Ah, yes, a day of rest. However the day off yesterday did give me a chance to muse about our industry and our place in it.
At the PT Sponsored Temecula Parking Group meeting last month one thing stood out. The need for some passion in the parking industry. "Passion?" you say,,, What the hell is there to be passionate about in parking.
Well, I don’t know about you, but Parking feeds my family, and I can get pretty passionate about my family. If the industry on which we depend for food clothing and shelter is floundering, then something must be done.
There were members of the TPG that were literally on their feet with voiced raised. These were people with a stake in our industry. And they were concerned. We need growth, good people, better service, a reputation that makes sense.
Growth? How can you have growth in our business. There are so many cars, so many spaces, that’s it, right? Nope — time to think outside the box. Our garages are empty half the time. How can we fill em then. Growth can mean more money. How can we get the general public to understand that parking costs more and they should pay more?
Ok, parking folks. Get outside the box. Think about parking. You have your forum. Use it>>> (click on comments below to post your response.)
JVH
3 Responses
I was suprised that no one else had commented on your piece. There is a stunning lack of passion in the parking industry. The big operators have, for the most part, have become bland, giant, faceless organizations, yet they sit on top of a pool of talented individuals. Too bad for them, but I am not complaining. Their overwhelming grayness is going to send my kids to a first-rate college. And you know what? If my kids want to become parking managers when they get out, GREAT! Because this industry will change, one way or another.
Just got the new parking blog e-mail ,it sounds like a great idea. I do alot of repair work on meters so I hope this forum will address some of those every day issues such as coin track problems , lock maintenance and the like. The City I work for currently uses Duncan cr/2000 on the street.Can anyone relate to short timing meters. How do you handle it?, change track?,clean on site if so how?
Parking facilities outside of a major city center sports dome can promote under used evening spaces as “event parking” if you have a shuttle, tram, Light rail, bus system conveniently located at each end of the “destination”. As we have light rail from the the airport to downtown, we can entice fans to park for a flat rate at the airport’s unused lots, ride the light rail to the game and return. By seting the revenue control system to allow a fixed “event rate” of, say, $4 for any vehicle entering the gate between, say, 5-7 pm for a 7pm game, the customers get a lower total cost than the downtown lots charge and they don’t have to fight the traffic. The revenue control system could be set to allow exit at the event rate up to 3am and charge regular rates after that time. The walk to the light rail and the ride to the airport could also make the drive home safer if alcohol was consumed at the game.