EPA President Watershed moments Nigel Williams, new President of the European Parking Association, chats to Louise Parfitt about the EPAs new direction, strengthening relationships, and taming tigers What has been your involvement with the EPA so far? I was introduced to the EPA in 1994 when I was invited to the 6th EPA Congress in Rome. Some years later, I participated in several EPA working groups, and was elected to represent the BPA on the EPA Policy and Strategy committee, and subsequently the EPA Board. I spent 10 years leading on various EPA initiatives concerning digital standards. This work led to the Alliance for Parking Data Standards (APDS) being established in 2018, in collaboration with the BPA and International Parking and Mobility Institute (IPMI). Four years ago, I was elected EPA Vice-President, working alongside President Laurence Bannerman and co-Vice-President Michael Kessler. What are your aspirations for the role? EPAs visibility has changed dramatically during the past couple of years. Our work on parking data standards has brought us to the attention of the EU Commission where we now command a certain level of respect. Its a watershed moment. The Commission now realises that parking is a key element in multi-modal journeys and their benefits, including reducing congestion and emissions. It has also begun to realise that our sector has an important part to play in the associated processes such as data standards that enable seamless journeys. We need to seize this opportunity to be heard at the heart of Europe, become influencers of policy, and facilitators of innovation and interoperability with other sectors. In terms of structure and governance, we plan to move EPA to Brussels Improving the ow of knowledge and sharing experiences, particularly between local authorities, across national boundaries, benets us all 31 PN Nov 2022 pp30-33 Nigel Williams.indd 31 27/10/2022 13:57