The Parking Professional March 2016 by International Parking & Mobility Institute

Rolling Over a 401(k)

Seeing Theft in Data

Rethinking Transit

Social Media and Hiring

MARCH 2016

THE INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE

A Parking Hat Trick

The challenges posed by a new ice arena at Penn State

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WAYFINDING MARCH 2016 | Volume 32 | Number 3

20 STUDY

By Ryan J. Givens, CAPP

The unusual parking challenges faced at Penn State (and the creative solutions that worked) when a new ice arena was constructed on campus. By Ryan J. Givens, CAPP

Ice Parking

ICE PARKING

CASE

INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE | MARCH 2016

HAT UNIVERSITY WOULDN’T LOVE a brand-new ice arena for its hockey team? While it was certainly exciting (for all the right reasons) when Penn State opened its new facility more than two years ago, the arena also presented unusual challenges when it came to parking. Fortunately, it was nothing a little creative thinking couldn’t solve. In September 2010, Terry and Kim Pegula donated $88 million to The Pennsylvania State University—the largest private gift in the university’s history—to fund a state-of-the-art, multi-purpose ice arena that would help establish NCAA Division I men’s and women’s hockey programs. In 2012, during the groundbreaking ceremony, it was announced that the donation amount had increased to $102

million. The money covered additional construction costs for the arena, operational costs, and some additional scholarships. I did not start my employment with Penn State until January 2012, but as a lifelong hockey fan, I was already well aware of the pending construction of the arena and very excited to know I was moving to an area where there would be Division I hockey programs just a short drive from my new home. But as a parking professional, seeing the final site selection for the building of the new arena brought on some serious concerns and worries. These concerns and visions of challenging parking situations emerged before I’d really begun to understand the ins and outs of the campus parking program and day-to-day parking requirements at Penn State.

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MARCH 2016 | INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE

26 Rolling

Rolling It

Changing jobs? 401(k) rollovers come with lots of choices. Learn how to make the best ones.

By Mark A. Vergenes

f you’re changing jobs, you may be wondering what to do with your 401(k) plan account. No matter what stage you are in your career or how close you are to retirement, it’s important to understand your options.

Your Entitlements If you leave your job (voluntarily or involuntarily), you’ll be entitled to a distribution of your vested balance. Your vested balance always includes your own contributions (pretax, after-tax, and Roth) and typically any investment earnings on those amounts. It also includes employer contributions and earnings that have satisfied your plan’s vesting schedule. In general, there are two ways to become vested in your employer’s contributions to your retirement plan: ● Cliff vesting means you’re 100 percent vested in employer contributions after three years of service. ● Graded vesting happens gradually at 20 percent per year. After six years, employees are 100 percent vested. Plans can have faster vesting schedules, and some even have 100 percent immediate vesting. You’ll also

be 100 percent vested once you’ve reached your plan’s normal retirement age. It’s important to understand how your particular plan’s vesting schedule works because you’ll forfeit any employer contributions that aren’t vested at the time you leave your job. Your summary plan description (SPD) will spell out how the vesting schedule for your particular plan works. If you don’t have one, ask your plan administrator for it. If you’re on the cusp of vesting, it may make sense to wait a bit before leaving if you have that luxury.

Don’t Spend It—Roll It While your retirement plan’s pool of dollars may look attractive, don’t spend it unless you absolutely need to. Taking a distribution means you’ll be taxed at ordinary

INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE | MARCH 2016

income tax rates on the entire value of your account except for any after-tax or Roth 401(k) contributions you’ve made. And if you’re not yet age 55, an additional 10 percent penalty may apply to the taxable portion of your payout. (Special rules may apply if you receive a lump-sum distribution and you were born before 1936 or if the lump sum includes employer stock.) If your vested balance is more than $5,000, you can leave your money in your employer’s plan until you reach normal retirement age. Your employer, however, must also allow you to make a direct rollover to an individual retirement account (IRA) or to another employer’s 401(k) plan. As the name suggests, in a direct rollover the money passes directly from your 401(k) plan account to the IRA or other plan. This is preferable to a 60-day rollover, in which you get the check and then roll the money over yourself because your employer has to withhold 20 percent of the taxable portion of a 60day rollover. You can still roll over the entire amount of your distribution, but you’ll need to come up with the 20 percent that’s been withheld until you recapture that amount when you file your income tax return. parking.org/tpp

IRA or Employer 401(k)? Picking between your own IRA and an employer 401(k) plan looks like a tough choice, but assuming both options are available to you, there’s no right or wrong answer to this question. There are strong arguments to be made on both sides. You need to weigh all of the factors and make a decision based on your own needs and priorities. It’s best to have a professional assist you with this, as the decision you make may have significant consequences—both now and in the future.

MARCH 2016 | INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE

FIRST ENCOUNTERED the parking industry in the early 1970s as an entry-level accountant. I had to manually count the number of

lots between downtown and what is now called the LoDo (lower downtown) District as an internal control check on our parking operator. There wasn’t any technology in those lots—just the ubiquitous honor boxes. Nor could I use any technology to help count the spaces; I tallied my results on daily ledger paper using an adding machine that couldn’t even hold a number in daily counts to the parking operator’s monthly remittance as a way of ensuring the public was receiving all the revenues to which it was entitled. Data visualization was physical, not digital. I physically had to see the cars and physically interpret the counts. Analysis was difficult—trends and patterns got lost in the noise of big data. Counting cars in parking lots was a fun task in the summer of 1973, but during that freezing winter, I began to dream of leveraging my bachelor’s degree in a warmer location. I continued for three more years, toiling endlessly, adding columns and rows, and footing and cross-footing totals in sequential reconciliations; at least technology improved calculators to hold a number in memory!

INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE | MARCH 2016

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Pay Stations Charlotte is very customer-focused. As new technologies became available, Charlotte’s on-street program jumped at the chance to offer its customers a credit card option to pay for parking. Pay stations were appealing because they could offer the additional payment option

along with an opportunity to remove meter poles and meter heads from the streetscape, which was especially attractive on some of the city’s core uptown streets. To ensure the public was ready to embrace the credit card payment option and use a more complicated payment process, in 2004 the city installed six pay

INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE | MARCH 2016

Different stations covering 37 parking spaces for three months in the technology-savvy area of uptown. While there was a slight learning curve, it was short-lived. Motorists read the signs posted to assist, followed the pay-station screen prompts, and pulled out their credit cards. The data gathered supported the decision to invest in this product. The city absorbed the credit card fees rather than pass them on to the public and budgeted to cover the operating costs. During the trial, the city also paid close attention to whether motorists preferred pay-by-space to pay-anddisplay (they did). As a courtesy, printed receipts are available to motorists today, though drivers still don’t need to return to their cars and display them while parked. Ultimately, managers of the on-street parking program decided to:

Purchase 45 pay stations covering 428 on-street spaces. Offer credit card and coin-only payment options to reduce dollar bill-related maintenance. Require the highest level of PCI compliance. Use solar power in all possible locations. The pay stations have been a success. Having access to real-time data serves the program well for audit purposes and for getting motorists answers to their payment questions.

● ●

Smart Meters What could possibly be next for a municipality such as Charlotte? After nearly 15 years, the city’s original coin-only meters reached end of life, and maintenance calls and revenue losses were noticeable. The city needed new meters and began a search for new equipment.

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MARCH 2016 | INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE

Rethinking Transit

What’s next for the commuter parking benefit?

OPINION

How two cities approach meter modernization in different ways to get similar great results.

By Steven Higashide

ATE LAST YEAR, Congress finally permanent-

What’s next for the commuter parking benefit?

Cost of Parking and Transit Benefits

ly addressed a longstanding imbalance in the federal tax code that allowed com-

(Billions)

muters to exclude up to $250 per month from their income toward the cost of parking associated with their trip to work, but only $130 per

Cost of tax expenditure

month for mass transit. From now on, parking

Federal income tax

Parking benefit

Transit benefit

Total

$3.9

$0.7

$4.7

and transit receive equal treatment with an

State income tax

0.8

0.1

1.0

exclusion of up to $255 per month (indexed

Payroll taxes (employer)

1.2

0.2

1.5

to cost-of-living inflation) for both. While this

Payroll taxes (employee)

1.2

0.2

1.5

brings a bit of essential fairness to the system,

Total

7.3

1.3

8.6

MARCH 2016 | INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE

it should be just the first step toward rethinking

Note: Figures may not add up due to rounding.

our wasteful commuter benefits policy, which

Cost of parking and transit benefits without parity, graphic from Subsidizing Congestion report by TransitCenter and Frontier Group, published in 2014.

dates back to the 1980s.

Smarter than the Average Detective

memory. Every month, I would compare my

hit the tracks in 2011, setting and accomplishing its goals quickly. The two cities are very different in many ways, and their approaches to meter modernization differed as well, but in the end, upgrading and updating systems led to more efficient and effective on-street parking for both. Here’s how they each approached their challenges and changes.

How two cities approach meter modernization in different ways to get similar great results.

INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE | MARCH 2016

parking.org/tpp

MARCH 2016 | INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE

parked cars in each of Denver’s public parking

By Charlie Francis

otor sports may not be the only thing Charlotte, N.C., and Indianapolis, Ind., have in common. Meter modernization has been happening in Charlotte since 2006, while Indy

STUDY

Reasons to roll over to an IRA:

Detective

Same, Only

By Clement Gibson, CAPP, and Adam Isen, CAPP

CASE

Changing jobs? 401(k) rollovers come with lots of choices. Learn how to make the best ones.

You’ll generally have more investment choices with an IRA than with an employer’s 401(k) plan. In a typical situation, you can freely move your money around to the various investments offered by your IRA trustee, and you may divide up your balance among as many of those investments as you want. By contrast, employer-sponsored plans typically give you a limited menu of investments (usually mutual funds) from which to choose. ● You can freely allocate your IRA dollars among different IRA trustees/custodians. There’s no limit on how many direct, trustee-to-trustee IRA transfers you can do in a year. This gives you flexibility to change trustees often if you are

How municipal parking finance professionals can catch parking bandits with data visualization.

than the Average

the

The Same, Only Different

●

30 Smarter

The unusual parking challenges faced at Penn State (and the creative solutions that worked) when a new ice arena was constructed on campus.

How municipal parking finance professionals can catch parking bandits with data visualization.

INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE | MARCH 2016

46 HOLDPOST that

Hold That Post

What hiring managers say employees and candidates should think about before using social media, even on their own time.

By John V. Collins, CAPP

know I am getting up there in age and have to accept that technology may be

starting to pass me by (if you ask my family, it passed me by a long time ago). But

I have a Twitter account, a LinkedIn profile, and a Facebook page. I’m sure I am

not alone in not often thinking about the effects social media has in the workplace. Social media is no longer on the cutting-edge of our world; it’s mainstream. According to a social recruiting survey conducted by Jobvite in 2014, social recruiting is now the norm, with 93 percent of recruiters using or planning to use social media to assist in their recruiting efforts. A survey by the Aberdeen Group shows that 73 percent of 18- to 34-year-olds found their last jobs through social networks, and 59 percent of recruiters rated candidates sourced from social networks as “highest quality.” These numbers should only increase over the next few years. With such a massive amount of information at everyone’s fingertips, employers must ask themselves if it is ethical to make professional decisions about an individual based on his or her posts to Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, or any other form of social media. According to staff.com, almost three-quarters (73 percent) of recruiters say they have made successful hires through social media. Conversely, one-third of employers rejected candidates because of something they found in their social profiles. Mining social media for hiring purposes is at an all-time high.

INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE | MARCH 2016

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MARCH 2016 | INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE

Editor’s Note

DEPARTMENTS

4 Entrance 6 IPI Board Member Profile 8 Consultants Corner 1 0 The Green Standard 1 2 The Business of Parking 1 4 On The Front Line 1 6 Parking Spotlight 18 IPI’s Ask the Experts 5 0 IPI in Action 5 2 State & Regional Spotlight 5 4 Community Digest 6 0 Parking Consultants 6 2 Advertisers Index 6 2 Parking Break 6 3 New IPI Members 6 4 Calendar of Events

SOCIAL MEDIA FAIL

woman I know in her mid-20s is on the cusp of what she considers success (we all have our own definitions). She’s finishing up her coursework, she’s completed a rigorous internship in her chosen field, and she’s looking at the last exams she’ll have to take before starting her dreamjob search. All good, and believe me, my fingers are crossed for her. The thing that might sink her, though, is Facebook. Like a lot of people, she uses the social networking site to stay in touch with friends all over the country and as something of a digital scrapbook—here’s what I did today in words and photos. Some of it is her studies and dreams, some is her frustration and occasional sadness, some is not-so-family-friendly, and there are pictures of the fun partying she does on the weekends. Normal human stuff, but her Facebook page is wide open so anyone can see it, including the professionals who will review her resume and consider her for jobs. And there’s just enough there, I’m afraid, to jettison her career ambitions for a while. It’s become habit to do a Google search for people we meet, and while nobody means to be Big Brother, social media accounts like my young friend’s are more than enough to turn off potential employers. If you haven’t thought about what your social media activity means for your career, we’ve got the whole story starting on p. 46, from a parking industry professional who makes hiring decisions. Have a great job already? He also explains why your Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Snapchat activity can hurt you at your current workplace and what to do to fix it. It’s great information I hope you’ll pass along to young people you know or new parking employees; my friend will get a copy for sure. Know where to get even more great, real-world knowledge to help further your career? The 2016 IPI Conference & Expo, May 17–20 in Nashville, Tenn. Next month’s issue will give you a great sneak peek into what you’ll get out of the show, but I guarantee it’s one of the best steps you can take to advance your organization and yourself. Visit IPIConference.parking.org to learn more and register, and I hope to meet you there. As always, I look forward to your ideas and comments. My email address is below. Until next month…

fernandez@parking.org

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MARCH 2016 | INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE

ENTRANCE

Editor Kim Fernandez fernandez@parking.org Contributing Editor Bill Smith, APR bsmith@smith-phillips.com Technical Editor Rachel Yoka, LEED AP BD+C yoka@parking.org Advertising Sales Bonnie Watts, CEM watts@parking.org Subscriptions Tina Altman taltman@parking.org. Graphic Design BonoTom Studio info@bonotom.com Proofreader Melanie Padgett Powers For advertising information, contact Bonnie Watts at watts@parking.org or 571.699.3011. For subscription changes, contact Tina Altman, taltman@parking.org. The Parking Professional (ISSN 0896-2324 & USPS 001436) is published monthly by the International Parking Institute. 1330 Braddock Place, Suite 350 Alexandria, VA 22314 Phone: 571.699.3011 Fax: 703.566.2267 Email: ipi@parking.org Website: parking.org Postmaster note: Send address label changes promptly to: The Parking Professional 1330 Braddock Place, Suite 350 Alexandria, VA 22314 Interactive electronic version of The Parking Professional for members and subscribers only at parking.org/tpp. Periodical postage paid at Alexandria, Va., and additional mailing offices. Copyright © International Parking Institute, 2016. Statements of fact and opinion expressed in articles contained in The Parking Professional are the sole responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent an official expression of policy or opinion on the part of officers or the members of IPI. Manuscripts, correspondence, articles, product releases, and all contributed materials are welcomed by The Parking Professional; however, publication is subject to editing, if deemed necessary to conform to standards of publication. The subscription rate is included in IPI annual dues. Subscription rate for non-members of IPI is $120 per year (U.S. currency) in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. All other countries, $150. Back issues, $10.

