Port of Portland Will Spend $7.9 Million to Automate Airport Parking

November 13, 2003

Port Will Spend $7.9 Million to Automate Airport Parking
Oregonian, OR

The Port of Portland commission, which owns and operates the airport,
approved a plan Wednesday to replace nearly all of the 60 cashiers who
handle parking payment with machines.

The airport will launch the $7.9 million project in fall 2004 with hopes
of making it quicker and easier for drivers to leave the airport's parking
area, said Dan Brame, parking system manager.

"The experience of using a pay station should be easy as using an ATM
machine," Brame said.

Traffic backs up in the evenings, the airport's busiest hours, as
motorists leaving the airport's garage wait in line trying to make
payment, Brame said.

Under the new system, motorists will pay for parking at self-serve
machines in the airport parking garage or the long-term parking lot --
before they reach their parked cars. Waiting times at the 20 machines that
are planned should be minimal compared with the wait at the current eight
exit lanes, Brame said.

The machines will electronically stamp motorists' parking tickets,
validating that parking fees were paid. A final automated station will
check the ticket before raising an exit-gate arm.

The airport hopes eventually to reduce the number of exit lanes from eight
to six, possibly clearing the way for more parking, Brame said.

For the first year or so, the airport will still staff at least one or two
lanes with cashiers, Brame said. Some employees also will remain to help
motorists use the machines.

The Port will not equip the airport's economy lot with the automated
system, but a new system will allow motorists to pay a machine with a
credit card instead of paying a cashier.

Airport officials said they don't expect parking rates to change as a
result of the new system. Airport managers have accumulated money for the
remodeling in recent years from parking revenue, expected to total $32
million in the 2003-04 fiscal year.

In other action Wednesday, the Port commission approved new airport leases
with rental car companies. Five rental car companies will lease locations
in the airport parking garage and three others will lease limited-service
kiosks at the airport.

Under the new leases, Enterprise Rent-a-Car will establish a new operation
in the PDX parking garage. National and Alamo rental car companies, owned
by Vanguard Car Rental USA, will lease a kiosk, downsized from their
parking-garage operations.

Other tenants and their operations will remain the same.


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