‘Parking Wars’ is a documentary developed in the US about the Philadelphia Parking Authority. At last month’s IPI conference in Las Vegas , attendees were given a behind-the-scenes look at the show, how it came about, what to look for in subjects to follow and what have been the most interesting things they have learned about the parking industry.
Whilst the clips we have seen from the show indicate a high level of sensationalism (not surprisingly), one overarching theme was to highlight the fact that parking officers are there to maintain the safety of the streets. And that parking zones are indicated as such for a reason. A double-parked vehicle, for example, can cause an instant traffic jam; a car that overstays the period for which a fee was paid is abusing its right to limited parking spaces, etc. etc.
The producers of the show claim that they are proud to be championing the cause and excited about changing people’s attitudes. There are positive lessons to be learnt from the show about taking and accepting personal responsibility which go beyond parking fines and infringements. If it does serve to educate the public about the importance of parking enforcement, it can’t be a bad thing… right?
And given that we are in the age where we have to learn to cook, lose weight and dance by watching reality TV, then…. It’s probably time for an Australian version of the show too. This week, Channel Nine also announced that they will be launching a reality show about parking officers, reportedly to be called ‘The Enforcers’ (although Nine claim this is a working title). Keep your eye on the PCI blog for the latest in parking-related Australian reality TV updates.
In the meantime, however, you may like to view the Parking Wars website here, or view a clip from Parking Wars episode one below.