My first BLOG entry, woohoo! I actually like the word BLOG. Of course, being a data programmer, I had to find out what BLOG means (I mean separate from the obvious of original "Web Log" definition).
So I searched (NOTE: I do not "google" anything, it's called searching and I refuse to use that term, or for that matter use Google. I use Yahoo - besides it just sounds like more fun ... YAHOO)
BLOG Web Log Internet
BLOG Better Listings On Google
BLOG Bears Little Organizer GUI
BLOG Boring Lump Of Garbage
BLOG Based Loosely On Groupware
BLOG Boring Lesson On Galaxy
BLOG Biological Links On the Globe
I like the Boring Lump of Garbage one. Cute. I digress.
I work for a company that writes parking lot software. I enjoy what I do--I enjoy doing the detective work and finding ways to force data from old systems into our newest T2 Flex system. I know many people would think I am crazy, it is tedious and it can be exhausting. But at the same time, it is also challenging and puzzling.
At times, I really have to be a detective. Trying to figure out what the customer needs and how our parking solution will fit their style is rewarding...and they're all so different! For example, cities usually need more citation management and boot/tow capability. Along with that, they need an appeals system. And of course, they need to take payments and report on people and vehicles. Colleges need to have permit solutions and a way to get the students information, give them a permit, and take that payment. Another common need of higher education parking systems is a way to put permit holders on a payment plan for the accademic year, or to take it out of a student account at the bursar. Parking garages need to have lots and facility management along with the ability to park the customers (and know how many spaces they might still have left), manage events that would use the garages, and allow secure credit card payments.
Now I get to Blog about it, this should be a lot of fun!
Last week, I had the opportunity to attend Training Camp, T2's annual User Group Conference, in Indianapolis! In attendance at Training Camp this year were players from across the United States. I had the pleasure of meeting customers from California to Vermont, Wisconsin to Texas, and just about everywhere else in between. We even had a customer or two attend from as far away as Alaska.
All of these players came to Training Camp to learn more about T2 Flex, network with their peers in the industry and have plenty of fun along the way.
As I sat in on the different training sessions each day, I was astounded by the knowledge transfer that was taking place in front of me. The T2 employees provided all kinds of useful information about the different functionality inside T2 Flex. Topics ranged from Parking Citation Collections to Campus Parking Solutions, Handheld Ticket Writers, and Parking Permit Management. Customers would often make comments like, "Wow! I did not know you could do that in Flex!" or "I can't wait to get back to show my employees these new tricks in Flex!"
In the sessions, I also noticed how customers would take the time to help each other. Many times, a customer would present a problem they had at their specific college, municipality, university, city etc., and another customer in the room would have an answer to their problem. Questions were resolved, best practices were shared, and connections were made in a matter of seconds. I can't count how many times I saw things like this happen at User Group.
Finally, after spending long days learning about T2 Flex and networking with their peers, our customers got to have some fun. At the customer party, they got to try out their passing skills, shooting abilities, and bowling prowess while supporting the Special Olympics of Indiana and hanging out with T2 staff and customers. Oh, and there were a few thirst-quenching beverages for all of our hard work throughout the week, of course!
I was the lucky T2 Systems representative today at a ribbon-cutting ceremony that marked the launch of new pay-by-phone services in the City of Houston, Texas. And by lucky - I do mean that! It was a pleasure to meet so many great people - our great customers at the city, our great Parkmobile partners, and Houston Mayor Annise Parker.
For those cities and municipalities out there that may be looking to upgrade and improve your parking solution and your parking management, Houston is an excellent example to look to. A T2 customer for a little over two years, Houston uses the T2 parking enforcement (parking citation) and parking permit management solution. However, the city understands that in order to get more people to its thriving - and beautfiul - downtown area, they need to make parking easy and convenient.
Now drivers can pay for parking through their cell phone. During my very short comments at the event today, I mentioned how our mobile phones are so much a part of our lives; we surf the net, we check e-mail, and we make purchases. Why not use them to pay for parking? The City of Houston - and many other cities - have embraced this technology whole-heartedly, and their constituents are better off for it.
