Radio Fremantle 107.9fm - "di's Delightful Drive Time"

1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:11,000 Well, welcome back to Di's Drive, 107.9 FM. We have a guest all the way from New South Wales, Daniel Battaglia. How are you, Daniel? 2 00:00:11,000 --> 00:00:13,000 Hey, good thank you. 3 00:00:13,000 --> 00:00:20,000 Well, it's an interesting book you've got written, but first of all, let's tell us a little bit about your life. 4 00:00:20,000 --> 00:00:23,000 Were you born and raised in New South Wales? 5 00:00:23,000 --> 00:00:31,000 Yeah, born and raised in Sydney. I went to a Catholic school, went to uni in Wollongong, and yeah, I've been living in Sydney ever since. 6 00:00:31,000 --> 00:00:33,000 What did you study at uni? 7 00:00:33,000 --> 00:00:36,000 I did a Bachelor of Commerce and a Bachelor of Arts. 8 00:00:36,000 --> 00:00:38,000 Oh, yeah. 9 00:00:38,000 --> 00:00:41,000 Right, did you enjoy it? 10 00:00:41,000 --> 00:00:47,000 Yeah, uni was a great time, lots of socialising as well, so I really enjoyed it. 11 00:00:47,000 --> 00:00:50,000 And when was that? How long ago were you left here? 12 00:00:50,000 --> 00:00:52,000 That was about 15 years ago. 13 00:00:52,000 --> 00:00:54,000 Oh, right, your voice sounds very young. 14 00:00:54,000 --> 00:00:57,000 Yeah, I sound young, yeah. 15 00:00:57,000 --> 00:01:04,000 Now, Daniel, you've written a book, and you're making life easier. 16 00:01:04,000 --> 00:01:16,000 Parking made easier, if that could be possible. It's an e-book, it's written by you, and you're also the founder of parkingcupid.com and parkingmadeeasy.com.au. 17 00:01:16,000 --> 00:01:19,000 What are those websites about? 18 00:01:19,000 --> 00:01:24,000 They're websites for Australia and overseas, predominantly the US. 19 00:01:24,000 --> 00:01:31,000 It's to connect drivers looking for parking with homeowners who have an empty drive-well garage to rent out. 20 00:01:31,000 --> 00:01:35,000 Right. Did you go to America? 21 00:01:35,000 --> 00:01:43,000 Yeah, I did go to America. I've been to America a few times, San Francisco and New York, and I've travelled quite a bit to maybe around 30 countries. 22 00:01:43,000 --> 00:01:55,000 And notice that parking is a nightmare everywhere. A lot of countries have restricted parking and parking fines and expensive fees and things like that. 23 00:01:55,000 --> 00:02:03,000 And even people talk about difficulty, you know, reverse parking. And there's all sorts of parking issues out there that cause people a lot of pain in life. 24 00:02:03,000 --> 00:02:11,000 And so it's probably a pretty boring subject for most people, but I tried to make it interesting and have this e-book parking made easy. 25 00:02:11,000 --> 00:02:25,000 And, you know, it doubles in quite a few issues and talks about the history of parking, you know, all the way from the Roman times when they had spaces for their chariots to today and, you know, the future in parking. 26 00:02:25,000 --> 00:02:29,000 And what technology can do to help alleviate a lot of the problems. 27 00:02:29,000 --> 00:02:38,000 Well, it really is. I've looked at it when you sent the email, but I mean, it's a fascinating book. How long did it take you to write? 28 00:02:38,000 --> 00:02:55,000 Look, it didn't happen all at once. It probably happened over a period of months or years when I just, you know, had a lot of ideas and did a few blog posts on my website, but I really wanted to extend further and I had a lot more content to talk about. 29 00:02:55,000 --> 00:03:04,000 So that's when I got the idea of putting together an e-book or a book. I'm happy to say it's got an ISBN, which, you know, makes it kind of like official. 