Latest news with #Parking
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
San Diego parking changes: What to know after City Council vote
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — San Diego City Council on Monday approved new parking regulations that will allow the city to adjust parking fees for times with high demand and during special events, along with increasing parking enforcement to seven days a week. City Council back in February voted to raise parking meter rates in the City of San Diego from $1.25 to $2.50 per hour. This latest update to the City parking regulations aims to generate more revenue for the City to support improvements and maintenance of local infrastructure while freeing up General Fund resources for other uses, and encourage the use of alternative modes of transportation, according to the City. The updated parking regulations will allow the City to use 'dynamic pricing' for parking meters for high demand times and during special events like concerts, conventions, parades and festivals. The changes also include taking away free parking on Sundays so enforcement will be seven days a week. San Diego considers sweeping parking reform package: What it entails It will also require City staff to consult and provide solutions to residents who rely on regulated street parking due to a lack of off-street solutions before parking meter enforcement expands to Sundays. Fees will be updated for valet parking permit applications and permits for blocking parking spaces during construction part of the new changes. Lastly, the changes will include reforms to Community Parking District management in an effort to address how parking meter funds are spent by districts. The City says parking meter revenues are limited by state and local law to specific areas and uses and that they must be reinvested to benefit parking and mobility-related needs within the meter zone where they were collected. Monday's vote came after more than a year of work by the City, which included a series of parking management recommendations from a consulting firm after a detailed analysis was performed. While the parking reforms passed City Council on Monday, the City says the actual changes to existing meters and meter rates will be implemented over time and the public will be notified beforehand. Dan Plante contributed to this report. Watch in the video above. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Winnipeg Free Press
30-05-2025
- Automotive
- Winnipeg Free Press
Generating goodwill at the parking meter
Opinion Recent reports from the City of Winnipeg about plans to remove all the downtown parking meters left our household upset. We're among the 20 per cent who use the meters. We dig out change or use a credit card. On nice days, we can walk downtown, but when transporting kids or in bad weather, we rely on the meters. Based on anecdotal evidence, the meters sometimes failed. Apparently, so did the phone app that replaces it. The city's efforts to boost downtown visitor numbers should target that 20 per cent — the occasional visitors who haven't downloaded an app but rely on meters instead. This news story made me remember a better parking experience. BROOK JONES/FREE PRESS There are better ways for the City of Winnipeg to handle getting rid of its parking pay stations, which will be removed between July 2 and Aug. 31. A pay station is pictured along Broadway Avenue on May 21. Our family was on summer vacation in Western New York. We took a highway exit to Jamestown. Parking on a hilltop, in the middle of downtown, we put our coins in the old-fashioned crank parking meter and walked, admiring the landscape, to a nice restaurant for lunch. The food was good. When we decided to have dessert, my husband sorted out more change for the meter. We had extra time to stroll downtown, see lake views, window shop and see a comedy centre, inspired by Lucille Ball, who was from Jamestown. We remembered this positive break from the road fondly. In comparison, we encountered numerous 'E-Z-Pass' incidents which left us frazzled. Many highways require tolls but no longer have a payment system without a physical device in the car. We tried to get around Chicago while I scrambled to figure out how to pay for our tolls online. I still don't know if we covered those tolls, though we honestly tried. If Winnipeg wants people to feel comfortable coming downtown, the city should provide alternatives to a reliance on a phone app. Ernie Nuytten suggests in a letter to the editor on May 24 that these parking booklets should be available wherever Winnipeg Transit tickets are sold. Ursula Delfing writes that parking near the downtown 'Parking Store' be free, to avoid getting tickets while trying to obtain a parking booklet. Like our troubles taking toll roads on vacation when we lacked the local 'passes,' Edwin Buettner suggests how difficult these systems would be for those who live outside the city but must come in on occasion for appointments downtown. City employees calculated the savings of removing the meters, but what are the costs of failing to provide access to downtown parking for those without cellphones, tourists, and out-of-town Manitobans who need medical care? The city must calculate costs to provide parking booklet sales elsewhere in the city, especially at hotels and convenience stores. When we discussed these parking issues, other solutions came up. Our household lives in a city neighbourhood. We must have parking permits for street parking. Yearly, we take photos of our driver's licences, car registration, and submit a form. Eventually someone calls us back and takes payment over the phone. What if, after the first registration, we received a 'renewal' email that said, 'According to city records, you live at the same address and have the same two cars as last year. Care to renew your permit? If so, click here. Pay online.' This would reduce costs and save time for the city and those who need street parking. A bigger revenue generator could follow. When tradespeople visit a city neighbourhood like ours with permit parking, they risk tickets if they park for too long. High school students parking on streets near private schools also risk tickets daily. Those who go downtown but fail to make the app or the meter work also hazard parking tickets. Imagine a 'super pass.' The city could set a flat fee, payable once a year, so that electricians, plumbers, realtors, students and theatre-goers could park legally in metered or permit areas without using an app or risking a ticket. The super pass would be available online, or at convenience stores and other locations where people might get parking booklets. Winnipeggers and tourists could choose options: download the app, buy single tickets for one trip to a downtown doctor's office or buy a whole year's pass and stop worrying about parking. Tuesdays A weekly look at politics close to home and around the world. Of course, the yearly fee concept must be worked out, but $500 or more might result in more visitor traffic downtown and many fewer parking tickets. Reducing system inefficiencies, like creating an easy online renewal system that links up with our addresses and car registrations, would also reduce costs. This might boost interest in coming downtown to the Exchange, to theatre venues or festivals. Offering multiple options for parking payment might boost the city's coffers. Better yet, it could reduce citizens' anger over the difficulties in downtown parking and the parking tickets that follow. Jamestown, N.Y. is a long way away. Even so, I'd go right back to crank my change in the old-fashioned meters, check out the scenery, eat a good lunch, and wander its historic downtown. City officials should think about how coming downtown can generate goodwill as well as income. Ripping out the current parking meters may be necessary, but it's what follows that matters. Obstacles to parking will build or destroy Winnipeggers' interest in visiting downtown. Offering multiple approaches to future downtown parking creates a better, more inclusive outcome for all of us. Joanne Seiff, a Winnipeg author, has been contributing opinions and analysis to the Free Press since 2009.