FIRST AND LAST IMPRESSIONS By Dan Kupferman, CAPP

y wife is pretty smart. She married me, didn’t she? Being a parking wife, she notices all things parking. She recently parked in a garage and noticed how clean and well-lit it was. The stalls were wide enough for her to de-car comfortably. There were ample signs reminding her to take her ticket with her to pay at the pay station before returning. She saw a movie that day but knew I’d be more interested in her parking experience. The theater provided a parking discount—so far, her parking experience was earning straight As! After the movie (the butler did it), she looked for the pay station at the garage. She couldn’t see it, but she saw a cashier window at the parking office. As she approached, she noticed the cashier was texting. My wife could only see the top of the cashier’s head. “Hello” was how my wife got the cashier’s attention as she slid her parking ticket through the window. The cashier stopped texting long enough to point to a pay-on-foot station that was out of view around the corner. She said nothing and did not look up from her phone. My wife left with a negative impression. She would have preferred that no one had been present, as she would have found the pay station when she turned the corner and wouldn’t have felt irritated and aggravated. Those are her words; I confess to asking her how she felt to make my point for this story. Owners typically automate to save money but worry that customer service will suffer. A sign can point people in the right direction, but a staff person can provide a higher level of customer service. Or not. Perhaps the cashier is utilized during peak periods. One of the benefits of automating is that staff are no longer tethered to cashier booths. They can perform other tasks, such as greeting or assisting guests or monitoring the facility for cleanliness, safety, occupancy, etc. Or they can text. When you conduct your cost-benefit analysis to determine if automation makes sense for your operation, remember that some amount of human interaction will likely be necessary. Make sure to include customer service training—and supervision!

The Parking Professional is printed on 10 percent recycled paper and on paper from trees grown specifically for that purpose.

INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE | MARCH 2016

DAN KUPFERMAN, CAPP, is director of car park management systems for Walker Parking Consultants and a member of IPI’s Board of Directors. He can be reached at dan.kupferman@ walkerparking.com.

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IPI BOARD MEMBER PROFILE

ALLEN CORRY, CAPP Assistant Vice President, Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport Member, IPI Board of Directors

uring the past 49 years, my careers have given me the opportunity to see and experience a lot of things and travel to many places around the world. I was in the Army for 30 years and have worked in the parking industry for 19 years. Both careers have one definite similarity, which is the camaraderie and relationships I’ve engaged in and developed. I also had the opportunity during those years to travel and play professional basketball with a few members of the original Harlem Globetrotters as a member of the Harlem Magicians. Through more than 40 of those years, I’ve been blessed with a wonderful wife who’s put up with me and all the traveling and sacrifices associated with these careers. My career in the military consisted of two tours in Vietnam and three tours in Germany in addition to Haiti, Alaska, and eight additional stateside assignments. Military assignments around the world are normally an adventure, but they take their toll on family members. They are the real heroes, especially when the military member is deployed to hostile areas around the world. The spouse and family members must endure the sacrifices, anxiety, and fear of the unknown during these deployment periods. The military, playing basketball, and being a parking professional all have similarities. You depend on each other and must develop a strong relationship to work together as a team to accomplish your mission, tasks, goals, etc. Working and collaborating together is instrumental to becoming successful, not only in a working environment but to maintain a strong family relationship. When playing basketball, your team must play together to win (confession: the Harlem Magicians traveled with our own referees to make sure we won while performing our basketball tricks and routines). During 19 years as a parking professional and nearly eight years as a member of the IPI Board of Directors, the camaraderie and companionship have been incredible. The networking, development, professional associations, partnerships, and feeling of unity have been tremendous. I’m also very thankful and have been blessed with two sons who’ve had terrific military careers, five grandsons, and two wonderful careers—three if you count basketball.

INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE | MARCH 2016

CONSULTANTS CORNER

CASE STUDY: MAINTENANCE PLANNING By John Burgan, MS, PE

here was a time when parking structure maintenance was new and somewhat frightening to municipalities. While no longer new, it continues to strain medium-sized communities, where a high demand for infrastructure spending combined with small revenue streams pinches budgets. Today’s discussions turn to operations, technology, and the future. Yet, communities need to continue funding maintenance. Can what we’ve learned from experience help guide future maintenance planning? The City of Racine, Wis., may provide some guidance. Racine, population 80,000, is located along Lake Michigan in the southeast corner of Wisconsin. Like many cities its size, Racine built several parking ramps in the 1980s and ’90s to support downtown businesses. The city started a regular maintenance program in 1995 that continues today.

Parking in the City

The Future

The city’s parking structure inventory includes: ●● McMynn: built in 1981, 236 spaces, 70 percent occupancy. ●● Shoop, built in 1986, 215 spaces, 80 percent occupancy. ●● Lake Avenue, built in 1988, 365 spaces, 20 percent occupancy. ●● Gaslight Pointe, built in 1994, 30 percent occupancy. ●● Civic Centre, built in 2002, 409 spaces, fully occupied. The McMynn ramp is an early post-tensioned structure, and its mild reinforcing is not epoxy coated. It suffers from ongoing delamination of the top steel in the slabs. The Shoop and Lake Avenue ramps are typical precast double tees with precast beam and columns and poured-in-place pour strips. The tee-to-tee connectors are not protected. Typical maintenance includes sealant replacement and coating of tee-to-tee connectors. The Gaslight Pointe and Civic Centre ramps are also precast double tees with precast beam and columns, integral pour strips, and stainless steel tee-to-tee connectors. Typical maintenance is limited to sealant replacement.

The city needs to be commended for its commitment to maintaining its structures. Yet, as noted above, the city is faced with an oversupply of structured parking that is not cheap to maintain and limited revenue. The city has many competing needs for its infrastructure budget, and, at the same time, revenue supplied by the state is decreasing. As Michael J. Maierle, Racine’s transit and parking system manager, asks, “How does one mesh engineering and economic considerations with community and political values?” The key to success is continued maintenance coupled with long-range planning founded on accurate condition assessments. Likely questions include: ●● Two structures with the highest maintenance costs have the highest occupancy rates. Can the rates in these structures be raised? ●● The McMynn facility is likely to need a major renovation within the next 10 years. Should the city look to alternative sites to provide the supply, or budget for construction of a new structure? ●● The Shoop, Lake Avenue, and Gaslight Pointe structures are located within a few blocks of each other. Lake Avenue and Gaslight Pointe have low occupancy. Should the city look at the likelihood of future development in the area and, if the likelihood is low, consider reducing maintenance expenditures on one or both facilities? The team considers how to provide information and options to the city, which in turn will decide how to mesh engineering, economics, community values, and politics with a keen eye on the future.

Trends JOHN BURGAN, MS, PE, is structural business development director with R.A. Smith and a member of IPI’s Consultants Committee. He can be reached at john.burgan@ rasmithnational.com.

Minimal maintenance followed by replacement. Unfortunately, revenue trends are unlikely to change. The north side of downtown has excessive supply on workdays but not during special events, when it is used by attendees of the many festivals and events along the city’s lakefront.

●●

The Shoop, Lake Avenue, Gaslight Pointe, and Civic Centre structures are generally in good shape. We expect only standard maintenance items in the foreseeable future, with easily predictable costs. The McMynn structure will have a more intensive examination in 2016, with a focus on top-of-slab repairs. If deterioration is accelerating, the city will need to consider three options: ●● Minimal maintenance followed by demolition. ●● Extensive rehabilitation.

INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE | MARCH 2016

THE GREEN STANDARD

VEEP: EVALUATING VENTILATION EFFICIENCY By Frank Nagle

hile most, if not all, subscribers to The Parking Professional magazine are well aware of the Lighting Energy Efficiency in Parking (LEEP) campaign, it’s a safe bet they’ve never heard of Ventilation Energy Efficiency in Parking (VEEP). Consider this, then, a first step in heralding the benefits of a proposed and valuable program for parking industry members. Much like LEEP, the the VEEP campaign would recognize and guide commercial property owners to enable commercial property owners and managers to take advantage of savings opportunities from highefficiency ventilation solutions in their parking facilities.

The Foundation

FRANK NAGLE is president of Nagle Energy Solutions and a member of IPI’s Sustainability Committee. He can be reached at frank@ nagle-energy.com.

Case Study To place this in real terms, consider the example of the Main Street Cupertino development, a mixed-use neighborhood in the heart of Silicon Valley with a 1,370-space garage. Detailed calculations at the time of the garage’s construction revealed that with no means of control in

INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE | MARCH 2016

place and running on a 24/7 basis, the garage ventilation system would consume approximately 527,000 kWh per year, with a correlating peak kW demand greater than 60 kW. At a utility rate of $0.205 per kWh, the developer’s annual cost to ventilate the garage would amount to slightly more than $108,000 (or $9,000 per month). Yet with contemporary garage ventilation technology controlling continuous ventilation of the Main Street garage, annual kWh consumption was reduced by 500,559 kWh and peak kW demand by 58.59 kW. That’s a 97.4 percent savings. As a result, annual utility fees for ventilating the space have been limited to roughly $5,400—the equivalent of reducing energy costs by more than $102,500 a year (or by $8,500 per month).

VEEP Consideration is being given to aligning VEEP with the LEEP campaign, but given that it’s in the development stage, it’s too early to know in what form or manner. IPI members attending the IPI Conference & Expo in Nashville, Tenn., in May (IPIConference.parking.org) can attend a presentation further outlining new garage ventilation technology systems that provide a smarter, more capable, and adaptable means for ventilating commercial garages. Join us and reap substantial, across-the-board rewards.

ISTOCK

Research conducted by Nagle Energy Solutions (NES) and delivered to the U.S. Department of Energy and the LEEP Campaign organizers makes a compelling case for auditing and potentially upgrading mechanical ventilation systems in parking facilities. The information verified that along with lighting, mechanical ventilation systems are a significant source of energy consumption and operational costs for an enclosed, commercial garage. Commercial garage owners and operators must adhere to the International Mechanical Code (IMC) and the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning (ASHRAE) requirement to continuously ventilate their properties during occupied hours, except when they deploy sensor-based means of control. For a garage without a sensor-based system, that means up to two-thirds of its monthly or annual utility bill can be dedicated to ventilating the garage, with the remaining one-third spent on lighting and other systems. Several recent case studies illustrate that new and innovative ventilation-control technology is capable of reducing not only the garage ventilation system’s kilowatt-hour (kWh) consumption and peak kilowatt (kW) demand by up to 97 percent but an entire commercial property’s energy consumption by as much as 45 percent.

THE BUSINESS OF PARKING LEGAL

PARKING AUTHORITIES AND PARKING UTILITIES By Leonard T. Bier, JD, CAPP

irtually all municipalities recognize the importance of providing on- and off-street parking for residents, visitors, shoppers, and persons employed within their cities. However, not every municipality realizes the importance of integrating all aspects of providing public parking within the framework of a parking system. When parking functions are divided between multiple city departments, no single person is responsible for planning, managing, operating, or delivering municipal parking services to the public. The municipality often does not know the actual cost of providing public parking or the net revenue derived from parking fees.

Whatever direction a municipal government chooses to pursue to provide public parking services, parking authorities and parking utilities are better methods for the delivery of parking functions and services than decentralized multiple city departments. The most efficient and effective way to provide municipal parking services is via a parking system, which means the delivery of municipal parking services to the public by a single government entity charged with the responsibility of managing, planning, and operating all aspects and functions (enforcement, collection, and repair) of on- and off-street parking services.

Parking Authorities

LEONARD T. BIER, JD, CAPP, is the principal of Bier Associates. He can be reached at lenbier@ optonline.net or 732.828.8864.

In 1948 New Jersey adopted N.J.S.A. 40:11A et. seq., commonly known as the parking authority law, which authorized municipal governments to create an independent parking authority. A New Jersey parking authority has five commissioners appointed by the governing body of the municipality for staggered five-year terms or seven commissioners with two mayoral appointments and five governing body appointments. A parking authority may employ an executive director, attorney, parking consultant, engineer, accountant, auditor, financial adviser, and other professionals and staff necessary to manage and deliver parking services to the city. State statute 40:11A-6 grants parking authorities extraordinary powers that include eminent domain (condemnation powers) and the ability to buy, sell and/or lease property as a lessee or lessor; construct mixed-use development projects and parking facilities; borrow money; issue bonds; mortgage its assets; enter into contracts; and retain earnings. Mixed-use projects owned or leased by a New Jersey parking authority

INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE | MARCH 2016

are exempt from real estate taxes, and parking fees are exempt from sales tax. Parking authorities are independent and, on occasion, raise off-street parking fees or pursue goals, objectives, or projects not supported by a majority of the municipal governing body. Parking authorities are not directly controlled by the local governing body.

Parking Utilities A municipality may operate a parking utility, which has a number of the strengths of a parking authority: an executive officer; operating budget and debt service separate from the municipality; and the ability to generate annual surplus revenue and retain earnings. One negative associated with a parking utility is limited independence: The chief executive usually reports through the city administrator/manager or CFO or the city manager also functions as the CEO of the utility. The local governing body retains jurisdiction over rates, fees, capital projects, operating budget, and personnel. Parking revenues in excess of annual operating expenses are generally turned over to the city’s general fund and are not usually reinvested into the parking system generating the revenue. A parking utility does not have the power of condemnation and eminent domain, which must be exercised by the municipal governing body. A parking utility usually does not have the statutory authority to pursue mixed-use development as part of a municipal structured parking facility project. The hands-on control exercised by the municipal governing body places a parking utility’s planning and decision-making within the political process. In municipal environments in which control of the mayor’s office and governing body are continually contested, parking can become a political issue rather than a parking planning best practice, which can affect a parking utility’s ability to pursue public parking improvements and objectives. Whatever direction a municipal government chooses to pursue to provide public parking services, parking authorities and parking utilities are better methods for the delivery of parking functions and services than decentralized multiple city departments.

