Business Impact:

  • Cost Optimization

  • Operational Efficiency

A city is an intricately connected ecosystem. And, when that city is one of the most car-centric environments in the world, parking plays a crucial role in any redevelopment efforts.

“Our retail partners are communicating to us [that parking is affecting business].”

– Senior Project Manager

Business Description:

Despite being home to one of the most famous family-friendly attractions in the world, this area’s downtown suffered the same exodus of businesses to the suburbs as other American cities in the 1980s.

In recent years, this has begun to change, and a growing number of restaurants and retailers are setting up shop downtown. The city is eager to support these businesses and re-establish the downtown area as a magnet for tourists and locals alike. But, in the most car-centric city of a car-centric state, parking has become the crucible that will determine how successful the effort is.

The city wants to provide the parking that is needed to help its businesses thrive. But, to do that effectively, it needs to measure how the spots are being used, by whom and when. A parking study would only look at one point in time. The city wanted a clearer picture.

Street parking versus lot or structure parking was also an issue that needed to be resolved — as well as parking fees. The city has parking garages and lots in place, but businesses want free street parking because locals don’t like to walk. As much as the city wants to support the businesses, street parking creates congestion in the neighborhood. And free parking isn’t viable when there are maintenance costs that have to be covered. So, the city came up with a solution: make the garages and lots a better experience, provide a certain amount of free parking and set up a free shuttle service. The only question that remained was how to improve the parking experience. The answer is ParkHelp.

Critical Business Issues:

  • Help existing businesses increase sales and attract more businesses to area, increasing tax base and revitalizing downtown area
  • Make parking in lots and garages as simple and convenient as possible
  • Cover the cost of surface lot and parking structure maintenance through parking revenue
  • Enable parking usage to be measured on an ongoing basis

“This is one of the reasons we’re installing this system – so we can live-time direct people to where there is available parking…. Once they get into the structure, we’ve got the overhead lighting systems that will clearly indicate red and green where those spaces are available.”

– Senior Project Manager

Results:

Everything old is new again, and city living is back in vogue. Businesses that had fled to the suburbs are returning, and like so many other cities, this West Coast location is steadily rebuilding its downtown area. Restauranteurs and retailers, especially, are returning.

City administrators want to do everything in their power to support these businesses. Their success is crucial to revitalizing the area and growing the tax base. Through discussions with business owners, the city learned that what is really needed is sufficient, convenient parking for patrons. The city has a confusing transit system, and people will take their cars to travel even a few blocks in this area, so parking was key to the whole revitalization initiative.

A creative solution was required. There isn’t enough street parking to accommodate all the visitors, and traffic congestion is becoming a problem as people circle blocks looking for spots. With parking structures and lots located just a few blocks from the heart of downtown, the city needs to entice visitors to use these spaces while addressing their reluctance to walk. Plus, there is the issue of parking fees to overcome. No matter how accommodating the city wants to be, it can’t afford to give all the parking away for free. There are maintenance costs associated with parking lots and structures. Parking fees — in moderation — are the sensible solution.

In addition, as the city attracts more businesses and visitors, it wants to be able to monitor parking so that it understands who is using parking, when they’re using parking and how many spots are in use at any point in time in order to adapt parking to help increase retail partners’ revenue.

ParkHelp provided a solution that checked all the boxes. First, ParkHelp’s clear and accurate signage will enable people to see exactly how many spots are available on the lots and in the structures. And, once drivers have entered, available spaces will be easy to spot because they are clearly identified with green lights. This will save visitors time over circling streets waiting for a parking spot to open up and will have the further benefit of reducing traffic congestion in the neighborhood.

Second, the ParkHelp app will enable visitors to see ahead of time where the open spots are so they can drive directly to the location with the most available spots, saving more time. And a free shuttle service will overcome any objections about having to walk too far. The ParkHelp solution will also meet both the businesses’ desire for free patron parking and the city’s need for parking revenue by enabling creative and dynamic pricing. For example, the first two hours can be provided for free while subsequent time is charged.

And, with ParkHelp’s sensors and lighting system, a car that has overstayed the two hours and hasn’t paid for more can be identified with a flashing light. This will simplify ticketing and reduce labor costs by enabling a parking officer to make the rounds less often.

The dynamic pricing will also help the city as it tracks parking and makes adjustments as needed to support its retail partners.

As the downtown grows, attracting both Michelin Star-rated chefs and local farm-to-table entrepreneurs alike, the city stands ready to support them all with innovative parking solutions that help increase business, reduce traffic congestion and impress visitors — all while providing a revenue source for parking infrastructure maintenance.

Metrics:

  • Will help support businesses by making parking fast and convenient
  • Will increase tax base by sustaining and attracting businesses
  • Will provide revenue to cover cost of maintaining parking facilities
  • Will creatively solve parking needs (e.g., first two hours free in structure, graduated fees)
  • Will lower labor costs by enabling efficient ticketing
  • Will enable ongoing measurement of parking habits and needs

We Can Solve Your Parking Facility Challenges

We Can Solve Your Parking Facility Challenges