Page 2 - Parking Ticket Software

New Parking Technology in Washington, DC

Tuesday, August 17, 2010 by Stef Faulkenberry

I normally wouldn't write about parking technology. I mean although I work for a parking software company, I am technologically challenged. However, I saw an article recently about Washington, DC testing parking occupancy sensors. A small disc is placed in the parking space that sends information telling officials whether the parking space is occupied or not.

As of now, Washington, DC is just using the sensors to track parking habits. However, in the future the information could be funneled to a smartphone or computer telling customers where to find empty parking spaces. Now, that would be awesome!

T2 Introduces eTicketBook Software

Wednesday, July 28, 2010 by Stef Faulkenberry

So, you are a parking organization that is stuck in the 1960's handwriting parking tickets. There's no budget for handheld ticket writers for all of your parking enforcement officers, so some of them use the old ticket book to write up parking violations. Well, as you and I both know, there are often challenges with writing those parking citations; it can be difficult reading the officers' handwriting (especially if it is like mine) and the time and effort required to locate and manually input the data into the parking management system can be significant.

T2's new eTicketBook software eliminates the hassles associated with the handwritten tickets by enabling officers to issue parking citations from their in-vehicle computers and automatically upload the citation data into the T2 Flex parking management system.

Cool alert!! The new eTicketBook software also integrates with AutoVu a mobile license plate recognition (LPR) system developed by Genetec.

Don't Follow Leaders Watch The Parking Meters (Bob Dylan)

Tuesday, July 20, 2010 by Stef Faulkenberry

Wow...I have no idea what Bob Dylan was trying to say with those words of wisdom(it's a little before my time). However, I think it is pretty cool that someone like Bob Dylan would even reference a parking meter in a song. That being said, let's get to the meat of this blog...

HAPPY 75th BIRTHDAY PARKING METER! Yes, three quarters of a century ago, on July 16, 1935, the parking meter was born in Oklahoma-as was an entire industry. You see, shortly after the first meter was installed, parking tickets came around and of course parking enforcement officers were right there too-only back then, people referred to them as "meter maids".

As seen in some of my previous blogs, joining the parking industry isn't normally your first thought upon earning that college degree, but why not? We have enforcement officers. We work with governments, universities, the private sector and even hospitals. The parking industry is international-just about every country has some sort of parking controls in place. The technology behind parking is constantly being upgraded and tested including things like parking management software, handheld ticket writers, parking pay-by-phone, parking apps for smart phones and of course the new multispace parking meters.

I am pretty sure when Carl Magee developed and installed that first meter, he had no idea he was igniting this industry and in essence changing the world-some think for the better! So, thanks Carl. It is because of you I have a job. And when I tell people I work for a software company that develops parking software, I get that strange look which is always fun.

Seven things that parking is like...

Wednesday, July 14, 2010 by Blake Laufer

1. A parking space is like a lawsuit... once you get one you don't want to lose it.

2. Parking at the mall is like the waiting room of a psychiatrist... a collection of people seeking validation.

3. A parking ticket is like bird poop... someting undesirable that shows up unexpectedly on your windshield.

4. Being a parking manager is like a squirrel getting ready to hibernate... you've got to keep track of a zillion nuts.

5. Parking is like paint-by-numbers... results are best when you stay inside the lines.

6. A parking meter is like a pet dog... if you don't feed it then it could come back to bite you later.

7. A manual parking operation is like the BP oil spill... leakage everywhere, no accountability, and a mess that will take years to clean up!

A Geek's View of Parking Management at IPI

Tuesday, June 15, 2010 by Jim Hutchins

In my last blog entry, I said I thought I should stick to what I know (technology) and not dive too deeply into the industry side of parking that many people know so much better. I'll be keeping that in mind again today. So last month I went to the IPI (International Parking Institute) Conference and Expo in Las Vegas. This was my second IPI (after a bit over three years working in the technology side of the parking industry).

After seeing everything there, I have to say that I'm proud to work for T2. I knew we had some pretty cool stuff (end of shameless plug), but it really hit home how much T2 stood out in that room. Don't get me wrong. I'm not slamming anybody. I'm just so accustomed to thinking about technology meaning servers and terabytes of storage and hosting an Advanced Parking Solution. That makes it easy to forget that a lot of the industry has nothing to do with computers and that technology in parking often has nothing to do with computers.

T2 sells Parking Garage Software, Parking Citation Collections, Campus Parking Solutions, Handheld Ticket Writers and a whole lot more cool parking Technology. That's all cool stuff and I love working with it, but how cool is it to sell a giant ice melting machine that you can drive around. I may have lots of cool servers with a bunch of cool blinking lights, but I can't push a button to melt a bunch of snow off of a parking lot. That's got to be a lot more fun than making something go away with the delete key. Most interesting to me was all of the technology in that melting machine. It (and a few other booths) made me realize that lots of parking technology has to do with fuel efficiency and reliability without having even one server. That said, I think the melter had a few blinking lights so it still made me smile.

