Issuu

INTERNATIONAL PARKING & MOBILITY INSTITUTE SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2026

Efficiency at Work Parking & Mobility Operations

INTERNATIONAL PARKING & MOBILITY INSTITUTE SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2026 VOL. 8 / N0. 5

FEATURES

28 32 38 44 48 54

The Parking Game

Meeting Controversy with Play By Sarah Bronstein

The Digital Age of Parking

How Cloud Platforms Are Transforming the Industry By Dale Fowler

Charging Ahead

Why Successful EV Installations Start with Smarter Planning By Jason Bolduc

The Rising Cost of Parking

Why Parking Management Will Become More Important Than Ever By Ellen Schwartz

Making Change in New England

How Lowell Overcame Parking Politics to Build a Modern, Demand-Based System By Jason Schrieber, AICP

IPMI Presents the 2025–2026 Boards

Meet the members of the 2025–2026 Board of Directors, Certification Board, and Accreditation Board

2 PARKING & MOBILITY | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2026 | PARKING-MOBILITY-MAGAZINE.ORG

COVER PHOTO: STOCK.ADOBE.COM / BCFC

FROM THE EDITOR

COLUMNS 3 FROM THE EDITOR

PARKING, TRANSPORTATION, AND MOBILITY

4 BOARD PERSPECTIVE Efficiency

By Josh Stone, PTMP

6 BOARD PERSPECTIVE

Revenue Follows Access By Irma Henderson, PTMP

8 INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY

Smarter Parking Modernization By Kirk Strassman

12 LEADERSHIP MOMENT

The Future Is Ours to Build By Alejandra “Alex” Argudin, PTMP

14 PARKING & TRANSPORTATION EQUITY How Equity Drives Efficiency

By Brandon Patocka, PTMP, and Sarah Becherer

16 PARKSMART IN ACTION

The Time for Parksmart is Now By Eric Haggett, LEED Green Associate, Parksmart Advisor

18 PARKING COMPLIANCE & SAFETY Safety for Office Staff

By Captain Nick Nicholas, PECP

22 HR SPOTLIGHT

From Complaints to Early Signals By Shelley Majors

24 ASK THE EXPERTS

What operational practices or innovations will define the next generation of parking programs?

27 SPONSORED CONTENT

When Parking Becomes the Problem by Sarah Clevinger

36 SPONSORED CONTENT

The Parking Ecosystem Gap

57 SPONSORED CONTENT

Using Guidance to Transform the Parking Experience by Ryan Hickey

60 THE BUSINESS OF PARKING There Is No Best Practice By Katherine Beaty, PTMP

professionals acknowledge a simple truth: when operations are running smoothly, most people never notice. When they are not… everyone always notices. Every time. In a perfect world, customers find a parking space. Gates open. Payments process. Meters work as intended. Events end without major traffic headaches. Shuttle routes stay on schedule. Equipment works. Questions get answered. People get where they need to go. When it works, it all feels effortless. But behind the scenes, we know better. We know that not even the simplest wins are effortless. Behind every seamless operation are people making hundreds of decisions, often before anyone else even realizes there’s a problem to solve. They’re watching occupancy, responding to equipment issues, helping frustrated customers, coordinating with public safety, managing special events, and somehow still finding time to think about what’s coming next. It’s work that requires equal parts planning, flexibility, patience, and creativity. It’s also work that doesn’t get the spotlight. I have learned over my time in this industry that parking and mobility professionals are incredibly good at adapting. Every day brings something unexpected, yet somehow, teams adjust, make the necessary changes, and keep everything moving. That’s not luck. That’s good planning and experienced execution. As our industry continues to evolve, the tools available to us are becoming more sophisticated. Those advances are exciting, and they absolutely have an important place in the future of our industry. But technology alone doesn’t create successful operations. People do. In this issue of Parking & Mobility magazine, we examine the ways successful operations plan and execute. My hope is that you’ll come away with a few new ideas you can put into practice, and maybe even some reassurance that many of your peers are navigating the same challenges, just in different environments. One of the things I love most about this community is our willingness to share what works. We don’t just solve problems for ourselves; we learn from one another, celebrate each other’s successes, and collectively raise the bar for our profession. So whether you’re leading a large municipal system, managing a university campus, running parking and mobility for an airport, overseeing a hospital operation, or wearing a dozen different hats in a smaller organization, thank you for the work you do every day. The best operations rarely happen by accident. They happen because of dedicated people who care enough to make them happen. And while your customers may never know everything that goes into making their experience feel effortless, your peers certainly do.

64 THE PEOPLE OF PARKING The People of Parking By Rachel Lemkow

66 IPMI CALENDAR 67 STATE & REGIONAL CALENDAR

Melissa Rysak, editor rysak@parking-mobility.org PARKING-MOBILITY-MAGAZINE.ORG | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2026 | PARKING & MOBILITY 3

BOARD PERSPECTIVE

Efficiency Doing More with Less PUBLISHER

Shawn Conrad, CAE

s.conrad@parking-mobility.org EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Melissa Rysak

rysak@parking-mobility.org MANAGING EDITOR

Courtney Turner

turner@parking-mobility.org TECHNICAL EDITOR

Rachel Yoka, PTMP, LEED AP BD+C yoka@parking-mobility.org

ADVERTISING SALES AND SUBSCRIPTIONS

By Josh Stone, PTMP

FFICIENCY IN THE WORKPLACE has been a hot topic for what seems

like forever. Whether focused on customers, operations, or internal processes, improving efficiency has been a goal for the parking and mobility industry for more than 30 years. The balance between efficiency, customer service, and price has never been more important.

Tina Altman, CEM

taltman@parking-mobility.org PUBLICATION DESIGN

BonoTom Studio

info@bonotom.com For subscription changes, email editor@parkingmobility.org. Parking & Mobility (ISSN 0896-2324 & USPS 001436) is published bi-monthly by the International Parking & Mobility Institute P.O. Box 3787 Fredericksburg, VA 22402 Email: info@parking-mobility.org Website: parking-mobility.org Send address changes promptly via email to editor@ parking-mobility.org. Interactive electronic version of Parking & Mobility at parking-mobility-magazine.org. Copyright © International Parking & Mobility Institute, 2026. Statements of fact and opinion expressed in articles contained in Parking & Mobility are the sole responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent an official expression of policy or opinion on the part of officers or the members of IPMI. Manuscripts, correspondence, articles, product releases, and all contributed materials are welcomed by Parking & Mobility; however, publication is subject to editing, if deemed necessary to conform to standards of publication. The subscription rate is included in IPMI annual dues. Subscription rate for non-members of IPMI is $500 per year (U.S. currency) in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. All other countries, $750.

Here at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), we’ve taken a parking system that, as of 2018, was stuck in the past and brought it into the 21st century by adding pay-by-phone, license plate recognition (LPR), virtual permits, and mobile payments for special events. The aim of all these changes was to increase efficiency — not only for the customer experience but for our internal operations as well. As costs for services, operations, and staffing rise, efficiency should be viewed not only as a customer benefit but as an operational benefit as well. It is more important than ever to ensure that, since most parking operations are auxiliary units, we stretch our dollars as far as possible. Here at VCU, we charge on the higher end for university parking due to our urban setting and the number of parking garages we must maintain, so it is important that we maximize staffing efficiency to keep costs low. At VCU, if it benefits our customers’ experience, we do it; if it benefits our internal operations as well, that is a bonus. Each customer efficiency advancement mentioned above was carefully balanced to ensure that the new service not only benefited our customers but also considered our operations and the value it would bring internally. For example, the switch to license plate recognition (LPR) and virtual permits allowed us to eliminate the cost of physical permits while making enforcement actions quicker. This allowed our staff to cover more ground and focus on other duties. The move to mobile payments for special events allowed our customers an easier way to pay while also allowing our staff to avoid carrying thousands of dollars in cash or spending an hour or more counting it after an event. This reduced our administrative burden and helped lower overtime costs. All these efficiencies allow us to do more with less and, in turn, help us to keep our daily, weekly, and monthly costs down for visitor parking and permit parking. This keeps money in our customers’ pockets while ensuring we have the resources needed to operate effectively. Parking is a service industry, and we owe it to our customers to offer the best, most efficient service possible at the lowest cost possible. ◆ JOSH STONE, PTMP, is the Executive Director of Parking & Transportation for Virginia Commonwealth University and a member of IPMI’s Board of Directors. He can be reached at jstone@vcu.edu.

4 PARKING & MOBILITY | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2026 | PARKING-MOBILITY-MAGAZINE.ORG

Unify your parking data. Drive results.

Explore Elevate

100%

10,000

80%

8,000

60%

6,000

40%

4,000

20%

2,000

BOARD PERSPECTIVE

Revenue Follows Access Rethinking How We Measure Parking Success By Irma Henderson, PTMP

EVENUE REPORTS HAVE THEIR PLACE. They show whether money is coming in, whether rates are

covering expenses, and whether an operation has the resources needed to maintain facilities, invest in technology, support staffing, and plan for future infrastructure.

