Ambassador Approach – On Street Enforcement Services
On street parking management has become a very important component of a successful downtown. A well designed on street parking program is a key factor in promoting downtown business.
Republic Parking System provides a wide range of on street parking management services. We work closely with municipalities and parking authorities to ensure the best approach for their particular needs.
Services we are currently providing include:
Meter Collection, Money Counting, Meter Maintenance, Multi-Space Meter Programs, Parking Enforcement / Citation Issue, Citation Collection, Parking Shop Management, Meter Bag Management, Residential Parking Programs, and Customer Service Call Centers
The ambassadors, who are on foot or low-speed vehicles, can provide assistance to downtown visitors needing help. The ambassadors carry maps (including a parking map) of the area in their fanny-packs. They are sufficiently knowledgeable of the area to give directions to most major destinations. They carry handouts as available that list or show local events. They can carry courtesy tokens or parking passes to hand out to parker as a gesture of good will when perhaps a visitor appears to have had a difficult experience with the parking program.
Many cities are changing traditional single space meters to paystations or multi-space meters, or meters with advanced payment capabilities, such as SmartCards, credit cards or cell phone payment. The ambassadors can help parkers to understand this technology, especially when it is initially implemented. The ambassadors are dressed in bright easily-recognizable uniforms, which increase their visibility .
The ambassadors not only issue parking violation citations, but can alert the police to other code violations. Most citations are issued for expired parking meter and time zone violations. The ambassadors will also have the capability to identify scofflaws (those parkers who have multiple outstanding unpaid violations) so that the scofflaw’s vehicle can either be towed or immobilized.
As they travel their route, the ambassadors check the parking meters or other City infrastructure to ensure operability. This is especially important where paystations and advance technology meters are located. The ambassadors check each meter to make sure it is not jammed, battery dead, or otherwise malfunctioning. Broken meters are reported to the parking office, which can immediately dispatch a repair technician.
This coordination between enforcement and meter repair is crucial to keep the system running at maximum efficiency. If the meters are not working, the City is not collecting any revenue, nor are the meters achieving their economic development objective of turning over parking spaces. Prompt response helps to minimize customer frustration from malfunctioning meters.
When they see litter on the sidewalks, ambassadors pick it up, helping to keep downtown clean.
In addition to the extra visibility that the ambassadors will provide to the public, they carry radios or cell phones and can contact, via their dispatcher, the police to report any potential problems. Individual ambassadors on regular routes develop working relationships with police officers in their patrol area, and they know when something is amiss in an area.
City of Ann Arbor, MI
Chattanooga Parking Authority, Chattanooga, TN
Downtown Memphis Commission
City of Bangor, ME
City of Baltimore, MD
City of Cedar Rapids, IA
City of Lowell, MA
City of Lawrence, MA
City of Hartford, CT
City of Omaha, NE
City of Mobile, AL
City of Tallahassee, FL
City of Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, FL