A veteran parking professional finds humor and humanity in the everyday challenges of the curb.
By Jay Landers
To the general public, parking can seem like a daily nuisance — something rarely noticed until it’s a problem. But for those who work in the industry, it’s a complex, essential part of urban life that demands creativity, resilience, and no small amount of humor. Larry J. Cohen, PTMP, the executive director of the Lancaster Parking Authority in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, has spent more than four decades navigating this world and has translated its idiosyncrasies into something anyone can appreciate.
He’s the author of the 2021 book “The Quirky World of Parking: Four Decades of Observations, One Parking Space at a Time” and its 2023 follow-up, “More True Stories from the Quirky World of Parking.” With wit and candor, Cohen illuminates the often-misunderstood reality of parking operations, shining a light on its challenges, humanity, and unexpected hilarity. In this Q&A, he shares the story behind his books and what he hopes readers — inside and outside the industry — take away from them.
PT: What inspired you to start writing “The Quirky World of Parking” series? Was there a particular moment or experience that sparked the idea?
Cohen: During Covid-19, I found the time being at home and needed an outlet to express my thoughts while relieving stress during the crisis. Writing is an outlet and a catharsis for me. I wasn’t sure there was a book when I started! I had always written articles over the years and I didn’t know if there was enough content for my type of book. I just jumped in and started writing. When I had written my first 10,000 words, I was so happy — until I realized via research that I needed at least 70,000-80,000 words to have enough for a book of 100+ pages. I wasn’t sure I could make the journey and bring the book idea to fruition. If I knew in my 20s that I’d write a book in my 50s, I would have taken better notes along the way!
I spent hundreds of hours going through old papers, files, articles, and the like, finding the material that piqued a story or idea for the book. I also kept a notepad by my bed to record ideas that came to me in the middle of the night, as well as at the bathroom sink and in the car. When an old story popped into my head, I’d jot it down quickly. Eventually, 10,000 words turned into 20,000 words, and I was off and running to fulfill the requirements of a book. Nine months later, after writing every spare hour, I finished the first draft.
PT: Parking might seem mundane to some people, but you clearly see the humor and humanity in it. What do you think makes parking such fertile ground for storytelling?
Cohen: When I told my neighbor that I was writing the book, he asked me, “What can’t you tell me in 5 minutes that I don’t already know about parking?” People think we just park cars and write tickets, and so they have no idea what we deal with daily.
PT: Who do you primarily write these books for: industry professionals, the general public, or both? How do you balance those audiences?
Cohen: After my first draft, my editor said the books need to be marketable to all audiences, not just within the profession. I had to take out a lot of industry jargon so everyone could understand our profession. My initial intent was for the book to be a “101” primer for those new to the industry. Although plenty of industry-related textbooks exist in the market, I never came across anything outlining the real “behind-the-scenes” scenarios that parking operations folks deal with on a day-to-day basis.
My guiding premise was A&E’s reality show “Parking Wars” meets the TV comedy “Parks and Rec.” This same premise guided my pilot script for a related TV comedy that I am marketing in Hollywood, though it might be produced independently one day.
PT: Your books mix lighthearted anecdotes with real-world parking challenges. What’s the key to making parking engaging for readers outside the industry?
Cohen: A book you write has to portray your voice. I’ve been told that readers hear my voice when they read, for good or bad! But as we know, many people love to hate our profession. Everyone drives and parks a car, so in their minds that makes them parking professionals: They think they know everything they need to know about our profession. I hope that if the public gains some insight into what we do every day, maybe they’ll be a little more empathetic to our mission in serving our communities, though I’m not holding my breath!
That said, our profession plays a critical role in supporting the economic growth and vitality of our communities, whether as a private operator, university, airport, or municipality. The problems and solutions run across all sectors. We need to continue to educate the public, especially with positive outcomes and not just the negative interactions shown on shows like “Parking Wars” or in daily news clips.
PT: Have you heard from readers who were surprised by how much they enjoyed reading about parking? What kind of feedback has stuck with you?
Cohen: Yes, a lot. It’s been quite humbling to know my words have had an impact on other parking professionals. Initially, I just thought, “I wrote a silly book about life in parking ops.” From what I’ve been told, the books have had a very positive impact. It was very cool when a parking friend labeled my first book “a parking cult classic”!
On a more serious note, the suicide mitigation work and advice I’ve been able to provide to fellow professionals and Fortune 500 companies is the most rewarding. There is a chapter in my first book devoted to this mission and the book is dedicated in part to those who have lost their lives in this manner. “Saving Lives” is the theme of this work, which has indeed helped to save lives.
PT: The tone of your books is often witty and self-aware. How important is humor in helping people understand or appreciate the parking profession?
Cohen: I have always tried to find humor in everything we do. Life is too short, right? I have mellowed with age and try to keep things in proper perspective. I guess it was my hope as a closet comedian — my wife tells me, “You’re funny, just not in a comedian type of way” — to find the lighthearted aspect of our business. Sometimes, if we don’t laugh, we’ll cry.
I’d rather add humor and light-heartedness to someone’s difficult day. We sometimes deal with angry and nasty people who don’t want to spend their discretionary income on parking and citations, and we take the brunt of people’s frustrations. We need to understand that. For staff, ultimately, it’s important to have a positive, upbeat, and sometimes funny and quirky influence on them. How some customers react to a $20 citation is crazy. They lose their minds in different ways, which makes for great humor.
PT: How do you decide what makes it into your books? Are there certain types of stories or topics you’re always looking to include?
Cohen: I have a long list of new ideas and experiences that a peer or I have experienced. The main criterion is a topic must be quirky. It has got to be a unique experience or interaction — one I haven’t dealt with or heard about in my 45 years in the business. I get pitched story ideas at get-togethers. The threshold is high to be book-worthy!
PT: As someone with deep industry experience, what do you hope parking professionals take away from reading your books?
Cohen: I hope the legacy is that the books provide a good foundation of knowledge and learning from my experiences for the career “newbies” as they enter the profession. Or even a masterclass that prepares industry professionals for what they need to know and may experience.
PT: Can you give us a hint: How many more titles are you planning for the “Quirky World” series? Is there an end in sight, or is the quirky world ever-expanding?
Cohen: I thought one was enough, until I kept hearing, “We want to read more stories!” I wrote the second one for my friends who don’t like to read as much but like pictures. Because I aim to please, I put together stories left over from book number one and assembled a book with more than 100 color pictures. Now they have no excuse not to read it!
There may be one more book to make it a trilogy, but that’s awhile off, although the file for new ideas and experiences gets thicker by the day! My main “side hustle” right now is trying to get my pilot comedy episode based on the books sold to Hollywood or made independently. Now, that would be the icing on the book cake!
Have you recently written a book about parking? Or know of one that you think others in the industry need to read? If so, contact Parking Today at [email protected] to let us know!
JAY LANDERS is the editor-in-chief of Parking Today magazine. He can be reached at [email protected].
