"We Wonder Wednesday" exists to make sense of all the noise in the parking and transportation industry. Weigh in on our 1-question poll every Wednesday and help answer some of Parking's biggest and smallest questions.
We wonder about what your experience has been like using - or not using - Parking apps. Awful? Fantastic? If you haven't opped for an app, what's detering you?
Free parking and honor boxes are two of the best ways there are to forgo revenue. And if you're in the business of missed opportunities, then you can go ahead and stop reading. But if you like capitalizing on chances to secure more revenue, check out this
prezi on T2's Free to Fee solution.
It's hosted, automated, and can quickly turn that money pit into a gold mine.
T2 has attracted a $28M equity investment from Pamlico Capital. This new capital will aid us in our efforts to support our customers, provide long-term financial stability, and be the catalyst for continued growth in our industry.
Pamlico chose to invest in T2 because they recognized us as a technology leader in the parking industry – and they recognized that the parking industry is poised for growth and new technology adoption.
Join us in celebrating this exciting occasion!
When it comes to parking citation collections, New York City has a $16.7 million problem on their hands. Diplomats, it seems, do not like to park legally.
New York City is home to 289 foreign missions and consulates, many of which have been issued multitudes of tickets for safety violations and blocked fire hydrants. Scofflaw diplomats, drawing on the power of their national treasuries, owe hundreds of thousands of dollars in unpaid parking tickets, and the leaderboard is impressive:
- Egypt: $1.9 million
- Nigeria: $1 million
- Indonesia: $725,000
With hundreds of diplomats swarming the city last week for the UN General Assembally, one congressionial spokesperson said, "We can only imagine how much is being racked up."
The phenomenon has already been legislated against in Congress; current law states that 110% of total unpaid parking fines owed to NYC and D.C. are to be withheld from foreign aid and obligations. But New York remains diplomatically shorted--they never collect the missing millions.
Congress is not one of the most advanced parking solutions, and in a last-ditch effort to reign in the diplomat's debts, they are considering an alternative option: revoking diplomatic liscenses from nations with outstanding parking fines.
"If you get a ticket in NYC, you have to pay it. No exceptions," said a spokesperson. "New York City's budget is tight enough as it is, and foreign diplomats do not deserve a free pass at the expense of New York City taxpayers." This issue calls
Citation Collection Services (CCS) to mind, another T2 innovation that has helped our customers reclaim hundreds of thousands in lost revenue. Check out this free
case study if you'd like to see just how significant collections can be for boosting and managing parking revenues.
Read more about New York's Parking problem
here.
Google Labs released
Open Spot, an Android application that helps users find open parking spots.
"Open Spot works by letting people who are leaving parking spots share their spots with people who are searching for parking," the search giant says. "Start helping others find parking, and together we'll all save time, save gas, and reduce pollution."
And there is good news if you're the competitive type: the more open spots you mark, the more parking "karma points" you get. I wonder if users will eventually start becoming mayors of their spots on
foursquare.
The problem is, there have been hardly any developments on it since 2010, and a quick look at the discussion board reveals that it never had a large user base. I installed the app on my phone and, sadly, did not find a single open space in Indianapolis. Whether this is because app support has sputtered and died or simply because the user base isn't big enough yet, I'm not sure.
Open source, user-generated parking data is an intriguing and promising notion. Some vendors have similar functionality already, but only for their own systems, and nobody offers such smooth GPS wayfinding capabilities as Google Maps.
Nice try, Google! Better luck next time?
T2 has wonderful customers.
Our mission has always been to make our customers feel good and contribute to their success by providing high quality solutions and extraordinary customer support. After all, our customers contribute to our success, too.
T2 is happy to announce that we have been named to the
Inc. 500/5000 list of the fastest growing companies in America for the seventh time. This tremendous honor is an
achievement for T2ers everywhere, and we have our customers to thank.
Thank you!
If your parking lot is full of ghosts, then you've got a problem. But you've got a bigger problem on your hands if your lot isn't full at all.
Luckily, T2 Flex has the hutzpah to deliver quality solutions for all your parking woes. From handheld ticket writers and access and revenue control systems to online payment systems, collections services, and parking permit software, the
T2 Flex unified platform equips users with the power to fill their lots with real cars, not ghosts. And, thanks to the powerful reporting capabilities our data wharehouse enables, users can better understand their opperation, optimizing the resources they have and identifying oportunities for growth down the line.
So, if you have a friend with ghosts in their lot, don't tell them to call the ghostbusters. Tell them to Call T2 (317.524.5500).
We've all been there. Well, at least I know I have.
Downtown Somewhere, just trying to park. I'll circle the block over and over again, hunting for an open spot like a lion for its lunch. I'm a parking predator. But, like all hunts, sometimes it takes time. Lots of time. If I'm lucky, I'll find a spot on the first pass and jump on it. Too often it's not an open spot I spy, but a minivan just starting to weasel out of it's space.
So, like any other parking predator in situations like these, I lurk in the shadows close to my prey, waiting for the perfect moment to pounce and park. Stealth and cunning are key.
Traffic stacks up behind me, yet still I wait. Horns blast and sedans swerve, and still I will wait. These things cannot be rushed.
Finally, my time has come: I surge forward, reel back, and tuck my car neatly into place before you can say "parallel." And just like that, it is done.
Sure, I'm proud of my parking skills. But I'm sad to say that nothing I do will ever hold a candle to this
world record holder's skills. (Warning: don't try this at home!)
In today's volatile economy, cities and municipalities continue to pursue creative ways to secure more revenue. One way that an increasing number of our communities are trying to put money in their pockets is by changing how their parking payment systems are utilized.
There has been a healthy debate recently about variable meter pricing models. The goal of these models is to keep most of the available parking spaces full most of the time, optimizing resources, and to boost revenue by ratcheting rates up during peak hours and lowering them when demand is low. The question is, are these pricing models predatory or proprietous?
Los Angeles is in the midst of changing their parking payment system to a more rate-variable model. LA Times cartoonist Ted Rall's take on the future of parking in LA:
It seems silly, but Rall's cartoon highlights an important point. Namely: transient parkers don't like to fork over money for parking, and they'll try to avoid it if they can. As the industry advances and makes evasion even more difficult for parkers, we have to account for the fact that parkers will try to fight back. Who knows--maybe we'll have a veritable parking "arms race" on our hands!
Good thing T2 Systems continues to lead the industry in innovation. We're a step ahead now, and our customers will be happy to know that we'll continue that trend--no matter what the future holds.
...and some are made for locking. Check out this city parking solution from the City of Seatle! Thanks to our friends at Montclair State University for passing this along, and to whoever designed this little gem.
It's my favorite time of year. The leaves begin to turn, pigskins and pumpkins materialize, and T2's User Group is just around the corner.
They say practice makes perfect and at this year's User Group, T2 customers will have the chance to practice their skills with the best parking pros around. Our all-new eBusiness, advanced T2 Flex, and ARC training tracks will surely make the highlight reel. But User Group is the greatest show on cement after all, and it's going to be full of all the hard-hitting action T2ers have come to expect!
We've finalized the schedule for our three day season, and it's looking good. Real good. We'll give our 110% in training camp--we'll work hard, we'll play hard, and then when it's all done, rookies and veterans alike will be better for it.
I just hope nobody gets injured.
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