30 00:03:04,000 --> 00:03:12,000 It's got the official barcode for books. And yeah, it's been quite a journey. 31 00:03:12,000 --> 00:03:23,000 Well, one of the... Why does parking matter? If there is one thing that unites everyone in Australia, it comes at the end of every car journey and that is finding somewhere to park. 32 00:03:23,000 --> 00:03:35,000 It doesn't matter if you're driving a 20-year-old, holding all the fastest Ferrari. At some point, you have to go get out of here with a car and that means parking it somewhere. Very true. Very true. 33 00:03:35,000 --> 00:03:36,000 Yeah, exactly. 34 00:03:36,000 --> 00:03:41,000 And you've got a history of parking and it's... How many pages altogether in the book, Daniel? 35 00:03:41,000 --> 00:03:49,000 Look, it's a quick book. I didn't want to make it too boring or too long or anything like that. It's only around 60 pages. 36 00:03:49,000 --> 00:04:02,000 It's a quick read and it's got all sorts of tips and things like how to appeal parking fines with a sampled letter, how to rent out your drive-well garage to make some extra pocket money. 37 00:04:02,000 --> 00:04:14,000 Yeah, all sorts of different things. It deals with disability parking, how to get a disability parking permit if you need one. So it covers quite a range of different parking issues. 38 00:04:14,000 --> 00:04:28,000 It's wonderful. And it is. I've got friends that are in their 70s and go and get a disability parking and you've got to go to the doctor. 39 00:04:28,000 --> 00:04:37,000 So getting advice about that is great that you've included that because a lot of people, as they get older and more hesitant to go... 40 00:04:37,000 --> 00:04:46,000 I speak about my recently departed friend actually. He took quite some time to get his. It doesn't happen overnight. 41 00:04:46,000 --> 00:04:53,000 And you do have to fill in the paperwork as well. And a friend of mine... 42 00:04:53,000 --> 00:05:01,000 So it's good that you've put that in because it does put a lot of people off getting those parking permits. It's quite daunting. 43 00:05:01,000 --> 00:05:07,000 It can be quite daunting and quite complicated. So I've got some useful information there. 44 00:05:07,000 --> 00:05:14,000 If you've got a disability, you're definitely worthy of getting the permit and having that. You should have the freedom. 45 00:05:14,000 --> 00:05:24,000 We all have to drive a car and to go where we want when we want. So if you've got that need for a disability permit, you should definitely have access to it. 46 00:05:24,000 --> 00:05:30,000 So you can enjoy life a bit more and do the things you need to do and want to do. 47 00:05:30,000 --> 00:05:38,000 Exactly. Now there's some, as you said, there's cars that can drive themselves in a limited way. 48 00:05:38,000 --> 00:05:47,000 But the numbers are few, but they are going to increase. Holden stopped making cars in 2020. 49 00:05:47,000 --> 00:05:56,000 But in 20 years' time, there will still be holden cars driving on the roads. Why do you think so? 50 00:05:56,000 --> 00:06:02,000 Of course, holden are a classic Australian car. They're a favourite. They're very popular with the collectors. 51 00:06:02,000 --> 00:06:08,000 There's holden from the 60s and 70s still driving on the roads with vintage cars. 52 00:06:08,000 --> 00:06:21,000 But like you said, technology will have self-driving cars and we've got self-parking cars, things like that, and a number of automated gadgets like cameras and beepers and other things as well. 53 00:06:21,000 --> 00:06:27,000 Self-parking cars, that sounds a bit much. How would that happen? 54 00:06:27,000 --> 00:06:39,000 Some high-end cars have the function where you can pull up to an empty space and then they can parallel park themselves using the reverse cameras and the reverse sensors. 