JVH Nails It

I just couldn’t leave this buried in the comments section of the blog – Actually someone who has sensors installed and some experience…Thanks Charlie:

See if I can add some solutions here to the problems he suggests. Placards- Thing of the past. If you are using the sensors, and I am right now using them on 50 spaces as a pilot, you will, if you don’t already, have an app that you can pay with. Pull in, tap “pay” and go on your business. You can also pay by cell. I have placards in this town, now i will just create an account that the permit holders can “charge” their parking to. Want to bet they only do that while the are on official business? Because now this is a record and with records comes accountability. Why were you in the bar district at 1am?????? I was almost strung up in town square when people thought that we are going to be “dispatching” officers to violations. It is NOT operationally efficient to do so in most situations.

JVH nails it, the true value, and its value is not comprehensible, is the data. Never before have I been able to see trends change so quickly and where my issues are. Right now I am staring at 4 spaces where the cars haven’t moved in 4 hours. I called the PEO and its public works doing some repairs, there is some value in this. I see stuff and can react without walking around downtown. I have two monitors on my desk with the map of the sensors up all day. The data is golden, now we just have to get people to buy into us parking managers using the data to shape policy and practices without going through the sometimes painful bureaucratic process. Trust us that we want the best for our downtowns. We don’t have customers; our customers are someone else’s customers. If businesses fail, we lose money. End of story. Cops and Fireman- If they are staying in space for long periods of time then there is a damn good reason for them to be there. Not a concern.

Been a long time since I saw those words from a reader. I will comment on Charlie’s “We don’t have customers” another time.

JVH