Year: 2009

As you may know, I’ve been running an experiment. I have been either not paying my on street parking or overstaying when I have been

Reader Dan is concerned about this article, in USA Today. It says that a shopping mall in a provincial capital in China is opening a

Sometimes we lost track of just where the money comes from. If you work for the parking department of a city or university, your salary

The worm is starting to turn. This article send in by Mark tells the tale. Frequent readers know that I believe that free parking makes

This is a great app – and thanks to Bobra at POM now you can know all about it – You can set it up

Ok, I’m guilty – I just sent out a Christmas email to a select couple of hundred in my address book. Sigh – it was

NPA members received this email from NPA Chair Herb Anderson this morning:  The National Parking Association (NPA) announced today that its President, Martin L. “Marty” Stein,

It’s over, the verdict is in. Yes, he was guilty. It took us about two days to get to the bottom of it. The problem

As Mark points out – This can’t be right: “First off, contrary to a commonly held perception among traders, shoppers were not highly dissatisfied with

Is Automated Parking Beginning to Stir? 15 Garages in the US…. There has been some activity over at the Automated and Mechanical Parking Association. After

I’m on it. And we are deliberating. The Judge says we can’t say anything so I won’t, but check back in a few and I

They are emerging. You can get apps to help you find parking spaces. I commented below on the problem of getting parking information on your

Correspondent Mark points out that more and more technology is driving information to our cell phones. Fair Enough. But laws are being passed that will

I received this release by the New Jersey Department of Criminal Justice from a correspondent. I reprint it here (edited) because it’s just so outrageous.

I paint with a very broad brush and sometimes I overreach. Brandy in the city of Manchester NH has taken umbrage with my comment that

Gee, I am tweeting about our webinar…as we speak. It’s the first time I have heard Andy talking about technology (He gave this speech at

Was in Beverly Hills today – Used the IPS meters. With a credit card. Seemed to work great. Don’ worry Bobra, I love the regular

It was all over in 30 seconds. A nearly-complete 13-story apartment building in Shanghai China fell over in June, while remaining basically intact. The worst

A shopping center in New Zealand is voiding “fines” it charges to people who abuse parking in its structures. Read about it here. In a

The city of Toronto surcharges people who pay their parking tickets on line or by phone (automatic) but I guess if you come downtown, walk

What a wonderful story. A baby is born in a Southwest flight. They make an emergency landing in Denver. Mother and Baby are doing fine.

This is an incredible story. The owner of a café near Couberg, Ontario, has had it. He parks his car in front of his shop

Ok – I’m in Detroit heading for Toledo – I have a three hour layover. I’m chatting with someone in the airport and find that

The city of Reading PA has done a study on a new parking system. It failed. Oh the system worked flawlessly, but the people didn’t

We are sort of throwing around the “where do cars go in the winter when they can’t park on street” issue on twitter and Bobra

OK it’s a day early but I plan to do no work tomorrow…R and I are going to Norm’s restaurant for turkey and all the

The Thanksgiving holiday is upon us and thus the beginning of the Christmas Shopping Season and city after city are offering “free” parking for folks

In his excellent blog over at Parking World Blog, Pete quotes Ashok Datar who says building off street parking won’t work if people can park

Read all about it here. The folks in this second of the Emirates want to go green, literally. They are planning to take all the

By the way, I made no comment on the city’s side of this deal. Actually if you think about it, it’s a good one, as

I checked with my guru on investing and yep, I was right. He said that Morgan Stanley most likely projected a 10 percent or so

Cities across the snow belt are letting their citizens know that effective on a certain date (usually December 1) overnight parking is banned on most

What is arguably the most expensive sport in which the individual citizen can participate? Fishing, surfing, running, golf, tennis, hunting? No. I believe if you

The number of garages of this type is creeping up. According to Don Monahan over at Walker who knows about these things there are eight

It is reported in the New York Times that the Chicago Parking Meter operation is pulling in one million a week and is operating on

The wizards in the New York City city council have passed a new law that gives five minutes grace to parking meters. I know, I

GM is reporting that it lost “only” $1.2 billion in the third quarter, showing that as a sign of progress. This after the US government

OK, we have heard from all the critics and hysterical main stream media reports of the “disaster” with Chicago’s conversion of its on street parking

OK, at the risk of being slightly blasphemous, the bible does not go out of date and its at least a couple of thousand years

I have been musing on the value of Twitter. It seems to me that for adults this is simply a way to get people to

Spent the day yesterday in Dubai touring MRS installations with their local business development manager, Usama Al Kahaleh. First we saw their running installation near

This is a most civilized country, at least as traffic is concerned. As I sit on my balcony sipping an adult beverage, I note that

Having some technical problems now blogging from blackberry Middle east parking symposium in full swing. Many speakers from the US, UK, Australia, and from local

I’m speechless, but not really. Here’s the scoop – The Mayor of Port Jefferson on Long Island in New York has ordered the enforcement officers

In the UK, someone actually read the fine print on a parking ticket and challenged it. A tribunal of some kind agreed and voided the

Malaria is a huge problem in Africa. More than 90% of the one million that’s ONE MILLION people that die of the disease every year

If I asked you what “crime” got the higher fine in the UK, a parking ticket or possession of Cocaine or heroin, what would be

(Parking World writer Pete Goldin held forth on PW’s blog about movies and how they degradate our industry. His followup I thought should be shared

Here’s a take I hadn’t considered: What if banks wouldn’t loan on a development if the number of parking spaces didn’t meet the industry average,

Following on to the posts below — Andy sends in this tidbit from the Associated Press La Crosse Police Issue "Courtesy" Parking Tickets  La Crosse

