POINT OF VIEW


The Future, Revenue Control, San Francisco, and Celine…


BY JOHN VAN HORN I


T’S THE NEWYEAR, AND I’MSUPPOSED TO have some predictions. Specifics are difficult due to the current economic jumble, but I will say the following:


2009will notbe abadyear forparking.Companies that seize


themoment andboldly reach intothe newyearwill findthatmon- ey is out there and that people arewilling to buy.Nowis the time to promote, brand, and sell, sell, sell. Those who do will have a great year. Those who believe the headlines, cower in their offices, cut


back, retrench and “wait it out” will have the year they expect. Slow,dreadful andharrowing. ParkingToday has haditsbest year in history, and Andy andMarcy tell me 2009 will be as good or better.Hope yours is aswell.


*** This is our Revenue Control issue, with a myriad of articles


about thismost important subject.Our readers tell us that this is their No. 1 concern, andmuch of PT everymonth is devoted to technology and the controlling of revenue in our business. My numbers haven’t changed. About 30% of all revenue in


parking facilities is not collected. This could be for a number of reasons, butmost have to do with lack of attention by those who are responsible for collecting themoney. Afewyears back, Imade this statement andwas called on the


carpet by operators who told me I was “full of it” – the number just wasn’t true. Period. Earlier last year, the very company that attacked me was audited and found that, well, my number was low.


Of course, there are operators that do an excellent job and


there are garages that collect every penny. Experience says, how- ever, that they are in not themajority.We all need to be diligent – owners, operators and consumers – to ensure that we have our business house in order. Assumingmy numbers are correct, thatmeans that over the


country, nearly $4.5 billion are not collected annually. That’s not chump change. Hopefully, the articles you find in this issue of PT will help lower that number.


*** Lastmonth, I blogged on San Francisco’s attempt at control-


ling parking through a Shoupistamarket-based program. I recent- ly lunchedwith the good professor and got a personal update on the program.Dr.Donald Shoup is consultingwith the city.He says they have a problem that didn’t get noted in the San Francisco Examiner article. Literally tens of thousands of handicapped parking permits


are issued in Baghdad by the Bay. Each one allows its holder to park on-street for free.What is happening is that although park- ing spaces are jammed in the city, a greatminority – if not amajor- ity – of them are filled by people who don’t pay. Handicapped


6 JANUARY 2009 • PARKING TODAY • www.parkingtoday.com


Permits give on-street parkers a free ride. Since themarket is out of the picturewhen it concerns a very


large numberofparkers, itmakes sense that the city’s approachwill make little differencewith traffic, cruising or use ofmotor vehicles. Don toldme an interesting story. A few years ago, he was in


Sacramento and noted that around the capitol building therewas a street whose parking spaces were full of cars with handicapped permits.WhenDon asked a local officerwhat percentage of these permits were bogus, either counterfeit or issued improperly, he smiled and said: “100%.” My guess is that San Franciscomay bemoving into the same


position. Since parking with a permit is free, it’s to everyone’s advantage to get one anyway they can. The solution? Charge for all parking. Handicapped people


need the space because they need access.They don’t need “free” parking. The new systemcould provide reduced fees for handi- capped parkers with a special permit or whatever if that’s neces- sary.


Charging for all parking wouldmake the handicapped per-


mits less desirable andwould open up space for legitimate handi- capped parkers to use. The irony of it all is that the city allows charging for off-street handicapped parking. This is a perfect example of the law of unintended conse-


quences kicking in. San Francisco will spendmillions for the new programand itwill fail because of another programthat is already in place.Good peoplemaking decisions to help some that actual- ly ends up hurting everyone. I’ll keep you posted.


*** Fights BreakOutAfterCelineDionConcert (fromMilwau-


kee 620WTMJNewsradio): Fans said theCelineDion concertwaswonderful, but itwas


after the showwhere crowds got unruly and into a case of “ramp rage.”Milwaukee policewere called to the parking ramp across fromthe BradleyCenter onMonday night after people became enragedwhilewaiting to leave the structure. PhilVollrath said fights (on the ramp) started to erupt about


an hour after the show. “They got out of their cars andwere shouting andwaving their fists at each other, calling 911,” said Vollrath. “One car came driving down the ramp at a good rate of speedwith its horn blowing.” Onewoman ended up in a car accidentwhen, she said,


someone tried to cut her off.Another person called police because peoplewere pounding on her vehicle. The city blames the problems on the fact that the parking


garagewas filledwith cars. I thoughtCelineDionwas one of those soft, lovingCanadian singerswho followed the poemofWilliamCongreve:


Music hath charms to soothe the savage breast, To soften rocks, or bend a knotted oak.


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