The challenge is that revenue reports tend to show the financial result of a parking system, not the effectiveness of the decisions that shaped it. The distinction matters in an industry where financial performance is often one of the first questions asked. Revenue matters. Profit matters. Cost recovery matters. But those numbers, by themselves, may not fully show whether the parking system is working as intended. A parking facility can generate strong revenue while customers circle in frustration, nearby lots sit underused, visitors misunderstand payment rules, employees struggle to find reliable access, and neighborhoods absorb overflow parking. Revenue indicates how much was collected. It may not explain whether the right people were able to access the right spaces at the right time. By comparison, space utilization offers a more practical way to understand that question. It helps to show how effectively parking assets are being used by identifying demand patterns, peak occupancy, turnover, length of stay, underused areas, and pressure points. More importantly, it shifts the focus from “How much money did we make?” to “Is this system serving people well?” The shift is worth considering because parking is no longer just about storing vehicles. It is part of a larger mobility network that connects people to work, school, healthcare, shopping, events, housing, and public services. Parking can affect traffic flow, curb access, transit connections, electric vehicle charging, ADA accessibility, deliveries, and neighborhood relationships. In that environment, strong parking operations are often the ones that manage limited space thoughtfully. A full garage may seem like a success. If it is full every day by 9 a.m., the system may be creating challenges for visitors, latearriving employees, people with disabilities, service providers, or short-term users who need access. High occupancy without availability can contribute to frustration, illegal parking, enforcement conflicts, and unnecessary vehicle circulation. An underused facility can tell a different story. It may

suggest that the price is too high, the location is inconvenient, the signage is unclear, the walking routes are uncomfortable, the transit connections are weak, or customers simply do not know the option exists. Revenue may show underperformance, but utilization data can help explain why. This is where space utilization becomes a useful management tool, not just a measurement. It gives parking professionals a way to make more informed decisions about pricing, permit rules, lot designations, wayfinding, event operations, ADA access, EV charging, loading zones, and short-term parking. It can help determine whether spaces are being used for their intended purpose and whether policies are producing the desired outcome. Customer satisfaction is closely tied to these decisions. Most customers do not think about occupancy percentages or turnover rates. They judge the system by experience. Was information easy to find before the trip? Was there a reasonable expectation of finding a space? Were the signs clear? Was payment simple? Were the rules understandable? If something went wrong, was communication fair and helpful? A revenue-first mindset can sometimes work against customer satisfaction. When success is measured primarily by income, organizations may unintentionally overvalue citation revenue, tolerate confusing systems, or price high-demand areas without providing reasonable alternatives. These choices may improve short-term financial performance, but they can also create long-term frustration. Utilization offers a broader framework. It suggests that the purpose of parking management is not simply to fill every space at the highest possible price. The larger purpose is to manage access. At times, that may mean encouraging turnover in highdemand areas. At other times, it may mean directing long-term parkers to remote facilities or preserving spaces for ADA users, visitors, deliveries, EV charging, or short-term access. This approach can also support stronger community relationships. Parking decisions are highly visible. Rate changes can affect employees, visitors, neighborhoods, residents, and

6 PARKING & MOBILITY | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2026 | PARKING-MOBILITY-MAGAZINE.ORG

STOCK.ADOBE.COM / CHELPANOFF

local businesses. Enforcement patterns can influence public perception. When organizations use utilization data, they may be better equipped to explain the reasons behind decisions. Data does not eliminate disagreement, but it can improve the quality of the conversation. It moves discussion away from assumptions and toward evidence. It can help communities see that parking rules are intended to balance access, safety, fairness, and availability. While revenue and profit remain important, they may be most useful when viewed as part of a broader performance picture rather than as the primary definition of success.

When a parking system is designed around customer needs, revenue is more likely to follow. Clear access, well-used spaces, fair communication, and customer trust in the process all contribute to a stronger operation. In that sense, space utilization is not a replacement for financial performance. It is one of the clearest signs that the system is positioned to be both service-oriented and financially sustainable. ◆ IRMA HENDERSON, PTMP, is the Director of Transportation Services for the University of California, Riverside and a member of IPMI’s Board of Directors. She can be reached at irma. henderson@ucr.edu.

Drivers Park Up to 63% Faster Our camera-based Parking Guidance System directs drivers to available spaces, reducing frustration and congestions. Drivers spend less time worrying about parking and more time worrying about what matters. Let’s chat about options for your garage. Visit tkhsecurity.com/US

PARKING-MOBILITY-MAGAZINE.ORG| SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2026 | PARKING & MOBILITY 7

INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY

Smarter Parking Modernization Start with What You Already Have By Kirk Strassman

OR YEARS, parking technology was something cities selected, implemented, and

expected to rely on for the long term. While systems evolved, the overall shape of operations remained relatively stable.

Today, that environment looks very different. The challenges faced by cities continue to evolve, expectations around transparency are rising, data is playing a larger role in decision-making, and AI is beginning to reshape everything from enforcement to compliance. Yet technology decisions still must be made on multi-year timelines. That disconnect between the pace of change and the pace of procurement is where many technology strategies begin to break down.

Planning for a Moving Target The difficulty now is that requirements rarely stay fixed for long. Policy changes, new regulations, shifts in demand, and broader shifts in how cities think about mobility continually reshape what “good” looks like. A system that fits perfectly at the point of purchase can begin to feel restrictive much sooner

than anyone expected. That is not usually because the original decision was wrong. More often, it is because the decision assumed a level of stability that no longer exists. When that happens, cities face an uncomfortable choice. They can continue working within the limitations of their systems, or they can start again and replace them. Neither option is particularly attractive.

Where “Rip and Replace” Falls Short Large-scale replacement projects tend to promise a clean break from existing constraints. In theory, systems are redesigned, integrations improve, and longstanding problems disappear. In practice, it is rarely that simple. Parking operations do not exist in isolation, and neither do the systems that support them. Enforcement relies on data from permits, citations

8 PARKING & MOBILITY | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2026 | PARKING-MOBILITY-MAGAZINE.ORG

feed into collections, payment providers sit alongside back-office platforms, and analytics draw from all of it. Over time, these connections become tightly woven into how a program functions. Removing and rebuilding that entire structure is not just a technical exercise. It affects workflows, staff expertise, and the small but critical processes that keep operations running smoothly. Even when the end result is positive, getting there can be slow and disruptive, with benefits that take time to materialize. What often gets overlooked is that not everything within that structure is broken. In most environments, there are elements that continue to perform well and have already been adapted to local needs over many years. Replacing them simply because they do not fit neatly into a new platform can create as many problems as it solves.

A Different Starting Point An alternative approach begins by asking a different question: where are the gaps between our systems, and what are those gaps costing us? In some cases, the answer will still point to new technology. In others, it will highlight gaps between systems where data is not flowing as it should, or where processes break down because platforms were never designed to work together. Addressing those

gaps can have a disproportionate impact without requiring wholesale change. This way of thinking shifts the focus. Modernization becomes less about rebuilding from scratch and more about improving how the existing environment functions, then extending it in a way that makes sense. It also changes the shape of investment. Rather than committing to a single, large project, cities can focus on areas where improvement will be both visible and measurable, building from there as priorities evolve.

Flexibility Over Finality Traditionally, success has been measured by how completely a system meets a set of requirements at a given point in time. Increasingly, it is being measured by how well that system holds up as those requirements change. That depends far less on the breadth of functionality and far more on the ability to adapt: whether new tools can be introduced without major disruption, whether existing systems can continue to operate alongside newer ones, and whether data can move freely enough to support decisions that cut across different parts of an operation. These are not always the most visible criteria during procurement, but they tend to become the most important over time.

PARKING-MOBILITY-MAGAZINE.ORG | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2026 | PARKING & MOBILITY 9

INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY

The Role of Technology Partners

Building for What Comes Next

This is where the vendor’s role begins to shift as well. In a constantly changing environment, the expectation can no longer be that a single platform will anticipate every future requirement. What matters more is whether the partner behind that platform is prepared to work within a broader ecosystem, and whether they are willing to support a model in which different systems coexist and evolve. The strongest partners are the ones who recognize that cities will need to change direction at some point. They design with that in mind, making it easier to integrate with other technologies, introduce new capabilities, and adapt without causing unnecessary disruption. That mindset tends to lead to a different kind of relationship. Instead of anchoring every decision to a predefined roadmap, it allows technology to move with the operation over time.

Parking and curbside management are constantly evolving as cities adapt to changing travel patterns, public expectations, and demands on public space. Technology has to evolve with them, making flexibility a critical requirement rather than a nice-to-have. The cities that will see the greatest long-term value from their investments are those that preserve future options. That is where a connected ecosystem becomes so important. By allowing systems, data, and workflows to work together, an ecosystem protects existing investments while making it easier to introduce new capabilities as needs evolve. Modernization is not about starting over. It is about building an ecosystem that grows and adapts alongside the city it serves. ◆

10 PARKING & MOBILITY | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2026 | PARKING-MOBILITY-MAGAZINE.ORG

KIRK STRASSMAN is the Director, Business Development and Market Engagement at Trellint. He can be reached at kirk.strassman@ trellint.com.

The Parking Barrier

MHTMTM MicroDrive Vehicle Barriers

MHTMTM MicroDrive barriers from Magnetic AutoControl are the ideal solution for professional parking applications. MicroDrive barriers are designed for long-life use in heavily frequented facilities and feature:

• Rapid opening times • Detection of tailgating vehicles • 2 Million Cycle Warranty* • Low energy consumption • Low-maintenance

• Articulated arm options • Laserscanner options • Breakaway ange options • LED barrier arm options *2 Years or 2 Million cycles, whichever occurs rst.

MAGNETIC AUTOCONTROL • 3160 MURRELL RD ROCKLEDGE, FL • WWW.MAGNETIC-ACCESS.COM

LEADERSHIP MOMENT

The Future Is Ours to Build By Alejandra “Alex” Argudin, PTMP

S I CONCLUDE MY TERM as Chair of the International Parking and Mobility Institute

(IPMI), I do so with profound gratitude, immense pride, and tremendous optimism for the future of our industry and the people who make it so extraordinary.

Serving alongside an exceptional Board of Directors has been one of the greatest honors of my career. I am deeply grateful to my fellow Board members for their wisdom, collaboration, and unwavering commitment to advancing our industry. Together, we challenged conventional thinking, embraced innovation, and worked to ensure IPMI remains the leading voice for

parking, mobility, and transportation professionals. My heartfelt thanks also go to the outstanding IPMI staff, whose professionalism and dedication make our accomplishments possible. To our members, sponsors, exhibitors, consultants, and industry partners, thank you for your passion, ideas, and commitment to strengthening the communities we serve. Every success we have achieved is the result of your partnership. As I reflect on this journey, I am proud not only of what we accomplished but also of the vision we embraced. Our industry has evolved far beyond managing parking assets. Today, we are stewards of mobility, community development, innovation, and public service. We connect people to opportunity, support local economies, and help build more accessible, connected, and vibrant communities. The future of our industry depends on investing in people. We must continue to attract and mentor the next generation of leaders, create career pathways, and prepare professionals to lead confidently through rapid technological and societal change. Leadership is measured not by the positions we hold but by the leaders we help develop. Our future also depends on collaboration. Publicprivate partnerships will play an increasingly important role in transforming parking facilities into mixeduse destinations that support workforce housing, retail, community services, and transportation hubs. At the same time, municipalities must modernize outdated ordinances to enable organizations to deploy emerging technologies that improve mobility, reduce congestion, and enhance customer experience. Innovation is accelerating. Curb management, artificial intelligence, connected transportation systems, and advanced air mobility are reshaping our communities. Parking and mobility professionals have

12 PARKING & MOBILITY | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2026 | PARKING-MOBILITY-MAGAZINE.ORG

both an opportunity and a responsibility to lead this transformation. As I pass the gavel, I do so with complete confidence and enormous optimism in our incoming Chair and Board of Directors. Their vision, expertise, and dedication will continue to advance IPMI and our industry. Leadership is never about one individual; it is about building a foundation that enables others to achieve even greater success. Although my service as Chair has come to an end, my commitment to this profession remains as strong as ever. I look forward to continuing to support IPMI, helping develop future leaders, and championing the innovation that will define our industry’s next chapter. Thank you for the privilege of service. Our work has never been simply about parking. It has always been, and always will be, about people. ◆ ALEJANDRA “ALEX” ARGUDIN, PTMP, is the Chief Executive Officer at Miami Parking Authority and the Past Chair of IPMI’s Board of Directors. She can be reached at aargudin@ miamiparking.com.

