Operations & Technology – Walker Consultants

Walker Wins Two Awards at SWPTA Conference

Walker Consultants — Fri, 05 Nov 2021 17:10:34 +0000

At the 2021 Southwest Parking and Transportation Association (SWPTA) conference, Walker accepted two awards of excellence on behalf of our clients.

Arizona State University’s Novus Parking Garage was awarded Best Parking Structure.

The Manhattan Regional Airport and Walker were honored with the Award of Excellence for Innovative Use of Parking Technology.

For this project, paid parking was implemented to fund the landside capital improvements. Without paid parking, the project would not have been viable. In addition to designing the PARCS, Walker developed a financial model to understand the potential revenues paid parking would provide to support the project.

Watch the video below to learn how Walker Consultants and the Manhattan Regional Airport used parking access and revenue control technology, coupled with research-backed parking pricing policy, to fund a much-needed $3.2 million investment in the airport’s parking infrastructure.

Walker Experts Instrumental in Developing ACI’s Structural Maintenance Guide

Walker Consultants — Thu, 23 Sep 2021 18:29:29 +0000

Rashid Ahmed, PE, SE, and Carl Schneeman, PE, of the Walker team held primary roles in the development of the American Concrete Institute’s (ACI’s) latest version of their publication 362.2-21: Parking Structure Structural Maintenance—Guide. This guide is intended to assist parking structure owners, operators, and the consultants who advise them in developing preventive maintenance programs for parking structures. As established industry experts, Rashid is secretary of the committee and was instrumental to its publication, while Carl assisted in a review capacity and contributed content. Access the guide via the ACI Collection Online website >>

Walker in Publications – July/August 2021

Walker Consultants — Wed, 25 Aug 2021 15:22:53 +0000

Walker’s professionals have published two new articles in Parking Today and ICRI’s Concrete Repair Bulletin. See their contributions to each of these publications below.

Parking Management RFP Issued and Responses Received – Now What?

Will Rhodin identifies the key tasks and questions that are essential for choosing a qualified operator when responding to Requests for Proposal. Read the article here in Parking Today‘s July 2021 issue.

Responding to Crisis—A Rational Approach for Structural Engineers

Charles Hammond and Anirudh Goel detail the expertise and “tools” that engineers carry as First Responders for the Built Environment. See their article here in ICRI’s Concrete Repair Bulletin for July-August 2021.

The End of the Mag Stripe: How Will it Affect Parking?

Walker Consultants — Thu, 19 Aug 2021 15:24:25 +0000

by Consultant Brian McGann, PCIP

The inevitable has now become official: Mastercard has announced the timetable for elimination of magnetic (mag) stripes from their credit and debit cards. Mastercard is second in market share only to VISA and it is reasonable to assume VISA and the other brands operating in the US (Discover and American Express) will follow along identically or similarly.

Referencing this recent article, “Swiping Left on Magnetic Stripes“, in most world markets (though not the US) mag stripes will not be required on cards starting in 2024, and all mag stripes throughout the world will be permanently eliminated by 2033.

In the US, the start of the transition begins a bit later, and concludes sooner: they’re optional on US-issued cards beginning in 2027, and completely replaced by 2029.

There are already problems with mag stripe-only acceptance. For one, the merchant automatically loses any chargeback dispute where the issued card had a chip available (i.e., nearly all of them). Any time someone is required to use their mag stipe to pay for parking (or anything else), they can rather easily have the charge removed from their bill. Two weeks of long-term parking at the airport, for instance, could be wiped out.

This is not the card companies being unreasonable. Any skimmed card can easily be copied, counterfeited, and fraudulently used where chips are not accepted. They are simply unwilling to accept that risk anymore since there are secure alternatives.

Walker recommends, designs, and specifies all new parking payment systems to accept card payments via chip card read (aka EMV), and oftentimes adds contactless (NFC) payment as well. To ensure strict compliance with PCI rules, we only recommend those systems that are 3^rd-party validated as a PCI P2PE (Payment Card Industry Point to Point Encryption) solution.

A further benefit of PCI P2PE is relief from the onerous network security requirements of the PCI-DSS (PCI – Data Security Standard.)

And it’s not just garage systems – on-street meters and pay stations have also been served notice.

On August 12, 2021, the clock officially started ticking down on when mag-only payment systems will become unusable for an increasing number of cardholders. Walker staff is happy to offer our expertise on transitioning your systems.

About the Author

Brian McGann is one of only a handful of PCIP (Payment Card Industry Professional)-certified parking consultants working in the parking industry and a recognized expert in Parking Access and Revenue Control Systems (PARCS), Automated Parking Guidance Systems (APGS), Payment Card acceptance and data security. Brian has been a part of the Walker Consultants team since 2015, providing guidance from mixed-use developers, to airports, retail management, universities, hospitality, and municipalities. Contact Brian at BMcgann@walkerconsultants.com.

Is Your Parking Operation the Best it Can Be?

Walker Consultants — Wed, 04 Aug 2021 13:29:24 +0000

When was the last time you bid out your parking operation or technology? Do you review your monthly operating statements? Does your parking management agreement give you, as owner, a right to audit and recover non-compliant issues with revenue and/or expenses? Call on Walker Consultants to apply 55 years of experience as a leader in the parking industry to answer your questions on:

operations management,
customer service,
revenue enhancement and expense reductions,
privatization and P3 transactions,
economic feasibility,
and all things related to optimizing your parking assets.