Check this out What gets me is that the driver seems so unconcerned about what just happened and simply drives away. If I had been

Here’s another one This is just crazy—Dewey Beach in Delaware is concerned that their increase in parking FINES might drive people away. The logic is

  Free parking is the prime reason malls have grown so mightily over the years. Predatory parking enforcement in the downtowns might prove the death

We opened the event with a grand ribbon cutting, singing of the national anthem, and a singing of a solo that can best be described

I'm told the daily parking charges are about $4 a day.  Comparable to a small middle American city. The difference being, this is a major

This is a bustling, vibrant, metropolitan city. It is also a third world city. If you have been to Bangkok, or  I Mexico city, or

I'm blogging from Seoul Incheon International Airport during a layover on myy flight to Manila. When I arrive i will be representing Parking World and

Got a call from the Old Gray Lady, our newspaper of record, the New York Times.  The reporter, one Jesse McKinley, said he was at

Andy is putting up videos we cut last week and now we are learning that there is more to doing them than meets the eye.

I commented on this story a few weeks ago but it bears repeating. The city of Santa Monica commissioned a study by Walker which found

Marc Slavin President of MarcParc here in DC and a pretty bright guy, spent a few minutes with me in the hotel bar. His topic,

I hear positive signs everywhere. Tom Duemling of ParKut and Larry Feuer of Amano McGann, Presidents of their respective companies, were talking about the economy

Dori Teich of Designated Parking has a new gizmo in his single space reserved parking line. It’s a space blocker that you can put up

Ran into Jerry Skillett, now back at Central as a vice president. He was talking to Dale Denda from PMRC and me about the issue

It’s a sad time around our house. Our dog, Heidi, has been going downhill for a few months. We thought she would make it longer,

I’m at the NPA Convention in DC. T Boone Pickens just opened the event with homespun humor and concerns about dependence on foreign oil. Not,

We have made the city council of Oakland, CA. In August I commented on the brouhaha that is going on there over parking. They read

I got a couple of comments on my blog below on the new “Parking Ticket Insurance” scheme not under way in Philly. Check this out:

First you read the article by a New York Times Sportswriter who has lived his life in New York and doesn’t know that he needs

My good Lord – what next? A company is starting up in Philadelphia which, for a price, will monitor the parking tickets issued in the

The Europeans and I were not alone. Here are a couple of comments from this side of the pond: I must say that we have

I chatted with a number of senior executives of major European Parking Equipment Manufacturers at the European Parking Association meet in Vienna last week. They

Did you get your check? I sure didn’t. This article explains it all. They don’t mean the government actually sends out money (like they do

I interviewed Joe Wenderoth, Executive Vice President of Lanier Parking in Atlanta this week. It’s a wide ranging discussion and will appear in November’s Parking

Parking is easy in London on Saturday. Lots of space – in fact, I think that their new pricing program has worked. People are either

It’s time for my annual whine about how everyone in the UK is constantly apologizing for something. If it’s because they are in front of

Detriot Joins “Parking War’s” Andy reports that Detroit Municipal Parking Department is joining Philadelphia as another foil for the fabulous “hit” show, Parking Wars. It

In the post below I got input from European vendors about the economic recovery. Comments about the US market were absent. What’s that all about?

I spent today in Vienna at the European Parking Association’s Biennial conference. Two conversations stood out. I spoke with an international consultant. He told me

I think some people just don’t think things through. Correspondent Mark sends in this story from Jamestown, NY   ”The parking meters were a major

I took out after a MSM reporter in my snarky remarks below about an article that took only one side to a story about parking

I enjoy getting jokes, letters, and stories forwarded to me. I take them for what they are. Gossip. Probably not true, but fun to read

Wow, I may be involved in this Here is an on line article written by one Bob Sullivan, a reporter from MSNBC. It seems Mr.

Here are some pix of folks who just outdid themselves parking their cars (scroll down a bit when you get to the link. I have

Don Shoup is joining some other bicyclists in giving a happening of sorts on October 2 under the auspices of the Library Foundation of LA.

Things seem to sell better today if they are Green. Not like Kermit, but environmentally sound. Cars, houses, toilet paper. We buy it because its

I hear that one big push is in Automation. Automating everything in parking from collection to direction. Reduce staff, give better service. Seems like a

I hear from my “vendor” sources that a major change is underway in the industry, particularly with larger parking opera ions. It’s called Virtualization. In

I have been assured by someone who should know that the nation’s largest parking company is alive and well and is NOT currently in talks

I have spent the past few days in Denver and before that in Atlanta. Great cities. The thing that impressed me most was the price

Read this Article. Basically it says that cities are whining because their revenue is down. WOW Da Ja think? Can you believe it, there is

I interviewed Cindy Campbell, head of parking of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and incoming Chair of the IPI. She speaks her mind, and tells

About six weeks ago I wrote about the phenomena that only about 10 percent of all parking violations get written up. I “tweeted” in the

Anyone know about “progressive parking fines?” That is, you pay $10 for your first citation, $20 for your second, $30 for your third, and then

The City of New York has 2656 traffic officers, up from 2527 in 2008 and of course see these folks as a major income producer

This picture was taken during an audit in a garage in the Northeast. The door was propped open, the security alarm is disarmed and the

I just ran across a news release from an Auctioneer in Chicago who is putting some unused condo parking spaces on the block. The prices

I flew to DC yesterday. Left my car at an off airport location in Atlanta. When I returned last night I found I had lost

Don Shoup sent me this link. He says it’s an unusually sensible blog post. I think it’s typical, probably akin to my “why don’t we

It is reported in the Courthouse News that ACS has sued Duncan for allegedly eaves dropping on its email. You can read it all here