But this solution doesn't just make life easy for customers - it makes life a little easier for the enforcement officers, too! Information about the status of the parking meters is sent to their T2 handheld ticket writers in real-time, making enforcement officers more efficient and reducing errors. It's a great, integrated parking enforcement system that benefits the parking operation and the city's constituents.
Occasionally I still find it funny that I work in parking. The parking industry is something we sometimes take for granted, but it was great to see that my colleagues and my great customers in Houston - as well as city officials - understand the importance of how parking, when managed properly, can make a night out, a shopping visit, or a walk downtown not only hassle-free, but super convenient, too.
Great job Houston and Parkmobile!
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.
This week I set a new personal record for the ratio of time-in-a-plane to time-on-the-ground. I spent about 9 hours on Tuesday flying to/from Arizona to hang out with the good folks at the Southwest Parking Association for about 5 hours. I landed just in time to hear Liliana Rambo give the keynote address. She talked about her initiatives with High Performing Teams as she works with the three Houston-area airports and her experiences with City Parking Solutions in Miami and Houston.
After a great lunch with a table full of folks from Arizona State University ( a T2 Flex customer that uses our Hosted solution ), I was privileged to have the opportunity to give my presentation "Parking in the Cloud - Practical Benefits of a Hosted Parking Solution".
There are so many good reasons for moving to a hosted Parking Enforcement System or Parking Access and Revenue Control System. Hosting with a good partner provides increased uptime, headache-free access to data, huge cost savings, and much, much more.
But that's all I've got room for here. If you want to hear more, I guess you'll just have to catch me at my next speaking engagement.
Happy parking!
Jim
...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.
Working with Advanced Parking Solutions every day can change your perspective. I've been with T2 Systems for almost four years now and the time has just flown by. This week we were having a technical discussion about some possible enhancements to the features in the eBusiness (parker-facing) portion of T2's suite of Parking System Software and it reminded me of my first day at T2.
On my first day at T2, I got the first and only parking ticket of my life. Yeah, that's what I said. I'd never gotten a parking ticket before being hired at T2 and I haven't gotten one since. That's probably a combination of me being a conformist detail-oriented rule-follower, and living in the suburbs where there just isn't a lot of parking enforcement going on. There aren't exactly a lot of parking garages in my neighborhood.
For the record, I totally deserved the parking ticket. I parked in a two-hour zone and got stuck for a lot longer than I expected. I didn't make it back to my car for almost four hours. The parking ticket was a whopping $10. Thinking back on that now, I'm surprised how old-school the ticket was. It wasn't produced using an electronic handheld ticket writer. It was pen on two-part-carbonless paper. No parking ticket computer for them. Pure no-tech.
The really frustrating part was that the city parking solution was entirely manual. Not just the ticket writing. The whole darn thing. I had to pay $10 in cash ONLY and I had to pay it in person within 7 days. Oh, and the parking office was already closed for the day. If only they had given me a way to pay online, I'd have done it right then and there. I'd even have paid a few extra bucks to save the extra trip back to pay the fine.
At the end of the day, it just goes to show that there are a lot more places than need good parking enforcement systems and that following the rules works well for me.
I remember getting my first parking ticket - I knew it was coming long before it ever arrived on my windshield and it was gut wrenching knowing it would be there when I returned to my vehicle.
Let's just say my keys went missing one night while enjoying a good time among friends in lovely downtown Boulder. Thankfully I had a friend drive me home anyway, but when I went to go get my car the next morning I had no keys. Although I desperately tried to return before the parking meter enforcement began, I wasn't able to coordinate a ride and a locksmith in time. Reality sunk in that I'd be receiving my first ever parking ticket.
This is not a big deal, right? Now, you've forgotten where I said I was - Boulder. Parking tickets ARE a big deal! Ultimately I decided I should pay it and not make this a huge moment in history. I wanted to pay online as I thought many city parking solutions allow for that. Much to my disappointment an online payment option was not available, so I mailed in a check (on time, mind you).