Walker offers our clients a wide spectrum of specialists and renowned experts from within the parking and transportation industry who deliver effective and practical solutions for complex challenges. We are a 100% employee-owned company that takes pride in the value we provide our clients through integrity, honesty, and excellence. We look forward to being of service. Contact Jonathan Wicks, CAPP, CPP today.

Decades of Nationwide Experience

Count on Walker’s decades of experience with clients of all types and sizes. A few recent highlights include:

Explore more of Walker’s parking operations and technology experience.

Walker’s Comments on Proposed Updates to MUTCD

Walker Consultants — Fri, 07 May 2021 14:20:44 +0000

On December 14, 2020, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) published proposed changes to the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), which is the US standard for signs, pavement markings, and other devices on streets and roads. In the Federal process, the document is known as a Notice of Proposed Amendments (NPA). Comments are due May 14, 2021. When finalized and adopted, perhaps before the end of 2021, it will be the 11th edition of MUTCD. If you have on-street parking, wayfinding, or EV charging stations, you will be interested in learning more about the proposed changes. This presentation by Walker Senior Vice President Mary Smith discusses the proposed changes relevant to parking, and suggests comments to be submitted by parking professionals and industry groups.

Review Mary Smith’s comments on proposed changes (26MB PDF presentation)

Walker’s comments include:

Adopt the Blue P recommended by NCUTCD for identification of parking facilities.
Add the already approved symbol for EV charging to the new signs for EV parking spaces. Add additional EV signs without time limitation for use for resident and all-day parking.
Support two items not in the draft MUTCD from the NCUTCD submittal regarding signage on site roadways.
Support NCUTCD comments regarding editing of Paragraphs 2B.18 and 2B.03

Comments must be submitted to the federal register by May 14, 2021. Members of NPA and IPMI are welcome to download Walker’s comment letter, make edits, and submit on their own letterhead.

Download Walker’s draft comment letter (1.4MB DOCX)

Reimagining On-Street Parking with Parklets and Pay-by-Cell

Walker Consultants — Wed, 05 May 2021 21:10:16 +0000

In the May 2021 issue of IPMI’s Parking & Mobility, Walker Consultants’ industry experts explore the changing landscape of on-street parking with parklets and pay-by-cell phone programs. Read everything you need to know about how to launch a parklet program in your operation in “A Primer on Parklets” by Jonathan Wicks, CAPP, CPP and Chrissy Mancini Nichols. Additionally, learn how cities can save significant expense including capital and maintenance costs in “The Case for Exclusive Pay-by-Cell” by Jim Corbett, CAPP and John Dorsett, AICP, CPP.

Walker is Columbus, Ohio’s Healthcare Parking Expert

Walker Consultants — Thu, 15 Apr 2021 14:50:30 +0000

Walker Consultants is proud to work with vital healthcare providers like Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Mount Carmel Health System, OhioHealth Riverside Methodist Hospital, and The Ohio State University.

Over the past 27 years, Walker has completed 36 healthcare projects in Columbus, including 10,183 spaces of parking design and restoration, as well as 17 studies of parking and mobility. Key highlights are below.

Walker’s expertise can save you time and money, and allows your patients to access the care they need as efficiently as possible.

Please give us a call to discuss your needs.

Todd Lohman, PE
Senior Vice President/Managing Director
317.842.6890
tlohman@walkerconsultants.com

Featured Projects

OhioHealth Riverside Memorial Hospital Red Garage

Now featuring a total of 1,633 spaces, the expanded Red Garage has separate ramp systems for visitor and employee areas. Walker’s services included prime design; parking planning; functional design; structural, mechanical, and electrical engineering; access and revenue control system consulting; and signage consulting.

Learn more about the Red Garage >>

Nationwide Children’s Hospital

Walker designed multiple garages for Nationwide Children’s in a seven-year expansion project, including an award-winning underground garage.

Mount Carmel Health System

Walker has provided parking planning; functional design; and structural, mechanical, and electrical engineering for several structures for Mount Carmel Health System.

Demystifying the Use of Data in Managing Parking and Mobility Systems

Walker Consultants — Thu, 08 Apr 2021 16:46:29 +0000

In the April 2021 issue of Parking & Mobility, Walker’s Kevin White, AICP, CAPP authors “Drawing Back the Curtain”, an article about the importance of utilizing data in managing parking and mobility systems. “Learning to harness the power of data ensures we are optimizing resources and delivering the best services possible,” writes Kevin. “Technology is ever changing and platforms and operating systems across all aspects of parking and mobility management — including permitting, payments, access and revenue control, and enforcement — are pulling data and feeding it into backend management systems.” Read the full article (starting on page 38) of Parking & Mobility here!

Walker Featured in Parking & Mobility’s First Issue of 2021

Walker Consultants — Tue, 05 Jan 2021 21:47:15 +0000

Kick off the new year with the latest issue of IPMI’s Parking & Mobility!

The first issue of 2021 features contributions by Walker’s Chairman and CEO, John Bushman, PE, and several of our in-house industry experts. Read their articles below:

“Surveying the Current Curb Management Technology and Policy Landscape” by Chrissy Mancini Nichols, Bernard Lee, and Kevin White, AICP
“The IT world has migrated to cloud — what about parking technology?” by Peter Filice
“Casting a Long Shadow” featuring John Bushman, PE (Co-Chairman of IPMI’s Planning, Design and Construction Committee)

Or read the full issue here!