ON THE FRONT LINE

BECOMING OUTSTANDING By Cindy Campbell

CINDY CAMPBELL is IPI’s senior training and development specialist. She is available for onsite training and professional development and can be reached at campbell@parking.org.

I recently spent three days at a hotel property that I will not soon forget, and I mean that in the best possible way. From the moment I arrived, every interaction I had with hotel staff was exceptional. Everyone was accommodating, personable, and kind, but it went deeper than that. Across the board, they all seemed to genuinely like being there. On the last day of my stay, I had a conversation with a young woman who had been my server each morning at breakfast. I shared my observations about the exceptional service I’d enjoyed throughout the hotel. She was appreciative of my comments, yet she didn’t seem at all surprised. During our brief discussion, she talked about the hotel management’s philosophy of service: Employees need to feel good about what they do and what they’re empowered to do for the customer. She told me about daily employee briefings. They celebrate each other’s successes on an ongoing basis. “I feel really supported by my supervisors and my team of co-workers,” she said. The smile on her face gave me no reason to doubt her sincerity. I asked her if this was the first hotel property she had worked for. It was not—she had worked for other properties prior to getting this position about three years ago. “I’ll be honest,” she said, “it was a bit of a culture shock to me at the beginning, but they provide a lot of training on how things are to be done here. I’ve never worked anywhere that had such high standards, but I can tell you that I’ve never been happier. I really like what I do. I like our team.” Does this theory of service translate to parking? I think it can and should, but we sometimes inadvertently overlook the critical step of building a strong team before we ask our team members to go out and individually deliver service.

Translating to Parking If you’re contemplating how to go about improving customer service delivery within your organization, here are five points worth considering as you set the stage for success:

INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE | MARCH 2016

1. Effective customer service requires teamwork. While most staff work independently, it’s important to emphasize that they belong to a larger team. Training is required to effectively think and work like a team. 2. Hold team meetings or pre-shift briefings. Daily is best but not always feasible. In the absence of daily face-to-face briefings, post updates online or on a team briefing board. Make sure to include praise and positive comments received about team members. 3. Empower your staff. Once they’ve been trained to perform their job tasks, give them enough latitude to independently do good things for customers. I once worked for a police chief who always said, “Empower your team. You’ll find that 98 percent of the time, they’ll do good things on our behalf. We can deal with the other 2 percent.” 4. Make customer follow-up a high priority. An organization that doesn’t place high value on timely follow-up with customers will have difficulty being perceived as professional and customer service-oriented. 5. Encourage team members to feel good about themselves and what they do. Acknowledge and celebrate successes. Large or small, all positive feedback received from customers, supervisors, and other team members should be shared. Acknowledge good work and noble efforts. Offer praise for professionally dealing with a challenging customer. They say that an organization’s reputation is only as good as the service it delivers. What is your organization’s current reputation?

ISTOCK

ustomer service is an interesting thing, isn’t it? As with most service industries, it seems as if parking agencies talk about customer service and how to deliver it ad nauseam. We all want to be on the receiving end of superior service delivery, but many still struggle with how to define and deliver it. Oh sure, there are the routine descriptors: Friendly, helpful, kind, congenial, accommodating. All of these are true enough, but what tools are we providing within our organizations to deliver this top-level service?

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PARKING SPOTLIGHT PROGRAM

PARKING GOES PURPLE FOR A GREAT CAUSE By Kim Fernandez

KIM FERNANDEZ is editor of The Parking Professional. She can be reached at fernandez@parking.org.

It starts with Municipal Court Judge Tom Gysegem, who’s a proud member of the local Sons of the American Legion, post 700. There, he ran into his friend Jim Campbell, department commander of the American Legion Department of Ohio, who started talking about veteran-only parking signs offered as a Legion fundraiser by the national Wounded Warrior Project. “I raised my hand up and said I’d take some of those signs,” Gysegem says. “I knew we were repaving the court parking lot after many years. The court was paying for the parking lot project out of special funds and since the two judges there were actually writing that check, I could take a little license. Who’s going to argue with recognizing the service of our veterans by providing them with a little preferential parking at the court?”

lot. You pick the spot where you want to put them.’” Plant decided to take the project one step farther and, along with the signs for veterans parking, install one to reserve a space for Purple Heart recipients—soldiers who were injured in combat. “The county veterans association is in the building across the street from the court,” says Plant. “They donated the combat wounded veteran parking-only signs.” Then, the asphalt on the spaces was painted to make them stand out: blue for veterans and purple for combat-wounded veterans. The spaces were dedicated during a special ceremony in early November 2015 that attracted crowds of veterans, community members, and the media, and the story of the town with the painted parking spaces started spreading around the country.

Purple Parking Spaces

Growing the Program

With that, a town project was born. “Our mayor and our city safety director bought into the idea,” says Gysegem. “We figured we could do something positive here. We’ve got a lot of great veterans in our community who served in World War II all the way to Afghanistan, Iraq, the Gulf War, Vietnam, and Korea. Let’s recognize these men and women.” The signs were turned over to City Maintenance Supervisor Bob Plant—a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps—who took it from there. “Judge Gysegem gave me the signs and said, ‘You’re my guy in this parking

The courthouse spaces were very well-received, and it wasn’t long before an anonymous donor stepped up to give more signs to the city, which started installing them and painting spaces at all six of its buildings that have public access. “At every building the public uses, we put in at least one veteran and one Purple Heart parking space,” says Plant. “It’s not interfering with parking for the handicapped at all. It’s just giving our veterans some recognition and a special place to park.” Because the signs were donated, the city only paid for purple and blue paint, which totaled less than $200.

INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE | MARCH 2016

WIKIMEDIA

ou might notice something odd about the parking lots while flying over the small city of Warren, Ohio. Dotted across town are lots that, from the air, must look like they have giant purple and blue Legos where parking spaces ought to be. But those colored blocks aren’t weird at all—in fact, they’re serving a great purpose, helping spread a great story about parking, and bringing together a community in an action that took little time and almost no money.

But the program has proven to be far more valuable than that. “We have a very good relationship with the local veterans groups,” says Plant. “I’m a Marine veteran. We have a veterans monument downtown that the city built. We’ve all been working together for several years and this is an extension of what we’ve been doing. It’s been very well-received. You can’t pull into one of our parking lots and miss the blue and purple spaces with the signs.” Gysegem agrees. “A lot of times, those spaces aren’t used,” he says. “But they’re painted purple or blue and if they’re not used, people walk by them and it causes them to reflect and take notice. Stadiums play the National Anthem and we have holidays when people are quick to embrace patriotism. Day-to-day this is good. It helps step that up a little bit. I really think these parking spaces do that.” Plant says he knows the spots are more than convenient for retired service members. “I’ve had people ask me why the spaces are blue or purple, and they thank me after I explain it,” he says. “One of the buildings where we have the spaces houses the local Social Security Administration office. An older man came up and asked me why the spaces were painted. I told him that the blue one was a veterans-only space and he smiled and said, ‘Oh. That means I can park there.’ He thought it was something very special.” So far, there’s no ordinance on the books in Warren that mandates the veteran-only status of the spaces and there’s no consequence of parking there, but Plant says people respect the intent. “It’s just common sense,” he says. “It hasn’t been a problem at all.” And he’s gotten calls from parking professionals and city managers as far away as Texas asking him about the program and if they could copy it in their own towns. Gysegem says he’s been thrilled with the program’s reception, even before it was launched. “An anonymous person made a donation to the American Legion for the cost of the signs,” he says. “This person didn’t want to be known and just paid it. Honestly, parking.org/tpp

we were prepared to pay it out of the special projects fund and make it part of the parking expense. I don’t think anybody would have said that was a bad expenditure. Everything I’ve heard has been positive.” He says the only possible negative comment he could imagine hearing would be

if the spaces’ paint was allowed to peel or deteriorate, but that’s not an issue. “As long as I’m here, whether that’s as a judge or John Q. Citizen, that’s not going to happen,” he says. “And it’s not just Bob and me. People see the spots and they want to keep them up. And it’s just throwing down paint.”

MARCH 2016 | INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE

If you could add one technology to your (or a client’s) operation, what would it be? David Hill, MA, CAPP

John Hammerschlag

Clayton Hill Associates, Inc.

Hammerschlag & Co., Inc.

CEO

President

Quality barcode scanners that effortlessly read both paper and smartphones. The online parking transaction experience continues to grow, and scanners can offer a seamless automated experience for the end user while limiting opportunity for abuse.

Information-based software that provides detailed information on customer habits and transactions to guide decision-making.

Lance Lunsway

Larry Cohen, CAPP

Senior Director, Parking and Transportation Services

Executive Director

Lancaster Parking Authority

Georgia Tech Vehicle recognition that takes out the need to read the license plate, which sometimes still has problems making out the plate numbers/letters properly. If cameras can now do facial recognition, I would think they could pick up on subtle hints of a vehicle and ID it.

Ticketless entry and exit technology using license plate recognition debit payments that are similar to EZ Pass highway debit payments.

Dennis Burns, CAPP Regional Vice President Kimley-Horn I believe pay-by-cell offers the most tangible customer benefits in terms of convenience, space availability, alerts, citation avoidance, etc. If a program has not adopted this service, this would be at the top of my list.

Have a question for IPI’s experts? Send it to fernandez@parking.org and watch this space for answers!

INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE | MARCH 2016

The opinions, beliefs, and thoughts expressed by the contributors do not necessarily reflect the opinions and viewpoints of the International Parking Institute or official policies of IPI.

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CASE STUDY

ICE PA By Ryan J. Givens, CAPP

The unusual parking challenges faced at Penn State (and the creative solutions that worked) when a new ice arena was constructed on campus. By Ryan J. Givens, CAPP

INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE | MARCH 2016

ARKING W

parking.org/tpp

million. The money covered additional construction costs for the arena, operational costs, and some additional scholarships. I did not start my employment with Penn State until January 2012, but as a lifelong hockey fan, I was already well aware of the pending construction of the arena and very excited to know I was moving to an area where there would be Division I hockey programs just a short drive from my new home. But as a parking professional, seeing the final site selection for the new arena brought on some serious concerns and worries. These concerns and visions of challenging parking situations emerged before I’d really begun to understand the ins and outs of the campus parking program and day-to-day parking requirements at Penn State.

MARCH 2016 | INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE

Penn State’s new ice arena was a great addition for university sports teams and the public, but presented unique parking challenges.

The Arena Allow me to paint a picture of where the Pegula Ice Arena (PIA) was built in relation to other campus buildings and facilities. In many ways, the eastern side of the University Park campus is a large athletic compound. To the south of PIA is Holuba Hall, an indoor practice facility for many of the sports teams; the Lasch football complex; an indoor and outdoor tennis complex; and the East Area Locker Rooms Building, which houses many of the sports teams’ locker rooms along with training and rehabilitation facilities. Located to the west of PIA is the field hockey complex and beyond that, the natatorium (swimming pool facility). To the north of PIA is the recently renovated and expanded Intramural (IM) Building, and to the east is the Bryce Jordan Center (BJC), which hosts the Penn State basketball teams, concerts, and other events. Just past that to the northeast is the 107,000-seat Beaver Stadium. Also in the vicinity of PIA are several other sports facilities, the military ROTC building, and the building that houses the admissions and bursar’s offices. Most of the parking lots close to PIA are primarily permitted faculty and staff parking areas, with a few larger commuter parking lots in the vicinity as well. The faculty and staff lots are allocated to around 107 percent and reserved for permit holders to either 5 or 9 p.m., Monday through Friday. That higher allocation level

INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE | MARCH 2016

still provides us the ability to handle daily permitted parking demand. PIA is open to the public daily from 8 a.m. until 10 p.m., sometimes opening even earlier and staying open later than posted operations hours. Daily activities inside PIA include public skate times, ice skating classes, other ice programs, a coffee club, youth and adult hockey leagues, small conferences, meetings, luncheons, and other regular events. The lots around PIA are permitted, so the most significant day-to-day challenge is providing enough parking for PIA patrons so they have a positive customer experience while ensuring our permit holders can still find spaces. One of the most important things we strive to do within transportation services is ensure that everyone who comes to campus has a positive experience. We do not want to be the reason a patron of the PIA, the campus hotels, or any other facility or venue does not return. While PIA was under construction, we already were giving strong consideration to adding multi-space pay stations at selected locations on campus. One unique situation we faced was that one of the lots adjacent to PIA is the primary lot for the daily customers of the admissions and bursar’s offices. Additionally, many of our faculty and staff permit holders had voiced preemptive concerns about how PIA was going to affect the availability of parking for them, their personnel, and their daily customers. Knowing where we could assign PIA

patron parking and in what amounts, we determined the best way to immediately address these issues was by moving forward with the plan to add multi-space pay stations strategically around PIA, which we did in late 2013. Depending on the lot regulations and number of additional daily patrons we could handle, we set up the multi-space pay stations either on a pay-by-space basis to limit parking to one-hour or pay-by plate in lots where we could handle large volumes and allow longer transient daily parking.

Meeting Challenges For the most part, deployment of the pay stations, along with significant communications efforts, have worked very well and minimized most potential day-to-day conflicts. There have been two recurring situations, no matter our efforts, that lead to the majority of parking citations issued in the area: ●● Inside the arena is a well-known sub sandwich chain. Many customers knowing or thinking they are only going to be inside 15 to 30 minutes choose to gamble and risk not paying the $1 hourly rate at the pay station. Unfortunately, those visits often end with someone’s sandwich becoming quite expensive. ●● The faculty and staff lot with multi-space pay stations is reserved until 5 p.m.—not 9 p.m. like other facilities. Some PIA patrons and campus visitors take a chance that they will not receive a ticket between 4:30 and 4:59 p.m. Many have found through experience that this is not the case. We have to continually use directed enforcement in this area to garner better compliance and keep it from becoming an overwhelming issue. An interesting situation that we’re glad has only happened a few times occurs when PIA patrons use the pay station before entering the building; once there, they find out the public skate or class has been cancelled. parking.org/tpp

These patrons want to be reimbursed for the hour or two of parking they paid for prior to entering the arena. Needless to say, this has resulted in some very interesting conversations with upset patrons and PIA staff. Even though our office wasn’t responsible for the mix-up, we’ve tried to be good partners and work to come up with solutions for each situation. Some of these situations may be unique to a campus ice arena, but for the most part, the challenges we have faced are not much different then what many other universities face on a daily basis somewhere on campus. Parking for men’s hockey games, though, is really where more of our challenges have existed.

