What’s new in Parking? Parkex Slated for Mid-June in UK
On June 13 and 14 the parking sector will come together at the Ricoh Arena, Coventry, for Parkex the British Parking Association’s flagship event sponsored by Phoenix.Over two days visitors will be able to draw on the knowledge and experience of over 100 exhibitors, take advantage of an extensive program of seminars and presentations and connect with like-minded parking professionals.
The panel-led seminar sessions will be conducted by sector experts. They will discuss a range of topics including: the importance of data harmonization; electric vehicles; design innovations to shape future parking structures; and the positive parking agenda. They will also look at what can be done to challenge current perceptions of parking. And a GDPR refresher session will be delivered in partnership with JMW Solicitors, aka BPA Lawline.
The popular Local Authority Parking Summit and the new Retail & Leisure interest group session will present fantastic opportunities for visitors to ask questions, highlight specific issues and learn about the changes that are taking place to improve the parking experience.
Demonstrating new products, services and sector leading innovation has always been at the heart of Parkex, and this year will be no exception. Follow the Innovation Trail and discover a number of new products that entered the market within the last 12 months.
Visit www.parkex.co.uk to register for your free visitor pass and for further show information.
Designa Purchases Interest in Southern Time Equipment
DESIGNA USA is proud to announce its acquisition of a substantial interest in Southern Time Equipment Company of North Carolina. Southern Time joined DESIGNA as a U.S. Business Partner in 2017 to bring leading-technology parking systems to its customers
Southern Time has an impressive history and outstanding reputation in our industry, and continues to be a leader among system integrators,” said Tom Sivak, CEO of DESIGNA USA. “Like DESIGNA, Southern Time understands the importance of providing clients with solutions that can easily adapt to future technologies and trends.”
Over the past 40 years Southern Time has found success in meeting the comprehensive requirements of its diverse client base which includes many of the largest parking facilities in North and South Carolina. “Together we’ll deliver solutions that are customized to meet the specialized needs of varied industries and specific client requirements,” said Sivak.
“DESIGNA is a world-class company, with the industry’s best technology and a commitment to continued innovation,” said Norm Hogg, Southern Time vice president and general manager. “DESIGNA’s integrated intelligence is continually adapting to future technologies and trends. And that’s what we want to provide for our clients.”
Parkpnp Target European Expansion with Sharemypark Acquisition
Parkpnp has announced its arrival in the European parking market with the acquisition of Belgian digital disruptor Sharemypark. The deal will see Parkpnp grow into mainland Europe for the first time and will accelerate the growth of digital parking payments in the Belgian market by making it easy for motorists to pay and park in under-used parking spaces.
Parkpnp was founded in 2016 by Irish entrepreneurs Garret Flower and Daniel Paul. Currently the company is parking over 100,000 cars a year and has a growing number of partnerships with leading real estate, parking and hotel groups including MVGM, Euro Car Parks and IHG. The company has raised €1.1m to date and is growing aggressively across Europe.
Sharemypark generated plenty of buzz upon its launch in November 2016 with its residential parking marketplace quickly attracting 10,000 regular users. The new partnership with Parkpnp will see the Sharemypark rebranded as Parkpnp SPRL and allows the company to offer increased parking solutions to hotels, commercial operators and retailers.
Parkpnp Global CEO Garret Flower remarked “We’re really excited to bring Sharemypark onboard. Our complementary strengths are going to be a gamechanger for Belgian motorists. By locking down another market we will have the perfect launchpad to become the European market leader by 2020.”
Parkeon/Cale Becomes Flowbird
Parkeon has announced that it is rebranding and changing its name to Flowbird.
Flowbird is inspired by the ease with which each bird moves quickly and safely within a cloud of bird.
Flowbird symbolizes our ambition to make individual travel simpler, safer, faster, while collectively maximizing efficiency and harmonizing flows.
Flowbird more broadly encompasses our activities, better describes the diversity of our businesses for our customers and users. Every week around the world, thanks to our terminals, mobile applications and online services, we contribute to improving the living environment of our 100 million users by helping to reduce air pollution, optimize traffic, simplify payments, make cities more secure and economically dynamic.
Flowbird is a Software platform which helps the local authorities to measure, monitor and manage the mobility within the cities.
Flowbird is also pleased to announce the appointment of Marius Koerselman as CEO of Yellowbrick International, its mobile payment business. Marius Koerselman was previously CEO of Parkmobile. Marius Koerselman’s arrival at this position reflects Flowbird’s determination to become the leader in Mobile Parking Payment while confirming its position as the world’s sole player independent from any a car manufacturer.
Flowbird and Parkopedia are also announcing today the creation of a cross-data exchange partnership to improve the services offered to both operators and consumers.
Flowbird operates in over 5,000 towns and cities in 70 countries. The company is constantly innovating and breaking new ground to help provide solutions. The merger of Parkeon and Cale, announced in January, will enable us to combine our expertise and accelerate our investments into products and services that, through digitalization, technology and innovation, will help us to improve individual journey experiences and make our communities better.
Actibump activated in Australia
Curtin University in Perth, Australia, has now activated their two Actibump systems, as their students are returning from summer break. “We’re looking forward to the results,” says Graham Arndt, Director of Operations and Maintenance at Curtin University. “Curtin University will be performing research on the system. We will be looking at the behavioral change it causes,” says Arndt.
Two Actibump systems have been installed on a road traversing the Curtin University campus in Perth. About 70 percent of the vehicles on this street are speeding. There are around 2,000 vehicles per day and the speed limit is 40 kph. “We needed to do something about it,” says Arndt.
“We chose the Actibump because it only affects drivers that are speeding and because the system is so flexible. We can set speed limit and other variables via software, which increases flexibility and the system is also programmable for other applications.”
David Eskilsson, General Manager at Edeva, the inventor of the Actibump, says:” The system collects speed data for every passing vehicle. We are looking at the results and are already seeing a decrease of the number of speeding vehicles. We recognize this trend from our Swedish installations.” The official activation of the Actibumps at Curtin University was held during a visit from the organization Parking Australia.
Elite Transportation Services CEO Shares Potential for Self-Driving Vehicles
President and CEO of Elite Transportation Services, Dane Grey, testified Monday at the U.S. House of Representatives Small Business Committee Field Hearing, discussing transportation technology trends, the expansion of autonomous vehicle technology and access to investment capital for small businesses.
“We recently announced the expansion into the autonomous vehicle industry by becoming the exclusive provider of operational support for Olli, an autonomous self-driving shuttle developed and owned by Local Motors of Arizona,” Grey said during his prepared remarks.
“Local Motors developed Olli in 2016 as a self-driving shuttle designed for sites using low-speed mass transit, such as airports, campuses, hospitals and municipalities. The shuttles, which will be operated by Elite Transportation Services, have a maximum speed of 25 mph and include speech recognition capabilities that allow the vehicles to talk to passengers.
“From airports to university campuses, the future of autonomous vehicles will transform the way we think about mass transportation. Our company is preparing to offer expertise in transportation support and technology, making it easier for organizations and local communities to own and operate their own fleets of autonomous shuttles.”