Little did I know at the time it would be a foreshadow of my future career. A year or two later I went to work for the city and was heavily involved in the implementation of a new parking ticket management system. I worked very closely with our vendor, T2 Systems in making sure our new parking management system was successful - including offering online citation payments and appeals. I loved working in T2 Flex and taking the trainings offered by T2 that not only increased my knowledge about Flex but also all the available reporting options.
Not a long time later I found myself working at T2! I love sharing my personal experience working with a parking management system as a customer while introducing new concepts to our clients such as an online parking payment system (which Boulder now has - thanks to T2!).
Ok, I don't consider myself a lazy person... I like to walk, bike ride, swim; I always choose the stairs over the elevator (unless we're talking about more than 5 floors of course), and I get peeved whenever I see the same person circling a parking lot or parking garage multiple times just so they can get the closest parking space available. I just think that's ridiculous...by the time they find something, I'm already in the store getting my stuff done!
However, I must admit that there are definitely times when I sooo want to take advantage of the new "mommy" (or should I say "parent") parking spaces that many stores and other areas now provide - even when I don't have my kids with me! How horrible is that?? Have you seen these spaces? They usually are indicated by a drawing on the space that shows a parent with a car seat, stroller or other contraption for transporting your children. And even though my kids aren't with me, the car seats in the back are clearly visible. Would anyone really see me walk out of the car without the kids? Is there an enforcement officer walking the grocery store parking lot with a handheld ticket writer making sure that you really do have your kids with you? Would they really give me a parking ticket or citation?
Believe me, there have been days when I'm so tired and there are clearly no spaces that are close - so I've been tempted to snag one of the "parent" spaces, even without the kids. For those of you who may watch "Desperate Housewives", there was an episode in which one of the wives (Gabby) mis-used her husband's handicapped parking hangtag - just so she could be close and not have to walk far in her high heels. Does my tempatation put me in the same category as her? I certainly hope not!
Let's face it - there are times when we all want to park our car as close to our destination as possible...there are days when we just don't want to walk it. As one who works for a
parking management solution provider, I understand the importance of parking rules. That's what keeps me employed! Businesses, cities/municipalities, colleges and universities all need rules, and ways to manage those rules and all of us that park. Why else would there by the need for parking system software, parking permit management systems, access and revenue control systems, and a ton of other parking management solutions?
It's because at the end of the day, we're all selfish - willing to fight, drive around, waste valuable time - and break the rules, in order to snag that coveted close parking space! We all just might as well admit it!
You know, there is a joke that goes around the office every once in a while...where were you when you chose parking as a career? It's a joke because no one goes through college and says "Hmmmmm, parking seems like a fulfilling career." Parking chooses you, not the other way around. Well last year, we decided to find out the different paths our employees and some of our customers took to get into parking. Some are pretty funny and some...well you've just gotta shake your head in disbelief:)...
Here is one story about how T2 Systems VP of Industry Solutions got into parking:
So here is the story
I always wanted to teach and coach. I went to school, got a job out of college and started teaching and coaching, In the early 80’s, enrollment declined and there were layoffs. I was laid off in 1983. I worked many odd jobs to pay the bills. That included working at a department store, being a nanny (I really am not a big fan of kids), and running a convenience store/gas station.
In late 1984, there was an article in the Allentown, PA newspaper that reported that the city was forming a new Parking Authority to run the 2 garages the city built and do all the enforcement for the city. Friends of mine encouraged me to apply.
I applied and got called for an interview. I was working for a company called Hess Gas at the time and managing the convenience store/gas station. Hess employees all had to wear these really ugly WHITE uniforms with a green stripe down the side of the leg and the sleeve. We had really strict rules and I was not allowed to leave so I scheduled the interview for my lunch time and went to city hall in Allentown in my lovely white Hess uniform. I walked in and it was the Mayor, the head of our Economic Development department, the Chief of Police and the consultant for the city at the time (Barbara Chance) Barbara is one of the leading consultants in the industry today.
My first line as I introduced myself was that I knew how important first impressions were in the interview process so I took all morning to decide EXACTLY what to wear. At that moment, they decided I had the right warped sense of humor for a start up parking authority and was hired on the spot. The next 23 years was ‘the rest of the story’
Linda L. Kauffman
Watch for more to come and if you have your own story, let me know at
sfaulkenberry@t2systems.com.
