Finding parking in towns has proven difficult no matter where you are in the country. The allure of cute towns, no matter their size and main downtown streets, is still ever-present, and people continue struggling to find parking.

Beach towns may have it worse than any other type of town nationwide. And the trouble of finding parking does not just touch a few tourists and visitors seeking parking at the beachfront. It affects those looking for parking and town & city officials trying to enforce parking. Moreover, it impacts HOAs, property owners, property management, and business owners struggling with unauthorized parking on their properties. So, it begs the question of how to address increasing parking concerns in beach towns.

Property owners, business owners, HOA board members, and city officials: if you’re seeking answers regarding addressing increasing parking concerns in beach towns and your communities, continue reading. We intend to provide solutions to the daily dilemmas your towns face.

The Situation

Who doesn’t love the beach? Apart from the few who cannot stand the feel of the sand, most would say it is a gorgeous landscape that they wish they could see more of. And a lot of people are doing just that! They are either visiting or moving to beach towns in swarms! Beach towns nationwide benefit from this influx of tenants and tourists. Their economy as a town grows, their rental properties are booked, and local businesses thrive. But despite all the benefits, it comes with its fair share of challenges, including parking.

The Problem

Regarding parking, the question of how to address increasing parking concerns in beach towns is a topic that has kept coming up over the past several months. So much so that many city and town officials and hired consultations nationwide plan to present their findings within the year. What is the recurring problem that many beach towns are facing? Let’s get to it!

The problem comes down to supply and demand. With more people visiting beach towns and even more moving to these locations, more vehicles are also seeing the streets of these towns. With a “stagnant” number of parking spots, people need help finding parking. Without enough parking, many people resort to parking in places they are not authorized to. These spots include reserved parking in HOAs, schools, business parking lots, banks, guest parking, loading zones, handicapped parking, EV charging parking spots, etc.

Now, it is not just the visitors violating parking rules! Workers who cannot find parking because there is no available parking near work infringe on rules, residents and tenants whose reserved parking spots have another vehicle parking in it will break the rules, and delivery vehicles will most undoubtedly double park people in when their loading zones are being improperly used, and of course, yes, visitors seeking daily or hourly parking will violate parking rules as well. So it begs the question, what can beach towns do to address these increasing parking concerns?

The Solution

ParqEx proposes a smart parking property technology solution that answers the question for people searching for parking, property management, HOAs, property owners, business owners, commercial real estate owners, enforcement officers and companies, and city & town officials!

The first smart parking solution we suggest is our Marketplace technology. Our Private Parking Marketplace enables individuals, business owners, and property managers to list their underutilized parking spots for rent on our online marketplace. By listing your spots on our database, parkers can find them on our Parking App and reserve their spot ahead of time to avoid the headache of finding a spot on the day of. Additionally, our marketplace tech helps bust the myth of not enough parking! There is enough parking, but some are hidden behind gates and garage doors.

The second smart parking solution ParqEx suggests is our Access + Access Control technology. With ParqEx’s Access + App, property owners, managers, and condo associations can improve the security of their buildings. With this technology on-site, only approved vehicles can gain access to the property via our app. All authorized individuals need to do is approach the gate or garage door and use our app, and the door will open. As can be seen, this eliminates the hassle and security issues of unauthorized parkers on properties.

The third smart parking solution that addresses beach towns’ parking concerns is our Access Control Premium License Plate Recognition technology. Like our Access + app, approved drivers can access the building’s parking facility simply by driving up to our LPR access point with their registered car. Our LPR technology increases security while eliminating the need for phones, apps, fobs, keypads, kiosks, or gate attendees. Like our Access + system, LPR also rids the headache of unauthorized parkers on the property.

Lastly, our fourth smart parking solution that is key to resolving increasing parking concerns in beach towns is the ParqEx Enforcer App. With our Enforcer App, enforcement officers, town and city officials, HOAs, and property management can easily verify every vehicle on the premises with the app. The app allows enforcement officers to quickly see who is not supposed to be parked on the property and then issue parking tickets, violations, and citations within the app. Recently, we decided we wanted to simplify enforcement even more. Now, our Enforcer app has a revenue collections module built within, allowing all parking fees, tickets, and offenses to be paid immediately in the app.