55 00:06:39,000 --> 00:06:47,000 The car actually does, my girlfriend's got a car like that, but I think it's, hers is an Audi. 56 00:06:47,000 --> 00:06:54,000 But the guy can computer screen and it actually guides you through. It doesn't do it automatically. You just have to hold on to the wheel, don't you? 57 00:06:54,000 --> 00:06:57,000 Yeah, you still have to hold on to the wheel, yeah. 58 00:06:57,000 --> 00:06:58,000 Wow. 59 00:06:58,000 --> 00:07:01,000 And it guides you through. 60 00:07:01,000 --> 00:07:02,000 Yeah. 61 00:07:02,000 --> 00:07:09,000 And this, give us advice you've got. Renting, can parking be profitable? Tell us about that, Captain. 62 00:07:09,000 --> 00:07:19,000 Yeah, definitely. Look, for a lot of people living in a city and surrounding suburbs and different areas, parking is an issue and even storage as well. 63 00:07:19,000 --> 00:07:29,000 And so people with an empty driveway or garage can rent it out as a parking space or for storage space for their car or boat or things like that. 64 00:07:29,000 --> 00:07:35,000 There's always demand for parking and storage in a city and surrounding suburbs. 65 00:07:35,000 --> 00:07:46,000 Oh yeah, used to go on a trip to London, that was a big thing. People did do. Rent out their, you know, their garages or for storage or other people's vehicles. 66 00:07:46,000 --> 00:07:48,000 Yeah, definitely. 67 00:07:48,000 --> 00:07:53,000 Do you actually have to reply to your council? Can you just do it, just between the driver? 68 00:07:53,000 --> 00:08:04,000 A lot of people, a lot of people just do it between themselves. They just, you know, post up flyers or go to websites like the ones I've created, parkingmeddyssey.com.au. 69 00:08:04,000 --> 00:08:11,000 Well, they use other websites like Dumtree or Parkhound and some other websites out there. There's a few websites doing it now. 70 00:08:11,000 --> 00:08:15,000 I'm certainly not the only one and that's probably the easiest way to do it. 71 00:08:15,000 --> 00:08:21,000 But like I mentioned, some people also use posters and flyers and would have asked and things like that. 72 00:08:21,000 --> 00:08:26,000 But I mean, you've been very generous, not only in your advice, Daniel, and admire you for that. 73 00:08:26,000 --> 00:08:38,000 But this, to get this booklet is actually on Amazon. It's only, it's not in hard copy. It's an e-book. 74 00:08:38,000 --> 00:08:48,000 Yes, you can get it as a book and hard copy. As the e-book, it's 99 cents. And as the hard copy, just pay a little bit extra for the printing. And I think it's $5.99. 75 00:08:48,000 --> 00:08:50,000 And where's that from? 76 00:08:50,000 --> 00:08:58,000 And that's from Amazon.com. Yeah, it's also on Apple and Google Play and a few other online bookstores. 77 00:08:58,000 --> 00:09:03,000 Right. Say that again to people that was a little bit slower, please. 78 00:09:03,000 --> 00:09:15,000 Yeah, sure. So it's on Apple Books. It's on Google Play Books. And it's on Amazon Kindle. And it can be printed as a book on Amazon.com as well. 79 00:09:15,000 --> 00:09:26,000 So if you want the physical copy, you can get the physical copy. Otherwise, you can get it in the PDF format or the other format for the creators like the Kindle. 80 00:09:26,000 --> 00:09:28,000 And the website to go to? 81 00:09:28,000 --> 00:09:33,000 And the website to go to is parkingmadeeasy.com. 82 00:09:33,000 --> 00:09:36,000 Yeah, or one word, lowercase, W dot. Yeah. 83 00:09:36,000 --> 00:09:46,000 It's on https://www.parksy.com/. Look, I think it's wonderful that you've done it. It's so cheap and it's very readable. 