PARKING-MOBILITY-MAGAZINE.ORG| SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2026 | PARKING & MOBILITY 13

PARKING & TRANSPORTATION EQUITY

How Equity Drives Efficiency By Brandon Patocka, PTMP, and Sarah Becherer

quity is the principle of providing support based on a group’s needs to achieve fair outcomes, rather than offering uniform treatment. Efficiency is the ability to achieve maximum productivity with minimum wasted effort, expense, or resources. Traditional economics has viewed the relationship between the two as the “equity-efficiency trade-off.” This relationship holds that maximizing economic efficiency often conflicts with ensuring the fair distribution of rewards, wages, and opportunities. In modern parking operations, we see another side of the story — one that flips the trade-off on its head through technology, data, and better system design for customers and staff alike.

Data Makes Equity Operational Too often, equity initiatives are implemented based on assumptions. Replacing assumptions with evidence and data makes equity operationally attainable, directing resources where they’re most needed rather than where they’re easiest to deploy. The good news is that, in parking, there has never been more data available than there is today, due to several significant transformations in our industry:

Influx of data-driven parking technologies Operators adopting or building their own business intelligence systems ● More vendor integrations and data-sharing ● ●

When used appropriately, data reduces friction and drives more equitable outcomes by helping operators understand how different customer types experience parking. For example, it can help identify: Areas or neighborhoods with chronic parking shortages ● Utilization patterns across different populations ● Whether enforcement disproportionately impacts certain groups ● Accessible parking usage and availability ●

14 PARKING & MOBILITY | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2026 | PARKING-MOBILITY-MAGAZINE.ORG

Automation Doesn’t Always Equal Equity Many efficiency initiatives in parking focus on mobile apps, digital permits, and cashless payments. However, not every user has the same level of digital access, literacy, or ability. A fully digitized, app-centric parking system will streamline the experience for some customers while creating friction for others. Traditional payment methods will need to remain available, even if limited to coins at multi-space or midblock kiosks in the near future, as technological advances continue to be implemented. True operational efficiency accounts for everyone. Providing multiple payment options — apps, kiosks, text-to-pay, permits, and portal payments — alongside ADA-compliant digital experiences and customer support methods fosters equity and efficiency at the same time. One example is cash-to-card kiosks, which allow unbanked individuals to participate more fully in the local economy.

Equity Isn’t Always More Work Too often, organizations treat equity programs as extra work on top of the operational tasks required to keep the business running. In reality, however, systems built for a narrow segment of users make operations less efficient and can create conflict for both the organization and its users. Good system design addresses real-world user needs. When systems meet those needs, staff burden and operational costs decrease, while efficiency and equity improve. Consider this: equity doesn’t require more infrastructure. Rather, it requires smarter, more efficient allocation of existing resources. Here are a few examples: Clearer communication reduces customer service calls ● Better wayfinding reduces congestion and circling ● Accessible payments reduce citation disputes ● Transparent permit management reduces administrative overhead ●

just customers. Investments in employee training and modern tools improve productivity and service delivery while creating a more equitable workplace. Staff equipped with the right tools and training are more productive, confident, consistent, and empowered to service a diverse customer base. Frontline staff benefit substantially when employers provide: Comprehensive training on technology platforms Enforcement tools that are easy to learn and use ● Fewer manual processes and more automation ● Easy access to data for better decision-making ● Clear guidelines and documentation ● ●

Conclusion: The Equity-Efficiency TradeOff Is a Myth Equity drives efficiency when parking operators use data to understand user needs, design accessible customer experiences, and equip staff with effective training and tools. The “equity-efficiency trade-off” is predicated on two faulty assumptions: 1) that fairness and productivity compete for the same finite pool of resources; and 2) that implementing equitable workplace practices requires more work, more people, and greater expense. In modern parking operations, technology enables the exact opposite. The organizations that will lead in the coming years are those that stop thinking of equity as a cost center or a checkbox and instead recognize it for what it is: an efficient, durable approach to building systems that work for staff and customers alike. ◆ BRANDON PATOCKA, PTMP, is an Engineering Technician II with the City of Omaha. He can be reached at brandon. patocka@cityofomaha.org.

SARAH BECHERER is the Senior Vice President of Marketing at Ocra. She can be reached at sarah@getocra.com.

Investing In People Is a Requirement Achieving a state in which equity equals efficiency involves designing effective systems for staff, not

PARKING-MOBILITY-MAGAZINE.ORG | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2026 | PARKING & MOBILITY 15

PARKSMART IN ACTION

The Time for Parksmart is Now

By Eric Haggett, LEED Green Associate, Parksmart Advisor

OR THOSE OF US IN THE PARKING INDUSTRY, sustainability has become an essential

part of designing and operating facilities that better serve our communities. When Parksmart was introduced in 2014, it gave our profession something that LEED no longer permitted: a framework for recognizing parking structures that promote environmental responsibility, operational efficiency, and improved user experience.

Having evaluated more than 20 potential Parksmart projects and successfully guided four projects through certification over the years, I have seen both the strengths and challenges in the certification process. While the program established an ambitious standard for sustainable parking, the path to certification was often complicated. The vision behind Parksmart v1 was never the problem. It encouraged project teams to think beyond concrete and cars by incorporating energy efficiency, water conservation, multimodal transportation, electric vehicle infrastructure, and sound operating practices. While those goals remain important today, IPMI, USGBC, and GBCI recognized that changes were needed. The industry has evolved significantly since the program’s launch, and the standard needs to stay relevant both in terms of sustainability advances and parking and mobility industry technology. That recognition has already led to meaningful changes: the updated Parksmart pilot documentation is designed to simplify the path to certification while maintaining the program’s core commitment to sustainable parking. The pilot adopts the structure and lexicon of LEEDV5 to ensure greater adaptability and accessibility by LEED professionals. I view these

changes not as a rethinking of the program’s purpose, but as a thoughtful evolution that incorporates lessons learned from years of implementation. As the criteria have been revised and updated, so will the certification process. Evaluating projects under V1 frequently meant navigating extensive documentation requirements, interpreting detailed credit language, and coordinating information from owners, architects, engineers, contractors, and facility operators. Across municipal garages, university facilities, commercial developments, and health care campuses, I found that implementing sustainable practices was rarely the greatest obstacle. Documenting every requirement often proved to be the bigger challenge. For many potentially worthy projects, the administrative burden became a deterrent. The updated certification pilot documents address this challenge by reducing unnecessary complexity and allowing project teams to devote more time to creating better parking facilities instead of deciphering certification requirements. The benefits extend to all parties involved. Owners gain a more predictable process with lower certification costs. Contractors spend less time tracking documentation postconstruction, and operators inherit facilities designed for lasting performance rather than simply earning certification. But the greatest advantage of all is, hopefully, broader participation from the community of parking owners. Many parking projects are not landmark developments supported by sustainability consultants. They are municipal garages, hospitals, airports, colleges, and private developments working within limited budgets and staffing. These projects provide

16 PARKING & MOBILITY | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2026 | PARKING-MOBILITY-MAGAZINE.ORG

tremendous public value, yet the original Parksmart certification often appeared too demanding. The new pilot documents make certification more attainable – for far more facilities. Simplification also strengthens education. Instead of overwhelming participants with paperwork, it helps them understand why sustainable practices matter and how they improve facility performance. That understanding creates lasting value long after certification is awarded. The updated process also demonstrates that Parksmart continues to evolve by listening to the professionals who use it. Every successful certification program benefits from refinement, and incorporating lessons learned from practitioners strengthens both the program and the industry it serves. Having worked through the original Parksmart v1 process on numerous evaluations, I see the current revisions as both welcome and necessary. The original framework deserves credit for elevating sustainability within

the parking profession, and the updated process builds on that foundation by making certification more accessible without compromising its integrity. Ultimately, success should be measured not by the amount of documentation submitted but by the number of parking facilities that deliver meaningful environmental, operational, and community benefits. After evaluating dozens of Parksmart projects, I believe the updated certification resources and pilot documents will allow our industry to spend less time managing paperwork and more time creating smarter, more sustainable parking facilities for the future.◆ ERIC HAGGETT, LEED Green Associate, Parksmart Advisor, is the Director of the Parking & Transportation Practice at Brailsford & Dunlavey, Inc. He can be reached at ehaggett@bdconnect.com.

Scan for more information

June 6-9, 2027

PARKING-MOBILITY-MAGAZINE.ORG| SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2026 | PARKING & MOBILITY 17

PARKING COMPLIANCE & SAFETY

Safety for Office Staff Designing Safer Counters, Lobbies, and Public-Facing Workspaces By Captain Nick Nicholas, PECP The Office Is Still the Frontline When people think about frontline safety, they often picture parking ambassadors walking a beat, mobility staff working in a garage, code enforcement officers in the field, or transportation teams operating near traffic. But safety isn’t just a field issue. Office staff face risks of their own. Field personnel can often quickly extricate themselves. If something feels wrong, they may be able to step back, leave the area, return to a vehicle, or call for help while creating distance. Office staff do not always have that same luxury. A front-counter employee may be seated behind a desk, with an upset person blocking the only exit, while still expected to protect information and remain professional. The counter is not just a customer service space. It is a safety environment.

