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Parking Trivia

From Parking Horses To Parking Cars

In the U.S., after the first public parking garage for motor vehicles was opened in Boston, May 24, 1898, livery stables in urban centers began to be converted into garages. In cities of the Eastern US, many former livery stables, with lifts for carriages, continue to operate as garages today.

Taken from an excerpt off of www.wikipedia.org

Member Newsletter | Current Issue

April 2010

A Biannual Publication

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BEST PRACTICES FOR YOUR VALET SERVICE

KATHY PHILLIPS, CIC
ALLIANT INSURANCE SERVICES, INC.
kphillips@alliantinsurance.com

Valet parking services have their own unique set of issues. Therefore since many organizations provide valet service for their visitors, members or guests, the following information can help everyone involved avoid costly loss and develop procedures related to valet parking.

POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

Policies and procedures should be in place and communicated to those that perform valet parking. Procedures should include:

Valet qualifications
Minimum acceptable driving record
Inspecting vehicles
Age requirement
Rules for safe driving and parking;
Company procedures for taking vehicles
Tagging keys and key theft and
Recording location of parking space

VALET DRIVERS SCREENING

Persons driving for your organization should be at least 21 years of age. However, in many locations, it may not be possible to find staff 21 or over for valet parking. Regardless of age, the Motor Vehicle Records of those considered for valet driving tasks should be reviewed prior to hiring.

VALET DRIVER POLICIES

Organizations with valet parking should consider implementing the following policies:

Someone of authority should monitor valet activities and observe driver skills.
Valet Drivers should note and document any vehicle damage prior to driving vehicle.
Seat belt use is required.
Do not make sudden starts or drive over 10 mph.
Turn signal use is required.
Avoid backing up where possible. Where backing up is necessary, back-in, so vehicle is facing out of parking area.
Park to allow extra space next to vehicles.
When parking vehicles, position wheels straight ahead (so that the next driver does not drift into the adjacent car when moving the vehicle).
While driving, windows should be rolled down and the radio off. (This allows drivers to hear and concentrate on surroundings).

By following the information discussed above, organizations can minimize the risk of loss when valet parking service is offered.

POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

Policies and procedures should be in place and communicated to those that perform valet parking. Procedures should include:

Valet qualifications
Minimum acceptable driving record
Inspecting vehicles
Age requirement
Rules for safe driving and parking;
Company procedures for taking vehicles
Tagging keys and key theft
Recording location of parking space

YOUR CASH IS DISAPPEARING!

THE FIRST INSTALLMENT OF A TECHNOLOGY SERIES LOOKING AT THE MOVE AWAY FROM CASH AS A METHOD OF PAYMENT.

Blake Laufer
T2 Systems

When you hear the phrase "Your cash is disappearing!" does it make you think of theft?
Not me! I think of cash - referring to the payment method - as being phased out of all forms of revenue control systems. In other words, cash-based payments are disappearing.

The parking industry has known for years that cash is difficult to collect and manage, from the coins in the meters to the bills in the pay station. We tolerate that cash simply vanishes from our parking operations and even give this type of theft a cutesy term: "shrinkage".

Some parking managers describe a perfect world as one where they don't have to deal with cash. While this would be an improvement, we're not going to reach this cash-free utopia any time soon.

In the last few years the growing use of credit cards has given cash a run for its money (pardon the pun). Credit cards are available in unattended parking facilities, and even single-space meters will now take a credit card.

But credit cards aren't perfect either: transaction fees can be high, data privacy and storage is a challenge, and the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) is extraordinarily difficult and expensive to meet for most parking operations.

So... other than cash and credit card, what else is there? Here is the first of four technology-based alternatives that are available today:

PAY-BY-CELL

Probably the fastest-growing segment of new payment technology is Pay-by-Cell parking. Several companies provide pay-by-cell solutions, and most are based on a similar two-step premise: (1) the parker registers his/her cell phone with a parking provider with a one-time registration, and then (2) each time the parker parks a quick call is made to record the start of the parking event. It's quite simple and can augment just about any parking operation. The pay-by-cell provider collects the revenue from the parker (electronically) and then remits the payments to the parking operation. Enforcement can be done wirelessly using a handheld computer or cell-phone too. For the most part a pay-by-cell solution can be integrated into just about any parking system. (This is a much simplified description of the process; pay-by-cell providers offer dozens of options to suit many different tariffs and regulations).

