Why in stages
Anyone who arms a site without a run-up hits their own people first: staff, regulars and neighbours who knew it differently for years. The annoyance then turns against you, not against unauthorised parking.
A stage costs little and takes the edge off the start. You capture first without sanctioning, and see how your site is really used. Often that looks different from what was expected.
Only then do you set the rule that should apply. You decide with figures rather than assumptions – and can explain to each user group why the rule looks the way it does.
The three stages
Stage one: capture. The cameras run, every entry and exit is documented, nothing is sanctioned. After a few weeks you know how many vehicles stand how long and how high the share of unauthorised parkers actually is.
Stage two: announce. The signage goes up, the rule becomes visible. Permits for staff, suppliers and regulars are held in advance so nobody walks into the rule by accident.
Stage three: enforce. From the announced date breaches are processed. Anyone who complains receives a comprehensible answer.
Questions about introduction.
- How long does introduction take?
- System implementation usually takes six to eight weeks. The stages before and after depend on your site; for pure capture a few weeks are often enough to hold reliable figures.
- Do we have to inform staff beforehand?
- Absolutely. Most complaints arise not from the rule but from it arriving as a surprise. Permits for the workforce should be in place before the signage goes up.
- Can we start by only observing?
- Yes, that is exactly stage one. Capture without sanction is the usual entry point and provides the basis for every further decision.
- What about regulars who do not notice?
- That is precisely what the goodwill route is for. Every single case is reviewed; in the early period we deliberately apply a more generous standard.
Read on