Game Day Parking PIA holds a maximum capacity of approximately 6,100 patrons for each hockey game. Without competing events in surrounding venues nearby, there is more than ample parking within the vicinity of the arena to handle the demand. One of the specific event-parking challenges is that three of the lots designated as premium hockey game parking are reserved faculty and staff lots during the day; this includes the lot that serves the admissions and bursar’s offices. Changeovers from daily employee parking to premium parking on event nights required a limit to be placed on the number of hockey premium parking permits that were distributed. We worked very closely with Penn State Intercollegiate Athletics (ICA) to develop the initial premium parking permit distribution numbers and continue to work with ICA prior to each season to determine if modifications are needed. We also knew that for games that started after early afternoon, it is often dark, cold, and windy, and there are overlapping events during hockey games. A solution was needed that created visibility for police officers and parking attendants as vehicles approached, simMARCH 2016 | INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE

Game-specific, oversized hangtags with tear-off vouchers were the solution to gameday parking issues.

plicity for season-ticket holders, and less exposure to the elements for our parking attendants on cold evenings and afternoons. Frank Pope, event parking coordinator, came up with an excellent concept for our three hockey premium parking lots: a game-specific, lot-specific, oversized hangtag made of reflective material that incorporates a detachable voucher that is collected by event parking attendants. These hangtags have worked so well for men’s hockey that a similar hangtag is now in use for the special parking areas for men’s and women’s basketball.

Building In More

RYAN J. GIVENS, CAPP is associate director of transportation services at The Pennsylvania State University. He can be reached at rjg22@ psu.edu.

When a nearby commuter lot was expanded, we took the opportunity to add more than 50 magnetic plates and Gorilla Post space delineators in the lot. These have not only allowed us the flexibility and ability to properly size the space we capture for Americans with Disabilities Act-parking patrons and premium overflow, but additional plates added later allow us the ability to control traffic flow out of some specific lots. This was very important in one of the lots during changeover from daily employee parking to premium parking, when failing to control the direction of exiting traffic added congestion and wait times to both the exiting and incoming vehicles. The posts are now used in several event lots and for many different events. Addressing parking for hockey and a new arena required us to take our event parking planning to a new level as constant adaptability, creativity, and innovation became increasingly necessary pieces of our event parking operations. Never before did we need a tiered event-parking rate. Those attending non-athletic events without permits or vouchers paid $10 per vehicle; athletic event parking cost $5 per vehicle. Last season and again early this year, we anticipated almost sellout crowds—more than 15,000—attending a non-athletic event and a PIA sellout crowd of 6,100 for men’s hockey. We put in place a tiered system for these events: $10 per vehicle in lots immediately adjacent to the events and $5 per vehicle to park in two parking decks about a quarter mile to the west. Hockey patrons are used to only paying $5 per vehicle so this was a change for them. The tiered rate was implemented to incentivize people to park farther away for a lower rate and try to spread out the parking through more locations to help ease the stress placed on the roadway infrastructure on and near campus. Spreading more parking to the west

INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE | MARCH 2016

better allows university police officers to direct traffic in opposite directions post-event, rather than having thousands of cars try to exit in the same direction.

Creative Thinking A typical hockey weekend consists of a Friday evening game and Saturday afternoon game that starts sometime between noon and 4 p.m. Several weeks ago, we had to take unusual steps to ensure that premium hockey parking would be available for the Saturday game; also scheduled that day were a men’s basketball game in the BJC, an all-day swimming event in the natatorium, an all-day volleyball tournament in the IM Building, and non-varsity hockey games on both ice rinks in PIA prior to the men’s game, plus several other smaller events. With so many events taking place, it would be very difficult to maintain premium hockey parking. We could have selected to staff the event lots very early in the morning, but this would lead to hours of many face-to-face discussions involving our event staff personnel being yelled at, which would be an onerous and unfair situation for them. After much deliberation, we decided to communicate that we would be securing and locking those lots about an hour after the Friday night game. They would then reopen only after event-parking personnel staffed their positions for the Saturday game. Through the efforts and collaboration of our department, intercollegiate athletics department, and university police, we distributed the information, put up the necessary signage, and put in place steps to be taken if a vehicle was locked in one of the lots overnight. The new system was a huge success, with the only real complaint being from a basketball patron who was upset he could not park in one of these lots for free. We continue to learn, adapt, and use creativity and innovation as opportunities present themselves. To date, we have conducted event parking for 48 Penn State men’s hockey games. The tremendous efforts of our event parking team and collaboration with others have successfully allowed all patrons to park in their respective lots for 47 of those games. We are not pleased that for one particular game all of the conflicting circumstances resulted in some customers having a less-than-positive customer experience. However, we are very proud of the constant professionalism and efforts displayed by our team, the learning-moment opportunities presented that we have capitalized on, and the overall high level of exceptional customer service we provide to our customers and our partners, ICA, PIA, and the BJC. If you ever have an opportunity to be in Hockey Valley during hockey season, please come to a game. We would be happy to park you.

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Rolling

By Mark A. Vergenes

Your Entitlements If you leave your job (voluntarily or involuntarily), you’ll be entitled to a distribution of your vested balance. Your vested balance always includes your own contributions (pretax, after-tax, and Roth) and typically any investment earnings on those amounts. It also includes employer contributions and earnings that have satisfied your plan’s vesting schedule. In general, there are two ways to become vested in your employer’s contributions to your retirement plan: ●● Cliff vesting means you’re 100 percent vested in employer contributions after three years of service. ●● Graded vesting happens gradually at 20 percent per year. After six years, employees are 100 percent vested. Plans can have faster vesting schedules, and some even have 100 percent immediate vesting. You’ll also

INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE | MARCH 2016

Changing jobs? 401(k) rollovers come with lots of choices. Learn how to make the best ones.

Reasons to roll over to an IRA:

You’ll generally have more investment choices with an IRA than with an employer’s 401(k) plan. In a typical situation, you can freely move your money around to the various investments offered by your IRA trustee, and you may divide up your balance among as many of those investments as you want. By contrast, employer-sponsored plans typically give you a limited menu of investments (usually mutual funds) from which to choose. ●● You can freely allocate your IRA dollars among different IRA trustees/custodians. There’s no limit on how many direct, trustee-to-trustee IRA transfers you can do in a year. This gives you flexibility to change trustees often if you are ●●

MARCH 2016 | INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE

dissatisfied with investment performance or customer service. It can also allow you to have IRA accounts with more than one institution for added diversification. In an employer’s plan, you can’t move the funds to a different trustee unless you leave your job and roll over the funds. ●● An IRA may give you more flexibility with distributions. Your distribution options in a 401(k) plan depend on the terms of that particular plan, and your options may be limited. However, with an IRA, the timing and amount of distributions is generally at your discretion (until you reach age 70½ and must start taking required minimum distributions (RMDs) in the case of a traditional IRA). ●● You can roll over (essentially convert) your 401(k) plan distribution to a Roth IRA. You’ll generally have to pay taxes on the amount you roll over (minus any after-tax contributions you’ve made), but any qualified distributions from the Roth IRA in the future will be tax-free.

Reasons to roll over to your new employer’s 401(k) plan:

Many employer-sponsored plans have loan provisions. If you roll over your retirement funds to a new employer’s plan that permits loans, you may be able to borrow up to 50 percent of the amount you roll over if you need the money. You can’t borrow from an IRA; IRA funds can only be accessed by taking a distribution, which may be subject to income tax and penalties. (You can, however, give yourself a short-term loan from an IRA by taking a distribution and then rolling the dollars back to an IRA within 60 days.) ●● A rollover to your new employer’s 401(k) plan may provide greater creditor protection than a rollover to an IRA. Most 401(k) plans receive unlimited protection from creditors under federal law. Creditors (with certain exceptions) cannot attach your plan funds to satisfy any of your debts and obligations, regardless of whether you’ve declared bankruptcy. In contrast, any amounts you roll over to a traditional or Roth IRA are generally protected under federal law only if you declare bank●●

MARK A. VERGENES is president of MIRUS Financial Partners and chair of the Lancaster (Pa.) Parking Authority. He can be reached at mark@ mirusfinancial partners.com.

INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE | MARCH 2016

ruptcy. Any creditor protection your IRA may receive in cases outside of bankruptcy will generally depend on the laws of your particular state. If you are concerned about asset protection, be sure to seek the assistance of a qualified professional. ●● You may be able to postpone required minimum distributions. For traditional IRAs, these distributions must begin by April 1 following the year you reach age 70½. However, if you work past that age and are still participating in your employer’s 401(k) plan, you can delay your first distribution from that plan until April 1 following the year of your retirement. (You also must own no more than 5 percent of the company.) ●● If your distribution includes Roth 401(k) contributions and earnings, you can roll those amounts over to either a Roth IRA or your new employer’s Roth 401(k) plan if it accepts rollovers. If you roll the funds over to a Roth IRA, the Roth IRA holding period will determine when you can begin receiving tax-free qualified distributions from the IRA. So if you’re establishing a Roth IRA for the first time, your Roth 401(k) dollars will be subject to a new five-year holding period. On the other hand, if you roll the dollars over to your new employer’s Roth 401(k) plan, your existing five-year holding period will carry over to the new plan. This may enable you to receive tax-free qualified distributions sooner.

When evaluating whether to initiate a rollover always be sure to:

Ask about possible surrender charges that may be imposed by your employer plan or new surrender charges your IRA may impose. ●● Compare investment fees and expenses charged by your IRA (and investment funds) with those charged by your employer plan (if any). ●● Understand any accumulated rights or guarantees that you may be giving up by transferring funds out of your employer plan. ●●

Outstanding Plan Loans In general, if you have an outstanding plan loan, you’ll need to pay it back or the outstanding balance will be taxed as if it had been distributed to you in cash. If you can’t pay the loan back before you leave, you’ll still have 60 days to roll over the amount that’s been treated as a distribution to your IRA. Of course, you’ll need to come up with the dollars from other sources. MIRUS Financial Partners nor Cetera Advisor Networks LLC, give tax or legal advice. Opinions expressed are not intended as investment advice, and it may not be relied on for the purpose of determining your social security benefits, eligibility, or avoiding any federal tax penalties. All information is believed to be from reliable sources; however, we make no representations as to its completeness or accuracy. All economic and performance information is historical and indicative of future results.

MAKE MAKE YOUR YOUR MARK. MARK.

Young Profess iona in Parking (YP ls IP) “Beer, Ball & D ogs” Event

The coolest group in parking. Find out more. facebook.com/groups/YoungProfessionalsinParking/

Smarter

than the Average

Detective By Charlie Francis

INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE | MARCH 2016

How municipal parking finance professionals can catch parking bandits with data visualization.

FIRST ENCOUNTERED the parking industry in the early 1970s as an entry-level accountant. I had to manually count the number of

parked cars in each of Denver’s public parking lots between downtown and what is now called the LoDo (lower downtown) District as an internal control check on our parking operator. There wasn’t any technology in those lots—just the ubiquitous honor boxes. Nor could I use any technology to help count the spaces; I tallied my results on daily ledger paper using an adding machine that couldn’t even hold a number in memory. Every month, I would compare my daily counts to the parking operator’s monthly remittance as a way of ensuring the public was receiving all the revenues to which it was entitled. Data visualization was physical, not digital. I physically had to see the cars and physically interpret the counts. Analysis was difficult—trends and patterns got lost in the noise of big data. Counting cars in parking lots was a fun task in the summer of 1973, but during that freezing winter, I began to dream of leveraging my bachelor’s degree in a warmer location. I continued for three more years, toiling endlessly, adding columns and rows, and footing and cross-footing totals in sequential reconciliations; at least technology improved calculators to hold a number in memory!

parking.org/tpp

MARCH 2016 | INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE

Finally, in 1979, I moved to Florida for my first finance director position. And I was still in the parking business! Honor boxes gave way to parking meters, which were an important source of revenue from the beach parking lots of my small, barrier-island community.

Available Data Meanwhile, calculators gave way to desktop computers. I became adept at using VisiCalc, the first spreadsheet computer program. It forever changed my way of thinking about the world—no longer were calculations sequential, but simultaneous! Four years later, Lotus 1-2-3 entered the market as a three-in-one, integrated solution that handled spreadsheet calculations, database functionality, and graphical charts—hence the name 1-23. I retired VisiCalc and pasted years of daily parking meter revenue from each of the city’s beaches into Lotus 1-2-3. Once the data were loaded, I started graphing the results. I created both incremental and cumulative year-over-year graphs and incremental and cumulative month-over-month graphs. I generated the graphs citywide and for each beach and quickly became an expert at creating Lotus 1-2-3 graphs. They were good-looking graphs—well, as attractive as Lotus 1-2-3 graphs could be, running on DOS computers, back in 1983.

Something Fishy

CHARLIE FRANCIS is a writer and retired municipal financial management officer. He can be reached at cfrancis@ opengov.com.

One day, as I was admiring the handiwork of my new skill, I noticed something curious in the trends depicted in the graphs. Every year, during one week in the height of each summer season, parking meter revenues plummeted. Multiple views of the data showed me this was not a fluke. There was no logical explanation for this abnormality; the city never declared a parking holiday because parking was a mainstay of our revenue base. The beaches were never closed. There were no neighboring events that competed for beachgoers, reducing demand. The bridges were neither closed nor down for scheduled maintenance. Nothing seemed to explain the deviation. Then, one evening, I was reading how Sherlock Holmes wrestled with a problem in “The Sign of the Four.” He asks Watson, “How often have I said to you that when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth?”

INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE | MARCH 2016

“Aha,” I said to myself, and the next day, I told the police chief he should stake out the parking lots during that one particular week. We found that Midwest-based parking lot bandits had an accomplice working at the meter manufacturer and that partner in crime obtained the new master cylinder key for our parking lots. Every year, the bandits would pay for their Florida vacation by emptying the parking meters. Caught red-handed!

Visualization Data visualization and analysis tools won’t catch parking meter thieves every day, but visualization enables finance directors to identify trends, understand the big picture from large amounts of data, and spot unusual patterns. New operational reporting and analytics tools enable finance professionals to tell better stories (the 2015 Goverment Finance Officers Association theme) and create effective personal reports that permit city councils, city managers, and department heads to see the city’s financial condition at both a high-level glance and at the granularity of the transaction level. Finance directors are visualizing and analyzing data to better interact not only with their own information but also with their neighboring, regional, and comparison city’s data! And they are able to interact, analyze, and present information with greater velocity—more time to analyze and add value to information and less time spent collecting data. This yields productivity, efficiency, and creativity. Going forward, new tools will provide city finance professionals with the ability to not only detect and confirm spending inefficiencies, or unrealized revenue, but also to predict, compare, and collaborate on new transformative approaches that will guide the policy decisions for fiscally stable and structurally balanced city governments. I ended my career in a California city still in the parking business—spearheading a multiphase request for information procurement process to optimize parking technology. The resulting off-street pay station and instreet smart meter installation provided for innovative technologies that integrate credit-card transactions and mobile pay-by-phone applications, on-demand pricing with citation payments, permit management, and builtin data visualization tools. Best of all, license-plate-enabled readers for enforcement means no more physical daily car counts!

