Year in review Beyond Parking video views 450,000 of us had an inkling of just how difficult 2020 was to be! Projects have been delayed or shelved as a result of a general loss of market confidence. If projects did go ahead, there has usually been reduced scope (to save money), combined with a delay in tendering and starting the work. Clients clearly still have intent to procure their projects as and when confidence and/or funding availability improves. Importantly, they are resisting the temptation to cut corners, instead waiting until conditions return to allow the preferred correct technical solution to be provided. The industry really does seem to be learning that quick fixes just dont work when maintaining car parks. Weve all been forced to find a different ways of working this year and it has probably helped strengthen working relationships rather than weaken them. Finally, to all car park owners and operators: DONT be tempted to put off doing any maintenance on your car parks because if you do, this will end up potentially costing you more money! Peter ODriscoll Managing director, RingGo What a year 2020 has been. And how parking has responded! This has been a year of pivoting, yes, but also a year of pulling together. It has given us the opportunity to make a big impact in the communities we work with, including supporting NHS and health workers during the pandemic with a custom solution to manage their parking fees within 72 hours of the government announcement, helping to make their lives that little bit easier. We also provided more than half of our 140 council partners with tailored zone information, touch-free imagery, machine corsets or additional signage as parking needs changed. We continued on our journey towards making cities cleaner and healthier by planting trees to help offset more than our BPA podcast downloads 900 companys carbon emissions, and championed alternative modes of transport while encouraging motorists to consider their personal impact on the environment. Now that so many councils are charging the same for cashless and cash payments, were moving into the next era of parking, where payments are completely cashless and digital services come to the fore. We can change the fundamentals of how people travel. We can guide them from the most polluting journeys and steer them towards greener options. We can combine and integrate data to give insights that change the way we think and work. And in the process, we can work more efficiently and save millions of pounds. 2020 has been a year of learning. 2021 will be the year it comes to fruition. Matt ONeill Futurist and keynote speaker at the BPA virtual annual conference The future belongs to the agile. Any new normal is probably going to look a bit different to how it looked in 2019 and people need to have a more fluid approach to life. I had a face-to-face meeting recently with a couple of suppliers it was just brilliant. I couldnt wait to go to a meeting. When was the last time you felt that? For some, this pandemic is going to create more of a sense of loneliness. Having 500 friends on social media is no substitute for being able to look at the whites of someones eyes. Im grateful to have good people around me: Ive really come to appreciate that. One upside of this year is that its given people a bit more time than they might have had. Ive heard people in business talking about things like compassion and even love and maybe that wouldnt have happened pre-lockdown. I think that the time for reflection has been quite wonderful. I hope that if 20 britishparking.co.uk PN Dec 2020 pp18-23 Review V3.indd 20 23/11/2020 16:06