Tag Archives for: SFMTA

SFMTA Expands Parking Enforcement Fleet with Westward Industries GO-4 Vehicles

September 08, 2020

SFMTA Expands Parking Enforcement Fleet with Westward Industries GO-4 Vehicles

Westward Industries, one of North America’s largest manufacturers of parking-specific vehicles (PSV’s), recently expanded its service of the San Francisco Municipal Transit Agency (SFMTA) with the addition of 19 new GO-4 enforcement vehicles. The SFMTA has utilized the GO-4 vehicles for parking enforcement duties for over 25 years, and have been a valuable resource for enforcing extensive on-street parking zones in very dense, high traffic areas.

The SFMTA monitors nearly 40,000 parking spaces across the San Francisco region. SFMTA has utilized Westward Industries in recent decades to provide them with a parking-specific vehicle capable of withstanding significant vehicle miles, along short distance wear and tear that typically limit fleet vehicle lifespans. Recently, the SFMTA added another 19 GO-4 vehicles to their fleet, with another nine to be added in the coming months. This brings the entire fleet to well over 300 GO-4 gas and electric vehicles, with many incorporating LPR and digital chalking technologies. Many of the original GO-4 vehicles are still operating, with a lifespan of 20 years and counting.

The SFTMA utilizes the vehicles for a number of parking enforcement tasks, providing a safe, convenient, and efficient experience for parking staff, while providing a durable and cost-effective alternative to standard vehicles for the organization as a whole. Benefits of the Westward Vehicle series include:

Factory-direct LPR integration
Custom dashboard features to create a personal workstation
Narrow width to reduce traffic conflicts and interruptions
Ultra-tough full roll bar chassis for enhanced safety
Available in EV models to reduce carbon footprint
Dual sliding doors for safe and efficient entry/exit

Westward Industries offers a wide range of task-specific vehicles including the GO-4 and MAX EV lines, as well as the XTF Flat Deck and the XTR Refuse Hauler.

About Westward Industries

Westward has a strong history of designing and manufacturing task-specific vehicles for use across cities, colleges and universities, healthcare campuses, corporate parking facilities, and more. Their GO-4 series of parking enforcement vehicles adapt to many environments, offering a cost-effective and functional solution to parking management department needs through license plate recognition and digital chalking, while offering flexibility and efficiency not offered with standard vehicles.

As one of the largest manufacturers of task-specific on road vehicles in North America, Westward is leading the industry with smart enforcement vehicle technology that will propel parking enforcement solutions into the future.

For more information, visit https://westwardindustries.com.

SFMTA Upgrades Technology in City Parking Garages

May 18, 2017

SFMTA Upgrades Technology in City Parking Garages

San Francisco — The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA), which manages the Municipal Railway (Muni) and all surface transportation within the city, today announced the installation of new 21st-century technology, which will enhance the customer experience at 22 city-owned parking facilities. The new parking access and revenue control systems will bring faster exiting, improved customer service, and enhanced credit-card security in a three-year rollout to be completed by 2019. The Polk-Bush Garage is the first to completely receive these state-of-the-art upgrades.

“Our goal is to provide convenient and safe parking to visitors, employees, and business customers around the city,” said Cheryl Brinkman, SFMTA Chairman. “Parking in San Francisco will be easier and more efficient for customers as we bring the latest technology to our city-owned facilities”.

The new system, called PARCS, is a combination of hardware and software that provides the infrastructure to run a parking facility. This operational investment in the city’s infrastructure will make for a smoother experience for city drivers.

“The new state-of-the-art technology we are installing in our 22 parking garages is more than an update to our infrastructure, it’s an investment in our customers’ experience,” said Ed Reiskin, SFMTA Director of Transportation. “Our new PARCS system is making easier payment, quicker entry and exit, and enhanced security a reality at our public parking garages.”

New software and hardware will make parking in city-owned garages:

Hassel-free

New system will address lost tickets with a license plate recognition system
Will eventually allow for pre-payment at all city-owned garages, preventing long queues from forming during rush hour
Safer

New system will reduce fraud and allow for improved auditing and credit card security
Types of payment will be expanded to “chip-enabled” credit or debit cards
Garages in busy pedestrian neighborhoods will be equipped with a flashing light and alarm when a vehicle exits
Cost-Efficient

Smart-pricing strategy set by SFPark to encourage drivers to use garage spaces first and use street parking for shorter stays
Parking rates in city-owned garages typically cost 50 to 60 percent less than private garages

SKIDATA, Inc. awarded $19M contract with SFMTA

May 20, 2016

SKIDATA, Inc. awarded $19M contract with SFMTA.

Hillsborough, NJ May 16, 2016 – SKIDATA, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of SKIDATA AG is pleased to announce its award of a $19M contract from the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency.

The San Francisco Municipal Transpiration Authority (SFMTA) has chosen SKIDATA, Inc. to upgrade 22 parking garages with a combined total of more than 15,000 spaces throughout the city. The city’s Board of Directors recently finalized approval of the contract.

The contract calls for the Parking Access and Revenue Control System to be upgraded using SKIDATA’s Parking.Logic software and Power.Gate and Barrier.Gate advanced devices at entry and exit points of the garages. The system will be tied into the city’s fiber optic network for faster processing of parking transactions.

