Year: 2020

Happy New Year!!! As we contemplate the New Year, today’s quotation over on Parknews.biz is most appropriate. Of course it comes from that wondrous quote

A few decades ago when I was working in the trenches the company for which I worked was holding our annual Christmas party on Christmas

Word is out that Italian based FAAC has purchased TIBA. FAAC is the owner of Hub Parking Technologies, Datapark, and Zeag. You can read the

The following blog asks at least 16 questions. Can you answer all of them? Or even one of them. When you purchase technology for your

The phrase In Hoc Anno Domini refers to the conversion of St. Paul on the road to Damascus. Every year, on Christmas Eve, the Wall

Why are we so afraid of giving offense? When we do so, who is harmed? We start a phrase “No offense” but…  And the recipient

I looked at the days my staff has off between now and the New Year and added in the days we are working from home

We are fortunate to have been able to nudge the Parking Industry Exhibition forward in time and move the dates to May 17-19. This will

Is it possible that words or phrases we use have exactly the opposite effect on the reader that we intended? One that comes to mind

Astrid’s piece this morning over at Parknews.biz reminds us that there have never been ‘certain times.’ She writes: Every slogan lately includes the words indicating

There used to be two teams in every workplace: management and labor. Now there’s a third team, the linchpins. These people invent, lead (regardless of

As some states begin another ‘lockdown’ I have been considering malaise. Its like a low grade fever. You have it, but its not bad enough

I received a missif from my son, the high school principal, today. I will edit the personal stuff. Here is the most interesting: Leading a

When I began this post I was thinking about the ‘Blind Spot’ of which every single driver should be aware. If you aren’t, you should

Looking back on 2020 its hard to be thankful. We are faced with a pandemic, economic disruption, a chaotic political scene, the most destructive riots

I know, its been a while since I have blogged. We all get down a bit. But this past week has been an eyeopener for

Astrid pointed out this morning that as she walked to the post office yesterday, her neighborhood seemed subdued. There was no energy in her central

Parkmobile has done a survey on people taking vacations and where, how long, and whether they drove or took other transportation. You can access the

The post I wrote a few days ago on License Plate Recognition has exploded on Linkedin. Jordan puts my blogs up on my Linkedin page

There is no question that the election season 2020 is divisive; brother against sister, husband against wife, neighbor against neighbor, friend against friend. We find

I have had two incidents in the past week that have turned me against voting by mail. (Absentee ballots are fine; if you aren’t going

Michelle over at the IPMI has penned a very good piece on voting. She rightly comments that is it our civic duty to vote. She

To answer that question one has to understand what ‘work’ means to the questioner. In dealing with PARCS systems, it could mean many things. To

This is one of those situations where you have to know the answers before you ask the questions. Most LPR companies would tell you that

I have become so disheartened with the news and other programs on television that I simply cannot continue to watch them. They are so filled

I was feeling rather punk this past week. Nothing serious but a little achy and kinda like I didn’t want to get out of bed.

I have been sitting here trying to figure out why. Normally I am bubbling over with ideas to put down on paper, or planning the

Over on the IPMI Forum, Casey Jones is holding forth on the famous phrase “Never let a serious crisis go to waste…:’’ It is traditionally

Have you ever noticed how having a deadline focuses your thinking. We are an organization that lives and dies by deadlines, and I find that

Back in the day, when dinosaurs roamed the earth, to get something past an editor and into a newspaper or on a news program (remember

Governor Newsom of California has announced that he is ruling that by 2035 there will be no passenger cars sold in the state with an

We hear daily from those writing about the pandemic that we are entering a “new normal.” This new life means that the typical business style

I have been trolling around the NPA PMX LIVE Event this morning and find it technically amazing. There are dozens and dozens of presentations that

I’ve spent the last couple of hours visiting exhibitors at the NPA PMX Virtual event. I attempted to ask questions that would elicit answers in

The NPA’s Virtual Trade Event is up  and running. You can link to it here. I have been wandering around the show and find it

Where were you when the twin towers were attacked? If you are more than 25 years old I bet you know. Just as if you

Willie Nelson would be proud. We are on the road again to attend the National Parking Association’s trade show next week in New Orleans. At

That line is from Winston Churchill. He knew what he was talking about. His time as leader of the UK during the war with Germany

If I asked you what is the most important button on your phone or computer, what would you say? “E” is the one used the

You have probably read about Grace Community Church in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles. They have gone to court and won an

Over on Parknews.biz, Astrid has posted an article from the The Atlantic Magazine. The article posits that millennials are buying cars. Yes, this group that

When we face fear, we are hardwired with two alternatives, fight or flight. In the upcoming issue of PT, Laz Parking’s Dane Neilson takes a

I’m glad Casey over on the IPMI Forum is commenting on The Splendid and the Vile, Erik Larsen’s portrayal of the Brits and Germans during

I just received a piece written by a dear friend who shall remain nameless. Basically, he was regaling me on how he was affronted that

According to Chicago Sun Times Reporter Mary Mitchell: Under the current policy, “Vehicles are eligible for a boot if a registered owner accrues three or

I love it when Don Shoup responds to one of my blogs, and he did so yesterday. I felt his response was important enough to

Parking Today Media announced today that Marcy Sparrow has been promoted to the position of National Director of Sales and Operations. She has been with

We are barraged almost daily from those in ivory towers, mostly from universities and civic planners, telling us just how we should live our lives.