The solution per group

1. How can people searching for parking in beach towns do so quickly and easily?
   • For those seeking parking in beach towns, download our ParqEx mobile parking app. With our Marketplace platform, all available parking spaces that sit relatively unused within gated communities, open surface lots, street parking spots, or even businesses are made available to you! So, instead of struggling to find a spot and then risking it by parking illegally, reserve a spot in advance on our app.
2. How can property management, HOAs, and property owners fix all parking grievances and headaches on their beach town properties?
   • Our solutions will bring numerous benefits to your property. First, listing your available spots on our Marketplace will add revenue to your property. This allows transient renters to pay you for parking and frees up traffic in and around the beach town. Secondly, by utilizing our Access + or Access + Premium LPR technology, unauthorized parkers can no longer gain access to your property, thus eliminating the hassle of residents and tenants not being able to park in their reserved spots. Thirdly, by utilizing our Enforcer app, any parking violation can be issued immediately within the app.
3. How can business owners handle unauthorized parkers in their business’s parking lot?
   • You, too, can add income to your business by listing your unused parking spots on our platform. Instead of people parking illegally in your parking lots, list your available spots on our Marketplace & utilize our Enforcer app to ensure that only vehicles with active ParqEx parking reservations are parked on your property. For those who park without these reservations, immediately take action on enforcement.
4. How can city & town officials tackle all the parking concerns in their beach towns?
   • ParqEx’s smart parking solutions can help you answer how to address increasing parking concerns in beach towns. Our tech can help you ensure that parking payment is collected all around your town, can help you stay on top of parking enforcement, can help reduce security risks of unauthorized parking, and can help drastically reduce the long lines and congestion your beach town seems to face daily due to a lack of available parking. A solid parking operations setup is needed for a beach town to operate smoothly. Learn more here!

Beach towns, don’t let your lackluster parking operations forever discourage you! Sure, it may seem like your town is lacking in terms of parking. But we are here to tell you that the parking dilemma will diminish once many unused private parking spaces are unlocked and available to those seeking a spot. Moreover, by increasing the enforcement of all parking regulations in the city and at privately owned properties, there will be fewer parking offenses and unauthorized vehicles! Book a demo with us today & we will give you a detailed explanation of how to address increasing parking concerns in beach towns & show how our solutions have been the answer to many towns like yours.

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Five to ten years ago, people considered the benefits of electric vehicles (EVs) for the environment and maybe their pocket, too. Now, when driving down the road, it is guaranteed you will see various types of EVs all around you. People have realized that by ditching their fuel-based cars and adopting the electric car way of life, they are doing their part to minimize their carbon footprint and save themselves a good amount of money in the long run. However, there is still a question about the cost of charging and parking these electric vehicles. Additionally, should there be an idle fee when a vehicle is parked beyond the charging window? Like gas, the EV charging parking cost varies based on location, state, and the EV vehicle’s size. This variation makes it difficult for property owners to decide how to determine fair pricing for parking with EV charging stations.

Property owners: if you seek guidance and general knowledge about how much to charge for EV-equipped parking spots for parking and considering idle fees to deter parkers from overstaying the charging window, you have come to the right place! Read our quick blog on determining fair pricing for parking with EV charging stations.

How much does it cost to charge an EV?

So, we have already concluded that owning an electric vehicle is undoubtedly cheaper than owning a fuel-guzzling car. The easiest way to save money with these vehicles is for EV owners to charge their cars at home with either their Level 1, Level 2, or Level 3 charging stations. But what of the instances where EV owners are away from their homes and need to charge their vehicles? And what about EV owners living in a rental building who must rent parking and need to charge their EVs? How much does it cost to charge an EV in these scenarios?

Public EV charging pricing

There are two ways that property owners determine fair pricing for their EV charging stations.