Happy Parking!

We all want the closest parking space possible - admit it!

Friday, June 11, 2010 by Tracy Maymon

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!

Another Parking Story from the T2 Storybook...

Tuesday, June 8, 2010 by Stef Faulkenberry

As you may recall, we have been outlining how some of us here at T2 came into the world of parking. Here is the latest in the series for you to enjoy:

Well let’s see,

In 1986 I decided to become a police officer. But never in a million years did I ever think this would lead to parking, I thought it was all “cops and robbers”, you know chasing the bad guys, high speed pursuits, the occasional “help save my cat”. Well over the next few years I made my career advancements and ended up as a Sergeant with the Texas Department of Public Safety in Austin, Texas. After being promoted I took over the supervision of the Parking Office in the Capitol Complex which regulated parking for 14,000 State of Texas employees. HOLY GUACAMOLE, was I in for an awakening when I discovered what parking was all about. Never in my 14 prior years in law enforcement did anyone and I mean anyone ever tell me, train me or mention in passing anything about parking! Well that was my first taste of parking, the purchase of T2 software and electronic ticket writers came next and then my arrival as an employee at T2 a few years later!

So that is how I came to be in parking, and honestly when I became a police officer I never in a million years ever figured I would end up doing anything in parking, never!

Stu Glaeser

Yes, even news crews get parking tickets

Wednesday, June 2, 2010 by Stef Faulkenberry

A news station out in Los Angeles was doing a spot on what cars to drive where when a parking enforcement officer decides to rain on their parade. Even after being told the parking spaces were paid for, she continued to do her job and issue parking tickets. I say good for her to stick to the rules!!

Moving into the Future with Handheld Communications

Friday, May 28, 2010 by Stu Glaeser

Thinking back over the years it has been a long journey to where we are today and where we are headed in the future. Think about how far we have come from writing paper parking tickets. We started out using big old clunky DOS based units with serial cable connections, remember those...wow that seems like a lifetime ago. We then moved on to the palm platform based handhelds like the Symbol 1700 and the Palm 500C and thought we were in heaven! With this we could also do communications via TCPIP through a local secondary network. Little did we know that over a short few years we have escalated to more robust handheld devices that run Windows Mobile 6, have built in bluetooth, Wifi and can be used for a walkie talkie, a phone and the likes of a mini desktop computer that you can carry around with you anywhere you go.

Now that we have been using the network/tcpip method over the last several years it is time to jump once again into the future. Shazam... Welcome to the future HCS WebServices is born! What is this you ask, well I have the answer for you. In an effort to move away from the much dreaded (mostly from IT folks) FTP file transfers HCS WebServices was born! What this method does is eliminate the use of the HCS Workstation by utilizing an internet connection gained by the handheld ticket writer. This can be done via GPRS (cell service) or via bluetooth and wifi connected to an internet port in the office. A few changes to the handheld configuration menu and away you go communicating via the World Wide Web! This opens a lot of doors for you as customers because it frees up a workstation and gives the officers options for communicating from other places in the field where they may be able to get an internet connection on the handheld ticket writer.

If you would like more information or are willing to move to this new method I ask that you let support know by emailing us at support@t2systems.com and we can schedule some time to get you going! I actually would like to get all of our customers upgraded to this method of communications over the next 6 months. I believe in it and feel like it is the future for communications with the handhelds!

Hello from IPI!

Monday, May 10, 2010 by Stef Faulkenberry

The IPI Tradeshow opened this morning and right from the start we were busy with demos of T2 Flex, PermitNow and our handheld ticket writers. This year we have two new tools to demonstrate as well. Of course, our new T2 Revenue Control hardware is creating quite a buzz on the tradeshow floor. T2 is also debuting a new integration with Genetec as well as an eTicketing solution where parking enforcement officers can write and issue parking tickets from a laptop computer.

It has been a big year for T2 Systems and we aren't even half way through...stay tuned for more from IPI.

Not the one on the right!

Wednesday, May 5, 2010 by Stef Faulkenberry

On many occasions I will hear of the person who hit the accelerator instead of the brake when parking their car. Sometimes, this action takes them into the ice cream aisle of their local grocery store or through the windows of the car dealership. However, I had no idea parking could be this dangerous and death defying:

So is this a parking ticket or a moving violation? I wonder if they have to pay for the hole in the parking garage too? Talk about adding insult to injury!