All 22 sites will be managed from the SFMTA Central Monitoring Center. The Central Monitoring Center creates a Parking Ecosystem which streamlines operations and enables demand based pricing with the City’s SFPark Program.

Standard ticket issuing and reading are included as well as other credential handling. Complimentary programs included in the contract include wayfinding signs and the ticketless sweb.Validate system will be used for ticketless electronic validations.

License Plate Recognition (LPR) will be deployed in most garages to secure revenue and add exciting new use cases. Enhanced security is included with new video surveillance at entry and exit points of the garages.

“The SFMTA chose SKIDATA because of our experience and our success in delivering complex solutions for our Customers,” states Aaron Siebert.

SKIDATA is passionate about its commitment to deliver superior, reliable, and trend setting solutions. We are ready to help our customers to unlock the power of SKIDATA.

About SKIDATA

SKIDATA, Inc. (www.skidatausa.com) is a wholly owned subsidiary of the SKIDATA Group (www.skidata.com) which belongs to the publicly traded Swiss Kudelski Group (www.nagra.com), a leading provider of digital security solutions. SKIDATA is an international leader in the field of access solutions and their management. Approximately 10,000 SKIDATA installations worldwide in major airports, municipalities, shopping centers, sports stadiums, ski resorts, trade shows, and amusement parks provide secure and reliable access and entry control for people and vehicles. Our access solutions empower our customers to drive their business forward. The SKIDATA Group in the USA (SKIDATA Inc. and Sentry Control Systems, LLC) and its distributor network operate offices in California, Colorado, Florida, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, Texas, and Virginia as well as Washington, Utah, Illinois, Michigan, Iowa, Oklahoma, Ohio, Kentucky and Hawaii.

Contact: SKIDATA, Inc.
From: SKIDATA, Inc.
Website: www.skidatausa.com
Date: Monday, May 16, 2016

San Francisco Celebrates 22nd Annual Bike to Work Day

May 12, 2016

San Francisco Celebrates 22nd Annual Bike to Work Day

San Francisco—The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA), which oversees all ground transportation in the city, today joined the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, other city partners and business leaders to celebrate the 22nd annual Bike to Work Day. The event celebrates and promotes bicycling for transportation, with San Francisco organizing one of the largest Bike to Work Day events in North America.

Two new bike barometers and a new bike wayfinding system were unveiled for the first time today.

“Bike ridership has continually increased throughout the City, and that’s a win for everyone as San Francisco grows in people, jobs and housing,” said Mayor Ed Lee. “We will continue to make the necessary investments to make sure we continue to grow bike ridership with better bike infrastructure and infrastructure for our entire transportation network that will help us reduce congestion on our roads, reduce pollution and create safer streets for everyone.”

To mark this year’s Bike to Work Day, the SFMTA launched two new initiatives to show its support and commitment to promoting biking in San Francisco. The agency recently installed two new, visible automated bike “barometers” that will count people biking as they cross the counters at northbound Valencia between 16th and 17th streets, and westbound Market between 9th and 10th streets. Bike barometers both help the city compile 24/7, year-round data on bike ridership, as well as raise awareness of the growing numbers of people biking in San Francisco. San Francisco’s first bike barometer was installed on eastbound Market between 9th and 10th streets in May 2013. Last year, that counter logged over 1 million bike trips for the entire year, representing a 25 percent increase in bike ridership at that location over 2014.

This week, the SFMTA also unveiled San Francisco’s new bike wayfinding system in the Inner Sunset neighborhood, with plans to roll out 1,200 new signs citywide over the next two years. The new signage system was launched in the Inner Sunset as the neighborhood is a connecting point to many other city destinations, such as Golden Gate Park, Ocean Beach and bike routes that lead to downtown. The new wayfinding system is more intuitive and readable, which will help familiarize people with San Francisco’s expansive bike network and better identify the best routes to destinations citywide.

“The SFMTA is making 2016 a landmark year for bicycling in San Francisco. This year, we are starting construction on projects that will build 22 miles of new and improved bikeways,” said Ed Reiskin, SFMTA Director of Transportation. “These projects won’t just improve biking, they also include elements that increase pedestrian safety, create a more organized roadway for people driving, and help make transit more reliable.”

A key element supporting the increase in bicycling in San Francisco is the SFMTA’s continued work to make biking better. Other SFMTA efforts that have happened since 2015 include:

Completed at least 23 projects to increase safety and comfort for people biking
Constructed and/or upgraded 14 miles of bikeways
Grown the San Francisco bikeway network to a system spanning 434 miles
Implemented a variety of bikeway projects that make riding a bike easier on key corridors, such as 13th Street, Bay Street, Sloat Boulevard, Folsom Street, Oak Street and Fell Street
Initiated key steps to start construction on major streetscape projects that will improve biking on Masonic Avenue, 2nd Street and Polk Street.
Observed a 184 percent growth in bicycle ridership since 2006 at the same, overlapping 19 intersections in the city as part of the SFMTA’s 2015 Bicycle Count Report.
Counted an 8.5 percent increase in weekday bike commuters from 2014 to 2015, which is an increase of 200,000 new bike trips
“As a city, SF bikes for a number of reasons. We bike for the environment. We bike for our pocketbooks. We bike for the fun and freedom of it,” said Margaret McCarthy, Interim Executive Director of the SF Bicycle Coalition. “SF bikes because we care about the health and wellbeing of our communities, and that has never been more true than it is today.”