1. The first way is property owners charge the EV owner based on kilowatts per hour (kWh), billing in cents per kWh. This way is the most standard approach. On average, most property owners who have invested in EV charging stations in their parking facilities have made Level 2 chargers available to their residents, tenants, and renters. Level 2 chargers typically operate between 7-19 kilowatts. As most EVs have about a 68kw capacity, it usually takes an EV anywhere from 4 to 10 hours to charge. 
   • (As ParqEx’s home base is Chicago, IL, we will quickly analyze EV charging costs in Illinois based on battery size. The average electricity cost in IL is 17.43 (cents/kWh). This translates to approximately $2.96 to charge a tiny EV, $11.85 to charge an average EV, and $21.44 to charge a large EV.)
2. An alternative way to charge EV owners for their charging session is to bill for electricity by the minute. This system allows a standardized amount of electricity to transfer from the charging station to the vehicle per minute. This approach is regulated based on differing state legislations along with electric companies.

How much does it cost to park an EV?

We know that parking costs vary depending on location and demand for spots. There will always be a demand for parking spaces, no matter what part of the United States people are in. In the same breath, there is a constant and ever-growing demand for EV charging parking spaces.

For the property owners with EV charging stations on-site, this lack of EV parking supply nationwide serves your benefit. By listing your EV charging parking spot on ParqEx’s parking marketplace, you can determine the cost you will charge for parking, choose between the two options listed above to determine fair pricing for EV charging stations, put time constraints on spaces, deliver notification to EV users who are about to overstay their allotted parking window, enforce violating vehicles with fines directly through the app, and earn revenue off of these charging stations.

So, how much does it cost to park an EV? As a property owner, you can determine the pricing! A common practice in deciding upon parking prices is to see what others charge in the area and build off that. For EV owners seeking parking and charging at your property, bill these users for parking and EV charging!

How to enforce EV charging stations?

Like any form of parking, EV parking also needs to be enforced. There will always be people who violate parking rules and regulations. That is why it is important to have proper enforcement regardless of the type of parking facility you operate. ParqEx’s platform and Enforcer App can help your property management and enforcement team stay on top of it all regarding recurring EV parking charging station violations, like overstaying a charging window.

Over the years, Tesla has even struggled with grievances around enforcing their supercharging stations. So much so that they decided to implement “idle fees.” The Tesla team finally settled on charging a fee of $0.50 per minute to any EV owner connected to a charging station whose vehicle was fully charged. These idle fees served as a quick way to eradicate the recurring issue of EVs overstaying at charging bays.

ParqEx enforces similarly but takes it a couple of steps further. ParqEx will issue two alerts and reminders to the EV owners, informing them they must remove their vehicle from the charging station before receiving idle fees. Additionally, idle fees and any other parking rules these vehicles may infringe upon are issued within the ParqEx app, making the collection of parking fines immediate and hassle-free.

How to determine fair pricing for parking with EV charging stations varies based on location, price of electricity, price of parking, and the charge duration. For property owners that offer charging stations to their community, the bottom line is that these stations are amenities you provide. And like most amenities, they can be a fantastic source of income. Charging EV owners purely based on electricity will not generate revenue; you must also bill for parking.

EV charging and parking come with its fair share of headaches. If your property has faced EV parking challenges such as revenue limitations, improper use of charging stations, overstaying after full-charge, and enforcing EV charging stations, ParqEx & our innovative parking property technology can help. Book a demo with us today!

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All parking is not created equal. Sure, there is a decent amount of parking for standard-sized vehicles. However, there is a desperate need for more parking for long-haul truck drivers. Available overnight truck parking is so hard to come by that drivers lose time searching for a spot, burn unnecessary fuel, and waste their hard-earned money. Although there are several tech solutions for standard vehicles, when it comes to trucks, there aren’t any good solutions to alleviate truck parking problems. Big rig truck drivers & truck parking property owners: if you are looking for a parking solution that does not cost an arm and a leg and provides an additional level of security, check out this blog on truck parking with ParqEx.

Benefits of Truck Parking with ParqEx for Truck Parking Lot Owners

ParqEx’s Truck Parking Marketplace enables truck parking owners to list and rent their truck parking spots to long-haul truck drivers seeking hourly, daily, overnight, and even monthly parking. By listing these truck spots on the ParqEx parking app, any truck driver looking for parking can reserve the spot via the ParqEx mobile parking app. In addition, they can choose their length of stay, and payment is entirely processed through the app. So if you have a surplus of truck parking available, list these spots on the ParqEx Truck Parking Marketplace to facilitate parking for these exhausted drivers and bring in more parking revenue for your business.

