickets, appeal citations and request permits. The new system, managed by Conduent Inc., along with new in-field technology, is designed to streamline customer service and improve the city’s parking availability.

“Santa Fe had a legacy parking system in place that wasn’t meeting its needs,” said Don Hubicki, General Manager of Conduent Public Sector Transportation. “With [our] innovative technology platforms and deep industry expertise, we can transform the way the city addresses its parking challenges and, in turn, provide citizens [and tourists] with better customer service.”

Parking Division employees will be able to review all documentation received online and manage that through an automated workflow queue, the company said. From there, each document will be attached to a ticket record with one simple click, so that all documents are in one place, decreasing the time it takes to answer questions or make decisions about citations.

The processing system also will handle ticket noticing and other correspondence, including courtesy notices, and decision, insufficient funds and drive-away letters.

Parking enforcement officers (PEOs) also will receive new handheld devices equipped with CitySight, Conduent’s “cloud-enabled” performance management system. The solution, designed to enable increased PEO efficiency, provides real-time operational data to help parking enforcement supervisors better manage workloads, make smarter dispatching decisions and create high-performance teams of PEOs.

Noel Pinto Correia, Parking Division Director of the city’s Public Works Department, said, “I’ve had the unique opportunity of working with Conduent’s parking team in two other cities, and trust that they will seamlessly bring Santa Fe’s parking system into the 21st century with efficiencies and conveniences that directly benefit our citizens and visitors.”

[Source: Conduent Inc.]