The Numbers Support the Concern Workplace violence is not limited to police stations, hospitals, or late-night retail. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) defines workplace

violence as any act or threat of physical violence, harassment, intimidation, or other threatening behavior that occurs at a worksite. It ranges from verbal abuse to homicide. OSHA also identifies risk factors, including exchanging money with the public, working with volatile people, providing services, working alone, and working in isolated areas.1 The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported 5,070 fatal work injuries in 2024. Of those, 733 were due to violent acts, including 470 homicides and 263 workplace suicides. 2 During 2021 and 2022, the private industry recorded 57,610 nonfatal workplace violence cases requiring days away from work, job restriction, or transfer. More than 71% resulted in at least one day away from work. In 2022, about a quarter of workplace homicide fatalities occurred while a worker was tending a retail establishment or waiting on customers, and nearly half occurred in a public building. 3 This is not about fear. It is about being honest about environments where public contact, frustration, money, waiting, and access come together.

18 PARKING & MOBILITY | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2026 | PARKING-MOBILITY-MAGAZINE.ORG

STOCK.ADOBE.COM / ZORAN JESIC

Design Should Buy Time A safer office does not have to feel like a fortress. The goal is to give staff time, distance, visibility, and options when a routine interaction stops being routine. A front counter should not trap the employee. Staff should be able to step back, move laterally, reach a phone or duress system, and leave through a secure door without crossing directly in front of the agitated person. Doors to staff-only areas should remain locked. Furniture should not create dead ends. Public chairs should not block staff escape routes. Screens, paperwork, cash drawers, keys, badges, and schedules should not be visible or reachable from the public side. Sightlines matter too. Staff should be able to see who is entering before that person is directly in front of them. Cameras should cover entrances, counters, waiting areas, and exterior approaches where possible. Panic buttons, phones, radios, or other emergency communication systems should be reachable without staff having to lean toward the person causing concern. Does the space help staff make safe decisions, or does it force them to improvise?

Routine Creates Vulnerability Most office safety problems come from small habits that become normal. Someone buzzes people in automatically. Someone leaves a door unlocked because “we are in and out all day.” Someone keeps working while an upset customer becomes increasingly agitated. Someone stays seated because standing up feels rude. Someone turns away while the person at the counter is escalating. Those habits are understandable. Office work is repetitive, and repetition lowers alertness. The fix is a thoughtful routine. If someone becomes agitated, staff should be able to pause the transaction, stand up if safe, step back, keep hands free, and call for help early. Do not allow anyone behind the desk or into staff-only areas. Do not let politeness trap you. Courtesy matters, but safety comes first.

The Stand Up and Step Back Rule One simple office habit can make a major difference: stand up and step back when the interaction changes. When staff remain seated, they are slower to move and easier to trap. A seated position can also make the employee feel stuck when the other person is standing, leaning over the counter, or raising their voice. This does not mean staff should square off. Stand, create space, angle your body, keep hands visible, and use simple

language. The words matter, but the position matters first. Good language works better when the employee has space, an exit, and support.

Quiet Signals and Getting Help Early Office staff need a way to ask for help without making the situation worse. At a front counter, the person causing concern may be standing directly in front of the employee, listening to every word and blocking the most natural exit. That makes a quiet, pre-planned signal important. When I worked patrol, we used a simple version of a preplanned signal: calling your partner or colleague by your own first name. It sounded harmless to anyone else, but your partner knew something was wrong, and they needed to come over or get help. Office staff can use the same concept with a code phrase, chat message, panic button, phone call, or visual cue. Early support is not escalation. It is prevention.

Run, Hide, Fight: Know the Plan Before You Need It Office safety also has to include the worst-case scenario: an active assailant or shooter. This is not something employees should dwell on every day, but it is something staff should understand before they need it. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and federal preparedness guidance commonly frame the response as Run, Hide, Fight: run if there is a safe path out, hide if escape is not possible, and fight only as a last resort when your life is in immediate danger.4 For office staff, this means knowing the exits, rooms that can be locked or barricaded, places to get out of view, how to silence phones, and how to communicate with coworkers during an emergency. The key is planning ahead. In a crisis, people do not rise to the occasion as much as they fall back on what they have practiced. Knowing what to do does not create fear. It creates options.

Information Security is Staff Security Too Office safety is not only about physical violence. It is also about information. Front counters often contain sensitive material: citation appeals, permits, addresses, payment information, visitor logs, records requests, reports, victim information, and internal notes. A person filming in the lobby may not be physically threatening, but they can still pose a risk by capturing information on screens, papers, badges, or in conversations. Staff should lower or lock screens, turn paperwork over, avoid discussing sensitive information within earshot of others, and move confidential conversations away from public areas when possible. Computer monitors should not

PARKING-MOBILITY-MAGAZINE.ORG | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2026 | PARKING & MOBILITY 19

PARKING COMPLIANCE & SAFETY

face the lobby. Printers and shared documents should not be reachable from the public side. A safe office protects both people and information.

Cash, Closing, and Predictable Routines Cash handling deserves brief attention because money changes risk. Even in largely digital offices, staff may still handle payments, deposits, permits, or valuables. Even if they don’t, members of the public may assume they do. Cash drawers should be secured, kept out of public view, and never discussed casually in front of others. Deposits and closing procedures should also remain unpredictable. Opening and closing are particularly vulnerable times. Staffing levels may be lower, doors are being unlocked or secured, and routines can become predictable. Can staff see the entrance, call for help, rely on adequate lighting, and ensure someone knows if they are opening or closing the office alone?

Leadership Sets the Safety Culture Office safety cannot depend only on the employee at the counter. Leaders and supervisors must create the conditions that enable safe choices. If staff are expected to remain polite while being yelled at but are never told when to end an interaction, they may remain in the interaction longer than they should. If a panic button exists, but nobody knows what happens when it is pressed, it is more decoration than safety equipment. Supervisors should make expectations clear before a problem arises. When can staff pause a transaction? When should they get a supervisor? What behavior ends the conversation? What areas are restricted? Who responds when someone uses the quiet signal? These questions do not make an office less welcoming. They make it more professional.

Putting It All Together Office staff safety is not about fear. It is about respect for reality. The front counter, lobby, desk, and phone are frontline spaces too. The people who work there may not be outside in traffic, but they are often the first point of contact for anger, confusion, fear, frustration, and conflict. A safer office gives staff time, distance, visibility, and options. It keeps staff-only areas secure. It protects confidential information. It builds simple habits like standing up, stepping back, keeping hands free, and calling for help early. The goal is not to turn every lobby into a

bunker. The goal is to build a workplace where helpful service and staff safety coexist. That kind of workplace also sends a clear message to the people behind the counter: they are not “just support,” they are not working in the background, and their role is not secondary to the people in the field. Office staff are the first voice, the first face, and often the first steady presence the public encounters when they are frustrated, confused, angry, or afraid. They explain the rules, protect confidential information, solve problems, calm people down, and maintain the balance among access, service, and safety. Their work is just as critical to the organization’s success as any field assignment, because the organization cannot function without them. When we invest in safer offices, clearer procedures, and stronger support, we are doing more than reducing risk. We are showing professional staff that they are valued, trusted, and essential. A prepared and empowered front office is not behind the mission. It is central to it.

Disclaimer This column shares general safety concepts for parking and public-facing professionals and does not replace your agency policies, procedures, legal guidance, facility security standards, workplace violence prevention plans, or training; always follow directives and supervisory instructions. Strategies are not universally applicable; assess local conditions and adapt to your jurisdiction, facilities, staffing, labor agreements, and legal requirements. When in doubt, choose distance, dignity, policy compliance, confidentiality, and appropriate support. REFERENCES 1. Occupational Safety and Health Administration. (n.d.). Workplace violence. U.S. Department of Labor. https://www.osha.gov/workplace-violence 2. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2024, October 8). Workplace violence 2021-2022. U.S. Department of Labor. https://www.bls.gov/iif/factsheets/workplaceviolence-2021-2022.htm 3. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2026, February 19). National census of fatal occupational injuries in 2024. U.S. Department of Labor. https://www.bls. gov/news.release/cfoi.nr0.htm 4. Federal Bureau of Investigation. (n.d.). Active shooter safety resources. U.S. Department of Justice. https://www.fbi.gov/how-we-can-help-you/ active-shooter-safety-resources

NICK NICHOLAS, PECP, is a Captain with the City of Seal Beach, CA, Police Department. He can be reached at nnicholas@sealbeachca.gov.

20 PARKING & MOBILITY | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2026 | PARKING-MOBILITY-MAGAZINE.ORG

When it’s time to park, make it easy to pay Welcoming Discover® Network gives U.S. drivers the freedom to pay and park their way. From credit and debit to tap and swipe, our cards support the secure, modern payment methods consumers trust and expect. By expanding your acceptance to include Discover Network, you’ll connect your business to even more drivers who are ready to spend.

Expand your reach with Discover Network

Our combined global network has 30 network alliances1

378M+ cards that run on our global network2

Our global network facilitated nearly $622B in transaction volume3

Access the Discover Network Acceptance Toolkit to test terminals, order signage, and more.

1. Based on signed Network Alliance Agreements. 2. Total cards include open cards on Discover Network, Diners Club International and network alliances. Based on information provided by network participants, and RBR Data Services published as of 2024. 3. Discover Financial Services Earning Summary, 2024.

HR SPOTLIGHT

From Complaints to Early Signals A New Playbook for Employee Relations By Shelley Majors

OST EMPLOYEE RELATIONS ISSUES don’t start with a formal

complaint. An employee might make a comment that someone hears in passing, or they go to HR just to “document” the issue. Eventually, attendance becomes a problem. Maybe it’s one employee, maybe it’s several, or maybe it’s that one long-term employee you thought would never have issues. Eventually, the manager reaches out because they no longer have control over the situation. At this point, it isn’t just a people problem; it’s an operational problem. In the logistics industry, work is fast-moving, public-facing, and often spread across multiple shifts, locations, and teams. Employees work in various locations, such as garages, field operations, customer service centers, campuses, airports, or enforcement roles. As a result, culture is not experienced in a corporate setting; it’s experienced in pockets. One team may feel supported while another feels ignored. One shift may run smoothly while another burns out. Because of this, employee relations need a new playbook. The goal shouldn’t be to wait for a formal complaint to be filed before taking action. The goal should be for HR and managers to get better at recognizing the warning signs before a situation becomes a crisis. Employee relations issues are rarely invisible. The signs are usually there; we just don’t always pay attention to them. Leaders need to know what those signs are and why early HR involvement can prevent small problems from becoming bigger ones.