In terms of adding a level of security to your truck parking property, ParqEx’s Truck Parking Marketplace often goes hand-in-hand with ParqEx’s Truck Parking Enforcer app. With the enforcement app, truck parking property owners, enforcement officers, and managers can quickly and easily verify all trucks on their property. Through the app, you can gain real-time insights on precisely who is on the property and instantly enforce any parking violations that may arise. Of course, security is always top of mind, especially at overnight truck parking locations. So go ahead, and amplify your truck parking security with ParqEx’s enforcement app!

An additional benefit to property owners of truck parking locations is that ParqEx’s parking solutions have plenty of built-in admin tools and real-time parking reporting dashboards for your property. In addition, our management portal gives you complete control and visibility of your property. For example, if you have had repeated issues with a particular driver, you can ensure they are no longer allowed on-site through our platform. Moreover, say you want a quick view of your reservations and all-time sales; our platform immediately provides you with that data and more. So list your big rig truck parking with ParqEx and gain detailed parking insights into all the happenings on your property.

Benefits of Truck Parking with ParqEx for Long-Haul Truck Drivers

To all the truck drivers reading this, we hear you. Reliable truck parking is hard to come by. Your productivity is taking a massive hit when you search high & low for parking every day, you are taking risks parking illegally in strip malls or on sides of roads, and you are tired after a long day’s work! Let ParqEx make your life easier. Download ParqEx’s truck parking app, search for parking at your desired location, and reserve that spot before even hitting the road. Save time at the end of your long day and stop searching for parking. Gain peace of mind on your long drives knowing that you will have secure parking with your name on it at the end of the day.

An additional benefit of renting a truck parking spot with ParqEx is the added security. With our on-site enforcement app, property owners and managers can monitor everything at all times of the day & night. So power down those big rigs, refuel those tanks, and rest easy at night in your ParqEx truck parking spot!

It is a shame that these hard-working long-haul truck drivers have difficulty finding parking spots. We need these drivers to be well-rested for their safety and the safety of others on the road. As a parking solutions provider, we want to continue to make it easier on these big rig drivers and truck parking property owners. So for those with truck parking, come book a demo with ParqEx & we will get your property on the platform in no time. And for those drivers seeking parking, download the app & find truck parking with ParqEx!

Truck Parking-related Questions and Answers:

1. What are the fees or costs associated with using ParqEx’s Truck Parking Marketplace?

ParqEx is FREE for owners to list their parking spaces. ParqEx makes money when the parking spaces are rented. ParqEx takes 10-20% commission per transaction based on the services. These fees will be covered in the sales meeting. Click here to book a demo to cover the product demo and pricing.

2. Is the ParqEx truck parking app available in all locations across the United States?

Yes, ParqEx truck parking products and services are available nationwide and used across the US.

3. What features does the ParqEx management portal offer for property owners?

ParqEx offers complete one-stop-shop parking management and monetization platform. The portal provides features to manage parking spot listings, pricing, reports, analytics, monitoring, analytics, and much more. Here is an overview of the Parking Access and Revenue Control (PARC ) system offered by ParqEx: https://parqex.com/parcs-parking-access-revenue-control-systems/

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Without a shadow of a doubt, the world is shifting to electric vehicles (EVs). An electric vehicle (EV) is defined as a vehicle that can be powered by an electric motor that draws electricity from a battery and is capable of being charged from an external source. They are more environmentally friendly and are less expensive to run and maintain as compared to combustion engines that run on fossil-based fuels like gasoline. With states like California stating they will stop selling new internal combustion vehicles within the next 15 years, this trend is here to stay. Of course, electric cars have several benefits, but one looming issue surrounding the electric vehicle industry is the EV parking challenges. Sure, the issue of fair access to EV charging stations continues to be a primary focus, but the challenges continue beyond there.

