Monthly Archives: October 2014

The 41st NYC Village Halloween Parade

The Village Halloween Parade in New York City is celebrating its 41st year this Halloween. A grand menagerie of giant puppets/puppeteers, costumed celebrants, bands, dancers, and artists will march together, starting on Sixth Avenue and Canal Street in New York City and making their way north along Sixth Avenue. Many of the puppets are made special each year and are unveiled on the night of the Parade. A few favorite puppets are making a triumphant return this year, including the Giant Spider and the Squid on the Jefferson Market Library tower.

The Village Halloween Parade was started in 1974 by Greenwich Village mask maker and
puppeteer Ralph Lee as a trick-or-treating parade for his children and their friends. He kept it up for two years, at which point The Theater for the New City got involved and helped produce the event on a larger scale as part of the City in the Streets program. In 1977, the parade became a not-for-profit organization, discontinuing its association with the Theater for the New City. It has been proclaimed as “the largest celebration of its kind in the world and has been picked by Festivals International as ‘The Best Event in the World’ for October 31.”

In 1994, after 20 years of successful parades, the Mayor of the City of New York, Rudy Giuliani, made a proclamation declaring, “The Village Halloween Parade presents the single greatest opportunity for all New Yorkers to exhibit their creativity in an event that is one-of-a-kind, unique and memorable every year.” The Parade “draws more than 60,000 costumed participants, and spectators [are] estimated at 2 million.”

For those driving in to attend the parade, be prepared for some extra traffic, especially in the downtown area. As for parking, it will be virtually impossible to find street parking and difficult to find garage parking. Your best bet is to book with ParkJockey now, and guarantee your spot at a garage close to the parade. We have parking locations throughout Lower Manhattan, SoHo, and Flatiron, not to mention other lots all over New York City.

Book with us using the promo code “SPOOKED” and you will get 10% off your booking for this ghoulish event. Happy Halloween, all you monsters!

ParkJockey presents PlumValet!

Circled the block for 15 minutes and still parking a 10 minute walk away from your the shops? Lost your reservation at your favorite restaurant in town because it took 20 minutes to park outside the restaurant? Made your date walk six blocks in those fancy high heels because the closest garage was full?

Sounds all too familiar?

At ParkJockey, we believe that drivers should enjoy more shopping, dining, dating and all the good things in life rather than looking for parking, parking and walking to and from garages. This is why we are launching PlumValet, the mobile app that lets our plum valets pick up and return your car wherever and whenever you want in New York City, Chicago, Miami and London.

We will launch the new service in a staggered manner, starting with London next week!

What makes PlumValet special? We created it to be more than a button in a mobile app for you. We designed it to be “the hero behind the hero” like Alfred is for Batman. We engineered it to be “the tech that make you look good” like Q is for James Bond. We programmed it to be your trusted parking helper and confidant like Alice from the Brady Bunch.

How do we do it? We have partnered with long-established valet companies and the most reputable parking operators. Our valet partners bring professional ‘car takers’ and a proven insurance coverage. Our parking operator partners make sure that your car and keys are locked in safe garages. This is not the first car they handle; so you can comfortably enjoy your activities next time you drive to town.

So, pre-register NOW at PLUMVALET.COM, and your first time with PlumValet is on us!

#ParkNoMore

Cracking Down on Parking Fraud

As populations continue to grow in large cities, car usage rises to match the population increase. All of this has made parking even more challenging and complicated. To make matters worse, evidence exists that some drivers are using and selling fraudulent disabled parking decals to steal spots from the disabled. Mark Perriello, president and CEO of the American Association of People with Disabilities describes it as a serious problem, saying “the issue needs to be addressed.”

parking-fraud An article in Government Technology Magazine discussed a new solution being tested by Pondera Solutions. Pondera Solutions is a “product and services firm focused on implementing Google solutions in government agencies.” As mentioned in the article, they are using Google technology to address the emerging disabled parking problem. The Fraud Detection as a Service (FDaaS) is described as “a cutting-edge fraud detection engine that helps identify, predict, and prevent improper use of disabled parking permits.” Jon Coss, CEO of Pondera Solutions, said the FDaaS can help track down fraudsters. He rightly observes that “if someone is at 500 percent of the average [number of replacement cards issued], they are either very forgetful or it’s possible they might be profiting from trafficking these things.”