Sign One: Conflict The first sign to watch for is conflict. Conflict shows up as continuous tension between the same employees, multiple concerns about one supervisor, repeated requests for schedule changes, or a pattern of “personality conflicts” in the same department. One isolated concern may not tell the whole story. Three or four similar concerns from the same location, shift, or team should get HR’s attention.

Look for clusters and themes. Ask yourself, “Where are the issues coming from?” Are they coming from the same department or location? Are they directed toward the same manager or employee? Are they using the same words — favoritism, disrespect, lack of communication, or unfair workload? When a pattern starts to appear, it doesn’t mean HR needs to launch an investigation; it means HR should start checking in to make sure everything is okay. The first step is to simply talk with the manager or employee before the issue becomes harder to repair.

Sign Two: Burnout The second signal is burnout. In most organizations, burnout manifests as disengagement, performance issues, and attendance issues. Employees call out more often, submit paid time off requests at the last minute, or say they need a mental health day. Someone who once volunteered for extra assignments suddenly stops volunteering. Employees contribute less in meetings or show less patience with customers and coworkers. Instead of looking at each issue individually, HR and leadership should ask what changed over a certain period. Was there an increase in customer complaints? Was staffing different? Did overtime increase? Is there a new manager? Burnout requires more than telling someone to be more resilient; it requires examining manager expectations, workload, staffing levels, and priorities.

22 PARKING & MOBILITY | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2026 | PARKING-MOBILITY-MAGAZINE.ORG

STOCK.ADOBE.COM / IQONCEPT

Sign Three: Micro-cultures The third signal is when one team operates according to its own set of rules, often referred to as a micro-culture. This is the difference between what leadership believes the culture is and what employees experience daily. You may be thinking, “We don’t have that.” The reality is that all organizations have micro-cultures. You can usually spot a micro-culture by the employee who gets away with everything, a department with high turnover, employees who say, “That’s just how it is here,” or exit interviews that repeatedly mention the same manager. Employees judge an organization based on their experiences and then share those experiences with others — just read your company reviews. You don’t need new technology to build an employee relations system that works. Start with the information

that you already have. Review your HRIS data, time-andattendance records, exit interviews, survey comments, ethics reports, performance reviews, and manager feedback. Then look at the information by department, manager, location, and shift. Proactive employee relations is not surveillance; it’s listening better, connecting the dots, and acting sooner. Start with one data source, identify one recurring pattern, and take one proactive action in the next 90 days. ◆ SHELLEY MAJORS is the Owner of Boardwalk Human Resource Consulting. She can be reached at boardwalkhrconsulting@outlook.com.

Save the Date CALL OPENS Oct. 19, 2026 Submit by October 30.

PARKING-MOBILITY-MAGAZINE.ORG| SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2026 | PARKING & MOBILITY 23

ASK THE EXPERTS

What operational practices or innovations will define the next generation of parking programs?

As expectations for parking and mobility services continue to evolve, what operational practices or innovations do you believe will define the next generation of efficient parking programs? Benito O. Pérez, PTMP, AICP, CTP

Zac Ryan

Section Chief, Transit Capital (Northern Section) Illinois Department of Transportation

General Manager, Ground Transportation & Parking YYC Calgary Airport

The next generation of efficient parking (and mobility!) programs will involve capital improvements and operational practices that are inclusive of all users, regardless of any visible or hidden disability. In the transit space, many transit agencies spend a sizeable portion of their operating budget (from 15-50+%) just to provide additional paratransit services. This is because of existing operational and infrastructure systems that are intended for all (i.e., fixedroute transit service, curbside parking) but are not designed/ operated for all users. So, as parking and mobility programs explore their next capacity maturity evolution, looking at ways to innovate and/or exploring opportunities to improve organizational service delivery efficiencies, consider exploring an evaluation of infrastructure and operational practices and determine if there are roadblocks to making your parking and mobility program accessible to all.

The next generation of efficient parking programs will be defined by true ecosystem‑level technology integration. A modern PARCS platform, real‑time occupancy and counting systems, online revenue management tools, guidance and wayfinding, and enhanced security infrastructure can no longer operate as standalone components. They need to function as a unified, data‑driven network. When these systems communicate seamlessly, operators gain the visibility and automation required to optimize flow, improve customer experience, and make smarter operational decisions.

Roamy Valera, PTMP President Reimagined Parking The next generation of efficient parking programs will be defined by a shift from static vehicle storage to dynamic, data-driven mobility hubs. Data-driven asset management will be powered by predictive analytics and AI. A transition from historical reporting to real-time predictive models, where forecasting will identify peak demands, rate adjustments, space allocation, and real-time curb management strategies supporting the complex friction between uses and users.

Kansas Crane National Senior Director of Partnerships LAZ Parking The next generation of efficient parking programs won’t be won with better technology alone — it will be won by operators who solve the real estate problem early. The product works, the demand is real, but finding the right location at the right cost is what quietly kills scale. The operators who treat real estate and mobility partnerships as the starting point — not the afterthought — are the ones who will define what efficiency looks like.

HAVE A QUESTION? Send it to editor@parking-mobility. org and watch this space for answers from the experts. 24 PARKING & MOBILITY | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2026

The opinions and thoughts expressed by the contributors do not necessarily reflect the opinions and viewpoints of the International Parking & Mobility Institute or official policies of IPMI.

Rafael Abanilla, PTMP, PECP

Monice Chavez, PTMP

Senior Vice President Parking Concepts, Inc.

Associate Director California State University, Fullerton

The next generation of efficient parking programs will be defined by operational adaptability, not technology adoption alone. AI, license plate recognition, mobile payment, reservations, enforcement, and real-time data will be critical, but only if they strengthen the operating model. The best programs will integrate systems, improve visibility, protect revenue, and clarify customer experience. Just as important, operators must plan for exceptions: failed payments, access issues, confused customers, event surges, and evolving mobility demands. Smart technology still needs smart operators who can turn data, infrastructure, and field execution into better outcomes.

Jackson Lake Head of Sales, North America flexigo Efficiency in the next generation of parking will come from real-time operations and automation that handle the work staff and spreadsheets handle today. Three innovations stand out. First, flexible service that responds to actual demand: blending prebooked and on-demand trips on the same fleet, allowing capacity to follow riders — including the 3 a.m. shift worker and the late-night traveler — rather than a fixed timetable that often runs nearly empty. Second, AI that removes the friction operators feel most: voice agents that confirm reservations and cut missed trips, automated dispatch, and smart pooling that pairs riders headed the same way. Each of these lightens the load on both staff and parking. Third, data that administrators and riders can trust: commercial-grade telematics for reliable ETAs, live parking availability, and reservations that eliminate circling. The connective tissue is configurability. If a route, schedule, or reservation rule takes weeks to change, the program can’t keep pace with rising expectations. The most efficient programs will be those that adjust hours, measure everything, and let automation handle the routine so teams can focus on riders.

Steven Oakes Vice President of Sales & Marketing EnSight Technologies The next generation of parking programs won’t be defined by one new technology, but by how well different systems work together. When operators have real-time information they can actually use, they can make better decisions, improve efficiency, and respond more quickly as needs change.

Efficiency will continue to be defined by the intersection of new parking technology and traditional customer service standards. Agencies that embrace tools like AI, automated systems, and digitally accessible services while prioritizing human interaction can collect more accurate data, streamline processes, and deliver more satisfactory services to customers. CSUF has applied this practice through an online service request process, allowing the department to better identify customer needs and immediately direct them to the appropriate contact for assistance. This has significantly reduced customer response time while allowing customers to choose their preferred method of communication (online, phone, in person).

Brooke Krieger, MPA Director of Strategic Partnerships Passport The next generation of parking programs will be defined by how effectively they manage curb access, not just parking occupancy. As rideshare, deliveries, and autonomous vehicles increase, the curb is evolving from a place to store vehicles into a platform for movement, commerce, and connectivity. Static regulations will give way to dynamic access systems that allocate curb rights based on user type, location, and demand. The most efficient programs will combine digital permitting, real-time data, and automated compliance to ensure the right vehicle has access to the right curb space at the right time. The future of the curb is managing access, not just parking.

Matthew J. Nelson, MBA Public Parking and Utility Billing Manager City of Sioux Falls The next generation of efficient parking programs will focus on providing the path of least resistance for compliance. As parking payments have evolved from coins to credit cards, mobile apps, and text-to-pay options, agencies must continue adopting technology that simplifies the customer experience. The most successful organizations will emphasize ease of use, consistency across operations, and seamless digital interactions. Innovations such as mobile payments, license platebased enforcement, digital permits, real-time parking information, and integrated mobility platforms will become the expectation rather than the exception, creating a more convenient experience for customers while improving operational efficiency.

26 PARKING & MOBILITY | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2026 | PARKING-MOBILITY-MAGAZINE.ORG

SPONSORED CONTENT

The Parking Ecosystem Gap The Parking Ecosystem Gap: When Good Tools Don’t Work Together The technology available to municipal parking programs today is the most capable it has ever been. Across the whole parking lifecycle, the tools available today are meaningfully more capable than they were a decade ago.

reviewing appeals cannot see full citation histories. Revenue and finance teams are working from exports and spreadsheets, not live data.

And yet many cities are still wrestling with the same operational frustrations: error rates that will not come down, revenue recovery that remains unpredictable, cases that take too long to resolve. The technology became better however, the outcomes did not keep pace.

The instinct when faced with that fragmentation is to start over. It is an understandable response, but replacement is rarely as clean as it looks in

That gap is worth understanding, because the answer is not better individual tools. It is what happens between them.

The Fragmentation Problem Is Hiding in Plain Sight Most cities did not build their parking technology through a single strategic decision. They built it incrementally: a new enforcement app here, a payment processor there, a permit system added a few years later. Each decision, made in isolation, was entirely reasonable. The result is a collection of capable, often well-functioning systems that do not work together. Officers issuing citations cannot verify permit status in real-time. Adjudicators

The data exists. It just does not flow.

What a Connected Ecosystem Actually Looks Like A well-connected parking operation shares data across every stage of the parking lifecycle, from the moment an officer approaches a vehicle through to final resolution, whether that ends in payment, appeal, or collections. When a citation is issued, the evidence attached to it is immediately available to every function that needs it. An adjudicator reviewing a dispute sees the same photographs, timestamps, and location data that the officer captured. A

The at works. h w e c la rep is not to The goal it. connect

practice. Teams get disrupted, money gets spent fixing things that were not broken, and vendor relationships that were genuinely performing get discarded. The goal is not to replace what works. The goal is to connect it.

goal is to

collections team pursuing an unpaid fine has full visibility into the citation history and any prior appeal. Nothing has to be manually transferred or reentered. The record is complete because the systems that created it were built to share it. Many cities lose recoverable income not because their collections processes are weak, but because cases arrive at collections incomplete. Missing

documentation and gaps in the citation record reduce the likelihood of successful recovery. A connected operation closes those gaps before cases ever leave enforcement, which means collections teams are working with stronger cases from the start.