84 00:09:46,000 --> 00:09:55,000 It offers some great advice. Parallel parking, the ultimate challenge as well. That's good. 85 00:09:55,000 --> 00:09:59,000 Not everybody can parallel park, that's for sure. 86 00:09:59,000 --> 00:10:05,000 And it's a great skill to have, as you said. Master Parallel Parking, what do you suggest? 87 00:10:05,000 --> 00:10:16,000 There's some tips in the book just about lining up your car, having the right process and just going through each of them step by step. 88 00:10:16,000 --> 00:10:23,000 That's really good. You've got lots of practical advice. And it's a really good read. It really is. 89 00:10:23,000 --> 00:10:31,000 Lining up, finishing off. Parking made easier, makes your life easier. And how very true is that? 90 00:10:31,000 --> 00:10:38,000 I haven't said that, Daniel, when you go out and park your car. Do you always find a parking bay? 91 00:10:38,000 --> 00:10:47,000 Yeah, I like to try to go directly to my destination and then I circle backwards and always find one within distance. 92 00:10:47,000 --> 00:10:56,000 I'm happy to also pay for parking. Obviously parking is real estate and like any type of real estate, there's rental costs to it. 93 00:10:56,000 --> 00:11:06,000 So, you know, I understand the convenience of parking. If I don't feel like parking or paying the parking, I know I've got Uber or I've got taxis or I've got public transport. 94 00:11:06,000 --> 00:11:15,000 But it's a convenience thing and I like to drive my car and I like the convenience of having the freedom to go where I want when I want. 95 00:11:15,000 --> 00:11:21,000 And yeah, and if I can't find free parking, then pay parking, is it? 96 00:11:21,000 --> 00:11:27,000 Yeah, of course, first choice is free, second. And what kind of car do you drive? 97 00:11:27,000 --> 00:11:29,000 I drive a Subaru Impressor. 98 00:11:29,000 --> 00:11:35,000 Oh, right. And when you park at home, is there street parking or your garage? 99 00:11:35,000 --> 00:11:37,000 Yeah, now I've got street parking. 100 00:11:37,000 --> 00:11:43,000 Right. And do you rent out your car space at all in your house or is it just... 101 00:11:43,000 --> 00:11:53,000 No, no. Just street parking and rent out my space. No, no. Yeah, my brother takes that one. So, yeah, we leave it for him. 102 00:11:53,000 --> 00:11:55,000 Oh, that's very good of you. 103 00:11:55,000 --> 00:11:57,000 Yeah. 104 00:11:57,000 --> 00:12:05,000 So, you've done this great book. Again, tell us where we can go. People can go and get it for $0.99 on Lightning. 105 00:12:05,000 --> 00:12:07,000 Yeah. 106 00:12:07,000 --> 00:12:08,000 The website again. 107 00:12:08,000 --> 00:12:18,000 It's an e-book. Yeah, it's an e-book. It's available on Google Playbooks. It's available on Apple Books and Amazon Books as well. 108 00:12:18,000 --> 00:12:25,000 And so it's only $0.99 and it's good reading. You can share around the PDF and the e-book and things like that. 109 00:12:25,000 --> 00:12:29,000 And yeah, hopefully give you a few tips to just make life a little bit easier. 110 00:12:29,000 --> 00:12:35,000 Because we've all had parking paints at one time or another and this has a lot of tips to solve them. 111 00:12:35,000 --> 00:12:44,000 Including using your new apps like the GPS systems, utilizing the technology in the cars. 112 00:12:44,000 --> 00:12:51,000 Yeah, some cars come with GPS, with parking in it as well. 113 00:12:51,000 --> 00:12:55,000 Yeah, I've got a lot of friends that don't know how to use them though. 114 00:12:55,000 --> 00:12:59,000 Yeah, exactly. It's not as user-friendly as possible. 115 00:12:59,000 --> 00:13:03,000 That's right. This is a very practical, helpful book. 116 00:13:03,000 --> 00:13:07,000 Have you done any book launches yourself over in Sydney? 