ParkHouston
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ParkHouston Recognized at 2017 Texas Parking & Transportation Association Conference
April 6, 2017 -- ParkHouston -- a division of the City of Houston’s Administration and Regulatory Affairs Department -- received three awards from the Texas Parking & Transportation Association (TPTA) for outstanding parking-related projects: 311 System Integration, Parking Equipment and Technology; Norman Holt, TPTA Employee of the Year; and Maria Irshad, Distinguished Service Award.
“We are honored by this recognition from parking industry experts,” said Tina Paez, Director of the Administration and Regulatory Affairs Department. “The ParkHouston team is constantly searching for advancements in technology to help improve customer service and make parking easy for the visitors and residents of the City of Houston.”
In 2016, ParkHouston collaborated with 311 to develop an integration between the parking back office system and the 311 system. With this integration, when a customer calls 311 to report an out of service meter, the service request automatically generates a work order in the ParkHouston system. Once the issue has been addressed, the ParkHouston system updates the 311 system with the resolution and closes out the service request. The integration eliminates the need to manually manage work orders and decreases the amount of time spent by staff working on administrative tasks in each system.
This is the second time ParkHouston has been recognized in the Parking Equipment and Technology category. In 2014, TPTA recognized ParkHouston for implementation of license plate recognition technology and pay by phone.
Norman Holt, supervisor in Meter Operations, was recognized as TPTA Employee of the Year. A ten-year employee of ParkHouston, Mr. Holt has a can-do attitude and was recognized for his outside the box thinking in resolving parking challenges and his numerous contributions to the City. He is responsible for the day-to-day collections and programming for the City’s parking meter pay stations and played a central role in developing the 311 integration.
Maria Irshad, Assistant Director for ParkHouston, received the TPTA Distinguished Service Award (DSA), which recognizes the contributions of individuals in the parking and transportation industry. The DSA is awarded to those who have contributed to the education, professional development, creative solutions, and standards of customer service in the parking and transportation industry.
The Texas Parking & Transportation Association is a regional association of about 300 parking professionals from Texas and the surrounding states.
About ParkHouston
ParkHouston is a solution-focused partner that supports the City of Houston’s economic development by providing superior customer service, investing in cutting edge technologies and through active collaboration with stakeholders. As a division of the Administration and Regulatory Affairs Department, we service and maintain over 9,200 on-street parking spaces across the area. We create sound parking management strategies for commercial and residential areas that enhance pedestrian safety, ensure a smooth flow of traffic and allow emergency vehicles to reach their destinations. ParkHouston also encourages parking awareness while supporting alternative modes of transportation. In 2015, the International Parking Institute recognized ParkHouston as an Accredited Parking Organization with Distinction.