If your organization operates a parking access control system (PARCS) to manage parking inventory and availability, you made a hefty investment. So, it may be disconcerting when you realize your facilities are still losing revenue. Just because you hav …

I have sometimes thought of the modern [U.S.] university as a series of individual faculty entrepreneurs held together by a common grievance over parking.  – Clark Kerr, former President of the University of California If you manage parking operations …

We all want to provide a smooth parking experience for our customers, employees, students, shoppers and more. Whether you’re buying one component of a parking availability and guidance solution, outfitting a single lot or garage, or building a system f …

    As towns and cities everywhere become more populated and industry continues to grow, our roads have become more congested, with more residential and commercial vehicles hurrying to get where they’re going. Increased traffic means more delays a …

Whether you’re buying one component of your parking availability and guidance solution for a single lot or garage, or building a system for your entire parking operation, you want it all. You want a solution with the highest accuracy levels, that’s eas …

    With everyone from commercial operators and municipalities to colleges, universities and airports working to optimize operations, “smart parking” solutions can be a game changer. For parking professionals looking to reduce congestion, circling …

Most organizations are looking to do more with less, but this can be difficult when it comes to something as critical as traffic safety. One way to maximize your traffic management budget and see better results is to employ multi-purpose, web-enabled t …

You want the most cost-effective availability and guidance solution across your parking operation Continuing with the last post, while understanding your parking operation has a variety of needs and environments, you also have a budget to meet. The diz …

In today’s post we’ll look at why real-time parking data and analytics are two cornerstones of a successful parking system implementation and operation, and how the right parking guidance solution contributes to your success. Then, we’ll discuss strate …

Regardless of whether you’re buying one component of a parking availability and guidance solution, outfitting one lot or garage, or crafting a system for your entire parking environment, your goal is to solve your parking challenges, both today and int …

In our last post, we discussed the limitations of old-school solutions. Now let’s look at how to assess the best smart parking solution for you. Solutions: Best vs. Best Fit There’s a lot of debate in the parking industry about the best parking technol …

Traditionally, parking availability data used for guidance, pricing, planning and reporting has been based on estimates and anecdotal information, but today that’s no longer an option. If you’re a parking manager, understanding real-time availability i …

  If your agency needs to stretch the budget—what agency doesn’t?—you know it’s challenging to manage traffic flow and safety with fewer resources.  You’re trying to do more with less and less; you may have even developed a real talent for this in …

  If you’ve ever had to follow up with residents regarding speeding complaints on a particular road or neighborhood, you know that generating speed surveys and traffic studies can be time consuming, and often the results prove there isn’t a real s …

As your community grows and your budget shrinks, your resources are probably being stretched to the limit. A growing population usually means an expanding infrastructure and more businesses moving to your area.  How can you enforce speed limits and kee …

Last week we posted the first of a two-part conversation with Heidi Traverso, former police officer and ATS in-house traffic solutions expert, in which she shared how some agencies are automating traffic management and maximizing resources using cloud …

If you’re a parking operator, when it comes to having a parking management system that allows you to understand your total parking availability in real time, the deck has been stacked against you. There are many factors that have made it very challengi …

As budgets tighten and needs expand, more and more communities are feeling the pressure of managing more traffic with fewer resources. Safety, congestion, special events and unforeseen circumstances—all of these coalesce into more needs, expanded requi …

Not a week goes by that at least one community in the US is locked in a heated debate regarding which traffic calming method they should implement on their busy roads, or disputing the method already in use. Just last week, one community in St. Louis m …

“Motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of death in the United States. In 2016, there were 37,461 traffic-related deaths. That number was 5.6% higher than in 2015. This follows the record number of traffic fatalities in 2015. Much of the increase in …

  Variable message signs are the workhorses of roadside messaging devices. But if you’re sending someone to each sign every time you need to change the message or limit the use of your VMS for that reason or because it’s cumbersome to transport an …

If you’re frustrated about having to use multiple systems to manage your parking availability, guidance, safety and security, access control and vehicle routing—read on. In this post, we’ll talk about what your parking management system can look like t …

  As immersed as we are in traffic statistics each day at ATS, this particular statistic from a 2011 AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety study never ceases to hit home: “The average person hit by a car traveling 25 mph has a 12 percent chance of dea …

Parking facilities management is difficult. As urban areas become more populated, the number of vehicles on the road increases and drivers become more aggressive, providing safe, ample parking is a major challenge. We understand. Some of the biggest pa …

Last week we discussed some of the parking management woes that many facilities face on a daily basis. Now let’s take a look at how adopting a “Smart Cities” approach to parking challenges offers a variety of lasting solutions. Just as municipalities a …