The Ecosystem Question Cities Should Be Asking

When data flows across the full lifecycle, decisions get made with full context, evidence is auditable from the moment it is captured, and accountability becomes something the system delivers rather than something managers have to chase.

Sometimes the answer points to a system that needs upgrading. More often, it points to the connections between systems, the places where data should flow but does not. Cities that

The right question cities should ask is not “which vendor should we consolidate on?” but “where are the gaps in our operational data, and what do those gaps cost us?”

approach modernization this way target change where it creates the most value and build toward an operation that works as a whole. A connected parking operation does not require every tool to come from the same provider. It requires tools designed to integrate. The strongest technology partners do their part well, integrate cleanly, and make the ecosystem stronger.

” date on? li o s n o c uld we cost us?” ndor sho s e p v a h g ic e h s ot “ w do tho ld ask is n l data, and what u o h s s ie cit tiona question our opera in s p a The right g re are the but “ whe

Introducing Kurbis

Kurbis is a parking product ecosystem built by Trellint for US cities, designed to support the full parking lifecycle from enforcement through to collections. It integrates with the vendors cities already rely on, preserving what is working and connecting what is not, without requiring a rip-and-replace approach. For cities dealing with high dispute rates, unpredictable revenue recovery, or operational complexity that has outgrown the technology supporting it, Kurbis provides genuine data continuity across every stage of the lifecycle. The gaps that create the most risk and cost get closed without disrupting the systems and relationships already in place. The result is an operation that is more accurate, more auditable, and better positioned for whatever comes next. TM

If your city is wrestling with fragmentation, Kurbis can show you exactly where the gaps are and what closing them looks like in practice. Find out more today at www.trellint.com.

Why Successful EV Installations Start with Smarter Planning By Jason Bolduc

HE LAST TIME I CHECKED, 4-star hotels aren’t planning on installing drive-thrus anytime

soon. In the same way, a favorite quickserve chicken restaurant isn’t installing beds and conference rooms. It’s a silly thought, but the reality is that each business understands its customers, why they are there, and what they expect. Their offerings are tailored to those needs, creating a consistent experience. As electric vehicle (EV) charging becomes more prevalent, many parking facilities have felt pressure to install charging stations. Moving too quickly and installing 10 “fast” chargers could leave a parking operation in the same position as a burger joint adding a $75 filet mignon to its menu — spending a lot of money on something customers do not want or expect. On the other hand, many parking operations have found that a carefully planned installation has helped them compete for parkers by positioning themselves as a beneficial amenity.

Watt’s Your “Why”? The first question parking owners and operators should ask is, “Why?” That question will help focus efforts on the key factors driving the installation, ensuring the facility receives the greatest possible benefits from the chargers. Whether it’s driven by customer requests, competition from other facilities,

sustainability goals, or any number of other reasons, the end goal should be concise and easy to understand. The first planning consideration should be the types of parkers a facility serves and how long they typically stay. Most vehicles at airports are parked for multiple days, making DC fast chargers (DCFCs) a less efficient fit because vehicles could remain connected long after reaching the charge level needed for their return trip. Conversely, visitors to retail outlets who make frequent, short visits would find little value in a Level 1 charger, which which would barely provide about 20 miles of range during a typical visit. By matching charging levels to both the average length of stay and the miles typically needed per recharge, facilities can maximize charger utilization while minimizing costs. Beyond the facility’s parking patterns, regional market conditions should also influence charging decisions. The U.S. Department of Energy has data on the number of EVs on the road

38 PARKING & MOBILITY | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2026 | PARKING-MOBILITY-MAGAZINE.ORG

in each state, but adoption rates can vary significantly between urban and rural areas. Densely populated urban zones may see fewer miles driven per week, particularly when other mobility options are available. Electric vehicle adoption continues to grow, although market growth varies by region, vehicle availability, incentives, and consumer preferences. Interestingly, rather than a shift back toward internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles, the largest market share increase in the last year has been among non-plug-in hybrids.

physically accommodated within the facility. Chargers can place a heavy strain on a building’s infrastructure and the local grid, and existing locations may require expensive upgrades to provide the necessary power. In some cases, simply getting enough power to the building can be a difficult task in itself; the local utility may not be willing to extend service to the facility. Recent code updates in many municipalities also include EV requirements related to ADA-compliant parking spaces, adding another layer of complexity to facility compliance.

Get Amped — But Stay Grounded

The Path of Least Resistance — Designing for Real-World Use

Many municipalities now require a certain number of EV charging stations or EV-ready spaces with infrastructure in place to support future chargers, but these requirements typically apply only to new construction. For existing facilities, the next step is determining whether the desired number and type of EV chargers can be

A defined approach to layout and design considerations should complement the technical components of an EV charging project. EV chargers should generally be located as close as possible to electrical infrastructure, whether existing or planned, to minimize

PARKING-MOBILITY-MAGAZINE.ORG | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2026 | PARKING & MOBILITY 39

CHARGING AHEAD

The reality is that infrastructure costs typically far exceed electricity costs. When planned correctly, scaling charging operations in the future becomes extremely efficient and cost-effective. Shifting Currents — EV Growth and Demand

capital costs and reduce the potential for errors. Local fire marshals are increasingly having a major say in where chargers are located, and fire code requirements are expected to be updated in the near term, significantly affecting charger locations and fire protection provisions. Additionally, providing accessible EV charging that complies with ADA requirements, building codes such as the International Building Code (IBC), and state and local regulations can be challenging, as these standards continue to evolve with increasing knowledge of charging. Functional facility design is another consideration in charging station placement. These factors can include:

costs align with overall utilization. If infrastructure is planned correctly, a much smaller number of chargers can be installed initially. Based on data gathered from actual utilization, expansion into a larger charging program can be more targeted and effective. Therefore, design plans should include a smaller, targeted initial deployment, when possible, while also anticipating future expansion through strategically placed conduit and infrastructure. The reality is that infrastructure costs typically far exceed electricity costs. When planned correctly, scaling charging operations in the future becomes extremely efficient and cost-effective.

Can customers easily find them? Are they convenient for the destination without affecting the convenience of other customers? ● Will it affect the vehicle flow through the facility? ● Are the stations accessible to people with disabilities as well as other users? ● ●

Capacity Counts — Build for Now, Plan for Later Right-sizing a charging program is vital to ensuring that upfront and future operating

40 PARKING & MOBILITY | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2026 | PARKING-MOBILITY-MAGAZINE.ORG

So, what will the state of EV charging look like in 10 years? That’s a difficult question to answer, and one that can vary greatly from region to region. EV growth is steady but not necessarily linear, which is why a gradual expansion of charging capacity is the preferred approach. The rate of growth will be heavily influenced by vehicle cost, available incentives, consumer concerns about driving range, and access to charging infrastructure. Technology trends may provide a better gauge than adoption rates, as they let us compare similar technological advances across everything from cell phones to internet access to manufacturing. Every region adopts new technology at varying rates and in different ways, so

Monitoring the utilization and performance of charging stations will allow operators to align future expansion with actual user behavior and adjust infrastructure as needed over time. understanding these patterns can help inform a more effective long-term plan. Consumer spending habits will also play an important role, particularly in the types of EVs purchased. Battery component prices remain high, and driving range continues to be a concern for many buyers. These factors have increased interest in hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), which do not require charging, and extended range EVs, which pair plug-in capability with a combustion engine to achieve ranges exceeding 500 miles. Many view these vehicles as a temporary bridge until battery costs decline and conventional plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) become more affordable.

Staying Charged — Pulling It All Together When operators right-size the initial

installation, achieving peak utilization becomes much more likely, resulting in a significantly faster ramp-up. If operators fail to track progress, however, all their efforts to scale efficiently will become moot. A “set it and forget it” approach will take away the most powerful tool for future expansion: real-world data that applies directly to the facility. Monitoring the utilization and performance of charging stations will allow operators to align future expansion with actual user behavior and adjust infrastructure as needed over time. Avoiding upfront overinvestment also gives operators the flexibility to adapt as technology evolves, user behavior changes, and policies shift in ways that may benefit or challenge the facility. Operators should also be aware that many charging network deals will not provide data from chargers on the property unless the operator

demands that appropriate reports be made accessible when contracting for the equipment. Above all else, don’t automatically make charging free. Everyone loves free, and sure it can help drive initial utilization, but establishing pricing early supports cost recovery and helps prevent user backlash if/when converting to fees for charging later — which can make charging even minimal amounts almost impossible. Parking owners and operators should carefully evaluate whether a pricing structure makes sense for their facility, as customers may already be prepared to pay. By conducting careful research, starting small, planning for expansion, and tracking progress regularly, parking owners and operators can ensure their facilities’ EV charging programs will remain highpowered and ready for the future. ◆ JASON BOLDUC is a Parking Operations Consultant with Walker Consultants. He can be reached at jbolduc@ walkerconsultants.com.

PARKING-MOBILITY-MAGAZINE.ORG | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2026 | PARKING & MOBILITY 41

Celebrating Organizational Excellence Join us in celebrating the newest recipients of IPMI’s Accredited Parking Organization (APO) designation! These organizations have demonstrated a commitment to excellence, innovation, and industry best practices in parking and mobility. Their achievement reflects the dedication and leadership that continue to move our industry forward. Congratulations to our newest APO recipients!

Accredited through 2029

Accredited through 2027

Want to learn more about the APO program and start your accreditation process? Scan now.

