Restoration of parking charges proves New Orleans is back in business

The new machines were replacing approximately 2,600 single/dual space meters with a multi-space scheme accepting credit/debit cards - as well as coins - to serve some 3,700 spaces across New Orleans, with the whole installation monitored via Parkfolio, Parkeons fully hosted centralized management system.

A lot of reconstruction is currently taking place in the City and parking revenues are urgently needed, as many other sources of income were destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. "With the increased population projected to return to New Orleans this summer, additional parking solutions are in great demand. Because of this increase, funds collected from the Stelio meters will help assist in the economic revitalization of the City, states Mayor C. Ray Nagin.

Although New Orleans was under martial law for a few weeks after the hurricane, Standard Parking was allowed to go in and make initial assessments after a couple of days because of its heavy involvement with the Citys on- and off-street parking infrastructure.

"We remain committed to the New Orleans market, as our on-going investments in our people and business indicate, and we are excited about the future, stated Thomas L. Hagerman, Standard Parkings Executive Vice President. Bruce Kubena, Standard Parkings Senior Vice President, added that, "I am very proud of the manner in which our Company responded to Katrinas challenges. On every occasion, our people responded beyond expectations.

Parkeons US Vice President and Business Manager, Michael Kavur, noted that "Parkeon was one of the first manufacturers to respond to the disaster, and we continue to support the City and its suppliers as much as possible. Our prime objective is to help all concerned get back to normality as quickly as we can."

Two cellular towers were destroyed by the Category 5 hurricane, temporarily taking out the card payment and centralized parking management system. However, the operators were able to assess the operational status of every machine right up to the moment when Katrina struck. John Incandela, Standard Parkings New Orleans-based Regional Manager said, "Having the Parkfolio centralized management system was a great bonus.

By June 2006, the whole City had dried out. As Keith Pittman, President of Parking Solutions described, "New Orleans is our home and it was heart-breaking to see what Katrina did to this wonderful City. Parking Solutions along with Standard Parking is determined to help bring New Orleans back and make it even better.

About Parkeon

Parkeon was formerly Schlumberger e-City, the Parking and Ticketing Systems division of Schlumberger. The Company was at the forefront of the development of pay & display terminals in the 1970s and has 30 years of proven innovation and proven expertise in the parking business.

Today Parkeon is a leader in parking systems and equipment, offering both on-street and off-street parking solutions. The Company employs over 850 people worldwide and generated revenues of over $160 million in 2005.
With an installed base in excess of 140,000 machines, its parking terminals are a familiar sight in over 3,000 cities across 40 countries and its pay & display systems control over 3 million parking spaces around the world. Parkeon has over 9,000 terminals installed in North America.

Thanks to world-class engineers and substantial investments over the last three years, Parkeon has built undeniable technological leadership in its field. Parkeon provides complete parking revenue collection solutions, equipment and services to municipalities and car park operators.

Parkfolio and Stelio are registered trademarks of Parkeon.