Cash may have been "king" at one time, but that time is vanishing. Cash won't completely disappear in our near future but as parking prices rise, parkers won't tolerate having to carry more and more cash for parking. So it's good to know that parking operations can offer other technology options, and with stronger audit trails and reporting mechanisms of today.

As one parking manager said to me "When a customer wants to pay me, I'll take the payment no matter how!" And little by little that's how your cash disappears.

Blake Laufer is a Technology Nerd who just happens to have fallen into the world of Parking. He leads Product Development at parking technology provider T2 Systems.

GOVERNMENT: REGULATION LOOMS FOR FREE-WHEELING INDUSTRY

L.A. PUTS VALETS IN THE HOT SEAT

BY HOWARD FINE AND CHARLES PROCTOR
LOS ANGELES BUSINESS JOURNAL STAFF
POSTED DATE: 12/7/2009

Valet parking has long been a fixture of the L.A. scene, whether for clubs, restaurants or even parties. It's a must-have service in a city where finding a place to park is difficult and sometimes impossible.

As L.A. nightlife experienced a resurgence in some areas, especially Hollywood, problems with valet parking proliferated. Among the complaints: alleged price gouging, valets who take up metered spaces, valets who tear up parking tickets and upstart valet companies that undercut established businesses.

As a result of complaints by valet companies, and owners of restaurants and nightclubs, the City Council this week will consider an ordinance that would impose regulations on valet parking. The ordinance would require all valet companies in Los Angeles to register with the city and obtain operating permits. Valets that do not could face fines or be shut down.

The proposal is supported by established valet companies that have felt price pressure from more nimble competitors.

"We had an account at a West Hollywood restaurant and we were undercut by a company that pays employees in cash and doesn't pay payroll taxes," said Brad Saltzman, president of Regent Parking Inc. in Los Angeles. "I've spoken with a couple of honest valet companies and we're tired of this."

Upstart valet operators could not be reached or did not want to comment.

However, Adrian Moore, vice president of Reason Foundation, an L.A.-based think tank, does not see the proposed regulation as necessarily a good thing. It appears established valets that are getting beat by more entrepreneurial competitors are trying to use the ordinance to rescue their businesses, he said.

"It's much easier to get to regulate the competition than to beat the competition," Moore said. "They're trying to create regulations that would benefit themselves."

City officials see a potential revenue stream. They believe the city misses out on almost $1 million per year in tax annual revenue because the valet companies aren't registered, according to Antoinette Christovale, director of the city's Office of Finance. Also, upstart valets can be a threat to public safety, since their drivers may not be licensed or insured.

"The valet ordinance focuses more on safety and traffic issues and creating a mechanism for enforcing the guidelines we develop," said Councilman Eric Garcetti, one of the key sponsors of the valet regulations, in an e-mail interview.

He said the city received input from established valet companies when it crafted the ordinance.

"There are good operators who are interested in creating a permitting and monitoring system because they are getting undercut by rogue operators," he said. "We want to make sure that people who are playing by the rules aren't at a disadvantage."

BUSINESS PROBLEM

Some business owners also support establishing official guidelines for valets. They say the recklessness and disorganization of some valets can discourage potential customers from returning to their restaurants and clubs.

There are also allegations of wildcat valets, without ties to area businesses, who overcharge customers and park cars illegally, causing customers to get tickets - or worse.

"I've had customers that have had their cars ticketed and they didn't park them, the valet did," said Tricia LaBelle, owner of Boardner's, a bar on Cherokee Avenue in Hollywood. "Some of the cars have been towed. This is the No. 1 issue for business owners."

Other cities have already regulated their valets. Pasadena, Santa Monica and Beverly Hills require valets to pay a fee to get an operating permit, and valets can have their permits revoked if they violate rules. Beverly Hills requires all valet drivers to wear badges certifying that they are part of an incorporated company and that they have undergone background checks.