The Rising Cost The Rising Cost of Parking of Parking Why Parking Management Will Become More Important Than Ever

Why Parking Management Will Become More Important Than Ever By Ellen Schwartz

By Ellen Schwartz

NEW ANALYSIS FROM the UCLA Center for Parking Policy

provides updated estimates for the cost of constructing parking spaces in 17 U.S. cities.1 Since 2012, parking construction costs have increased at roughly 50% of the rate of general inflation. As costs increase, cities across the country are reconsidering, and often repealing, minimum parking requirements. What does this mean for parking management? Updating Donald Shoup’s Parking Cost Estimates In 2014, Donald Shoup authored a book chapter titled The High Cost of Minimum Parking Requirements.2 In it, he calculated the average cost of a structured parking space (excluding land costs) in cities across the country and combined building and parking cost data with minimum parking requirements to estimate how much the required parking increased total construction costs. Years later, his construction cost estimates remained widely cited in policy discussions. Shoup’s analysis relied on 2012 data from Rider Levett Bucknall (RLB), an international consulting firm specializing in real estate construction cost estimates. At the UCLA Center for Parking Policy, we recently replicated Shoup’s methodology using 2025 RLB data3 to provide updated per-space construction cost estimates for underground and aboveground parking structures, as well as updated construction cost impacts attributable to required parking for office buildings and shopping centers. The UCLA Report also expands on Shoup’s analysis by calculating the impact of minimum parking requirements on total construction costs for apartments of varying sizes.

44 PARKING & MOBILITY | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2026 | PARKING-MOBILITY-MAGAZINE.ORG

ISTOCKPHOTO / KRIZZDAPAUL

The Increasing Cost of Parking Construction

Construction Cost per Parking Structure Space in 17 U.S. Cities

Construction costs have increased dramatically since 2012, even after adjusting for inflation. Underground parking now averages $73,000 per space, while aboveground structured parking averages $52,000 per space, excluding land and soft costs. Several factors help explain this rapid increase in costs, including rising labor and materials costs and additional regulatory requirements, such as seismic standards, enhanced design standards, and electric vehicle charging requirements. Even within cities, costs can vary significantly across sites based on factors such as seismic risk, soil conditions, water table depth, and site configuration. To account for this, RLB reports both high and low estimates for each real estate category in each city. We averaged the high and low estimates. The average cost for an underground parking space ranged from $40,000 in Washington, D.C., to $111,000 in Portland, Oregon, while the average cost of an above-ground structured parking space ranged from $29,000 in Washington, D.C., and Phoenix, Arizona, to $99,000 in Portland.

The Costs of Minimum Parking Requirements Across the United States, city zoning rules require a minimum number of parking spaces for every type of building, obligating anyone building new housing or commercial space to also expand the city’s parking supply. In built-out cities where land costs are high, developers often meet minimum parking requirements with structured parking rather than surface lots. The UCLA report combines building and parkingstructure cost data from RLB with the corresponding minimum parking requirements to show how these requirements can increase total construction costs across different building types. For cities with available data, we analyze how parking requirements affect costs

Note. Calculated using per-square-foot cost estimates from Rider Levett Bucknall (2025). Image source: Schwartz (2026), No Such Thing as Free Parking: Construction Costs in 17 U.S. Cities, licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0.

across three types of development: office buildings, shopping centers, and multifamily housing.

Office Buildings and Shopping Centers On average, for both office buildings and shopping centers, required parking represents 39% of total construction costs when provided underground and 31% when provided in an aboveground structure. Although construction costs vary by city, higher parking minimums are generally associated with a larger share of total construction costs attributable to required parking. For office buildings, required parking accounts for the largest share of total construction costs in Miami, which has both above-average parking construction costs (likely driven in part by the need for flood and hurricane resilience) and relatively high parking minimums. For shopping centers, required parking represents the largest share of total construction costs in Nashville, which has the highest minimums among the sample cities, with a requirement of five parking spaces per 1,000 square feet of building space.

Average Cost per Space 2012

2012 (Inflation-Adjusted)

2025

Cost Increase between 2012 (Inflation-Adjusted) and 2025

Underground

$34,000

$47,600

$73,000

53%

Aboveground

$24,000

$33,600

$52,000

55%

Parking Structure Type

Note. While the 2025 RLB data covers 17 cities, the 2012 dataset includes only 12. Restricting the 2025 analysis to the original 12 cities yields similar results, with construction cost increases of 50% for underground parking and 51% for aboveground parking. 2012 values are from Shoup (2014) and based on 2012 Q3 RLB data. They were adjusted for inflation to September 2025 dollars using the CPI-U (FRED series CPIAUCSL).4 2025 values were calculated using 2025 Q3 RLB data.

PARKING-MOBILITY-MAGAZINE.ORG | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2026 | PARKING & MOBILITY 45

THE RISING COST OF PARKING

Apartments and Condominiums Most cities (except Honolulu in this sample) do not base parking requirements for apartments on square footage, as they do for offices and shopping centers. Instead, residential parking requirements are typically set per unit and often scaled by the number of bedrooms. To calculate an apartment’s construction cost and compare it with the cost of its required parking, we need the apartment’s size. We performed exploratory calculations using the following representative unit sizes: Studios: 450 square feet One-bedroom: 750 square feet ● Two-bedroom: 1,100 square feet ● Three-bedroom: 1,350 square feet ● ●

As shown in the charts below, required parking adds tens of thousands of dollars to the construction cost of each apartment. Because cities often require more parking for larger units, the average cost of required parking is higher for a two-bedroom Required Parking as a Share of Total Construction Costs for Office Buildings

apartment than for a studio. However, required parking represents a larger share of total construction costs for smaller apartments, which may discourage their construction.

From Parking Mandates to Parking Management The high cost of parking is prompting many cities to reconsider minimum parking requirements. The majority of the 17 cities in the RLB report have either fully or partially lifted these mandates in recent years, almost always citing high construction costs as a key reason for reform. One legacy of minimum parking requirements is a widespread oversupply of parking, resulting in most parking being free and rendering parking management largely unnecessary. However, as more cities lift minimum parking requirements and some developers provide less parking, the incentive to manage existing parking more efficiently will grow, and parking management will become relevant in more locations. In The High Cost of Free Parking, Donald Shoup explained how cities could eliminate minimum parking requirements without creating shortages or spillover problems by pricing parking based Construction Costs Attributable to Required Parking for a 450 Sq Ft Studio and 1,100 Sq Ft 2-Bedroom

Required Parking as a Share of Total Construction Costs for Shopping Centers

46 PARKING & MOBILITY | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2026 | PARKING-MOBILITY-MAGAZINE.ORG

$ on demand.5 Several cities already use demand-based pricing programs that vary prices by block, zone, or time of day. These programs use flexible pricing to keep spaces well-used — but not completely full — allowing drivers to easily find an open spot. To date, demand-based pricing has been applied only to hourly parking, but cities could also benefit from setting residential permit prices based on demand. Parking management will also become increasingly relevant for private parking owners. In areas of high demand, monetizing excess parking capacity is becoming more worthwhile. Surplus spaces can be opened to the public, and local businesses can partner with nearby apartment buildings to offer paid overnight parking options to residents. New buildings will have more reason to adopt technologies that improve efficiency, such as allowing tenants to sublease their dedicated spots when away and making visitor parking available to other residents’ guests. Increased parking management will also heighten the need for enforcement to ensure spaces are used as intended and that pricing policies or shared parking agreements function effectively. Cities and private operators will need systems to monitor compliance and handle violations.

ISTOCKPHOTO / CREATIVAIMAGES

Conclusion Parking costs are rising, prompting many cities to reconsider their minimum requirements to reduce barriers to new homes and businesses. Lifting parking minimums will not reshape cities overnight, but in the long run, this policy trend will increase the need for strong parking management and enforcement programs. The expertise and innovation of parking and mobility professionals will play a key role in helping cities transition smoothly from minimums to management. ◆ REFERENCES 1. Ellen Schwartz, No Such Thing as Free Parking: Construction Costs in 17 U.S. Cities (UCLA Center for Parking Policy, 2026), https://parking.ucla.edu/. 2. Rider Levett Bucknall, North American Construction Cost Report: Third Quarter 2025 (2025). 3. Donald C. Shoup, “The High Cost of Minimum Parking Requirements,” in Parking: Issues and Policies, ed. Greg Marsden (Emerald Group Publishing, 2014). 4. Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, “Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: All Items in U.S. City Average (CPIAUCSL),” FRED, https://fred. stlouisfed.org/series/CPIAUCSL. 5. Donald C. Shoup, The High Cost of Free Parking (Chicago: Planners Press, 2005).

ELLEN SCHWARTZ is the Manager of the UCLA Center for Parking Policy. She can be reached at ellenschwartz@ucla.edu.

PARKING-MOBILITY-MAGAZINE.ORG | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2026 | PARKING & MOBILITY 47

Making Change in New England By Jason Schrieber, AICP

How Lowell Overcame Parking Politics to Build a Modern, Demand-Based System

Making Change in New England

How Lowell Overcame Parking Politics to Build a Modern, Demand-Based System By Jason Schrieber, AICP

48 PARKING & MOBILITY | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2026 | PARKING-MOBILITY-MAGAZINE.ORG

HANGE IS HARD, especially in a city that is also a national historical park and

a living testament to the challenges behind America’s nineteenth-century industrial revolution. Gritty yet productive, cramped yet beautiful, and always driven by the aspirations of its diverse workforce, Lowell today is an active reflection of its history. Brick mills, canals, and industrial railways are still hemmed in by the river that gave the city life and power, coexisting with the energy of a multi-ethnic working-class suburb. Located less than an hour from Boston by train, Lowell has long been a refuge for more affordable urban housing in its industrial lofts. This century has brought relentless growth: the renovation of nearly every mill, the construction of thousands of nearby infill units, the rapid expansion of the state’s flagship engineering university, and the continued draw of visitors to arena hockey, the Triple-A Red Sox stadium, the Folk Festival, and the foods and culture of Cambodia, Puerto Rico, Vietnam, and many others. Yet, much like the confines of its historic streets, canals, and mills, Lowell has historically resisted major change. The city has embraced its identity as an edgy yet stable and proud community, even as it faces the growing pressures of more students, more visitors, and more homeowners. Developing new practices has not always been easy. As with so many cities facing development and

visitation pressure, parking becomes a pressure point and the lackey for other wrongs, especially when it becomes hard to find. While City staff have relentlessly improved walking and biking conditions and Lowell’s transit agencies have expanded train and bus service over the decades, thousands of downtown residents rely on their cars. Beginning in the 1970s, Lowell began building shared parking structures downtown to serve the dense parcels that could not possibly provide their own parking. The efficiency of this approach led to continued evolution and new developments. Today, the City operates six large garages with more than 6,000 spaces within an area of less than one-half square mile — a portfolio larger than that of many long-established parking authorities. The City offers hourly and daily pricing, as well as monthly pass programs, to accommodate the wide range of users at each facility. Transient pricing is