117 00:13:07,000 --> 00:13:13,000 No book launches yet. It's just been a soft launch. But yeah, I plan on something coming up soon, I hope. 118 00:13:13,000 --> 00:13:23,000 I hope so. I hope you come over to Perth and do go to one of our famous bookshops here and get the hard copy out. 119 00:13:23,000 --> 00:13:27,000 Do a hard sell, Daniel. I think you'll really enjoy it. 120 00:13:27,000 --> 00:13:29,000 Yeah, sounds good. 121 00:13:29,000 --> 00:13:35,000 So this book also relates to wherever you're living in the world, you can apply the programs, correct? 122 00:13:35,000 --> 00:13:41,000 Yeah, it's very relatable to any country in every country. It's currently written in English only. 123 00:13:41,000 --> 00:13:52,000 It's got a few Australian language things in there, you know, the Holden Car and just about disability parking just refers to some of the Australian malls. 124 00:13:52,000 --> 00:13:59,000 But they're very applicable to, you know, most of the English-speaking world, especially the Commonwealth and the US. We're all very similar. 125 00:13:59,000 --> 00:14:06,000 That's wonderful. Well, you've obviously put a lot of research and time and such a good price for people to go out there. 126 00:14:06,000 --> 00:14:16,000 I recommend it. It's such an easy read and also practical. You just keep the copy in your car at all times. 127 00:14:16,000 --> 00:14:18,000 That's what I would suggest. 128 00:14:18,000 --> 00:14:24,000 You get it from an expensive parking ticket. Exactly. We're parking fine for that matter. I've had lots of them over the years. 129 00:14:24,000 --> 00:14:32,000 And of course, if you don't pay your parking fines now, they go to fines enforcement and then they go and you lose your license. 130 00:14:32,000 --> 00:14:40,000 It's often unaware. That's right. Because people, they haven't kept up with changing their addresses, don't realize. 131 00:14:40,000 --> 00:14:47,000 And you've really got to keep on top of things. You get a parking ticket, find out about it, where you have to pay for it. 132 00:14:47,000 --> 00:14:51,000 Go to the fines enforcement registry and you can get it paid out. 133 00:14:51,000 --> 00:14:58,000 Taken out of your pay on a weekly or fortnightly basis. Why do I know that? Because I've done that before. 134 00:14:58,000 --> 00:15:00,000 You've been through it, yeah. 135 00:15:00,000 --> 00:15:06,000 But that's what, you know, if you have to do, if you've got to, um, making sure it's speeding fine, not that it was not a speeding fine. 136 00:15:06,000 --> 00:15:13,000 It was a large fine with a very sick friend at the hospital. So I got three in one day anyhow. 137 00:15:13,000 --> 00:15:17,000 But they do happen and when you least expect them. 138 00:15:17,000 --> 00:15:25,000 But Daniel, congratulations on writing at Staggart, Daniel Battaglia, B-A-T-T-A-G-L-I-A. Yes. 139 00:15:25,000 --> 00:15:26,000 Yes, correct. 140 00:15:26,000 --> 00:15:32,000 And the song you've chosen to finish the interview is Eskimo Joe, a Western Australian band. 141 00:15:32,000 --> 00:15:37,000 And I have interviewed Kev. He's a great guy. Tell us why you chose Eskimo Joe. 142 00:15:37,000 --> 00:15:43,000 I've been to one of their concerts and it was a great song and a great experience. 143 00:15:43,000 --> 00:15:47,000 And so, yeah, it was very relevant, you know, for free and at all. 144 00:15:47,000 --> 00:15:50,000 So it'll be a good song to finish off with. 145 00:15:50,000 --> 00:15:52,000 Beautiful. Well, stay on the line. Here's your song. 146 00:15:52,000 --> 00:15:59,000 And thank you for writing a significant and helpful book for us mere mortals. Daniel, you've done very well. 147 00:15:59,000 --> 00:16:09,000 Daniel Battaglia, check it out. You won't be disappointed.