Whether your organization is an airport, hospital, corporate enterprise or warehouse facility, no doubt you’re challenged with providing ample, safe, efficient parking facilities for those you serve, whether they are employees, students, residents or v …

In our last blog post we discussed how increasing demands on municipalities in the midst of shrinking budgets and overstretched departments make traffic management difficult. The good news is adopting a data-centered approach can help you do more with …

As your municipality becomes more populated and industry continues to grow, your roads have become more congested. In the past, increased traffic has meant assigning more personnel to carry out the important, never-ending task of managing traffic speed …

You’ve been asked to gather vehicle count and classification data on a particularly speed-prone stretch of road. The thought of installing road tubes is stress-inducing, and the task itself is unsafe and burdensome. First, you have to securely fasten t …

 From the whitepaper “Smarter Cities:  5 Ways to See Results in 2017” (Download now) In our previous posts, we’ve discussed how properly ‘agile’  smarter transportation projects can provide results now while at the same time laying the foundation for l …

 From the whitepaper “Smarter Cities:  5 Ways to See Results in 2017” (Download now) In our previous posts, we’ve discussed how properly ‘agile’  smarter transportation projects can provide results now while at the same time laying the foundation for l …

From the whitepaper “Smarter Cities:  5 Ways to See Results in 2017” (Download now) In our previous posts, we’ve discussed how properly ‘agile’  smarter transportation projects can provide results now while at the same time laying the foundation for lo …

From the whitepaper “Smarter Cities:  5 Ways to See Results in 2017” (Download now) In our previous post, we discussed how properly ‘agile’  smarter transportation projects can provide results now while at the same time laying the foundation for long-t …

When you hear the term ‘smart cities,’ what do you think of?  Light rail projects with completion dates in 2025?  Privacy policy initiatives?  Lighting that adjusts itself depending on whether people are around? Or perhaps even refrigerators that let y …

Data, data, data. It’s everywhere. On devices, in files, on spreadsheets and worst of all, captured in manual tracking logs.  But there’s an easier way to analyze your data and create the reports that help your traffic studies solve your thorniest prob …

Today, transportation data collection equipment or ‘counters’ have become a component of the “Internet of Things” — that buzz phrase heard at conferences and on the news, that more often than not refers to “smart toasters” and “connected refrigerators. …

We are switching gears now to talk about counting cars. Yes, counting and classifying the cars on your roads.  There are quite a few reasons you want to study the volumes of cars on your roads, from resolving complaints to supporting requests to change …

Over the last several weeks, we’ve been talking about how you can keep your roads safer with radar speed signs. And today’s the day we step it up a notch. Now that you understand the basics for deploying and installing speed displays (and if you’re sti …

It usually starts with a call from a resident. Cars are flying past their home, they say, and the police department is spurred to investigate the situation either by placing an officer on the road or installing a speed radar display. Closing the loop o …

In several past blog entries, we talked about placing a radar speed sign in an area where people may be speeding to collect the data first. By using a sign, there’s no need to take up an officer’s time just to collect data—the sign does it all. However …

In the past, we talked about how important it is to understand the 85th Percentile. It’s a tough concept, but once you get it under your belt your knowledge of how to make roads safe increases significantly. The other concept that tends to confuse peop …

In several past blog entries, we talked about placing a radar speed sign in an area where people may be speeding to collect the data first. By using a sign, there’s no need to take up an officer’s time just to collect data—the sign does it all. However …

Last time we discussed when to include a message on a speed radar sign and why incorporating one makes them more effective and versatile. But that’s not the only way to increase the effectiveness of your speed displays. One town in Central Pennsylvania …

Message displays are typically used less by law enforcement than other city departments but that should not be the case. Incorporating messages into speed displays make them more effective and versatile. Many small police departments share equipment wi …

The public demands a lot from our law enforcement and municipal government and, more often than not, we ask them to do more with less. That’s why we coach our customers on how to make the most of our products. For example, there is a lot you can do wit …

When first looking at improving the safety of a road, many people start by counting the number of cars that travel on the road and determining how many are speeding. The simplest way to collect this data is with a radar speed display, but the counts wi …

One of the first tactics to slow down a busy road is installing a radar speed display to make drivers aware of how fast they are traveling. But that can only happen if the display is installed in the right location. Here are a few tips to ensure your r …

There are a few concepts that are important to understand before diving into traffic data — and perhaps no other concept is more important than the 85th Percentile. 15% of drivers cause most of the accidents on the road The 85th Percentile is the maxim …

The question we hear most often from law enforcement officers is “how can I make my roads safer?” It’s a great question and one that’s not easily answered because, well, it depends. It depends on the road location, whether rural or municipal, the type …