Board Perspective

This month’s issue of Parking & Mobility magazine focuses on future trends in our industry. There are many topics that have our community buzzing, and the future success of our organizations depends on our ability to keep up. Here are a few of the topics I see having the most impact as we look toward the future of parking, mobility, and technology:

Curb Management

Ok, I know we’ve talked about this topic a lot in the past only to be accelerated ten-fold during the pandemic. However, as an industry, we have a long way to go. There is a lot more to do and accomplish around curb management. The use of sensors at the curb has been experimented with and utilized in many situations. Now, cameras with artificial intelligence are being used in the on-street environment and several pilots and actual practices are in place to charge delivery vehicles of all types for their micro-use of the curb. This is coming on fast, but many communities still have old policies/regulations in place that do not allow for charging in loading zones or parking citations being issued by mail rather than on the windshield. Look for advancements in this area to happen rapidly.

Data Aggregation & Management

We’ve been talking about data, data, data for more than a decade in our industry. There have been some front runners around APIs and aggregation of data, and many organizations and their customers have benefited greatly. Still, as an industry, we are far from being where we could be in the realm of data mining, and more importantly, the use of data for real actionable decisions, policy influence, and public transparency.

Asset Light

The use of hardware is decreasing in all industries, and ours is no different. Most of the manufacturers of meters and PARCS equipment as well as paper ticket suppliers have moved into some sort of software, app, or virtual world to support their existing customers and gain new ones as organizations look to rely less on hardware and more on software. This trend will more than likely escalate quickly in the near future.

Payment Apps

Mobile payment technologies are front and center, and usage in both on-street and off-street environments continues to increase. Communities and campuses are accepting multiple mobile payment platforms to better serve their customers, especially those who travel and have a favorite app already installed on their mobile devices. Text-to-park has seen a strong increase over the past year or two and doesn’t show signs of slowing. The future of mobile payments lies in two areas from my perspective: in-vehicle payments and GPS-based payments. Both already exist, but most auto OEMs have only recently added these features to their in-dash systems. That means many car owners do not have these features—yet. Whether it’s a mobile device or a vehicle, anytime we can remove some of the steps or friction from making a payment the customer benefits. Soon we will not have to enter a meter number or a location number as the app will know where you are, and you can just start your transaction and it can end when you pull away.

Public Outreach

This is one area that is ripe for advancement. Public outreach comes in many forms, but the more we can rely on technology the better. Many companies and organizations rely on mass media, but most have shifted to digital media including social media to help get the word out about their products or programs. Is that enough? To manage demand, for example, how can we let customers know that meters or facilities in one area are more costly than in another area? Or, how do we best let drivers know about road closures or delays on their way to an event or on their commute to work or school? Intelligent Transportation Systems are increasing in their usage and impact, and some communities are already working with apps like Waze or Google to communicate in a crisis or to encourage carpooling etc.

Employee Relations

The use of technology for employee recruitment, relations, and retention has expanded greatly and will continue to do so in the future. How we find the best candidates, onboard, train, embrace, encourage, and create opportunities for advancement has shifted in so many ways due to technology. If you want to be relevant you must jump on this bandwagon.

EV Charging & EV Parking

I’m separating the electric vehicle conversation into two buckets as some EV owners may charge at home and then park in our facilities, while others may park with us to charge their vehicles. We need to be prepared for both. We have realized that many of our above-grade facilities may not be designed to withstand the weight of many EV vehicles which typically weigh over 30% more than non-EVs, requiring a change in how we design and upgrade these facilities.

Parking Facility Design/Mobility Hubs

A few years ago, our industry engineers and architects rightfully began to educate us about the adaptive reuse of parking facilities – the idea of repurposing a facility that was once a parking facility into something else like housing or office space. Generally, this topic has been discussed in dense metropolitan areas with very high land values, etc., but I predict these practices will become more mainstream in the coming years. Existing parking facilities can be converted into mobility hubs even now, and I believe we’ll see more of that sooner than later.

Funding Sources

Finally, as an industry, we must figure out how to pay for all of this. Some topics mentioned above, such as the “asset light” concept and the use of digital solutions, may save us money on maintenance, but many of our future solutions and enhancements will require additional funding that may need to come from some non-traditional practices, including offering high-level service at a higher price. VIP parking and reservations with higher pricing for the popular spaces close to the elevator, stairs, or exits are just a few ways to do this. We also need to think about advertising again: how can we generate more income through advertisements on our websites, in our apps, or on our vehicles or facilities? I realize many government entities are not allowed to advertise, so maybe we can be more creative in other ways like leasing out unused parking spaces for non-traditional uses.

What do you think? What do you see as the future trends impacting our industry?

I hope to see all of you at the IPMI conference. If we haven’t met, please grab me and introduce yourself. I look forward to it! ◆