Limited Electric Vehicle (EV) charging bays

For many, an electric vehicle (EV) is a no-brainer. They have their own EV charger at home, never struggle with range anxiety as they only commute to and from work for the most part, and save money as they no longer have to worry about the price of gasoline. But what happens when you forget to charge the night before and discover you are in the red and need an EV bay as soon as possible? If you are in a populated city, chances are you will find a charging station and be okay. But that may be different for those who live in smaller communities. Sure, some of those new apartment buildings and condos have charging stations in their parking facilities, but how do you access those in dire moments of need?

Software Issues

For those with electric cars, we know you have experienced your fair share of “Out Of Order” charging bays. Like all technology, these charging stations are great until they do not work. Not only are these software issues frustrating for the owners of the stations looking to earn revenue, but for the drivers as well. The familiar feeling of dread seeps into you as you suddenly realize that you might run out of charge before you reach your next charging station. Alternatively, you finally find a working station, yet there is a long line, as many have experienced the same as you with software issues. At that point, what do you do, risk running out of battery and arriving at your meeting on time, or call an audible and wait in that line to charge? And what about the owners of these charging bays with software issues? What are they to do when their charging stations experience errors one after another?

Payment processing errors

Talking about errors, what about all those payment processing errors these charging stations experience? How do the owners or managers of these charging stalls limit such errors? What about the instance where a vehicle has been fully juiced up, yet upon payment, they experience a processing error? Does that driver just figure it is their lucky day and drive away? Or are there means of billing that user after the fact? The installment of these charging bays is costly, so lost revenue such as this must be extra painful.

Revenue limitations

As revenue is always top of mind, it seems outrageous that some of these charging stations still need to adapt to collect revenue. Of course, at the beginning of the EV wave, drivers could charge their vehicles for free at these various charging stations. But, as mentioned above, revenue is vital for everyone. Consequently, most charging stations adapted and have revenue-collecting capabilities, but some still need to. For charging station owners who are not looking to spend more to make more, there has to be an alternative, right?

Improper use of charging stations

Have you ever been in a rush to get to a meeting or an appointment and struggled to find parking? Of course, you have! Who has not? Have you ever been tempted to pull into that open guest, handicapped, or EV parking spot? We strongly suggest otherwise, as that is wrong! But people often misuse resources such as these. How does property management enforce proper parking in these situations? How do they ensure that only electric vehicles use these charging bays?

Overstaying after full-charge

If I were to jump into my car and head downtown to do a little shopping and get a meal with some friends, I would pull into the parking lot, fully intending to keep my car in that spot until I headed home. Unfortunately (for EV charging stations), most people operate under that mindset. So the question is, how do EV charging bay owners handle overstaying after a full charge? They must maximize the number of vehicles plugging in to make the most revenue. So when cars overstay, they again lose revenue. How can these owners enforce parking and ensure they earn all their potential income? This is by far one of the biggest EV charging challenges experienced all across the country!

Overnight charging

For EV owners with their own charging stations in their home garages, they may have the best setup. They go home, plug their car in for the night, unplug it the next day, and go about their lives. But what about electric car owners that live in apartments and condos? Yes, their building has various luxury amenities, including EV charging bays, but only a handful are available. So how do these drivers ensure they can charge their cars before tomorrow? And for property management and ownership, as mentioned above, they want to make sure that people are only using the stalls until they have fully charged. So how do they make sure that there are no overnight charging situations? They, of course, want to make the most revenue off these stalls but also want to ensure fairness amongst their tenants and residents. So how do they differentiate between EV charging spots and EV parking spots?

In no shape or form are we saying that the electric vehicle industry is giving us more issues than benefits. Instead, we are simply pointing out the obvious and logical electric vehicle (EV) parking challenges we have seen nationwide. For EV charging station owners and property managers who face these types of challenges and more, we can help. ParqEx has years of experience dealing with all parking-related challenges, including EV charging! We’re what you call a one-stop-shop parking platform! Book a meeting with our Electric Vehicle (EV) Parking specialist, and we will provide you with a custom parking solution to overcome your electric vehicle (EV) parking challenges.

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