They Met Over a Parking Citation

Tuesday, May 4, 2010 by T2 Systems Guest Blogger

One gentleman had called to pay his parking citation, he received it that day so our Citation Collection Service representative told him it wasn’t in the system yet and that he could call the next day. He called the next day and the same CCS representative was the lucky recipient of the call and he said "Hey, you member me? I talked to you yesterday and I need to pay a parking ticket and you told me to call back". The CCS representative told him that she remembered him, he paid the citation then was telling her how friendly she was and how good it was to get a kind person and he then asked if they were going steady yet. The CCS rep then told him that would take a couple more calls he said "Well honey, I like you and you sound cute but I don’t want that many parking citations."

I think it is true love:)

Cindy

Stories from Parking Enforcement...Gotta Love 'Em

Tuesday, April 13, 2010 by Stef Faulkenberry

As part of my daily activities here in marketing at T2 Systems, I scan the Internet for interesting parking stories and information. I came across this one yesterday from Reno and had to share it:

Meter maid Barbara Cardwell had her first memorable brush with an irate motorist when she started ticketing illegally parked cars in Reno two decades ago.

"I saw him in the (scooter's) rear-view mirror and he was running very fast up First Street, trying to catch up with me, and waving a ticket in his hand," she said. "He was yelling, 'I'm handicapped! I'm handicapped!'"

Running up the street waiving his parking ticket in the air yelling "I'm handicapped!"...

...I've got nothin :)

City of Indy and CCS...a Winning Combo!!

Wednesday, April 7, 2010 by T2 Systems Guest Blogger

A few months back, T2 Systems entered into a venture with the City of Indianapolis. With Citation Collection Service's (CCS) help, the city opened a new court in which parking violators can protest the fines. The new court is open five days a week and is in an easily accessible building with ample parking (so you don't run the risk of getting more tix).

Well to update everyone, preliminary numbers are in and it appears the pilot program is a huge success. CCS has helped the City of Indy increase parking revenue by 80%!! What's better than that? Come May 1, the City of Indianapolis will double the number of customers they take to court. This can only mean more revenue for the City from those parking tickets.

WAY TO GO CCS!!

Cindy Scheich
Collections Manager
T2 Systems, Inc.

Back in the day...

Wednesday, March 31, 2010 by Maggie Vercoe

I started at T2 Systems 11 years ago as an Application Consultant. This is similar to what the Implementation Consultants do now, but with a few more components. PowerPark had less moving pieces and parts, so it took less people to implement.

I worked with the University of Virgina, and the energetic Rebecca White, in 2000. This was one of the hardest and most rewarding parking software installs I have had the pleasure to be a part of. Every install has its challenges, but the sheer volume of their data meant we would be running conversion programs for hours through the night.

Becca knows how to make things fun. We started the conversions running at the end of the day, and a shopping cart ride (oh yes, there are pictures, Kendall), one large beer, several BBQ chicken wings later, we were back in the office at 11 PM to get the next round going.

We stayed pretty late, got a couple of hours of sleep and went back to it. A LOT of work, but always easier to do when you work with a group that knows how to pull the fun into it.

I don't do installations anymore, but when I think back to the early years here at T2 Systems (okay and last year at Portland State), these are some of my favorite memories.

Don't think the rest of you I worked with in the past are exempt. I will be blogging about you in the future!

Gimme a break...for my parking ticket

Thursday, March 25, 2010 by Maggie Vercoe

Who says there is no customer friendliness in the world of parking?

Not our friends at Arizona State University. I had the pleasure of visiting them this week to work on their T2 Systems eBusiness project. While I was there, I got to hear a message left for Melinda Helton, the Assistant Director. A message, that well, shocked me.

It was praise! For a parking ticket! Well, not exactly for the ticket itself, but for the card that accompanied it that said "Gimme a Break". The call was from a parent of a prospective student. She thanked ASU for having such a program as it can be difficult to navigate where to park when you are not familiar with the area.

The program is designed to give a first offender a break. With the information sent to the handheld ticket writers, the officers know if the customer has been cited before. If not, they issue a $0.00 citation that "gives them a break". Of course if they park in violation again, a ticket with an associated fee will be issued. Melinda said that this was probably the third call she has had in the last couple of weeks. Can you imagine?

Thankfully the program is in place. My "Gimme a Break" was on my windshield as I left. :)

Sexy Voice

Wednesday, March 24, 2010 by T2 Systems Guest Blogger

Being in T2 Systems support I talk to a *lot* of people over the phone. I have heard a lot of things said but rarely does anything actually leave me truly… speechless.

Several years ago I had scheduled a call with a customer several hours earlier then I would normally start my shift.

Now I am a night owl and so not a morning person, and at the time I was working the perfect shift, 12PM to 8PM ET. Since I worked at home, that meant my alarm didn’t go off until 11:45. Perfect… utterly perfect. As such I detested calls I was forced to schedule earlier then when I started.