PLAN YOUR PROFESSIONAL SUCCESS 2016 Professional Development Courses Save the date, mark your calendar, and get registered. Courses are designed for all parking professionals, including those interested in CAPP; every course earns CAPP points for certification and recertification. Registration details at parking.org. MAY 16–19

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the

Same, Only

By Clement Gibson, CAPP, and Adam Isen, CAPP

CASE STUDY

otor sports may not be the only thing Charlotte, N.C., and Indianapolis, Ind., have in common. Meter modernization has been happening in Charlotte since 2006, while Indy hit the tracks in 2011, setting and accomplishing its goals quickly. The two cities are very different in many ways, and their approaches to meter modernization differed as well, but in the end, upgrading and updating systems led to more efficient and effective on-street parking for both. Here’s how they each approached their challenges and changes. Pay Stations Charlotte is very customer-focused. As new technologies became available, Charlotte’s on-street program jumped at the chance to offer its customers a credit card option to pay for parking. Pay stations were appealing because they could offer the additional payment option

INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE | MARCH 2016

Different stations covering 37 parking spaces for three months in the technology-savvy area of uptown. While there was a slight learning curve, it was short-lived. Motorists read the signs posted to assist, followed the pay-station screen prompts, and pulled out their credit cards. The data gathered supported the decision to invest in this product. The city absorbed the credit card fees rather than passing them on to the public and budgeted to cover the operating costs. During the trial, the city also paid close attention to whether motorists preferred pay-by-space to pay-anddisplay (they did). As a courtesy, printed receipts are available to motorists today, though drivers still don’t need to return to their cars and display them while parked. Ultimately, managers of the on-street parking program decided to: parking.org/tpp

How two cities approach meter modernization in different ways to get similar great results.

Purchase 45 pay stations covering 428 on-street spaces. Offer credit card and coin-only payment options to reduce dollar bill-related maintenance. ●● Require the highest level of PCI compliance. ●● Use solar power in all possible locations. The pay stations have been a success. Having access to real-time data serves the program well for audit purposes and for getting motorists answers to their payment questions. ●● ●●

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Reference Box ID PB-9001

The parking industry is amazing. Already available for municipalities still limping along with coin-only equipment is the credit card-enabled, single-head meter. The city’s interest was piqued. But first things first. As with the pay stations, customer acceptance of the newer technology is critical. Another trial was in the offing, so managers decided to: ●● Test two smart meter products for three months on a street that was highly used with no rush-hour restrictions. ●● Look for functionality and operational effectiveness. Both tested meters performed well. ●● Conduct public outreach to gauge customer satisfaction. Drivers filled out an online survey designed to better understand motorists’ payment preferences and experience. Sixty-three percent of responders wanted meters that accept both credit cards and coins. Ninety-five percent said the credit card feature was easy to use. Feedback from the public and Park It! staff was gathered. As a result of the positive experience, the city decided to move forward with the purchase of smart meters, if it could find the funding. As it turned out, the city found the funding, but it had to be spent quickly—before the end of the fiscal year—or the funding source would evaporate. To move quickly on the purchase, the city utilized an existing contract between a city in California and one of the tested smart-meter companies without competitively bidding, in accordance with the previously bid or “piggybacking” exception authorized by state statutes (N.C. G.S. 143-129(g)). The city may have entered into a contract for new meters, but as the old adage says, good things come to all who wait. And it was a waiting game, as the city was in the process of rebidding its on-street parking program. The decision was made to wait for installation when a new contract was in place. The city was ready, but the installation of on-street meters can’t happen in the middle of winter until a window of good weather appears. Finally, in February 2015, the city installed 600 new credit card-enabled, single-head meters. Charlotte is striving to stay in step with the evolving parking industry. Desire often outpaces reality. Reality slows modernizing a program. Funding plays a crucial role, especially because new technology costs more upfront and then has a greater operating cost than old coin-only meters. Changes require buy-in from city leaders, too. A year has passed since the installation of the smart meters and Charlotte can now see that by using up to date equipment the on street parking program is experiencing efficiencies sooner than later. At those locations, meter revenue has increased 35 percent and maintenance calls from motorists have been effectively eliminated. For now, Charlotte has a more satisfied public.

INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE | MARCH 2016

Enter Space Number Use the keypad Enter the 3 to 4 digit space number where you parked

#### #### Press

ENTER

Insert Credit or Debit Card Select the time you want to purchase MAX

MAX

Add1½ Hours

+ 1½HR + 25¢

ENTER

Add 25¢

or Use

Coins

The display screen above will reflect rates and time limits

Press OK All purchases are final

LANGUAGE

You can purchase meter time at ANY pay box Time is stored in the cloud. This display may not reflect transaction times purchased via phone or at another pay box.

Translation

CANCEL

Parking is free on:

• New Year’s Day • Dr. Martin Luther King Day • Presidents Day • Memorial Day • Independence Day • Labor Day • Thanksgiving Day • Christmas Day

In Indianapolis, parking customers took advantage of clear directions posted on meters to get used to the new system.

Meanwhile, in Indianapolis In December 2010, ParkIndy LLC, a Xerox Company, entered into a long-term parking management agreement with the city of Indianapolis to manage 3,800 metered parking spaces, providing systems integration and advanced analytics, state-of-the-art technology, and business process improvements to reinvigorate the parking program. This public-private partnership modernized the parking system and made parking more convenient for the motorists and businesses of Indianapolis. The project’s goal was to implement new meter policies, including new rates (rates had been stagnant for 35 years) and hours of operation, but not before refreshing every parking meter. After a careful cost-benefit analysis and a critical customer survey, ParkIndy opted to deploy a hybrid system of 1,400 advanced single-space meters and 325 pay boxes. The company selected sites for the various technologies based on street configuration and paid use patterns. No printers were deployed, which reduced paper waste and ensured that customers need not return to their cars to display receipts. This configuration further reduced power consumption and battery use; printers can quickly deplete batteries, especially in high traffic areas.

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The Experience Decisions concerning the layout of a multi-space meters can provide additional conveniences to the customer. Despite claims to the contrary, the use of video analytics has demonstrated that parking spaces may actually be lost in undemarcated, free-flow parking environments because drivers park in a manner that doesn’t leave enough space for other cars. This inefficiency leads to fewer available spaces during peak periods, which can exacerbate congestion. Armed with this data, ParkIndy promoted a pure pay-by-space configuration and eschewed zone classifications. We established distinct four-digit space numbers and distributed the inventory in a way that preserved the ability to add more spaces on each block in the future. Further, these configurations eliminated the need for customers to enter zone numbers when paying by phone. Motorists who walk a few blocks and find they need to add value can do so simply. They can enter their parking space in any multi-space unit. Walk up to a pay box, enter the number, and the correct rate displays, even if that rate is different from that of the block where they parked. How many informational stickers are needed on the meter and pay box to inform customers and help them understand how to use the technology? Yes, this is a trick question. More stickers do not equate to better information. The content and design of messaging is critical. Using analytics to determine use patterns and the needs of customers, Indianapolis regularly examines

the need for new instructions. The latest implementation in July 2014 offered graphical depictions and reduced the number of necessary customer button pushes by 300 percent by defaulting meters to the average-purchase value. The new overlays on the front of the pay boxes offered much more direction to customers despite having fewer words overall than the previous stickers. Some take-aways: ●● Use simple instructions and graphical depictions. ●● Challenge the current configuration using data analytics to focus decisions on saving customers time. ●● Display important information on the unit such as meter holidays, free times, and assistance phone numbers. ●● Review system data to determine variables such as rates, special events, and restrictions. ●● Plan on updating the entire graphic by performing routine holistic reviews with the public, stakeholders, and the transactional data.

The Finish Line It would be easy to say that both Charlotte and Indianapolis have arrived at the 21st century finish line. But doing so would be wrong. These programs recognize that there is no one correct answer to implementing parking technology—programs must be adaptable and evolve. The work of making parking and mobility easier for customers never ends, and the use of analytics can continue to improve parking for stakeholders such as drivers, merchants, bicyclists, and pedestrians.

BEFORE YOU DEPLOY The Indianapolis parking system change was a big one. Now that it’s done, here are the top 10 items partners say other cities should consider for their deployment schedules: CLEMENT GIBSON, CAPP, is the special programs manager for Charlotte’s Park It! Program. She can be reached at cgibson@ ci.charlotte.nc.us.

1. Vendor contract terms with allotted production schedules (don’t forget to account for freight delivery delays). 2. Secondary items that may need to be fabricated or preapproved: installation permits, stickers, street signs, and number caps. 3. Seasonality. Factor in all types of inclement weather and events based on your city and geographic location. 4. A thorough system space inventory/count, down to the block, space orientation, and ADA or other restriction designations. 5. Rate configuration. Confirm all rates, zones, card types, messaging, and receipt printing, and get the necessary sign-offs.

ADAM ISEN, CAPP, is director of ParkIndy, LLC, a Xerox Company. He can be reached at adam. isen@xerox.com.

6. Confirm how the ticket issuing process will be performed under the new meter technology or through integration to current handheld devices, while ensuring that enforcement has scheduled training on the technology.

INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE | MARCH 2016

7. Walk the install locations and pre-mark the desired spots while making sure there are no encroachments. Allow additional time for necessary cement bases to be installed. 8. Set your daily desired unit installation rate schedule by working through your contractor or integrator resources. The daily pace needs to be achievable or other moving parts (such as the final coin collection) will cause process congestion or potential customer confusion. 9. Schedule marketing efforts and stakeholder meetings to showcase the new technology. 10. Use analytics to improve your operation. By studying payment patterns, the Indianapolis team was able to extend time limits up to 10 hours on blocks where utilization was less than 50 percent, leading to an 18.2 percent increase in paid stays, a 21.6 percent decline in transactions (resulting in less wear and tear on the meters), and a 23.3 percent increase in the revenue per transaction.

GO ANYWHERE. Invest in yourself. Become an IPI member. We have a spot reserved for you! Stay on top of new developments, connect with colleagues, and maximize your knowledge. Join the world’s largest association of parking professionals and watch your opportunities soar. Benefits include: • Professional development through certifications, training, and on-demand learning • Discounted pricing on education, publications, and event registration • Leadership, networking, and volunteer opportunities to boost your career and your business

Don’t miss out – join today: parking.org

OPINION

What’s next for the commuter parking benefit? By Steven Higashide

INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE | MARCH 2016

ATE LAST YEAR, Congress finally permanent-

Cost of Parking and Transit Benefits

ly addressed a longstanding imbalance in the federal tax code that allowed com-

(Billions)

muters to exclude up to $250 per month from their income toward the cost of parking asso-

Parking benefit

Transit benefit

Total

$3.9

$0.7

$4.7

State income tax

0.8

0.1

1.0

exclusion of up to $255 per month (indexed

Payroll taxes (employer)

1.2

0.2

1.5

to cost-of-living inflation) for both. While this

Payroll taxes (employee)

1.2

0.2

1.5

brings a bit of essential fairness to the system,

Total

7.3

1.3

8.6

it should be just the first step toward rethinking

Note: Figures may not add up due to rounding.

our wasteful commuter benefits policy, which

Cost of parking and transit benefits without parity, graphic from Subsidizing Congestion report by TransitCenter and Frontier Group, published in 2014.

ciated with their trip to work, but only $130 per

Cost of tax expenditure

month for mass transit. From now on, parking

Federal income tax

and transit receive equal treatment with an

dates back to the 1980s.

parking.org/tpp

MARCH 2016 | INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE

Commuter Benefits’ Impact on Three Sample Commute Markets Pre-Parity, Post-Parity, and with Parking Subsidy Eliminated

Edison, N.J.

Penn Station N.Y.

Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.

Miami Central Station

Manassas, Va.

Union Station, D.C.

Net Change in Vehicle Commutes 1.5% 1.0% 0.5% 0% –0.5% –1.0% –1.5% Net Change in Transit Commutes 7% 6% 5% 4% 3% 2% 1% 0% ■ 2014 law (parking benefit of $250/mo.; transit benefit of $130/mo.) ■ 2016 law (parking and transit benefits equal at $255/mo.) ■ Hypothetical: Transit benefit of $255/mo.; parking benefit eliminated

This is an updated version of an analysis from TransitCenter and Frontier Group’s Subsidizing Congestion report. For information on methodology see the report, available at transitcenter.org. In our 2014 report “Subsidizing Congestion,” TransitCenter and the Frontier Group found the federal commuter parking subsidy: ●● Costs American taxpayers billions of dollars per year. ●● Puts hundreds of thousands of additional cars on the road, primarily in our most congested urban neighborhoods. ●● Disproportionately benefits high-income workers, even though it was intended as middle-class tax relief. We estimate that roughly 42 million Americans (less than one-third of the workforce) take advantage of the parking subsidy, resulting in more than $7 billion in foregone tax revenue every year. That’s a huge sum at a time when the federal government has struggled to fund transportation projects. It’s equivalent to 13 percent of all spending from the Highway Trust Fund, which historically relies on user fees such as the gas tax but is today propped up through transfers from the Federal Reserve’s surplus fund. This $7.3 billion in foregone tax revenue has a huge opportunity cost. The same amount of money could pay for several new light rail and rapid-bus projects every year, giving workers (and everyone else) more

INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE | MARCH 2016

ways to get around. It could go to road safety (the U.S. spent $828 million on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in 2014), rail (Amtrak’s budget was $1.4 billion in 2014), or any number of worthy transportation efforts.