Business Wire
29-05-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
Suffolk Hires Experienced Airport Construction Leader Peter Cormier as SVP Field Operations National Transportation to Accelerate National Growth in Strategic Sector
BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Suffolk, one of the largest and most innovative construction enterprises in the country, announced it hired Peter Cormier as the new senior vice president of field operations and national transportation. With his extensive industry background, Mr. Cormier will focus on leading Suffolk's aviation sector growth strategy with a focus on expanding the company's portfolio across major airport projects nationwide. Mr. Cormier's leadership and project experience aligns with Suffolk's aviation portfolio and commitment to operational excellence in aviation. Mr. Cormier joins Suffolk with extensive expertise in aviation and transportation construction, as well as a variety of projects and building types. Prior to joining Suffolk, he served as project executive at Cranshaw Construction. Throughout his career, he has managed and overseen complex projects, including the Terminal B Optimization project at Boston Logan International Airport (BOS); Massachusetts Port Authority's (Massport) 2050 Garage Expansion and Economy Parking Garage; Assembly Row in Somerville, Massachusetts; the Stilling Street Office & Garage in Boston, and pre-construction efforts for Harvard University's Dunster House Renovation and Massachusetts Institute of Technology's (MIT) Brain & Cognitive Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts. In his new role, Mr. Cormier will oversee the consistent execution of Suffolk's standard operating procedures and operational excellence frameworks across all field operations to ensure projects meet the highest standards of safety, schedule and budget performance. He will also play a key role in advancing Suffolk's strategic growth in the aviation sector while contributing to project delivery and pursuit efforts nationwide. "We are thrilled to welcome Peter to our leadership team as we strengthen our position in the aviation sector," said Sam Sleiman, Executive Vice President of National Transportation at Suffolk. "Peter brings valuable perspective to Suffolk at a pivotal time for aviation construction nationwide. As airports continue modernizing their facilities to meet growing passenger demands, Peter will be instrumental in expanding Suffolk's aviation footprint across the country." "I am excited to join Suffolk and lead the company's aviation operations," said Mr. Cormier. "Suffolk's innovation-driven approach and operational excellence makes it a natural partner for complex airport projects. The company's philosophy resonates deeply with me, as it emphasizes an understanding of owner perspectives and needs in this specialized sector. I look forward to building on Suffolk's strong foundation and helping shape the future of aviation construction." Suffolk's unique value proposition in the aviation sector stems from its owner-perspective philosophy, which leads to thorough understanding of the complex planning and collaboration necessary to minimize disruption to ongoing operations while meeting the demanding schedules and budgetary requirements unique to airport construction. As a national leader in managing sophisticated and complex aviation projects, Suffolk has an expansive active portfolio including Terminal C renovations and the electric central utility plant (eCup) at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW); the design-build expansion and renovation to Airsides A and E at Tampa International Airport; and a 14-gate Terminal E concourse at Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Myers. Suffolk's work managing the modernization of Terminal E at BOS was also recognized as one of the 'World's Most Beautiful Airports' from Prix Versailles and received the CMAA Project Achievement award for preconstruction and construction management services. Suffolk was also awarded the CMAA Project Excellence award for its extensive renovations and additions to the Boston Logan International Airport Terminal B to C Connector project. On active aviation projects, including the renovation of Terminal C at DFW, Suffolk has deployed innovative technologies including drones, robotics, laser scanning, IoT sensors, and AI tools, which have delivered significant cost savings and efficiency improvements. This strategy of leveraging cutting-edge technology is helping transform the construction process for airport clients nationwide. About Suffolk Suffolk is a national enterprise that builds, innovates and invests. Suffolk is an end-to-end business that provides value throughout the entire project lifecycle by leveraging its core construction management services with vertical service lines that include real estate capital investment, design, self-perform construction services, technology start-up investment (Suffolk Technologies) and innovation research/development. Suffolk – America's Contractor – is a national company with more than $6.5 billion in annual revenue, 3,000 employees, and offices in Boston (headquarters); New York City and Westchester