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THE BUSINESS OF PARKING
From Capitol Hill to the Curb: Looking to a Shift in National Policy
By Michael J. Ash, Esq., CRE
JANUARY 2021 BROUGHT A NEW FEDERAL ADMINISTRATION to Washington D.C., and all the changes that come with it. Most senior positions are customarily filled by the usual Beltway insiders. Any change on a national level is slow and incremental without the possibility of revolutionary change in a short timeframe. However, every so often, an outsider comes along to bring a fresh perspective on issues of public policy. Enter Pete Buttigieg, the new Secretary of Transportation.
Buttigieg catapulted from mayor of South Bend, Ind., to President Biden’s cabinet, bringing with him the kind of forwardthinking agenda on transportation and mobility to be expected of a proactive and pragmatic city mayor. Secretary Buttigieg has set out to define the administration’s goals for the expansion of the successful Complete Streets program he oversaw development of in South Bend.
Complete Streets
The Complete Streets initiative is wellknown to our readers. The future of parking and mobility includes many different modes of transportation and different priorities among users. The Complete Streets term refers to transportation policy and design to include the planning, design, operation, and maintenance of safe, convenient travel and access for all ages and mobility regardless of their mode of transportation. The Complete Streets formula include a combination of safe walking, cycling, automobile, and public transportation. Mayor Buttigieg made the development of Complete Streets a focus of his agenda as mayor of South Bend and intends to make it a central focus of the Biden administration’s transportation policy.
Local Implications
Local municipalities can expect policy decisions and funding options to help make city streets safer for all modes of mobility. As implemented in South Bend, the project elements included: ■ Realignment of one-way streets to two-way streets. ■ Reducing the number of driving lanes on other streets from four to three. ■ Addition of bike lines throughout the downtown. ■ Extending sidewalks to create safer pedestrian crossings at intersections. ■ Adding roundabouts to reduce congestion at intersections.
The infrastructure projects were funded by a $25 million bond backed by tax increment financing. The complete streets re-engaged the residents of South Bend with the downtown and economic development soon followed. South Bend welcomed new residential and commercial development and the opening of new businesses and restaurants.
Policies
The U.S. Department of Transportation may become an available resource as more urban municipalities look to the model for the implementation of complete streets. Some of the federal policy and regulations to be implemented by Department of Transportation may include: ■ Grants and funding for local municipalities to study, plan, and finance Complete Streets programs. ■ Model guidelines on zoning and parking that includes complete street practices. ■ Improvements to public transportation that can be incorporated into urban planning.
Rather than broad sweeping promises of major infrastructure investment like rail tunnels and airports, the infrastructure projects that make the most difference are the local improvements that implement complete street policies to improve the central business districts across the country and improve the safety of multi-modal urban mobility. ◆
MICHAEL J. ASH, Esq., CRE, is partner with Carlin & Ward. He can be reached at michael.ash@ carlinward.com.
- Mike Moretto, AIA
San Diego International Airport Terminal 2 Parking Structure
Overcoming Technophobia
By Jessica Britton
TECHNOLOGY HAS TRANSFORMED PARKING. During the past generation, the industry has evolved from where cash payments were often collected and placed into cigar boxes to a largely cashless enterprise in which people pay with credit cards and cell phones. Technology has swung toward apps that allow drivers to use their personal devices to find available parking, pay for it, and enjoy the benefits of parking loyalty programs. Soon, many of these appbased parking services will be preloaded onto the dashboards of new cars so we can manage parking transactions that much more efficiently.
The technology revolution couldn’t have come at a better time. The parking technologies that we take for granted every day—mobile payment apps, advanced PARCS, parking guidance, and other tools—were developed to make parking more convenient and manageable. As we’ve discovered during this pandemic, these same technologies can help promote public health by minimizing common touch points on which viruses can accumulate and allowing drivers to manage and pay from their parking from the comfort and safety of their private vehicle.
As we all know, technologies are only useful if they are adopted, and not everyone feels comfortable using new technologies. At least not right away.
There are many potential barriers to adoption, but there are three primary ones: ■ First and most common is people’s hesitancy to try new technologies. People have comfort zones and many don’t like to stray outside those comfort zones. ■ The second common barrier to adoption is confusion about how to use a particular piece of technology. Equipment isn’t always intuitive and people often have difficulty learning how to use new technologies. People will always seek the point of least
resistance when it comes to technology, and that often means sticking with what they know rather than trying something new. ■ The third and final barrier can be found in common design issues that limit the usefulness of individual technologies. Sometimes, ideas that seemed great on the drawing board don’t work as planned out on the street or in garages.
Overcoming Barriers
So, how do you overcome these barriers to achieve widespread adoption of new technologies? Some of the responsibility falls on the municipalities, institutions, and private lot operators who implement the equipment and some rests on the equipment makers themselves.
The first key is education. For large-scale introduction of new technology, like mobile payment apps, the city introducing the app should work closely with the app provider to educate local drivers about the bene-
fits of using the app to pay for parking and demonstrating how it works. There are a number of communication strategies that can be effective, including strategic marketing programs using fun events and prizes to reward first-time users. Also, video tutorials made available on city websites, social media channels, and via texts can offer step by step guidance on how to use the app.
Modern PARCS equipment also often has video capabilities that can demonstrate how to use the equipment. These video capabilities can be used to increase adoption by offering guidance into how to use the equipment. These are just a few examples of the ways that education and marketing can be used to increase adoption of new technologies.
When it comes to drivers’ comfort levels, it may also make sense to offer drivers choice, particularly when it comes to apps. People like different things. Some are Apple and some are Windows; some prefer Coke and some prefer Pepsi; some like American cars while others prefer foreign vehicles. The same goes for parking apps. Why not offer multiple apps and let drivers choose the platform they prefer? Cities, institutions, and private owners that offer choice tend to experience much higher utilization.
The final barrier revolves around the technology itself, which often isn’t as easy to use as it should be. Take, for instance, mobile payment apps. Some apps require the driver to input a zone designation into the app to let enforcement officers know where that driver is parked. That’s all well and good, but are people really going to want to get out of their cars and traipse up and down the street searching for a zone number? Particularly, when it’s cold or raining or snowing? If the point of mobile payment is to make parking easier, shouldn’t the app recognize the car’s location for the driver?
Technology owners need to do more to make their tools easier to use, both for parkers and for parking managers. This primarily means making sure user and data collection interfaces are simple and intuitive. In the era of multi-tool technology suites, technology providers should also consider offering Open API platforms that allow parking owners and municipalities to customize the solutions to their unique needs and to combine tools provided by different technology companies.
Era of Automation
Automation has been the predominant trend in parking during the past decade, and the COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically sped up the process. But technologies aren’t useful if they aren’t used. municipalities, institutions, and private parking owners need to choose technologies that are intuitive and easy to use when implementing automation strategies, and once those tools are introduced, they should implement education and instruction strategies to get drivers excited about using them and informed as to how to do so. When they do, they’ll increase the public’s adoption of those technologies and enjoy the full benefits of implementing them. ◆
JESSICA BRITTON is director, marketing & communications, with PayByPhone Technologies, Inc. She can be reached at jbritton@paybyphone.com.
ENGINEERING & DESIGN PLANNING & STUDIES RESTORATION
CENTER CITY GREEN CHARLOTTE, NC
