Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Parking Operations topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board and vendor report mixed results on city garage systems; Hillman software cited as inconvenient
Summary
A transportation-board representative praised SP Plus Metropolis's gateless parking system as “super smooth” and criticized the Hillman garage software for requiring many manual keystrokes; SPS Metropolis said its gateless system is performing well and will report enforcement and volume data to the city.
Kirk Riegel, representing the City of Annapolis transportation board, told the committee that a former emeritus board member had forwarded a critique of downtown parking operations and that the board views the operational differences among contractors as significant.
Riegel said the gateless system operated by SP Plus Metropolis is “super smooth,” noting riders “scan 1 barcode, you enter no data whatsoever, and everything is taken care of automatically.” By contrast, he said Hillman’s premium-parking software requires numerous manual steps and does not auto-detect the garage, making it “really inconvenient.”
John Kemp, speaking for SPS Metropolis, said the company’s technology deployments at Knighton Garage, Gotts Garage, Gotts Court Garage and Park Place are working well, that membership is expanding, and that the system helped with snow responses by supporting city notifications to clear emergency routes. Kemp told the committee SPS Metropolis will provide the Department of Transportation with volume data and with information on enforcement actions so the city can track whether patrons are entering without making a required interaction.
Committee members asked for follow-up data. A member requested a comparison of usage levels before and after the city moved to gateless operation; Kemp said he would “normalize the data” and return with a comparison. The committee also asked for counts of fines or enforcement actions tied to nonpayment or no interaction at entry; Kemp said he would provide annual figures once compiled.
Why it matters: The differences in user experience among garage operators affect downtown trips, enforcement workload and public perception of paid parking. Staff said they will forward written constituent questions about Hillman operations to contractors and bring more detailed operational and enforcement data to the committee for future review.
Other notes: The committee skipped a scheduled “premium parking” update because the assigned representative (Jason) was traveling; staff said the item can be memorialized in the minutes and followed up later.