County; Miami, West Palm Beach, Tampa and Estero in Florida; Dallas; Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego in California; Las Vegas; Portland, Maine; New Haven, Connecticut; Herndon, Virginia; and Salt Lake City. Suffolk manages some of the most complex, sophisticated projects in the country, serving clients in every major industry sector, including healthcare, life sciences, education, gaming, transportation/aviation, federal government and public work, mission critical, advanced technology and commercial. Suffolk is privately held and is led by Founder, Chairman and CEO John Fish. Suffolk is ranked #8 on ENR's list of 'Largest Domestic Builders' and #8 on its list of 'Top CM-at-Risk Contractors.' For more information, visit and follow Suffolk on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Time of India
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
When I got the idea, I felt it would work well with STR sir: Ramkumar Balakrishnan
After the acclaimed Parking , director is now all set to start the shoot of his next film, which will star , and in the lead roles. In a short interview with us, the filmmaker talks about why he wanted to do a film that's in a totally different genre to Parking , what made him rope in STR and how Santhanam agreed to be part of this project… 'I WROTE WITH STR IN MIND' The filmmaker begins by saying that his new film, referred to as #STR49, will be set in a college in Chennai and STR would be playing the role of a college student. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Quiz him why he chose the star, and he says, 'When I got the idea, I felt it would work well with STR sir, but didn't know whether that would materialise or not. Still, when writing, I did write with him in mind. Luckily, I got a chance to narrate the script to him, and he, too, loved it. It all felt like a dream.' He says that the script needed a star like STR. 'I needed to tell a lot of backstories to narrate this story. But when a star like him plays this character, I don't have it,' he says. He adds, 'STR's screen presence and the fact that he is going to play a college student again help elevate my idea. I've enjoyed his films like Manmadhan and Vallavan in which he played a college student, so this film will help connect him even more with the Gen Z kids. He will be sporting a stylish look in the film, different from his current look.' 'SANATHANAM SIR'S CHARACTER IS NOT ONE THAT EXISTS FOR THE SAKE OF COMEDY' Ramkumar has pulled off a casting coup by getting Santhanam, who has only been playing lead roles for almost the past 10 years, to be part of this project. Sharing how he got the actor on board, he says, 'I'd worked with Santhanam sir in Dikkiloona , so we know each other. And after watching Parking , he used to reach out to me and praise me now and then. I felt he'd be right for a role in this film, and since he has a good impression of me, he agreed to listen to the narration. Moreover, Simbu sir and he share a great bond, and they have been meaning to work together again.' He clarifies that the actor's will not be a comedian role. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now 'This will be a second lead type of role, which will also have moments of emotion, and not a character that just exists for the sake of comedy,' he says. 'I WANTED TO MAKE AN OUT-AND-OUT ENTERTAINER' Ramkumar says his film 'will be totally different from Parking '. 'I didn't want to be slotted as a filmmaker who makes films only in a specific genre — thriller — so I decided to do a big-scale out-and-out entertainer led by a star that would offer a complete theatrical experience. My only motive with this film is to fully entertain the audience,' he signs off. 'Sai Abhyankkar has composed all the songs' On getting hotshot composer Sai Abhyankkar to do the music, the director says, 'I've found Sai Abhyankkar's songs very interesting and Simbu sir, too, suggested we roped him in for the music. He's very sweet and comfortable to work with. We have finished composing the songs and the lyrics are getting ready now.'
The Hindu
04-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
‘STR 49': Silambarasan TR's next, co-starring Santhanam, launched
Tamil star Silambarasan TR's next, tentatively called STR 49, was launched with a grand pooja ceremony on Saturday, May 3. The film is written and directed by Ramkumar Balakrishnan of Parking fame. Dawn Pictures, the banner backing the film, released stills from the ceremony to announce the news. The new film, also starring VTV Ganesh, marks a reunion between Simbu and actor-comedian Santhanam after 2015's Vaalu (the comedian had appeared in a cameo in 2016's Idhu Namma Aalu). STR 49, announced in February, has music composed by Sai Abhyankkar and features Kayadu Lohar of Dragon fame as the female lead. Manoj Paramahamsa is set to crank the camera while Philomin Raj serves as the editor. Aakash Baskaran produces the film under his Dawn Pictures banner. Meanwhile, Silambarasan's 51st movie is with Dragon-maker Ashwath. Simbu, who is awaiting the release of Kamal Haasan-Mani Ratnam's Thug Life, has teamed up with Desingh Periyasamy for his 50th film, tentatively called STR 50.
