POINT OF VIEW


Watching Paint Dry, Poaching, Intelligent Design (no, not that kind)…


BY JOHN VAN HORN W


HEN I STARTED PARKING Today nearly a decade and a half ago, I had one rule: I was- n’t going to run articles that told you how much lime to put in


concrete to ensure that it hardened properly. I just didn’t think that details such as that needed to be in a parking magazine.You hire consultants and engineers and contractors to give you advice on such.


That having been said, I just reviewed the articles in this


month’s construction andmaintenance issue and sure enough, it’s not about concrete. But there is an article about devices that are used to ensure that precast T’s don’t fall when the temperature rises, and another one on metal screening used on garage exteri- ors.What have I done? In some defense, owners and managers need to know


enough to be dangerous. They need to be able to ask questions that require their consultants and contractors to sit up and take notice. They need to understand that you do need to be involved in the construction andmaintenance of your garage. These tidbitswill help give our readers a leg up on their sup-


port groups. But let’s not get carried away.An article in PT does- n’t replace years of experience gained through designing, engi- neering and building our parking structures. It will, I hope,make some of the decisionsmade a tadmore clear and easy.


*** Imet recentlywith Sander deWildt,GeneralManager of the


Westfield Century City here in LosAngeles. It’s one of the most up-market shopping areas in LA. Sander told me that the CreativeArtistsAgency had moved


into the remodeled building across the street. The gazillionaire actors who visit their agents were upset that they had to pay for parking under the building. CAA’s solution? There is now a sign there telling them to


park across the street in Sander’s shopping center (three hours free). Sander was laughing and shaking his head. “Maybe they’ll come upstairs and spend somemoney while they are here.”


*** The city of Indiana, PA, seems to have a problem. They


bought pay-by-space machines, and according to what I read in the local paper, they haven’t done a very good job in training peo- ple how to use them. I repeat the instructions given in a letter to the editor in the local paper here: • Check the number on the street as you are exiting your car


or on the sidewalk next to your car. • Go to the meter and get your money ready. Do not put the


money in yet. • Press your number. Read if there is time in the lower win-


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


dow. If there is time, determine if you need more time. If not, go on your way. If so, go to next step. • Press your number again. The number should be flashing


and the instructions should say “Insert coin.” Insert your coin(s) now. The time it is giving you will show in the bottom window. Absolutely do not re-push your number while the number is flashing. If you re-push your number, the meter will reset and yourmoney will be lost. • If you want to check if the meter recorded your time, wait


until the screen again says, “Welcome.” Then push your number and look at the time window. • If you feel you have received a ticket in error due to a faulty


meter or some other reason, you may appeal the ticket by filling out a format the office in the borough parking garage. • The red meters are 20-minute meters. This means that no


matter how much money you put in them, you will only receive 20minutes. Confused? Well, so am I. First of all, this shop owner is


telling her patrons how to cheat (see the second item listed). Aside fromthat,my guess is that her description of what to do is probably correct. This means that the equipment is not intuitive and hard to use. I have no ideawhose equipment it is, but itwould appear they need some help in product design. Don Shoup and I went to Pasadena, CA, to take some pic-


tures for last month’s PT and he attempted to use the pay-by- space machines. He became confused. This university professor and parking expert couldn’t figure them out. (Well, OK, I can understand that.) However, they were difficult. I’m guessing that if you weremore than 15 years old, you had no chance. Can you imagine the frustration of thismerchant in Pennsyl-


vania? Her clients weren’t coming downtown because they couldn’t figure out how to use the parkingmeters. Come on, vendors. If youwant to provide a product, it has to


be intuitive.You should be able to use it without knowing any- thing in advance. Instructions must be clear and they must be easy to read, even in full sunlight or dark shadows.


*** Ah, journalists.You gotta love them.Theymake up a theory,


and then try to write a story that backs it up. They continue the story even when the facts in their own article prove themwrong. This story begins with the premise that “Massive layoffs for


businesses in downtown DesMoines could mean less money for the city from parking revenues.” It then goes on to quote parkers who are finding it easier to park downtown. However, when they quote the city, they find that the park-


ing revenues are up 6.8%and are up 0.8%even if you remove the rate increase put in place last year. So, what has happened? They raised parking rates. Dailies are going for $1.50 an hour, up from$1.25. I’ll just bet that if you


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