Industry News
February, 2018
The 7.5-acre Boardwalk campus in Irvine, CA, features two nine-story Class A structures encompassing 540,000-sf of office space and 5,000-sf of retail/restaurant space. The property includes an eight-level, 2,170-stall parking structure recently completed by Bomel Construction Co. for Project Developer Trammell Crow Co. Project Manager Matt Prince said building the 670,000-square-foot, poured-in-place concrete garage had a number of challenges. The Bomel team included Project Engineer Garret Hoffman, General Superintendent John Bibbens and Formwork Superintendent Doug Smith.
The Architect was International Parking Design.
The LA County Metropolitan Transportation Authority has awarded Cubic Transportation Systems (CTS) a contract for an integrated mobile app in support of the TAP regional contactless fare system. The largest regional smart card fare payment system in the US links 24 transit agencies across the LA region. The mobile app “will provide travelers with a range of convenience tools to enhance their daily commute. ... We look forward to continue working with LACMTA’s TAP team to drive shared mobility initiatives across the LA region,”
CTS President Matt Cole said.
MeterFeeder has signed its first major operator partnership with Target Park US, a commercial parking operator, the Pittsburgh Business Times recently reported. The company is launching a private version of its app for the group, which manages more than 225 parking facilities across the US and Canada. Users can make payments using the TP Mobile cloud-based app for parking fees, violations and tickets. They can add extra time to meters and use the app for Target Park areas with valet parking, too. The first location went live Jan. 1 in Warwick, RI, said MeterFeeder CTO Daniel Lopretto.
Parking Concepts Inc., a leading provider of airport parking solutions, has launched the first 100% electric shuttle bus at the Ontario (CA) International Airport with the deployment of the Phoenix Motorcars Zero-Emission Utility Shuttle- ZEUS 305. Rachel Solis, General Manager of Parking Concepts at the airport, said, “The new Phoenix electric shuttle buses will help us negate the environmental impact of our vehicles while reducing our operating expenses. The fuel and maintenance costs for these vehicles are negligible in comparison to gas or CNG options.” Tarek Helou, Phoenix Director of Sales and Marketing, said, “This is another great step in proving that our electric buses are well-suited to meet the intense operational requirements of busy airports, while also helping clean up the environment.”
City of Stamford, CT, officials realized that its meters were old, outdated and costly to maintain, the Stamford Advocate recently reported. That’s why 72 new parking meters have been installed downtown. Mayor David Martin and Transportation Bureau Chief James Travers announced late last year that the new meters — M5 models from IPS Group — will be tested for about 90 days to evaluate resident and visitor interest. If the meters are widely accepted, the city will look to replace all 800 meters throughout Stamford. Each would cost the city $450.
Where do I park downtown? The City of St. Paul, MN, has launched a new web app, powered by Passport, to provide an easy answer to that question, the Star Tribune recently reported. “It’s all the information [drivers] need in one stop,” said city Project Manager Mary Gleich-Matthews. To search for a parking place among 67 lots and ramps in the downtown area, users can enter the venue’s address or its name in a search box. After hitting the “Find Parking” button, an interactive map pops up displaying nearby ramps and meters. Click on the space of choice, and information about rates, hours and contact information comes up. Users can set the distance on how far they want to walk to see more choices. The app also allows users to reserve a parking spot in advance and get directions.
Yale New Haven (CT) Hospital is changing the company running its parking operations, the New Haven Register recently reported. After seven months, the hospital is ending its relationship with Towne Park, an Annapolis-based company that specializes in providing parking services to healthcare facilities and hotels. Hartford-based Laz Parking will begin to provide parking in March. A Laz spokeswoman said its parking services will cover seven valet locations and eleven lots and garages across the YNH Health System in downtown New Haven.
Queenstown Airport in New Zealand has deployed the Smart Parking SmartGuide solution throughout its terminal carparks. The 450+ vehicle detection sensors transmit live occupancy information to the company’s SmartCloud data intelligence platform, which feeds the quantity, type and location of available spaces to dynamic signage placed at the entrance to the airport and on the airport website, alerting drivers to vacant bays. In related news, the company has received a contract to supply, install and maintain 1,500 real-time sensors as part of a monitoring and management system in the City of Moonee Valley, in suburban Melbourne, Australia. It includes provision for public WiFi through its SmartCloud communications infrastructure.
The Bridgeville Borough (PA) Parking Authority has launched PassportParking, a mobile parking application powered by Passport, which allows drivers to pay for parking through their smartphones at four lots. Project Manager Sarah Russell said, “Passport is proud to digitize the parking experience, and we look forward to bringing more convenience and innovation to the borough.”
Complus Data Innovations, a leader in the field of Parking Ticket Management solutions, has
launched a new website: www.complusdata.com. Its goal is to provide visitors an easier way to learn about company services and solutions. Users will find information on its “About Us,” “Services” and “Success Story” webpages. “We invite everyone to check back regularly for company announcements and updates on our new services features, hardware and industry trends,” CEO Ariel Kunar said.
MobileNOW! — the global technology innovator with “the world’s most flexible and user-friendly mobile parking payment platform” — has been deployed in Parking Management Co. pay-by-plate spaces in Oklahoma City. Customers can park and pay based on their license plate number using the free app or IVR system. Also, the valet and parking management provider can view paid sessions using the platform in real-time, thus providing easier enforcement. “We are delighted to enhance convenience for PMC’s customers,” said President and CEO John Oglesby.
