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The future of parking: No meters, open spots and dynamic rates

By Ari Ashe

WASHINGTON — Everyone has done it: You circle and circle and can’t find a parking spot on the street. It can make you pull your hair out.

But parking experts envision a day when this no longer is necessary: Every block will have an open spot or two. Cars will automatically communicate with smart meters to show you to the open spot, park for you — then pay seamlessly — like an E-ZPass. Parking tickets will become very rare.

This is the vision of David Cummins, a senior executive at Xerox State and Local Solutions, which builds, operates and maintains speed and red- light cameras, parking meters and ticketing in cities across the nation.

Locally, Xerox has contracts with the District of Columbia, Montgomery County and Prince George’s County, among others.

“[In] the future of streetscapes in cities, parking meters won’t be part of the equation,” Cummins says. “Confusing signage that none of us understand won’t be part of the equation.”

Parking tickets will decline because of trends that we already see today. Apps such as ParkMobile and Pango allow drivers to pull into a spot, enter a code and pay for the meter. The app flashes and sends you an email to warn you as the time is about to expire.

But some drivers still enter the wrong zone into their devices and receive tickets. Some parking officers also enter the wrong zone into their machines and write bad tickets. In the future, this won’t be the case, because smart vehicles, smart devices and smart meters could all talk to each other.

“Tickets for overstaying the meter will go away,” Cummins says.

There’ll still be tickets for public safety violations, such as parking in front of a fire hydrant, he acknowledges. “But ultimately, yes, a decline in overall parking tickets,” Cummins says.

Such a scenario could create problems in the District, where $80 million to $90 million is raised annually through parking tickets. Each year, the city writes more than 2 million parking tickets. The most common ticket is for an expired meter, which usually happens when someone overstays the meter.

How will D.C. overcome this loss in ticket revenue? Demand pricing, also known as dynamic pricing.

It’s a new concept in parking policy, in which the city charges a variable rate based on demand. DDOT has tinkered with the idea near Nationals Park, charging higher rates during games than at other times of the week. But this concept would take it a step further and fluctuate the price you pay to park in real time.

The theory is there is more demand for parking than spaces available in Washington, so the supply is being undervalued and prices need to reflect the demand for the specific location.

“We’ve tried this in Los Angeles, where it was all done with algorithms. Basically, a pricing engine,” Cummins says. “We found pockets of congestion and other areas where no one parks. We’re going to find the same thing, I’m sure, in Washington, D.C., as well.”

If this concept seems familiar, it’s probably because Transurban uses a similar concept, called dynamic tolling, on the 495 Express Lanes.

Transurban uses algorithms about how many people are using the toll lanes and how much traffic is on the Capital Beltway main lanes to determine a toll.

The goal is to guarantee a congestion-free trip on the Express Lanes at 65 mph at all times, even when there is bumper-to-bumper traffic on the free lanes.

With dynamic or demand pricing for parking, the supply is the parking spots and the demand is the number of vehicles looking for spots. If the demand is high, or there are not many spaces open, then the meter price will go up. If there is not much demand, or there are several spots open, then the meter price will go down.

The goal is to guarantee that at any time, any spot, any day, there are one or two open spots per block. Generally, the goal is to have 85 percent of the spots occupied and 15 percent of the spots open for drivers looking to park.

“People assume this means, well, there are never any spots, so the price to park will just go up everywhere,” Cummins says. “In fact, in Los Angeles, 60 percent of the spots actually had a decline in parking rates. Only 30 percent had the rates go up.”

It will be several years before such a concept ever comes to D.C., but it’s also a vision that will shape the next debate on how to solve parking problems inside the District of Columbia.

The issue could also affect the overall traffic problem, as experts suggest that up to 30 percent of urban traffic could be attributed to drivers looking for parking spots on the street.

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Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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