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THE FRONT SPOT

What Could Revenue Do For You?


Pop quiz! What could your municipality do with additional revenue?

It’s a question that makes the mind wonder. From infrastructure and recreation to construction and even debt services, every municipality has a wish list of projects eagerly waiting funding. The big challenge for municipalities is balancing these dream projects against the actual budget.

In a previous article entitled Cashing in on Parking, we discussed parking is a resource that can be leveraged as a potential source of revenue. In fact, by using the correct enforcement solution, parking can quickly go from a headache to hero.

Typically, the parking objectives of a community involve striking a balance between providing convenient parking while also encouraging turnover. However, achieving success depends on more than just installing a parking meter. If a location does not proactively enforce time limits or confirm that a vehicle has been moved (via chalking), then parking can quickly devolve into a frustrating free-for-all resulting in double parking, blocked loading and bus zones, and increased congestion due to no visitor parking.

Obviously, communities actively work to avoid such issues and sometimes go so far as to erect new garages to alleviate the perceived problem. This choice in particular can be costly. In a recent report by parking structure firm Carl Walker, Inc., the median construction cost of a new parking structure has increased 3% over the previous year alone. The table below lists the median construction costs per individual space in parking structures in major US cities:

City Cost per Parking Spot City Cost per Parking Spot
Atlanta $15,783 Minneapolis $19,661
Baltimore $16,739 Nashville $15,783
Boston $21,212 New York $23,648
Charlotte $14,575 Philadelphia $20,545
Chicago $21,212 Phoenix $16,000
Cleveland $17,930 Pittsburgh $18,453
Denver $16,829 Portland $17,875
Dallas $15,368 Richmond $15,639
Detroit $18,543 St. Louis $18,597
Indianapolis $16,703 San Diego $18,777
Kansas City $18,723 San Francisco $22,096
Los Angeles $19,355 Seattle $18,669
Miami $15,801 Washington, D.C. $17,533
National Average $18,038

These costs are, frankly, staggering. As a result, many municipalities become dependent on parking collections as a way to generate the necessary revenue to pay for construction. With fee-based parking comes the need for the optimal enforcement solution.

While there are many companies that offer parking systems, it’s imperative to understand that the policies of most providers will negatively impact your desired revenue goals via either staggering solution costs (always ask for multi-year pricing up front) or surreptitious per ticket fees (up to +20% of each ticket). In either case, a municipality with parking revenue of $100,000 would end up forfeiting over $20,000 to the provider. Think where that money could be applied. Such amounts can cripple your short-term revenue goals and delay your long-term expansion plans.

Fortunately, United Public Safety does not subscribe to these revenue-draining models. Our efficient ToCite parking solution eliminates ticket transcriptions, captures images of violations, provides electronic tire chalking, manages permits, uploads ticket data, checks for scofflaws and mobile payment transactions, and prints an on-the-spot weatherproof ticket all from a lightweight, ultra-rugged handheld device. Best of all, ToCite is available for a low monthly fee with absolutely no per ticket costs.

As many municipalities have discovered, our mobile solution provides enforcement teams with the full compliment of tools necessary to handle parking. And because you keep more of what you collect, you will soon be turning your wish lists into reality. Contact us today to sign up for a FREE informational webinar.

CLIENTS IN THE NEWS

Downingtown PD Implements New Parking Enforcement System


DOWNINGTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA – Chief James R. McGowan III of the Downingtown Police Department is proud to announce that a new state of the art parking solution has been implemented by their department.

Say “hello" to the CityCite parking enforcement solution from United Public Safety. Gone are the days of issuing handwritten tickets and applying manual chalk marks to tires. CityCite replaces the paper ticket process whereby allowing for a more convenient and error-free parking experience for every member of the community.

Instead of handwriting tickets, officers will now use the ultra-rugged N5Print device for all ticket issuance. Officers will enter the license plate number, vehicle information, and violation type for the vehicle in violation. In seconds, a weatherproof thermal paper ticket is printed for distribution. For added convenience, officers can now capture and print photo evidence of a violation directly on the ticket. As Chief McGowan explained, “The CityCite solution is more efficient than handwriting, it’s much less prone to human error, and its ability to document images to the violation record is fantastic.”

Once a ticket is issued, the data uploads immediately to the Police Department’s computer system, bypassing the need for error-prone ticket transcription. Anyone who receives a parking ticket can now go online to view the information as well as photographic evidence of the violation. For their convenience, customers can also pay their parking fines online from the comfort of their own home.

The CityCite solution allows Downingtown PD to file citations directly to their court. Officers will also be utilizing iChalk electronic tire chalking software to time vehicle stays without physically contacting the vehicle. For the future, the department is exploring iMeter enforcement for locations controlled via pay-by-phone or parking kiosks. The Downingtown Police Department looks forward to seeing how the new system improves the parking process for everyone in the community.

For questions about this or any other client success story, please contact us or request an informational webinar.

NEW FEATURE

Introducing iMeter


For parking enforcement within locations controlled by pay-to-park or kiosks, UPsafety announces iMeter! Fully integrated into the ToCite Parking Enforcement solution, iMeter informs officers of current parking payment status prior to ticket issuance. Utilizing accurate, real-time data delivered directly into officers’ hands, iMeter provides an overview of all spaces or vehicles that have paid for parking, are soon to be expired, or have recently expired thus allowing officers to target those areas for enforcement.

We integrate with a rapidly growing list of industry-leading kiosk and pay-by-phone vendors. Contact us today to discover our current list of partners or request integration with your specific vendor.

iMeter N5Print
Visit us at an
upcoming trade show:

IACP 2015
Oct. 24-27, 2015
Chicago, IL

Parking Assoc. of the Virginias
Nov. 2-4, 2015
Virginia Beach, VA

Connecticut Police Chiefs Assoc.
Dec. 10, 2015
Cromwell, CT

THE LIGHTER SIDE OF PARKING

UPsafety parking tickets

Let us know a little bit about your parking, permitting
and e-citation needs and we'll send you either a free book
of 20 funny (and a few friendly) parking tickets or
an UPsafety t-shirt.

Make sure you select YES for our 14 minute webinar! It's an invaluable tool for getting your questions answered. Can't wait? Give us a call now at 215.394.1906

REQUEST YOUR FREE BOOKLET HERE!

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