More Traffic Parking professionals know that price sends a strong signal to drivers and has a significant effect on consumer behavior. Intuitively, a discount on the price of parking will increase people’s willingness to drive to work, which is exactly the outcome policymakers should avoid. Instead, as our analysis shows, by subsidizing parking, taxpayers are essentially buying themselves more traffic in urban downtowns—the same places where smart city leaders are trying to reduce congestion. That’s because as far as the parking subsidy is concerned, the relevant dollar amount is a parking space’s fair-market value, defined by the IRS as “the amount an employee would have to pay a third party in an arm’slength transaction to buy or lease the benefit.” By this logic, parking in most of the country has no market value; in most suburban, exurban, and rural

Variation in value of commuter tax benefit for parking by city and household income High household income ($300K)

PHOENIX

Middle household income ($50K) Low household income ($17.5K) High household income ($300K)

PHILADELPHIA

Middle household income ($50K) Low household income ($17.5K)

Monthly Parking Cost

Tax-Free Amount

Marginal Federal Income Tax Rate

$55 $55 $55 $313 $313 $313

$55 $55 $55 $255 $255 $255

33% 15% 10% 33% 15% 10%

Annual Value of Benefit

$218 $99 $66 $1,010 $459 $306

Updated version of graphic from Subsidizing Congestion report.

communities, parking is ubiquitous and free. On the other hand, parking in urban downtown neighborhoods has a high market value, as shown by the fees charged by commercial lots in cities such as Washington, D.C. ($270 per month) and Philadelphia ($313 per month), according to Colliers International’s 2012 Parking Rate Survey. We simulated the effects of the parking subsidy with and without parity with the transit commuter benefit on several suburban-urban commutes (see graphic). The results suggest a small but meaningful effect on the kind of transportation commuters choose to take. Between Edison, N.J., and New York City, for example, we estimate that the parking subsidy increases vehicle commutes by 0.9 percent. By contrast, the transit subsidy discourages driving to work. Before the recent change that made the two subsidies equal, we estimated that the transit provision reduced vehicle commutes in the Edison-New York market by 0.5 percent. The higher transit benefit should reduce vehicle commutes in that market by 0.9 percent; in other words, it will cancel out the parking benefit’s impact on vehicle commutes. Just because this is the case in Edison, however, does not mean it will be for the rest of the country. In markets where transit is less accessible than in the dense suburbs of northern New Jersey, the increase in the transit benefit won’t completely counteract the impact of the parking benefit. Looking at the country as a whole, we estimate that the parking subsidy adds about 820,000 drivers to the road while pulling 32,000 would-be riders away from transit. If these additional car commuters drive the distance a typical American does, they are responsible for an increase in driving of about 4.6 billion miles per year. While this figure is just 0.15 percent of annual American vehicle miles traveled, it has a disproportionate effect on congestion because it’s concentrated in urban areas. In other words, while the $7 billion in tax revenue foregone due to the parking benefit could be well-spent parking.org/tpp

on transportation projects, simply abolishing the benefit and giving the money back to taxpayers would also improve traffic.

Uneven Effects Commuter benefits were partially justified as a benefit for the working class, but the parking and transit subsidies actually provide larger benefits for high-income workers. With parking, a household making $300,000 a year reaps a benefit more than three times larger than a household making $17,500 due to the fact that the wealthier household pays a higher marginal rate in income tax. The most expensive transit trips tend to be on commuter trains and buses that cater to suburban residents, who are thus likelier to use the full value of the transit benefit. Workers who travel to Grand Central Station from the wealthy New York suburb of Bronxville, for example, can now pay the entire cost of their monthly Metro North pass with pre-tax dollars. Workers who live in New York City can do the same, but a monthly New York City Transit pass is only $116.50, meaning nearly $140 of the benefit is useless to them. This disparate impact occurs with many tax exclusions, of course, but it’s particularly strange for commuting subsidies given that Congress originally justified the provision as a middle-class tax benefit. We reviewed the Congressional Record dating back to the 1970s, when the IRS was considering treating parking as a taxable fringe benefit—part of a broader reaction to companies that were offering more fringe benefits to workers as a way to reduce their tax burden. Congress responded with dismay, passing several measures to delay enforcement of the IRS regulations. As Rep. Barber Conable of New York said in 1978, “This practice on the part of the IRS is potentially a way of raising substantial additional taxes, not at the expense of the wealthy, but at the expense of the working-class American.” Notably absent from the Record was any mention of the parking provision’s impact on actual transportation policy. MARCH 2016 | INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE

Lawmakers evidently did not anticipate or care about the subsidy’s potential to increase traffic. In 1984, the parking exemption was officially codified. Soon after, the IRS ruled that employers could also exclude a much smaller amount—$15 per month—for public transportation. (A New York subway token was 90 cents so transit commuters there paid about $19 per month.) Legislators beefed up the transit benefit in the 1990s, this time with a transportation policy justification of encouraging public transit and reducing automobile traffic. But the transit benefit

remained less than half the size of the parking benefit until 2009, when the federal stimulus bill temporarily set the benefits equal to each other. This provision expired and was renewed several times. And then, late in 2015, Congress finally acted to create permanent parity between the benefits.

Data and Reform Rather than see this recent change as the final chapter in the story of commuter benefits, we think it must be the beginning of a more comprehensive effort to reform transportation and tax policy. Simply put, employer- provided parking should be taxed as a fringe benefit. Employers who provide free parking or subsidize parking in congested urban areas are in fact providing a valuable benefit to their workers. Furthermore, unlike the transit benefit, there is no plausible policy justification for providing a benefit specifically for parking. Other countries have found relatively straightforward ways to tax employer-provided parking. In Austria, employees who receive free parking from their employers have roughly $20 per month added to their wages for tax purposes. This requirement applies only in zones

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where on-street parking is restricted. (Though given the much higher cost of parking and owning a car in Austria, it seems the Austrian tax code also severely underestimates the value of free parking to employees.) Australia also taxes employee parking as a fringe benefit; the tax is levied on the employer (not the worker), and the value is determined by the lowest fee available for commercial parking within 0.6 miles of the workplace. Newer, better data are also needed. Compared to spending programs, federal tax exemptions are rarely evaluated by the government, so there is little data about their impact on federal budgets and consumer behavior. What evaluation does exist tends to focus on the cost of the exemptions rather than their effect on society. This is certainly true of the parking benefit. In the course of conducting our research, we also confronted a lack of data about parking more broadly. This gap needs to be addressed by federal agencies such as the U.S. Department of Transportation, Environmental Protection Agency, and Government Accountability Office. For future evaluations, the federal government might consider following the example of local governments, which often use parking pricing and policy as a way to achieve policy goals that include promoting environmental sustainability or reducing congestion in important commercial areas. For example, Cambridge,

parking.org/tpp

Compared to spending programs, federal tax exemptions are rarely evaluated by the government, so there is little data about their impact on federal budgets and consumer behavior. What evaluation does exist tends to focus on the cost of the exemptions rather than their effect on society. Mass., requires developers of commercial projects with five or more parking spaces to provide at least three transportation demand management strategies (such as bicycle parking, incentives for transit use, and market-rate automobile parking). Many other municipalitiesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;such as Arlington, Va.; Boulder, Colo.; and Seattle, Wash.â&#x20AC;&#x201D;have similar provisions aimed at discouraging automobile commuting and encouraging the use of other kinds of transportation. The current federal parking subsidy counteracts these ongoing local efforts and distorts the commuting choices that workers across the country make every day. While a few commercial lot operators may benefit from the additional traffic, the parking subsidy arguably hurts others by worsening traffic, which dissuades people from coming downtown for shopping and entertainment. Transit parity is a clear sign of progress, but with billions of dollars at stake, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ultimately just a first step toward a more equitable and thoughtful transportation policy.

STEVEN HIGASHIDE is senior program analyst for TransitCenter. He can be reached at shigashide@ transitcenter.org.

MARCH 2016 | INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE

HOLDPOST that

know I am getting up there in age and have to accept that technology may be

starting to pass me by (if you ask my family, it passed me by a long time ago). But

I have a Twitter account, a LinkedIn profile, and a Facebook page. I’m sure I am

INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE | MARCH 2016

What hiring managers say employees and candidates should think about before using social media, even on their own time. By John V. Collins, CAPP

parking.org/tpp

MARCH 2016 | INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE

According to a Reuter’s report, the online career market of just LinkedIn and Monster Worldwide is worth about $6 billion a year. Last December, Facebook announced plans for Facebook at Work, explained as a professional version of its social network; we expect that launch later this year. It’s an attempt to compete with established career sites such as LinkedIn. Facebook claims the professional version will be similar but totally separate from its current social version, so users of the new service will maintain separate profiles for each.

Your Privacy

Everyone should keep in mind that being friends with coworkers or the company/organization on Facebook may not be a wise idea. Companies can still keep a virtual eye on people they’ve already hired. The Sites Facebook launched in 2004 as a social outlet and way for college students to connect with each other. Currently, an average of 1.01 billion people use the site every day. Twitter launched with its first tweet in March 2006 and boasts 320 million monthly active users. LinkedIn was the first major social media site; it was introduced in May 2003 and has more than 400 million members. Who knows what the next social media platform will be? But certainly there will be millions of people signing on when it premieres. Almost everyone and everything has created some sort of social media account, especially on Facebook. Students, parents, grandparents, retailers, municipalities, entertainment outlets, and numerous businesses are among those with Facebook pages. The list goes on and on. The ability to connect so easily with everyone is both a positive and negative aspect of what social media provides us. Of course it was inevitable that businesses soon followed individuals and created their own social media pages as a means of reaching out to their customers—at no cost to the organizations—and that eventually these sites would be used in the process of hiring and firing employees.

INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE | MARCH 2016

Websites and social media sites have privacy policies, but most people do not bother to read or attempt to understand them. Those policies disclose some or all of the ways a party gathers, uses, discloses, and manages a customer or client’s data. These social media sites gather information about you, your location, your browser history, etc. and use that data to determine what advertisements to show you. Of course, this is just one way social media can affect and market to someone. If you look, you will find hundreds of examples of how information could negatively affect someone, especially a professional trying to gain or keep employment. Some of the decisions people make will amaze and astound you—especially what they choose to share with the world! Open posts allow potential or current employers and customers to know about everything you are doing. They can see if you post a picture or status update while out sick and see any negative posts about the company or co-workers, and they can tell if you are posting while at work.

The Job Search A major change that has recently become incorporated into prospective employee searches is having hiring professionals review photos and posts on candidates’ social profiles. Public pictures of someone on a drinking binge, doing drugs, or taking part in other illegal or negative activities are never appealing to companies looking for a well-mannered and down-to-earth individual. These red flags may negatively affect how someone is viewed as a viable employee. Unfortunately, you never really know what might turn off a prospective employer, so it would be best to avoid any and all questionable material. If there are a lot of posts about parties an individual attended or how much they dislike working, etc., a hiring professional may decide there is just too much potential baggage and look into another applicant who has a cleaner profile. Of course, no company can discriminate based on any protected group (age, religion, sexual orientation), but it is wise to remember any information that is public knowledge may still be viewed negatively and you may not even be aware that your profile was a deciding factor.

Interview Notes

Online Contacts Everyone should keep in mind that being friends with co-workers or the company/organization on Facebook may not be a wise idea. Companies can still keep a virtual eye on people they’ve already hired. While your employer may not be actively looking into your so-called private life, that doesn’t mean it completely ignores you. There are a multitude of stories on social media in which individuals posted negative comments about going to work or how they scammed the boss for a day off, all the while forgetting that their boss is also a follower on Twitter (most Twitter streams are unlocked and open to the world, followers and non-followers) or friend on Facebook. When the boss saw this material, the poster was reprimanded or even left unemployed. Whether or not you believe these are proper means of communication or decorum, it happens. Karma has a funny way of evening things out. I am responsible for a number of human resources issues at my organization, including interviewing potential candidates for open positions. I often find myself searching the names of applicants via the Internet and have, on several occasions, decided not to interview a candidate based on what I have seen on social media sites. If two equally qualified candidates apply for a position, social media findings could be the deciding factor on the offer of employment. I do not propose to be a judge of moral or social conduct, but I know the image my company is trying to convey. It’s clear whether a person may be a viable candidate or a proper fit for our organization. Knowing in advance that someone has a perpetual bad attitude at work, is frequently hung over from drinking binges, or engages in other negative behavior can easily sway a hiring manager’s opinion. Last year, my company received more than 300 employment applications, and I interviewed nearly 200 candidates in the process of hiring 52 new employees. After working in this position about a month and realizing the daunting task of handling a vast amount of interviews, I incorporated a few interview forms to assist in the hiring process and to keep it consistent among all managers. After tweaking the forms a few times, I incorporated a social media review area and began using this tool to further vet potential employees. Of course, there are a vast number of reasons an individual may not be deemed a proper employment candidate for our organization and not called in for an interview; however, once an applicant is determined to be a potential candidate or is interviewed, a search on the social media sites is performed. So far, on eight separate occurrences, information was gathered that questioned the overall character and decision-making abilities of a potential employee. At that point, we made the decision to not pursue employment any further. If this information parking.org/tpp

Applicant

Date

Interviewer

About The Applicant

Appearance

Personality

Work Experience

Comments

MVR POSITION

JDP BACKGROUND RATE

FREE REPORT

PA STATE POLICE

TRAINING DATE

START DATE

SOCIAL MEDIA CONCENTRA

was gathered after an interview was already conducted, management discussed and then made the decision to either not offer employment or to bring the candidate in for a second interview to discuss. Of course, social media is not the deciding factor in hiring, but it along with all of the other information that is provided should be enough to make an educated decision. Whether you feel this is an invasion of privacy or not, it would be wise to accept the practice of using social media as a hiring tool. It does and will continue to exist. In addition, all employers should review their policies governing employee communications, especially the use of social media during work and non-work times. This will ensure compliance with the National Labor Relations Board and set the proper standard expected of everyone in the organization. I know it is not a fair world, but we owe it to ourselves and our employers to make good, wholesome decisions in how we represent ourselves and who represents our company—after all, the world may make a decision based on that perception! Social media is a strong tool for communication and networking but must be used properly. If you are interested, please follow me on Twitter @JohnVCollins and friend me on Facebook. If I can catch up to the technology, I may even respond back!

JOHN V. COLLINS, CAPP, is operations manager with Transport U, LLC. He can be reached at jcollins@transportu.net.

MARCH 2016 | INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE

IPI IN ACTION IPI CONFERENCE

CONFERENCE EDUCATION FOR REAL SOLUTIONS By Kathleen Federici, MEd

he IPI Conference & Expo is a fantastic forum to learn about new ideas and share cutting-edge, innovative ideas with others. The act of sharing knowledge among peers tends to refine your own ideas and plans and improve your vision as an industry leader.

One of the most important benefits of attending the 2016 IPI Conference & Expo (IPIConference.parking.org) is that you will stay excited and become reinvigorated with the trends, best practices, changes, and innovations of the industry, not to mention the opportunities to learn from and network with your peers. Pack your business cards! Learning, comprehension, and knowledge are developed in participation with peers. Social learning occurs through conversations about what the speaker presents and through classroom dialogues and engagement with others. The conversation does not stop when an education session ends—it continues to flow and evolve each time a concept, solution, issue, or idea is discussed. These conversations and interactions allow time to integrate the knowledge into personalized onthe-job experiences.

