The Importance of Accessibility in the Parking and Mobility Industry
MEETING CANADIAN ACCESSIBILITY STANDARDS
9 min read
Recognizing and meeting today’s accessibility standards is vital for organizations across all sectors. The Accessible Canada Act aims to transition organizations to create an accessible environment by identifying, removing, and preventing barriers nationwide. Creating an accessible environment is beneficial to all and could be a determining factor for who visits and returns to your facility.
Fortunately, accessibility is an emerging factor considered in the parking and mobility industry, enabling equal access, opportunity and interaction ease for all visitors. Accessibility has and continues to be a key consideration when developing new hardware and software solutions for organizations across the country. Precise ParkLink is proud to be the exclusive technology partner for Skidata, a global leader in providing parking and mobility solutions. The latest generation of skiosk pay stations manufactured by Skidata meets and exceeds Canada’s accessibility standards, as accessibility is at the forefront of their design.
We sat down with Andrew Sgorlon, Technical Sales Support Manager here at Precise ParkLink, and Samantha Proulx, Principal and Accessible Built Environment Specialist, C.E.T., RHFAC, BCIN at ABE Factors Inc., to discuss the importance of accessibility in the parking and mobility industry and where the future is heading.
Q: Why is accessibility important, especially in the parking and mobility industry? (A.SGORLON)
A: Society must be accessible to everyone to provide equal access and equal opportunity for all abilities. Parking facilities are no different. In addition to making the end-user experience easier and safer, accessible parking facilities enhance an organization's overall reach, allowing them to capture more of the market than they would with restrictive technology and infrastructure design.
Accessibility is an essential aspect to consider when developing and implementing parking solutions. Without it, your parking technology will not comply with Canadian standards, thus lowering your useability rate and risking revenue streams.
Q. How does Precise ParkLink meet Canadian accessibility standards? (A.SGORLON)
A. At Precise ParkLink, creating accessible and equal opportunity parking solutions is at the forefront of what we do. Our latest product offering, skiosk pay stations, is a line of interactive and multifunctional digital kiosks and includes the skiosk Smart, skiosk Lite and skiosk Slim. The accessibility of each of the devices has been audited and exceeded Canada’s accessibility criteria.
Q. What are the criteria parking facilities must meet to comply with the National Standard of Canada requirements? (S.PROULX)
A. Governed or not, all parking pay stations and kiosks should strive to conform to the accessibility provisions of the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) B651 and B651.2 and the Rick Hansen Foundation Accessibility CertificationTM criteria. These provisions aim at enhancing a user’s experience and ability to complete a transaction that should not be difficult to do. In order to create truly accessible parking pay stations it’s going to involve commitments from multiple parties with decisions having to be made by the vendor or manufacturer and the building operator or designer. You have to think about the machine itself being accessible with user-friendly functions (ex. legible prompts, colour-contrast, glare-free screens, illuminated tasks, audible and visible feedback etc.) but also the location and environment it’s being installed in (ex. can people access it easily, is there signage and easy to follow instructions, is it easy to locate?)
RHFAC Ratings are only provided for buildings at this time, not products. That being said, if a building includes a parking pay station, it will be assessed for its level of accessibility and be a contributing factor to the overall score the building receives. If a client’s scorecard results in having lost points for not having an accessible parking pay station, you should be ready for the client when they come asking for one. It’s all about providing more meaningful access throughout the environment and this is where clients would benefit from having one of the new accessible, Precise ParkLink kiosks.
Q. As a result of the audit conducted by ABE Factors Inc., what have you concluded about the skiosk pay stations/ how do they comply with national standards? (S.PROULX)
A. When ABE Factors audited Precise ParkLink’s skiosk line for accessibility within the Canadian marketplace it was clear that they were on the right track to building, designing and providing the future generation of accessible parking pay stations that are capable of serving a diverse range of users. There are a multitude of features available and software updates are constantly being enhanced from a universal design perspective.
For example, these skiosks have the ability to provide a 24/7 live remote service agent with two-way communication and video relay services – a live agent can literally take over your transaction and all you would have to do is submit payment – this is a highly functional feature for a lot of people, disability or not. One of the skiosk options also accommodates a physical knee clearance below, while all of the skiosks ensure that interactive components are within an accessible height range. There are cashless payment options, legible glare-free screens, optimal control heights, task illumination, tactile demonstration graphics, audible and visual ques, the list goes on.
At the end of the day, the skiosk line represents a greater level of compliance and compatibility with Canadian Standards such as CSA B651, B651.2, and RHFAC criteria. Having three different machines also provides customers with options depending on their primary users or budget. Products such as these are needed and appreciated by many and to have worked with such a proactive company that took our review comments and recommendations and put them into action, showed initiative and was enlightening.
Q. Where do you believe the future of accessibility is heading when it comes to parking machines and kiosks? (S.PROULX)
A. Accessibility is already a pivotal topic that’s sparking change all across Canada. As the Accessible Canada Act releases new regulations, Provinces enact legislation, and codes and standards get more restrictive, all the while recognizing that going above and beyond is the “right thing to do”, it’s only a matter of time before all parking pay stations and kiosks will not only need to showcase accessible features but have enhanced user-friendly features. People will want to (if not already) purchase products that they know their staff and visitors can and will be able to use, with ease and independently.
Q. How does Precise ParkLink plan to continue meeting Canadian accessibility standards? (A.SGORLON)
A. Precise ParkLink is focused on working with our clients to ensure their parking operation meets ongoing business needs. Investing in accessible parking technology remains beneficial, as it allows organizations to capture market share through the understanding and implementation of their customer's needs.
Leveraging our in-house research and development team, Precise ParkLink plans to create hardware and software solutions that go the extra mile allowing everyone to easily interact with our technology. We are prepared to enhance our technology to meet society's evolving needs, whether it be deploying touchless payment and access solutions or modifying our existing hardware to include optional features such as audio jack loops or proximity scanners.
As organizations strive to achieve accessible certification in every area of their business, we are proud to offer our clients solutions that guarantee that they continue to operate with accessibility at the forefront.
Want to learn more about the importance of accessibility in the parking and mobility industry? Watch the full interview below!