So I call the customer a few minutes after 8AM to help troubleshoot some parking software problem that I have long since forgotten. As we were working thru the issue the customer out of the blue tells me:

“Your voice sounds different in the morning”.

I immediately know what the customer is referring to. Being that it was hours before I would normally be talking to any customers my tone was a little more curt and rough then my normal nice and friendly tone. I immediately apologize and try to explain that the coffee just hasn’t reached my bloodstream yet, but the customer interrupts with this gem:

“It’s sexy”

…

So after a couple minutes of me staring silently at my phone I finally mutter a thank you. I then proceeded as quickly as possible thru the rest of the call.

Apparently, despite what my wife says, my morning voice is sexy.

Why Doesn't This Happen to Me?

Tuesday, March 16, 2010 by Stef Faulkenberry

Has anyone ever been nice enough to feed your parking meter for you when it was expired? No?? Me neither, but a paparazzo outside a Starbucks realized the funds were almost drained, and stuffed in a few coins to save Renee Zellweger a pesky parking ticket, according to Us magazine. She was so thankful she turned around and bought him a $100 gift card to show her appreciation. Now, that's pretty cool for a "star" to do something like that. But between you and me-the parking ticket would have been cheaper...I'm just sayin'.

Game Over!

Saturday, February 27, 2010 by Stu Glaeser

Well the games are over and I am back in the home office and normality of life will resume for both myself and the staff in Whistler. I know the By-Law officers are glad to resume normal hours of operations opposed

to the 12 hour shifts they have been working the last three weeks.

There were no major parking adventures so to speak and the crowd was very cooperative and followed the rules and regulations. The MC75 handheld ticket writers have done an outstanding job both weather wise as well as ease of use. There were a number of redeployed employees assigned to the By-Law Office that are not normal users who have expressed to me how much they have enjoyed using the units. The hardware has been dependable and the software was self explanatory and easy to use. Now that is something I like to hear!

I was so impressed by the operation of the By-Law office and the entire parking staff at Whistler. What an outstanding job of taking care of business while at the same time being the friendly host to thousands of visitors who converged on the town. The RMO had an excellent plan, regular morning briefings and a commitment to excellence which attributed to the overall success of the operations.

In the next few weeks Whistler will be changing their setup and moving to the HCS Webservices and Real Time Wireless functionality with the handhelds. They are extremely excited about this new endeavor and feel like it will make their operations much more efficient!

In closing I would like to say thank you again to Sandra Smith, Jim Watts, their staff, family and friends for making this a great and wonderful experience! Though there was a lot of work involved there was some spare time to enjoy the games as well as the beauty of Whistler-thanks to all of them! If you are ever up for a trip I highly recommend Whistler as your destination.

After spending the last 21 one days in Canada I can officially say I am Somewhat Officially Authentically Canadian! What is that you ask? Well if you can answer 4 out of these 5 questions you too can qualify EH?

1. Which of these is a classic Canadian Icon?
    a. Bread
    b. Beaver
    c. Zebra

2. What are the ingredients of Poutine?
    a. Ice cream, yams, cranberry sauce
    b. Cereal, milk, peanut butter
    c. French Fries, cheese curds, gravy

3. In the flag what do the number of points on the maple leaf signify?
    a. The Provinces and Territories
    b. Lucky number 11
    c. Nothing

4. Complete this sentence:
    Nice weather we're having ____?

5. Which is considered Canada's national summer sport
    a. Lacrosse
    b. Capoeira
    c. Table Tennis

Hats off to the Parking Enforcement Officers!

Friday, February 19, 2010 by Stef Faulkenberry

Recently I was visiting a customer site and I got the chance of a lifetime...I tagged along with parking enforcement officers. Now, some of you are saying "big deal, I do that every day." However, for those of us way, way, way behind the front lines, this was a fantastic experience.

We started out on a street with parking meters and immediately we saw that red light flashing. EXPIRED!! Yes! This is my chance to catch a parking enforcement officer in action. We jumped out of the van rather "COPS"-esque and off we go to issue the parking citation to the violator. We had to work fast, mostly because it was cold. There I was, recording his every move. Wes, the parking enforcement officer, wrote that ticket in a matter of seconds, slid the orange envelope of shame under the wiper blade and away we went, back to the van and on to the next adventure.

Our next parking ticket came on a permitted street. You know, I have no idea how they spotted the violator. I am such a novice. Anyways, the van door slid open and out we jumped, like members of a SWAT team. No permit, YESSSS! This time, Wes took a picture of the illegally parked car with his handheld ticket writer. Nice! That picture will go on to the parking citation in the parking management system which virtually makes the ticket iron clad.

After a few more tickets and a not so happy parker turned violator, we were back at the office. Wow, what a day. I am not too sure how the parking enforcement officers do it on a daily basis. My kudos go out to them!!