However, FDaaS does not provide definitive proof of fraud, merely an indicator of it, which requires state or local agencies to follow up on the information. So although it is drawing a lot of positive attention and a number of jurisdictions are considering using FDaaS, it is not a finalized solution to the problem.

So when planning to drive in the city, why take the chance that some driver with fraudulent disabled parking decals will steal your spot? We are firmly against parking fraud and we have your back!

With ParkJockey, you are guaranteed a spot at a convenient location nearest to your destination. We even have a feature where you can specify disabled parking so all of your individual needs are met. No hassles like mystery parking tickets, no worry about fraudulent placards, no time wasted looking for your spot. No matter where you may want to go in the city, be it Flatiron, Tribeca, Midtown Manhattan, or anywhere in the NYC area, ParkJockey allows you to focus on what is important, the destination.

Make sure to use the promo code NOFRAUD next time you park and save 10% off your parking!

Stay Safe With ParkJockey

We have already discussed on this blog how using ParkJockey’s forward-thinking technology can significantly reduce emissions generated by drivers looking for parking. But the social benefits of convenient parking do not end there.

Significant data reporting on car accidents involving pedestrians is not hard to find and the results are quite interesting. As it turns out, parking lots are some of the most dangerous locations for pedestrians and shopping and business districts are the areas with the highest rates of pedestrian collisions. One could easily predict such a result. After all, shopping centers and parking lots are often the busiest locations, those with the most vehicle and pedestrian traffic. It makes sense that the longer pedestrians share space with cars, the more likely they are to be involved in an accident.

The question then is: what can be done about these dangerous areas? How can we minimize the interaction of pedestrians and drivers to make the streets safer for everybody? One way to help is to minimize time spent looking for parking.

When drivers cruise for parking in bustling commercial areas like Chelsea or Midtown, they contribute to dangerous conditions in a number of ways. First, they create more traffic in an area already overpopulated with an abundance of cars, taxis, and pedestrians. Second, when drivers are getting ready to park, their attention is diverted away from the road by shops, signs, and, most significantly, potential parking spaces.

It is unfortunate that we should still have to grapple with basic issues like these in the 21^st Century. ParkJockey has been doing its part by enabling drivers to alleviate their parking concerns before they even leave the house. When a driver has his parking booked, he avoids adding to traffic by getting to his destination quicker. Also, he will drive safer, unencumbered by the distraction of looking for parking.

ParkJockey wants to make parking and driving safer and more convenient for everyone on the road. Get started with the promo code SAFE and save 10% on your first booking.

ParkJockey Announces Partnership with NCP

ParkJockey is now live across the United Kingdom!

ParkJockey is now fully integrated within the largest parking operator of the U.K., National Car Parks (NCP), nationwide along with a whole host of other car park operators, spreading across 23 major cities.

This expansion gives you as a ParkJockey driver more parking options, in more places, at all times. Major entertainment venues along with shopping quarters are covered in each of the cities, providing you with the ability to pre-book parking in advance to avoid wasteful circling.

Book parking for everything you do, including events such as sports matches, shows, and not to mention, when you go shopping. These places all have adjacent car parks available to book via ParkJockey’s mobile app and website. For example,

Here is a full list of cities that ParkJockey are live in; Aberdeen, Birmingham, Bolton, Brighton, Bristol, Cardiff, Cheltenham, Chester, Croydon, Derby, Dundee, Kingston, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newark, Newcastle, Newport, Nottingham, Reading, Stockport, Swansea & Truro.

ParkJockey brings you hassle-free parking for any occasion!

ParkJockey is moving at a fast pace, so keep an eye out in the next couple weeks as we are launching newest version of our mobile app, further expanding in the UK, and much more!