Nagle Energy Solutions (NES) reported that its digital, demand-control ventilation system at the City of San Francisco’s Japan Center Garage is cutting — by more than 1.2 million kilowatt-hours a year — the baseline of consumable energy by a new and sizeable mechanical ventilation system. California Energy Code updates required the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) to upgrade the mechanical ventilation systems of some of the city’s aging garages, including the Japan Center, Golden Gateway and Sutter Stockton garages.
NextGen Parking has announced the availability of EMV retrofits for 3M/Federal APD parking revenue control equipment, intended to ensure the continued viability of those systems well into the future. Having completed engineering development and testing of this offering over the past year, the company has commenced installations at selected sites and delivery of kits for installation by other former 3M/FAPD resellers. Retrofits can be installed on pay-on-foot, pay-in-lane, credit card exit verifier, and PowerPad payment devices of either SST or Universal One generations of equipment.
The Natick (MA) Mall in Greater Boston has parking for more than 7,100 vehicles, but especially during the busy holiday shopping season, it can seem like there are no parking spots available. Now, it has installed a new system called Park Assist, which it hopes will help customers and employees have an easier time to park. “It’s essentially a parking navigation system,” said Jennifer Kearney, the mall’s Senior General Manager.
Parkmobile, the leading provider of mobile parking solutions in the US, has launched the meterUP mobile payments program, which will be available throughout Philadelphia. The application will allow parkers to use their mobile devices to pay for parking at the metered, on-street parking spaces throughout the city. “The availability of the app will now allow [drivers] the convenience of using their mobile devices to locate, start-stop pay and extend their meter,” said Jon Ziglar, Parkmobile CEO.
TagMaster NA, the leading provider of ID solutions, recently installed its high-performing NA LR-Series 2.45GHz readers, in conjunction with FlashParking PARC equipment, at the Aspen (CO) Airport. The new touch-screen kiosks with “cloud” technology and with premier microwave RFID technology improved throughput speeds and effectively eliminated vehicle congestion and queues, officials said.
TransLink Park&Go, a free mobile payment app, has launched in Metro Vancouver, Canada, to provide customers of its nine park-and-ride lots a convenient way to pay for parking on-the-go. It partnered with mobile payments leader Passport to develop and launch this app. “We are thrilled to roll out the personalized application for the lots,” said Passport Sales Executive Nathan Berry.
Germany-based Webasto, a top-100, global tier-one automotive and aftermarket equipment manufacturer, has entered the North American electric-vehicle (EV) charging market. The company unveiled a full-service EV-charging program last month at CES 2018 in Las Vegas. Unlike many other suppliers, Webasto has “many years of experience and competence in automotive series production and a global aftermarket network.” The company offers EV-charging solutions that can be adapted to the specifications of car manufacturers as well as retrofit solutions.
Software provider Parking Reservation Software (PRS) announced today plans to release a major upgrade to their platform smart LUIS, an exceptional real-time central reservation system (CRS) built exclusively for parking. The upgraded smartLUIS, 2.0 will better serve existing and new clients with enhancements such as a POS system, multi-tiered price optimization, rate management now customized for cruise port and event-based parking, and full interface with Google Analytics. The new release will go live in Q1 of 2018.
The Southwest Parking and Transportation Association is pleased to announce our Board election results. We would like to introduce: Ben Carpenter, CAPP, Manager of Landside Operations, Reno-Tahoe International Airport; Zachary Cook, Sales Manager and Client Liaison, Iparq; Julie Dixon, President, Dixon Resources Unlimited; Steve Resnick, CAPP, Senior Vice President, Lanier Parking Solutions; Carmen Sevrens, Regional Sales Manager, T2 Systems; Brandy Stanley, MBA, Parking Services Manager, City of Las Vegas.
DESIGNA USA has opened branch offices on both coasts to expand its operations and support its growing presence in the US. The two new offices, located in Bowie, Maryland and Santa Ana, California, will work seamlessly with DESIGNA USA headquarters in Chicago, Illinois. “Designa has experienced phenomenal growth in the US over the past three years,” said Tom Sivak, CEO of DESIGNA USA. “The new branch offices are part of our bold expansion plan. With our customers in mind, we have created the infrastructure to handle our ever-increasing business.” Bob Kane, DESIGNA USA’s senior vice president of sales and marketing, said the branch offices will also support DESIGNA US Business Partners across the country. “We have a growing group of industry-leading companies that have partnered with us to bring future-proof parking systems to their customers,” said Kane. “Our new branch offices offer added resources and support for their customers across the country.”
Propark America announced today that David Horn has joined the company as the new regional vice president, overseeing the Jacksonville market and select near airport facilities within the company’s portfolio. “The southeast region is a challenging parking environment, so the right leadership is top priority for Propark,” said Propark’s President, Rick DiPietro. “David brings a tremendous amount of expertise in parking operations, team building and fueling profitability. He is a wonderful addition to our Parking Dream Team.” David has over twenty years of experience in the parking industry, most recently serving as the regional general manager of USAPARK Airport Parking, where he was responsible for the oversight of a portfolio of parking assets across the country. David previously served as the general manager of ParkSpace Airport Shuttle Parking, and prior to that, he was the city manager for Parkway Corporation, where he was responsible for operating an assortment of thirteen parking facilities.