“Every day you may make progress. Every step may be fruitful. Yet there will stretch out before you an ever-lengthening, ever-ascending, ever-improving path. You know

Astrid reports over at Parknews.biz that the Dutch have determined that wearing a mask is of no particular value and are not recommending it except

I have been perusing a piece on Streetsblog over on Parknews.biz about the need to ‘fix’ New York City’s transportation problems now while the pandemic

I was out taking a cover shot for my favorite magazine and parked in the garage below in Pasadena. I was stunned as I hadn’t

From Correspondent Joe: We left home as teenagers or in our early twenties for an unknown adventure. We loved our country enough to defend it

I received the following via email from a parking planner in Virginia: A thought in response to your musings on parking and race – I

I wrote last month that I was going to host a discussion on racism in parking. I had read a number of articles about the

We are announcing new dates for PIE 2021. Our venue has offered us new dates and we grabbed them up. PIE 2021 will be held

Is parking back? Will the recovery be a “V” or a lopsided “S”? The answers to these questions mean jobs, profit, and in some cases

I have noticed that the number of cars in the garage under our building is slowly increasing. In February it was full, in March empty,

Have you ever noticed that sometimes it’s the ‘little things’ that really get under your skin. Minor inconveniences or simply things that catch your attention

Celebrations like Independence Day, Memorial Day, and Veteran’s Day are among the things that define the American Experiment. When we declared independence from England nearly

My industry sources tell me that many of the parking improvements that were scheduled for installation in the third quarter were moved to the second

I have been thinking about the maelstrom in which we find ourselves. Is everything truly about race. Is every action we take meant to reflect

OK, I’ll admit it, I am not comfortable wearing a mask. Its hot, its smelly, it fogs my glasses, and frankly I miss seeing the

As I drove around Southern California on Friday there was a sense that we were back to normal traffic wise. Interstate 15 north out of

Have you noticed that we don’t see so many articles these days about how autonomous vehicles will be taking over the automotive industry and that

The City of Las Vegas is opening up and the Parking Department is right in step. Read about it on parknews.biz. According to LV Parking

We are getting a lot of reaction on Astrid’s first person post.  You can read it here. I just reread it and I believe the

Parknews.biz editor Astrid Ambroziak lives a block from the corner of Third street and Fairfax in Los Angeles, the spot where the demonstrations and looting

Even in California, which has become the epicenter for the “lockdown” we are seeing more activity, automobile activity, that is, daily. And automobile activity is

Kacey Siskind, a senior VP at Honk Mobile, believes in telling it like it is, as witness to the headline above. It led into her

There is a reason those who work in our industry are considered experts in parking. It is a complex business and those who think there

I admit it, I couldn’t take it any longer and got a bootleg haircut. I got a phone number from a friend, send a text,

Author Erik Larson writes historical nonfiction based on tremendous in depth research about his subject. He quotes sources and diarists and blends two or more

That headline was from Bloomberg, and if you read the article, it reflects what you have been reading in Parking Today. People are askewing mass

I received word this morning that Klaus Gindl passed away last week after a month long battle with leukemia. Klaus was the true definition of

There is a reason people of all ages hold hands, sometimes when they walk, sometimes when they are sitting together. There is a reason little

That quote by Sam Walton pretty much sums up an article last year in Forbes Magazine where author Brad Adgate  stressed that the last thing

About half the people on the street in LA are not wearing masks. Ralphs Grocery in LA seems to be keeping its shelves fully stocked,

The Pandemic has inspired innovation. Churches particularly want to hold services and keep social distancing. An outfit in Oregon is developing a “parking lot radio”. 

How many times have we read this over the past six weeks? How may ‘futurists’ or even just journalistic wags tell us about the “New

I was always curious about people who work for a company and assume the money comes from the CEO, or the Board of Directors. What

Roman Emperor and Stoic Marcus Aurelius was prescient by 2000 years when he included in his writings that “fear does us more harm than the

I have been reading headlines from the MSM lately and find certain words creeping into them. Words like the ones in caps above. What I

The City of Anchorage, AK is ‘moving ahead’ with charging hotels for the loading zones in front of their establishments. They as asking the industry

This is a time of confusion for many. What to do, What to do? I read quotes from many CEO’s and they seem locked into

I received the following from Ellis Dumont, CEO of Advanced Parking Concepts. Congratulations to him and his company in continuing their residential food delivery assistance

Adam Benzion, writing in Fast Company, posits that moving online is the way to go and that permanent changes may be here to stay. I

  We have been overwhelmed with stories about parking and the pandemic so we decided to prepare an ‘on line’ edition of Parking Today. It

I read that headline on an article coming out in PT May with horror. Yes I understand social distancing and the like, but interacting with

In the previous blog I posited that the populace would eventually shrug off social distancing and the rest and go back to work. I noted

Americans aren’t stupid. If our betters tell us to do one thing, then tell us to do the opposite, then issue conflicting direction, we will

Christians believe that Christ was crucified and died today, 2000 years ago and then was raised from the dead on Sunday and made his way

“OMG, not another Webinar.” How often have you heard or said that, particularly at this time of social distancing? We can’t go to a seminar,

I can do nothing but laugh at the arrogance of some people. I just read a long article in “Wired” about the incoming head of

My UCLA buddy Don Shoup has penned a missif for the IPMI which basically rehashes his decade old theories about setting on street pricing so

I’m preparing the May issue of Parking Today and have come across an article we will be featuring. “The New Commute: Looking at Tomorrow’s Mass

From Genetec: They say necessity is the mother of all inventions and this announcement is a perfect example of that. A few days ago, McCormick

So we hardened up the kitchen, and closed off the dog door at night – to keep out the raccoon who was foraging in the

I received this note from Spot Parking’s CEO Elizabeth Zealand. If you have any innovation that has emerged during this crisis let me know…JVH Code

A temporary gap, pause, break, or absence can be called a hiatus. When your favorite TV show is on hiatus, that means there are no