A pay-by-space signpost in Lowell from 2009

Downtown Lowell’s demand-responsive pay-by-plate system replaced flat pay-by-space pricing in 2025

LEFT: ISTOCKPHOTO / PEETERV

PARKING-MOBILITY-MAGAZINE.ORG | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2026 | PARKING & MOBILITY 49

MAKING CHANGE IN NEW ENGLAND

The 2020 study mapped detailed parking utilization across over 43,000 spaces

continued to support mill and infill residential development, aside from two core garages used by downtown employees, they did not attract many other users. With a one-sizefits-all approach, natural variations in parking patterns were not well accommodated. However, this approach was politically viable, helping tiered in “Shoupian” style, with prime core to fend off complaints and deflect criticism in garages at $2 per hour (with a very Don the service of egalitarianism. Dictated by the Shoup-friendly 30-minute free perk), while City Council, such an approach was certainly rates lower to $1.50 or $1.00 outside the core the most commonly seen in downtowns across to reflect demand. Surrounding streets are America, and it worked poorly, generating years Terry Ryan priced higher at $2.50, $2.00, or $1.50 per hour, Parking Director, of complaints — just like so many other places. Lowell again depending on demand. The City clearly Despite the politics, the Council and certainly outlines its Demand Pricing Model, which targets the City’s staff knew better. But, as with most things in Shoup’s “Goldilocks” utilization rate of 85% and adjusts Lowell, change is hard, and the most politically expedient rates quarterly as needed. answer sufficed despite the negative impact on visitation To be clear for the casual reader, this is a modern and the economy. The 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, parking system that applies customer-friendly best however, created an unexpected opportunity for change. practices citywide, resulting in few complaints and a Just a few months into his new role, Ryan recognized supportive system for Lowell’s growing visitation. In a that the City’s aging pay-by-space parking system would place resistant to change, how did this happen? benefit from modernization. He successfully made the “Let’s just say it’s been a long road,” reflects Lowell’s case with the City Council to upgrade what was then the parking director, Terry Ryan. state’s largest on-street pay-by-space system to a pay-byThree years ago, Lowell had flat pricing, hundreds of plate system with mobile payment capabilities. people on wait lists, and residents parking on sidewalks While there was broad support for modernizing the throughout their neighborhoods. Downtown on-street technology, there was understandable hesitation about parking was difficult to find, and garages were exceeding changing the long-standing flat parking rate — $1.50 100% permit sales with no transients. Where residents per hour at the time — that had been in place citywide, lobbied for parking protection, permits for parking on including garages. This reflected a 2018 increase from their own street were issued free of charge, so they were the previous rate of only $1.00 per hour, which had often oversubscribed on any given block. A per-household been in place since the early 1990s. Monthly garage front-door space reservation system was instituted passes were also capped at $100 after years at only $64 with official City signage, but because these spaces were per month, and further proposals to adjust them with offered at below-cost rates of only $10 per year, nearly inflation were lambasted by permit holders, who decried 3,000 privately signed on-street spaces had popped up. enforcement and the poorly lit, dusty core garages. Parking was the third rail of any improvement To release the shackles of politics-based parking the city tried to institute. While the shared garages management, a new citywide evidence-based strategy

50 PARKING & MOBILITY | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2026 | PARKING-MOBILITY-MAGAZINE.ORG

MAKING CHANGE IN NEW ENGLAND

was needed. The pandemic gave leaders and pundits a moment data-informed framework for managing Lowell’s parking to pause and collectively seek improvements. City staff quickly system. “Regardless of the facts, convincing politicians to give seized the opportunity and initiated a $225,000 consultantup their control took tremendous patience,“ says Ryan. led, comprehensive review of more than 43,000 parking spaces Besides the new tiered hourly parking rates, garage rates in and near downtown. The effort was intended to finally rose nearly to market rates of $130 per month. Resident give Ryan and his colleagues the justification to manage the permits were no longer free and included the perk of opening system better, particularly by tackling the flagging residential up the entire neighborhood to find a space, rather than limiting problems. residents to only their own street. This enabled a quadrupling While COVID-19 offered an opportunity to consider of the reserved parking program to $120 per year, actually making a change, it did not provide the covering much of its cost. normal parking conditions needed to Two years in, successes abound. count cars and identify pressure points. On-street rates have been adjusted Thousands of workers were staying nearly every quarter, and monitoring Lowell was not the first city at home, and visitation was limited. continues to show a more even in Massachusetts to Instead, the consultants used hourly utilization citywide, with overall implement demandlocation-based service (LBS) data revenues climbing year to year as derived from aggregated smartphone visitation rises. Reserved residential responsive parking reforms, samples, which were then calibrated signs are slowly going away, and but it is among the most to historic noontime aerial counts and residential demand is better successful to date — a great City garage records. This allowed them balanced — though the habit of accomplishment in a place to develop an accurate accounting of parking on sidewalks may take longer midday and overnight peak parking to dissipate. so resistant to change. utilization, mapped to every on-street Importantly, garage utilization segment, public garage, and private lot. is up while complaints are down. Through hours of online meetings Ryan’s team has had the resources and many resident virtual workshops conducted in multiple to make pay-by-plate the standard citywide, including for languages, the consultants painted a picture that staff knew monthly permit holders, simplifying and speeding up garage all too well: downtown had zones of high demand and many transactions. New revenues have been reinvested to fix the pockets of underutilized space. A couple of garages were nearly broken lights, improve maintenance, and install new kiosks full at midday, while others never got busy. Overnight across downtown. Enforcement is less criticized and more neighborhood demand was high, but capacity remained, efficient. often just around the corner on a different street. Visualizing Lowell was not the first city in Massachusetts to implement and sharing this data proved highly valuable — the parking demand-responsive parking reforms, but it is among the most politics of Lowell were going to change because the facts successful to date — a great accomplishment in a place so showed the system was not working. resistant to change. Salem also overcame great opposition to As the data, findings, and recommendations were change and instituted similar parking policies in 2010, becoming shared, they gradually gained support from a broad range of a model for many other municipalities. Much of Salem’s stakeholders, including many who had initially expressed downtown revitalization may be credited to making these reservations about changing the City’s approach to parking. customer-friendly parking changes, and Lowell could be next. For Ryan and his team, this represented the culmination The systems and rules are in place to adapt to development and of a thoughtful, three-year process of engaging merchants, parking pressures so that complaints are few and availability residents, and elected officials. Throughout that time, the is high. This may be just the kind of change that Lowell can team consistently shared parking utilization data, garage embrace. ◆ performance reports, and operational analyses while demonstrating how modern parking technology could help JASON SCHRIEBER, AICP, is a Senior Principal achieve the City Council’s goals. at Stantec. He can be reached at jason.schreiber@ stantec.com. Their patient, transparent approach ultimately led to the Council’s 2024 authorization for staff to adjust parking rates in response to demand, creating a more flexible and

52 PARKING & MOBILITY | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2026 | PARKING-MOBILITY-MAGAZINE.ORG

What’s Your Next Step? I pursued PTMP to better serve my clients. What I discovered was something even more valuable: a profession that challenged me to think differently, lead with purpose, and make a greater impact on the communities I serve. Marlin Jackson PTMP, PECP

Parking and Mobility Services Manager,

The Village of Oak Park 2026 Exclusive Sponsor

Scan the qr-code to find out why Marlin earned his PTMP and how it impacted his career.

PRESENTS THE

2026-2027 Board of Directors CHAIR

CHAIR-ELECT

Maria Irshad, PTMP, MPA

JC Porter, PTMP

Deputy Director City of Houston (ParkHouston)

Director, Commuter Services/TDM Arizona State University

HOUSTON, TX

TEMPE, AZ

TREASURER

PAST CHAIR

Carmen Donnell, PTMP

Alejandra Argudin, MBA, PTMP, LEED AP

Managing Director PayByPhone, Vancouver BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA

Chief Executive Officer Miami Parking Authority MIAMI, FL

54 PARKING & MOBILITY | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2026 | PARKING-MOBILITY-MAGAZINE.ORG

BOARD MEMBERS

Dean Ahmad

Alyssa Alt

Josh Cantor, PTMP

Julie Dixon

Vice President, Transportation Business Unit DFW International Airport

Division Manager Parking Enterprise

Director of Parking & Transportation George Mason University

President Dixon Resources Unlimited

CITY OF COLORADO SPRINGS, CO

DALLAS, TX

FULLERTON, CA

FAIRFAX, VA

Brandy DuFon. PTMP

Brian Favela

Irma Henderson, PTMP

Tony Jiang

VP, State & Local Market Development FLASH

Director of Parking and Transportation University of South Carolina

Director of Transportation Services, University of California, Riverside

President Sunsea Parking Industry Group

LAS VEGAS, NV

COLUMBIA, SC

RIVERSIDE, CA

Shawn McCormick

Gabe Mendez, PTMP

Josh Stone, PTMP

Shawn Conrad, CAE

Director Parking Enforcement & Traffic, SF City and County

Director of Transportation Operations, University of Wisconsin, Madison

Executive Director, Parking and Transportation Services, Virginia Commonwealth University

CEO International Parking & Mobility Institute

SAN FRANCISCO, CA

MADISON, WI

RICHMOND, VA

FREDERICKSBURG, VA

BEIJING, CHINA

PARKING-MOBILITY-MAGAZINE.ORG | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2026 | PARKING & MOBILITY 55

PRESENTS THE

2026–2027 Certification Board CHAIR

PAST CHAIR

CHAIR-ELECT

Vanessa Solesbee, PTMP, CCTM

Sam Veraldi, PTMP

Victor Hill, PTMP

Principal Planner Dixon Resources Unlimited

President Strategic Advisors Management, Inc.

Mobility and Transportation Planner Walker Consultants

ESTES PARK, CO

RALEIGH, NC

ROCKVILLE, MD

BOARD MEMBERS

Jonathan Haney, PTMP

Melissa K. Jones, PTMP

Executive Director Allentown Parking Authority

Director of Customer Experience Tez Technology

ALLENTOWN, PA

KENNESAW, GA

Laura Lierz, PTMP Vice President, Municipal & Educational Services Reimagined Parking WESTMINSTER, CO

56 PARKING & MOBILITY | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2026 | PARKING-MOBILITY-MAGAZINE.ORG