For a girl who purposely chose a career in marketing and communications – not just because I’ve been writing since I was way young and everyone said I was good at it - but because I’m not AT ALL technical (just ask my IT husband or IT buddies here at T2), I’ve managed to build a career working for high-tech companies in high-tech industries.
It’s funny to me that I’ve gone from working in the cable-TV and wireless phone test and measurement industry to working in the parking industry…who knew? All of this without a technical or engineering degree! I never figured I’d be getting paid to make the installation and network monitoring equipment for CATV networks and test equipment for cell phones and wireless networks sound and look cool. And now I’m doing the same for software for parking: permit management, PARCS solutions, citation management and citation collections, etc. Wow! Isn’t that exciting (can you hear it in my voice?). Actually, it is kind of cool.
Yes, although most don’t know it, parking is actually a technical industry. Sure, it’s not the same as NASA or computers and servers, but there’s a lot of technology behind parking – and it is exciting.
And now that Spring is here (the couple of 70-degree days we have had here in Indiana have been teasing us), it’s also officially tradeshow season. In addition to Spring Break, I’m also counting down the days until the International Parking Institute (IPI) annual conference and tradeshow (no, not just because it’s in Vegas). For those of you looking to find more information about municipal or city parking solutions, campus parking solutions, access and revenue control, software for parking and parking technology, Spring brings many opportunities to meet with vendors and network with other parking professionals. From Chicago to New England, to Texas to Las Vegas – no matter what geographic area - there are many conferences planned in the coming months and now’s the time to go and see what’s happening in our industry! And of course come see T2 – we’re either exhibiting or sponsoring (and attending) most of these events. We have some new news to share about our PARCS and event parking management solutions. Learn how technology (and T2 of course) can be your friend as you try to improve your parking operations.
When you stop and think about it, even us non-techies watch cable TV, have a computer, use a cell phone, and sometime or another have to park our car. And there’s a whole lot of technology behind getting those parking gates to go up and down – “things that make the world go ‘round” I say!
Last weekend was the beginning of the NFL playoff season. This weekend we're heading into another exciting round of football action. One thing about the NFL, it is a copy cat league. When one team shuts down a high-powered offense with a particular defensive scheme, the rest of the league applies that defense to that high-powered offense. I wonder if the same thing applies to Garage Parking Solutions across the nation and how they implement their parking garages.
Over the past few years, I've had the opportunity to visit City & Campus Parking Solutions implemented all across the nation & here's what I've observed:
- Parking Garages east of the Mississippi River typically have the Cashier in the exit lane
- Parking Garages in the SouthWest United States typically have the Cashier centrally located in the garage
- Parking Garages on the West Coast of the United States have the Cashier located as the parker is entering campus
As a result, it would seem that parkers in the SouthWest have adopted to Automated Pay on Foot machines better than those on the East Coast.
Am I all wet here or are all you parking professionals just a bunch of copy cats?
Even tho you may not realize this, technology and parking enforcement have always gone hand-in-hand. Is she crazy? might be crossing your mind about now. The short answer is yes, slightly crazy with a tinge of insanity - that's another post though.
Think about it. Parking enforcement was born the same time parking meters arrived on the scene back on July 16, 1935. (Happy 74th Birthday you mechanical parking enforcement Stud, you!) From that day forward, parking technology and parking management have been linked at the hip. When an obstacle presents itself to the industry, a parking solution is developed and the two move forward, hand in hand.
We've seen parking meters grow from those single space mechanical beauties to the sleek, solar powered, credit card enabled, multispace meters that are popping up in cities and on campuses worldwide.
The old handwritten ticket books are becoming a thing of the past with the new
handheld parking ticket computers. No longer does a citation have to be tossed out because of a data entry error or illegible handwriting. The tickets are printed from the ticketwriter. Then citations are simply uploaded into a
parking management system from the handheld. Done and done!
What does the future hold for parking enforcement and technology? The sky's the limit. But, sticking with a solution, and for that matter a
technology based company, that has it's eyes on the future may not be all that bad of an idea.
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