ParkJockey UK Team

Bank of America Chicago Marathon 2014

October 12, 2014 marks the 37th anniversary of the Chicago Marathon. It is considered one of the six World Marathon Majors as well as Boston, New York, Berlin, London and Tokyo. The first race held in Chicago was on September 25, 1977 under the original name Mayor Daley Marathon with 4,200 participants. Now the marathon has around 45,000 runners, but only participants clocking in less than 6.5 hours are timed. In 2008, the marathon’s name was changed from LaSalle Bank to Bank of America. That year 37,455 runners completed the race giving it the highest completion at that time. The men’s course record is by Dennis Kimetto with 2:03:45 in 2013 and the women’s is by Paula Radcliffe with 2:17:18 in 2002.

The marathon begins at Grant Park and runs through 29 of the Chicago’s neighborhoods. The race is sectioned into three parts the North, West and South passing Chicago’s main stadiums such as Wrigley Field, United Center and US Cellular Field. There will be 20 aid stations and medical staff every 1-3 miles with ambulances throughout the course in case of emergency.

Participants train for a very long time to make sure they are qualified for this race since it is 26.2 miles. Not only are they dedicated to finish they also raise money for charities such as St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, American Heart Association, Out of the Darkness and The Anti-Cruelty Society. If you wish to donate to a great cause click here
to view all the charities for the marathon.

Also, if you want to attend the race but not exactly sure where to go here is the marathon’s course map with cheering zone information. ParkJockey has parking locations all over the city so once you figure out where you want to view the race type the address into the search bar on the home page and the closest parking locations will appear.

Good luck to everyone participating in the Bank of America Chicago Marathon. Hope everyone has a great and safe time! -ParkJockey

Disruptor Profile: How ParkJockey is Bringing Parking Online

ParkJockey UK are proud to be featured in the NimbusNinety blog, prior to their semi-annual conference and inaugural Ignite awards, which will take place on the 4-5th of November, in London.

Igal Aciman, our Global Head of Sales & Marketing, has been invited to speak at the conference, to give an insight into ParkJockey in relation to ‘Customer-centric Digital Disruption in a Traditional Industry’.

The Nimbus Ninety article outlines ParkJockey’s initial steps of disrupting a traditional industry, along with the most important fact that makes any customer-centric app successful – putting the customers first, give to them what they want and cateting for them that will ensure a more seamless experience

Read the full article here, featuring an interview with Kamal Rajput (Head of Operations, UK) and Igal Aciman.

The Emerging Miami Tech-hub

Miami’s creative culture is catching the eye of many investment firms and start-up accelerators. A recent article by Nancy Dahlberg in the Miami Herald reiterates the exciting new prospects of South Florida and the reasons for which Miami is becoming a new tech ecosystem, with a big nod to ParkJockey.

“All the elements are here,” speaks Brad Harrison, a New York Venture capitalist. It’s position as the gateway to Latin America and a growing ecosystem of talented entrepreneurs show that there is an abundance of potential for finding the next best thing in Miami.

As ParkJockey, we are proud to be part of the thriving Miami start-up ecosystem.

To read full article on The Miami Herald, click here.

Don’t Let Parking Drive You Crazy !!!

Getting parking tickets can be very stressful business. It makes you wonder just how far people will go to avoid a parking ticket. One San Francisco woman went 12 blocks. With a traffic cop on the hood of her car!

The Huffington Post reports that Bo Mounsombath, 33, was trying to get out of a parking citation by swiping a ticket from another car and placing it on her own. Obviously, that old trick wasn’t slick enough to get by San Francisco’s finest, and while a traffic officer was writing her a ticket, Ms. Mounsombath hit the gas and took the officer for a half mile ride on the hood of her car.

Usually, parking tickets are only a petty, albeit expensive, nuisance. However, you never can tell when your morning can shift gears from facing a $50 fine to facing charges of assault with a deadly weapon. Don’t push your luck and don’t let parking tickets drive you insane. Keep your cool and book your parking space ahead of time with ParkJockey.