On Tap in Nashville

KATHLEEN FEDERICI, MEd, is IPI’s director of professional development. She can be reached at federici@parking.org.

This year’s Conference education sessions will not disappoint! From May 17–20 in Nashville, Tenn., you will connect with leaders presenting in the following tracks: ●● Personal development. ●● Finance and auditing. ●● Technology and innovation. ●● Mobility and alternative transportation. ●● Planning design and construction. The latest and greatest information will include such hot topics as autonomous vehicles, benchmarking, big data, legal aspects, high-performance design, and the future of parking. The personal development track offers an array of topics to assist in setting goals, both personally and professionally. The growing success of the personal development process has assisted many business managers in obtaining more qualified and motivated personnel for their companies. The finance and auditing track offers information on examining profits and benchmarking your data to determine areas of opportunity. It will address topics such as analyzing data, running reports, financial management, auditing, and creating goals.. Technology and innovation information will change the way many look at various scenarios in daily opera-

INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE | MARCH 2016

tions. Learn the costs (including the cost of knowledge) behind the popularity of pay-by-plate and gated scenarios. Explore the connectivity explosion and learn how to use it to your operations advantage! Parking industry competitors are no longer limited to public transit, bicycles, or carpools. Join our mobility and alternative transportation presenters as they illustrate the prominent changes in parking practices, including those due to millennials. Explore case studies of growth that have created unintended consequences, including increased parking demand; spillover impacts creating problems for residents, businesses and classes; and taxing the alreadylimited parking system. Examine how key policymakers presented their respective cities’ approaches and the wisdom gained while designing and/or implementing parking reform by attending sessions in the planning, design, and construction track!

Make the Most of It Are you ready? There are many ways to make sure you get the most out of the Conference education sessions: ●● It is critical to participate in each session you attend. Don’t just sit there—make sure you get the information you need from each session. Capitalize on the experience of the speakers and the peers who surround you. ●● Keep your mobile device charged so you can interact with the Conference app and complete online evaluations for each session. Because there will be multiple concurrent sessions, you may consider attending a session that has an unfamiliar topic. Most people gravitate to the familiar—try to resist that urge! ●● Spark a conversation. Take a small notebook to each education session and capture those sparks so you can recall them later. With all this fantastic information, what will be your spark for an impactful solution to an organizational issue? Be prepared to leave the Conference with a reinvigorated outlook, ready to tackle the issues that will rely on the solutions you create. Visit IPIConference. parking.org for more information and to register, and I’ll see you in Nashville in May!

G R EEN GA R A GE CE RTI F IC AT IO N AS S E S S O R T RAIN IN G

Train to become a Certified Green Garage Assessor. “Working with a Green Garage Assessor was tremendously helpful in the decision to certify our newest garage. With our assessor’s help, we were able to determine what we needed to do to certify the garage. That would have been much more difficult without a Green Garage Assessor on our design team.” – Brian D. Shaw, CAPP Director of Parking & Transportation Services, Stanford University

This one-day course covers the theory and practice of building certification and offers a deep-dive into the specific management, programmatic, technological, and structural elements of the Standard. Successful completion enables you to earn income consulting and assessing facilities for Green Garage Certification. It also offers CAPP Points and CEUs for professional registrations. Find out more:

greenparkingcouncil.org Registration open, but seating is limited: Tuesday, May 17, in Nashville, Tenn. at ipiconference.parking.org/

STATE & REGIONAL SPOTLIGHT MIDDLE ATLANTIC PARKING ASSOCIATION

A WINNING SEASON FOR MAPA By Larry J. Cohen, CAPP

he Middle Atlantic Parking Association (MAPA), based in Maryland, serves the interests of parking professionals throughout Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Delaware, West Virginia, and Washington, D.C. The association provides great networking opportunities to parking professionals throughout the Middle Atlantic region, especially through its highly successful Parking and Baseball program. The association board of directors is very active in the development of events and programs designed to educate and provide networking opportunities and social functions at a reasonable rate for its membership.

Baseball in Swing In 2015, the association hosted two very successful Parking and Baseball Lunch & Learn events that welcomed sold-out crowds. The first Parking and Baseball event was held at Baltimoreâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Oriole Park at Camden Yards on a very cold and blustery day in May, and the second was held in July at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C. Special thanks to sponsor Parkmobile.

Always Golf In June, MAPA returned to the University of Maryland College Park Golf Course for its Annual Summer Golf Tournament. In part, the tournament proceeds benefit the MAPA Scholarship Fund. The return to the College Park Golf Course resulted in more than 40 golfers swinging away.

INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE | MARCH 2016

The tournament holds a raffle and silent auction that benefits the scholarship fund. The fall golf outing was held in conjunction with the Annual Fall Conference on Oct. 13 at Diamond Ridge Golf Course. The tournament is designed for vendors and attendees to meet and greet before the conference in an informal environment. It made for a great day!

Scholarships In May, the MAPA Scholarship Committee selected two recipients to receive financial awards in 2015. Christopher Balch and Kaitlin Hall were each awarded $1,500 scholarships for their academic excellence. Awards are based on academic excellence, community involvement, and other examples of outstanding work as students and citizens. Scholarships are available to the member companiesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; employees, their spouses, and children. The program application and guidelines are posted to the website in January. Completed applications,

letters of recommendations and transcripts should be received by May 15. The scholarship committee reviews the applications and selects potential recipients to present to the board of directors. The board then votes, and notifications are sent out in June to the scholarship award winners. We’re looking forward to distributing more of these special awards this year.

2016 Annual Fall Conference October is a big month for MAPA. The Fall Golf Outing Tournament will take place at Woodlands Golf Club in Baltimore on Oct. 18, followed by MAPA’s Annual Fall Conference on Oct. 19 at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, Westminster Hall—the burial home of Edgar Allan Poe! MAPA follows a unique one-day conference format that has proven very successful for participants, offering a full day of meals, education, networking, and an exhibition with more than two-and-a-half hours of vendor time. The conference attracts upwards of 125 attendees. The Conference Planning Committee issues a call for presentations in June, which allows it to develop

a well-rounded program designed to bring the latest in innovation, trends, and technology in the parking industry. The speakers are dynamic, and attendees always walk away with valuable knowledge to enhance their parking operations.

Join the Board The MAPA board of directors is always seeking new members to join the board or one of the various committees that work on bringing the best programs and events to the association. Standing committees include conference planning, IT, and membership. In November, a call for nominations is issued to the membership for the coming year’s voting ballot. Board of director seats are held for two-year terms. If you are interested in joining the board, participating in a committee, or becoming a new member of the association, contact Dawn Marti, MAPA administrator, at admin@midatlanticparkingassociation.org. For more information on joining the association or attending one of the MAPA events, visit the MAPA website at midatlanticparkingassociation.org.

MAPA’s 2016 Board PRESIDENT

DIRECTORS

Larry J. Cohen, CAPP

Howard Benson

Barry Davis

Lancaster Parking Authority lcohen@lancasterparkingauthority.com

Control Systems, Inc. hbenson@control-systems-inc.com

Magnetic Automation bdavis@magnetic-usa.com

SECRETARY

Angela Hall

Nick Miller

University of Maryland, Baltimore angela.hall@umaryland.edu

Parking Panda nick@parkingpanda.com

Andrew Wilson CVM awilson@cvmnext.com TREASURER

Brian Simmons University of Maryland, Baltimore bsimmons@uf.umaryland.edu

Jason Reynolds

Mark Pace

Shockey Precast jreynolds@shockeyprecast.com

Montgomery College mark.pace@montgomerycollege.edu

Bill Boyle

ADMINISTRATOR

Federal Parking waboyle@federalparking.com

parking.org/tpp

Dawn Marti admin@midatlanticparkingassociation. org

LARRY J. COHEN, CAPP, is executive director of the Lancaster (Pa.) Parking Authority. He can be reached at lcohen@ lancasterparking authority.com.

MARCH 2016 | INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE

COMMUNITY DIGEST

YPIPs Take Miami in Style Nearly 40 members of IPI’s Young Professionals in Parking (YPIP) enjoyed a great night of networking and fun in Miami, Fla., in late January during a YPIP Hot Spot event. The event, in the heart of Miami’s Design District, was a great way for professionals younger than 40 to meet each other and some more seasoned industry experts in a casual environment with

INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE | MARCH 2016

food, drinks, and great conversation. Attendees also enjoyed exploring the area on their own; it’s become well-known for its futuristic (and gorgeous) parking facilities. Thanks to sponsor SP+ for a great night. Look for more information on YPIP and upcoming Hot Spot events at parking.org/ypip.

2016 INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE CONFERENCE & EXPO

PARKEON HELPS HARVARD PARKING SERVICES WITH SPACE TURNOVER Parkeon announced that it recently completed a new on-street parking project for Harvard Parking Services that uses pay-by-license-plate technology. The goal of the project was to implement a system that helps promote turnover of parking spaces around Continuum, a new mixed-use development near the campus that includes apartments, shops, and streetside restaurants. The project’s implementation included the installation of solar-powered Strada multi-space parking meters featuring a full-color, seven-inch display screen and QWERTY keypad for license-plate entry. The Stradas are equipped with wireless modems, allowing the meters to communicate in real time with Parkeon’s Parking Rights Management System (PRM) to identify the exact parking rights to assign each parker. To ensure that spaces at Continuum have high turnover (but in a customer-friendly way), parkers are able to receive one hour of free parking once

per day and have the option to purchase one additional hour during the same day. Because the Parkeon PRM system is very flexible, the additional hour of paid parking does not have to be purchased consecutively with the initial free hour. Additionally, the system eliminates meter feeding and encourages parking rotation; the Stradas will not accept payments from parkers if they have already reached the two-hour maximum stay. “We have utilized Parkeon multi-space meters for several years,” says Jim Kotzuba, associate director of Harvard Parking Services. “We were already familiar with the reliability of the equipment, so we were very excited when we found out that their parking management system could meet our needs on-street at Continuum.” The Strada multi-space parking meters were tested and installed by Parkeon’s New England distribution partner, Wescor Parking Controls, based in Auburn, Mass.

EDUCATION

STRIKE A CHORD

Discover the best education and training opportunities in the parking industry. With five education tracks and more than 45 sessions led by industry experts, there’s something for everyone. • Continuing education credits available. • Keynote Speakers, Shoptalks, TECHtalks, Ignite Sessions, and more. • Earn points toward CAPP certification.

IPIConference.parking.org parking.org/tpp

COMMUNITY DIGEST

SBD Calls INRIX Off-Street Parking a Clear Winner INRIX, Inc., a leading provider of real-time traffic information and driver services worldwide, announced the results of an independent off-street parking benchmark study. SBD, a global automotive technology research firm, concluded that ParkMe, an INRIX company, was a clear leader in data accuracy across the core attribute categories in five key cities in the U.S. and Germany. Overall, ParkMe was 12 percent more accurate than the competition across a set of core attributes that are essential to automakers for customer satisfaction. Most importantly, ParkMe was 23 percent more accurate in providing the precise entrance location to parking lots and was the clear winner across parking attributes, including pricing information accuracy (91 percent)

and correct parking lot operating hours (87 percent). “INRIX has always strived to have the most complete and reliable dynamic driver services worldwide,” says Steve Banfield, chief marketing officer of INRIX. “SBD has confirmed what we were already very confident in—that ParkMe has the most accurate parking service in the industry, which ultimately leads to very happy drivers.” SBD’s ground-truth assessment looked at 488 random parking lots in November 2015 across Berlin, Munich, and Stuttgart in Germany, as well as Boston, Mass., and San Francisco, Calif., in the United States. SBD sent trained data collectors to evaluate on-site attributes lot by lot (backed by photographic evidence), then compared the

field results to published information on respective provider websites. From the findings, SBD assessed overall accuracy scores and scores per attribute, lot, and city. SBD was compensated for collecting the data, but the assessments and scoring were completed on an objective and independent basis. “SBD’s off-street parking study tells a very compelling story about the quality of ParkMe’s coverage in the U.S. and Europe,” says Mark St. Andrew, senior connected car analyst at SBD North America and the study’s author. “These results reinforce the importance of automotive OEMs and service providers focusing on the end-to-end experience for consumers, the foundation of which is starting with the most accurate data possible.”

EVOLT EV CHARGING POINTS SUPPORT MERSEYSIDE’S ECO-AMBITIONS Liverpool City Region’s (LCR) drive toward creating an eco-friendly environment is being helped by APT Controls, which has completed the installation of 28 of its Evolt electric vehicle (EV) charge points. Merseytravel, the executive body that provides professional, strategic and operational transport advice to the LCR’s Combined Authority and the body responsible for coordinating bids and projects, chose Evolt after a full tender process. Amy Coulson, program development officer at Merseytravel, outlines LCR’s e-mobility strategy: “It sets out our commitment to promoting the use of EVs across the region, and this includes installing a charging network for an even greater public take up of environmentally friendly transport. Evolt are helping us deliver this.” Fourteen Evolt charge points have been installed and are available for public use at sites across Merseyside, including rail stations, hospitals, and the Seacombe Ferry

INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE | MARCH 2016

Terminal; a further 14 have been strategically placed at sites of importance for the local authority, such as council buildings and National Health Service depots. Of the 28 chargers, a mix of 7kW dual wall-mount and 7kW standard dual posts were installed, forming the first phase of Recharge, the LCR’s scheme to encourage the public and the local authorities to simultaneously decrease their carbon footprints. “The LCR, which includes seven local authorities, is committed to leading by example and has recently been awarded funding by the Office for Low Emission Vehicles to introduce 23 ultra low-emission vehicles into its fleets over the coming year,” Coulson says. Justin Meyer, general manager of Evolt, anticipates that Evolt will remain integral to the Recharge scheme as it progresses through the phases. “We have developed a significant relationship with the LCR, helped by our experience of dealing with local councils across the country, and are now the EV charge point supplier of choice in the city region,” he explains. Evolt is a company of the SWARCO group.