Currently in Los Angeles, police officers can only cite valets for violating traffic laws or if they find them driving without insurance.

"Valets don't have a requirement today to be permitted, and they're doing nothing today that is illegal," said Richard Tefank, executive director of the Los Angeles Police Commission, which enforces the city's regulations that govern parking lots. "But it's an industry that should be regulated, and it's regulated in surrounding jurisdictions."

The proposed rules that go to the City Council this week would require all valet companies to register as a business, and show that their drivers carry insurance and have passed criminal background checks.

The companies would also have to show that they have an agreement with a parking lot operator and any surrounding businesses the valet would service. Finally, valet services would have to provide a traffic plan to show how they would move cars through the area.

Proponents of the regulations said the documentation is necessary to ensure that valets are above board. But Moore of the Reason Foundation suggested the new rules are simply superfluous bureaucracy.

"This is time-consuming," he said. "You can wait months to hear back from the city on a permit, and they turn them back for trivial mistakes. You might want to start a valet parking operation, but can't afford to wait six months for a permit to come through."

Of course, if valet services are discouraged from starting, it will mean the relatively few operators can charge higher prices.

Meanwhile, the valet business is dragging due to the downturn. Business has fallen at many clubs and restaurants, which in turn has decreased demand for valets.

On a recent Friday night in Hollywood, many valets stood by for up to 30 minutes at a time without a single customer. That's a contrast with the days of 2007, when there were lines 10 or 12 cars deep of people waiting to drop off their cars for a night out, according to people in the industry.

The tough times extend beyond Hollywood. In the last 18 months, Culver City-based Allied Parking Corp., which has operations throughout Los Angeles County, has shut down 27 valet stands, almost half its operations.

But Bruce Silverman, president of Allied, blamed the decline in business not only on the economy but on stiff competition - from upstart valets and from more established businesses. "The competition is out there," he said. "Some is good, some isn't."

SCIENTISTS CREATE FORMULA FOR PERFECT PARKING

FOR THOSE WHO DREAD TRYING TO SQUEEZE THEIR CAR INTO A TIGHT SPACE, HELP IS AT HAND - SCIENTISTS HAVE CREATED A MATHEMATICAL FORMULA TO HELP MOTORISTS PARK PERFECTLY.

By Murray Wardrop

UK Boffins have come up with the formula for working out how to fit your car into a tight parking space.

The equation is the result of a collaboration between Vauxhall Motors and maths professor Simon Blackburn. Prof Blackburn, from the University of London's Royal Holloway College, came up with the formula to make even the trickiest reverse parallel parking situations a breeze.

However, to the average motorist, its array of square roots, brackets and symbols is likely to lead to more confusion than the driving task at hand.

The formula was released after a Vauxhall survey showed 57 per cent lacked confidence in their parking ability and 32 per cent would rather drive further from their destination or to a more expensive car park, purely to avoid manoeuvring into a small space. The least confident parkers were those from Norwich, while the most confident were the Welsh.

Professor Blackburn said: "Parking the car is something that most of us do on a daily basis - and we all get a little frustrated with it sometimes. "This was the perfect opportunity to show how we can apply mathematics to understanding something that we all share.

"The formula and our advice can help people understand what good parallel parking involves. "If you understand the angles and the dimensions of your own car then you can work out how to park in a nice, confident way. "Everyone has had the experience of ignoring a space because you're not sure if you can fit in or not. This formula solves that problem."

The formula begins by using the radius of a car's turning circle and the distance between the vehicle's front and back wheels. Then, using the length of the car's nose and the width of an adjacent car the formula can tell exactly how big a space needs to be for your car to fit. By applying this to basic parking guidelines, you can work out exactly when to turn the steering wheel to slide in perfectly.

Spaces were at a premium this year as 35 million shoppers flocked to towns and cities to snap up last minute bargains. However, the survey found that 15 per cent of Britons claim parking their car to go shopping is the biggest challenge they face at Christmas.

Simon Ewart, from Vauxhall Motors, said: "There's no escaping the fact that parking can be challenging for the best of drivers."