MAY 17-20, 2016

Amano McGann, Inc. Awarded Garage Upgrade Contract Amano McGann, Inc. was recently awarded the contract to upgrade the City of Sacramento, California’s five downtown parking facilities. The garages are being updated in part due to the construction of a new downtown arena that will be the home of the Sacramento Kings professional basketball team. With installations to begin in March and be completed by August 2016, Amano McGann is currently mobilizing for the modernization of the city’s parking facilities. “The goal of the city’s parking division is to effectively manage the city’s parking supply, especially during a time of increased activity,” says Matt Eierman, city parking manager. “The new technology will enhance the parking experience for businesses, residents, and visitors.” Amano McGann’s OPUSuite CloudBased Parking Management Platform solution will enable the City of Sacramento to achieve enhanced parking operation management through revenue and operational on-demand reporting. The new system will allow patrons to see where parking is available, pay in advance, and enter and exit the garage with almost no delay, enhancing the patron’s overall experience when visiting these parking facilities. Project Highlights Enable customers to reserve spaces and pre-pay for parking with a goal of enhancing the parking experience through streamlined entry and exit. ●● Incorporate license plate recognition technology to improve vehicle throughput speeds by allowing gates to open without the need for the parker to present an access card. ●●

NETWORKING

ARE YOU READY TO

HARMONIZE? Engage with more

than 3,500 parking professionals from around the world. Notify parkers which garage level has parking available through an advanced wayfinding system. ●● Utilize enhanced Amano McGann customer and merchant self-service features to complete routine transactions, such as purchasing monthly parking permits or obtaining merchant validations, eliminating the need to visit the customer service counter or call parking staff. ●● Enhance customer service by utilizing networked intercoms with integrated cameras to facilitate patron assistance at entry, exit, and pay-on-foot stations. ●● Provide for payment flexibility through the adoption of a wide range of electronic payment methods, including Amano McGann’s Web-based Frequent Parker Program, MiParc online account management system, as well as Parkmobile and other third-party solutions. ●● Make it easier for customers to find available parking by enabling third-party access to occupancy statistics for inclusion in wayfinding and parking location services. ●●

Join colleagues representing every level of experience and segment of the parking industry. • More than 45 countries represented. • Variety of social activities to match your interests. • Dozens of opportunities to expand your network and grow your contact list.

IPIConference.parking.org parking.org/tpp

COMMUNITY DIGEST

Oxford Plastics Introduces Driveway Board Award-winning U.K. manufacturer Oxford Plastics introduced its Driveway Board, designed in conjunction with National Grid. The British multi-national electricity and gas utility company required a driveway cover that would allow access for vehicles up to 3.5 tons over an excavation 900mm wide. The board needed to be light enough to lift in place by just two people and not require fixing to the ground. The product was developed during two years and has been launched to the wider market to deliver a host of benefits to the utilities and construction sectors. The Driveway Board is strong enough to withstand one wheel

of a 3.5-ton vehicle over a 900mm excavation (meeting new driveway board specifications) and can alternatively be used for pedestrians over a 1200mm span. Using Oxford Plastics’ innovative Low Pro technology, the underside and edge of the Driveway Board is made from a soft flexible

JIM SHORT JOINS WPS WPS further strengthened its senior management team with the appointment of Jim Short as senior business development manager. Jim has more than 20 years of experience in sales, of which the last seven have been specifically focused on the parking industry. Roles include technology sales manager, EMEA, for Smart Parking and four years as senior business development manager at Xerox Parking Services. Simon Jarvis, managing director of WPS, says this is an exciting time for the company. “Demand for our smart, reliable ParkAdvance™ technology matched by smart thinking is clearly on the rise, and Jim will play a key role in promoting the benefits of our systems to an audience of both public and private customers,” he says This is the second senior hire in recent months for WPS, reflecting a new period of growth as a key brand within the new Dynniq business. Philip Howell joined the company at the end of 2015 in a similar senior business development position.

INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE | MARCH 2016

material to grip the surface underneath and reduce any unwanted movement. This means it’s very stable without the need for bolting in most applications and poses a greatly reduced trip hazard for pedestrians. It also has a molded anti-slip surface for additional pedestrian safety.

AIPHONE INTRODUCES NEW VIDEO DOOR STATIONS Aiphone Corporation recently introduced a series of integrated HID® multiCLASS SE® readers for its IS, IX, and JP Series audio/video entry systems. HID multiCLASS SE readers are part of HID Global’s iCLASS SE® platform for highly secure, adaptable, and interoperable access control. These dynamic, multiCLASS SE 13.56 MHz, contactless readers support a broad array of credential technologies and a variety of form factors, including cards, fobs, and mobile devices. The embedded HID multiCLASS SE readers allow these video door stations to easily integrate with new or existing access control systems. Aiphone’s flagship IX Series allows buildings, parking facilities, and large campuses to reduce costs and improve staff efficiency by controlling security needs from either a central location or remote user.

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE

SCOTT KANGAS, CAPP, NAMED CITY OF FAYETTEVILLE’S NEW PARKING MANAGER The City of Fayetteville, Ark., welcomes Scott Kangas, CAPP, who brings more than 30 years of parking business experience from both private and public sectors, as the new manager of its parking management division. Kangas’ expertise includes Americans with Disabilities compliance, facility maintenance

TECHNOLOGY

THE STAGE IS SET! Tap into the latest parking tools and trends.

and repair, and parking safety and security. He has held a variety of parking operations positions in higher education and government, including at the University of Minnesota, University of North Texas, Northern Illinois University, University of Minnesota Hospital and Clinic, Baylor Hospital in Dallas; and in the cities of Durham, N.C.; Davenport, Iowa; and most recently, Minneapolis. He was also the general manager of a large parking equipment distributor in Minneapolis. Kangas has served as the chair of several International Parking Institute (IPI) committees, including the ADA Committee, Conference

More than 250 exhibitors representing all facets of parking products and services. • Largest parking expo in the world. • More than170,000-squarefeet of exhibit space. • Meet the innovators who are leading the way.

Education Committee, Safety and Security Committee, and the State and Regional Parking Outreach Committee. For the past 30 years, Scott has served the IPI in roles with its Board of Advisors and moderated educational sessions. He has served on the board of directors for the Texas Parking and Transportation Association and the Carolinas Parking Association. He founded the Minnesota Association of Parking Professionals and served as chair for 10 years. He has authored more than 20 articles for parking and safety/security trade magazines. Holding a degree in criminal justice from the University of Minnesota, Kangas is a CAPP. Fayetteville Mayor Lioneld Jordan says, “I am very excited to add Scott’s breadth and depth of experience and knowledge in parking to the city’s management team.”

IPIConference.parking.org parking.org/tpp

PARKING CONSULTANTS

Let’s collaborate to achieve your parking goals

DESMAN

Design Management National Parking Specialists Architects Structural Engineers Parking Consultants Planners Transportation Restoration Engineers

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800.860.1570 l www.walkerparking.com

INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE | MARCH 2016

Boston Chicago Cleveland Denver Ft Lauderdale Hartford New York Pittsburgh Washington, D.C.

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Providing Parking Solutions for Over 40 Years

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Parking engineered to your needs

Jacob Gonzalez, P.E. 800.364.7300 WA LT E R P M O O R E . c o m

parking.org/tpp

Project Management Design Parking Consulting Structural Engineering Diagnostics

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MARCH 2016 | INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE

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CHANCE Management Advisors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 chancemanagement.com | 215.564.6464

Scheidt & Bachmann. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 scheidt-bachmann.com | 781.262.6667

DESMAN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 desman.com | 877.337.6260

Smarking. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 smarking.net | 617.398.0255

Digital Printing Systems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 626.334.1244 | dpstickets.com

Southland Printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 southlandprinting.com | 800.241.8662

Global Parking Solutions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 globalparkingsolutions.com | 215.399.1475

Tannery Creek Systems, Inc.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 autochalk.com | 905.738.1406

IntegraPark. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .C3 Integrapark.com | 888.852.9993

TIBA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 www.tibaparking.com | 720.477.6073

IPS Group Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .C2 ipsgroupinc.com | 858.404.0607

Timothy Haahs & Associates, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 timhaahs.com | 484.342.0200

Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9, 61 kimley-horn.com/parking | 919.677.2090

Toledo Ticket . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .C4 toledoticket.com | 800.533.6620

Newell-Rubbermaid.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 rubbermaidcommercial.com | 800.347.9800

Walker Parking Consultants. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 walkerparking.com | 800.860.1579

Park Equity.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 parkequityllc@gmail.com | 201.388.9895

WALTER P MOORE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 walterpmoore.com | 800.364.7300

Parking Soft. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 parkingsoft.com | 877.884.7275

PARKING BREAK

JIM BASS is landside operations manager at the Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport, Little Rock, Ark. He can be reached at jbass@fly-lit.com or 501.537.7354.

INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE | MARCH 2016

NEW AND RENEWING IPI MEMBERS ACADEMIC

CONSULTANT

University of California, Davis Clifford Contreras University of Texas at Austin G. Robert Harkins James Madison University William Yates Western Carolina University Fred Bauknecht West Virginia University Clement Solomon Texas Tech University Eric Crouch University of Maryland, Baltimore County Helen Garland University of Iowa Parking & Transportation Department Jim Sayre George Mason University Josh Cantor University of Minnesota, Duluth Patrick Keenan University of Tennessee Health Science Center Tanara Teal-Tate Eastern Virginia Medical School Justin Nelson University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Brent Harris University of Hawaii at Manoa Ashley Mitani

Watry Design, Inc. Michelle Wendler Rich and Associates, Inc. David Rich Blue Ridge Design, Inc Ned Cleland

AIRPORT Gerald R. Ford International Airport Daniel Villalobos Port of Seattle Stephanie Nelson

COMMERCIAL OPERATIONS SP+ / North Division Steven Warshauer ABM Parking Services Scott Hutchison SP+ / South Division Robert Toy SP+ / Airport Division Jack Ricchiuto SP+ / CSO-NSO Thomas Hagerman Cornerstone Parking Group, Inc. Sher Vang SP+ / NY & Tri State Division Hector Chevalier

parking.org/tpp

RETIRED

William Siebert

SUPPLIER

CORPORATE Nationwide Insurance Company Bart Barok ParkHub.com George Baker BOSS SOFTWARE Kevin Raasch

HOSPITAL-MEDICAL CENTER University of California Davis Medical Center Wanda Brown

PUBLIC City of White Plains John Larson City of Franklin, TN Vernon Gerth Toronto Parking Authority Lorne Persiko City of Fredericton Janice Legace Galveston Park Board Larry Jackson Corpus Christi Police Department Berardo Cantu City of Bellingham Clark Williams City of Bozeman Thomas Thorpe City of Beverly Hills Chad Lynn Toms River Parking Authority Pamela Piner City of Fort Lauderdale Diana Alarcon City of Asheville Harry Brown City of Lincoln, Nebraska Wayne Mixdorf Town of West Hartford Brooke Nelson Chattanooga Area Regional Transportation Authority (CARTA) Brent Matthews City of Ocala Charles Rich City of Fargo Joe Nigg Houston First Christophe Malsang

TIS INC Sun Park Associated Time & Parking Controls Christopher Archer DKS DoorKing, Inc. Richard Sedivy Par-Kut International, Inc. Thomas Duemling PARKOM-Parking Methods Ltd. Zvi Ganot ParkEyes of Imagina Vision Artificial S.L. Inmaculada Larrubia Penn Credit Corporation Richard Carrier Integrated Technical Systems, Inc. David Santilli Takeform Kurt Lyons Canada Ticket Inc. Steve Wengrowich Enervation Inc Neil Talbot Parker Technology, LLC Scott Gould Louvers International Devin Wall Reno A&E/Eberle Design Carl Zabel SIX Payment Services Fabien Pesenti Signal-Tech Brian Veshecco Cambridge Architectural Mesh David Zeitlin NetPark Dave Reynolds MEYPAR Jose Fenollosa Carl Walker, Inc. Laura Culver TRC PARKING Peter Everett nnovolt Inc Chad Krohn Greenscreen John Souza Parking Sense Ltd Jake Bezzant

MARCH 2016 | INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Highlighted are IPI and IPI Allied State and Regional Association Events

2016 March 2–3

May 4

August 15

Next Gen Parking and Traffic Management Summit Dubai scl.fleminggulf.com/nextgen-parkingsummit

IPI Webinar Unlocking the Power of Data (Using GIS) parking.org/webinars

IPI Course Media Training Seminar Washington, D.C. parking.org

March 13–16

May 16

August 17

APO Site Reviewer Training Nashville, Tenn. parking.org

IPI Webinar Suicide in Parking Facilities parking.org/webinars

May 16

September 14

Green Garage Assessor Training Nashville, Tenn. parking.org

IPI Webinar From Asphalt to Green Infrastructure (Surface Parking) parking.org/webinars

Mid-South Parking and Transportation Association Spring Conference Louisville, Ky. mspta.org

March 16 IPI Webinar Uber Is at the Front Door (Data Analytics) parking.org/webinars

March 30–31 New England Parking Council Spring Conference Boston, Mass. newenglandparkingcouncil.org

April 5–8 Intertraffic Amsterdam Amsterdam, the Netherlands intertraffic.com/amsterdam

April 11–14 Texas Parking & Transportation Association Conference and Tradeshow Texas A&M University texasparking.org

April 13 IPI Webinar Parking as a Profession: Preparing for the Future parking.org/webinars

April 27–29

May 16–19 CAPP Course: UVA Business Management Nashville, Tenn. parking.org

May 17–19

October 19

May 17–20

November 8–10

2016 IPI Conference & Expo Nashville, Tenn. ipiconference.parking.org

Parking Australia Convention & Exhibition Perth, Australia pace2016.com.au

June 15 IPI Webinar User-Based Parking Structure Design parking.org/webinars

June 26–29 World Parking Symposium Vancouver, Canada worldparkingsymposium.ca

July 12–14 National Center for Spectator Sports Safety and Security Conference Phoenix, Ariz. ncs4.com

April 29

July 13

IPI Course: Parking Design, Maintenance, and Rehabilitation Anaheim, Calif. parking.org

CAPP Course: Behind the Fine Print: A Blueprint to Parking Management, Operations, and Regulations Nashville, Tenn. parking.org

Parking Association of Georgia Conference Jekyll Island, Ga. parkingassociationofgeorgia.com Parking Association of the Virginias Spring Training Workshop Fredericksburg, Va. pavonline.org

September 26–27

IPI Webinar Media Masters parking.org/webinars

INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE | MARCH 2016

IPI Webinar Cracking the Code to Sustaining a Customer Service Culture parking.org/webinars

November 16 IPI Webinar The Path to APO parking.org/webinars

December 14 IPI Webinar Parking Enforcement for Frontline parking.org/webinars

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MARCH 2016 The Parking Professional ● PENN STATE’S NEW ICE ARENA ● 401(K) ROLLOVERS ● DATA VISUALIZATION ● METER MODERNIZATION ● RETHINKING TRANSIT ● SOCIAL MEDIA AND EMPLOYMENT