Artistic pedestrian crossings – a controversial intervention
Artistic interventions on streets are part of placemaking and tactical urbanism strategies implemented in cities around the world. As a recent example from London, an artwork by Camille Walala (image above[i]), prompted us to write a post about these beautiful but sometimes controversial installations. These projects are usually welcomed by the community but, in some […]
Psychology applied to traffic engineering
Although traffic engineering is in the realm of the exact sciences, understanding human behaviour and applying psychological principles can be useful to increase safety and compliant behaviour by road users. This is illustrated by an experiment conducted in the US, which was designed to increase the number of drivers stopping for pedestrians at crosswalks. According […]
Moscow Metro new wayfinding signage in time for the 2018 World Cup
Amongst the many investments and changes made to welcome tourists at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Moscow Metro wayfinding signage needed some attention. Moscow Metro infrastructure was first built in 1935 with many expansions, resulting in a variety of different signs implemented over the years. There were no signage guidelines, no standard typefaces or pictograms. […]
Road signs and the way we process information
Road signs should convey the maximum amount of information with the minimum amount of content, as it is not possible for drivers to stop their vehicle and carefully read the instructions presented. Therefore, images, typeface, colours and shapes of road signage are designed, or at least should be, in a way that their meaning […]
Exploring internal and external wayfinding communication
Although the civil design and architecture foundations of a site dictate how people move around at a structural level, the wayfinding system is the communication layer guiding the navigation into and through the built environment. The wayfinding system provides numerous clues for users so that they can easily find what they are looking for. At […]
Traffic Flow and Technology
If you think your next road trip is in your own hands, think again. Behind the scenes of traffic flow there may be a number of technologies controlling your journey. From road, to air to even the waterways, your path from A to B may be subject to change in real time. Today we look […]
Decluttering Confusing Signage
The City of Sydney has been presented with a motion to simplify parking and traffic signage across the city. As reported in The Daily Telegraph, Cr Jenny Green presented the motion asking the Council’s CEO to investigate what other cities and local councils are doing to simplify signage. Mosman Council is undergoing a plan to […]
Wayfinder signs encourage sustainable mobility
In several towns and cities in the UK, wayfinder signs aimed at making it easier for pedestrians to navigate and explore are being installed. The new look signage encourages sustainable mobility by helping residents and tourists to navigate their way around town centres and to local landmarks on foot. The Wayfinder system consists of six-foot […]
Low cost Dynamic Signage?
No budget for the latest in Dynamic Signage technology to help your customers navigate quickly to that elusive parking spot? Here’s a rather basic version spotted in the US which comes complete with an attendant who updates the sign as required. And another less than dynamic example from Cleveland Airport which apparently won’t require much […]
Dedicated lane for phone addicts
In a rather disturbing story from SBS, there are reports that the city of Chongqing in China has introduced reserved lanes for mobile phone addicts. What??? The only pleasing thing about this news is that it wasn’t a dedicated lane in traffic! Encouraging the widespread practice of having one’s nose stuck to the device, the […]
Contenders for confusing sign awards
We love this post by 3AW Radio in Melbourne featuring yet another confusing bit of signage found by one of their listeners. Working in the parking industry, initial thoughts were that we could probably figure this out – but no, we have to agree, it’s mighty unclear. Apparently, it means that Standing is allowed for […]
Parking technology – the alternative option?
We often comment on Wayfinding Forum about the development of technology in our industry and how it is apparently streamlining the way we live. The previous article is a case in point. Subscribers may also recall articles we have written on fully automated parking garages, folding cars, underground bike parking and car park guidance systems […]
Synchronization gets the green light in LA
Los Angeles has long been a symbol of America’s traffic congestion with its polluted stretches of multi-lane freeways turning into car parks during rush hour, aggravating its users. However, if city planners are correct, this is about to change — with LA turning from eternal gridlock into a best practice model for traffic control. This […]
Tackling abuse of disabled parking spaces
Around the world, parking enforcement agencies battle with illegal use of disabled parking spaces by unauthorised drivers. On the Gold Coast, along with increasing fines, the city council hopes to ratify a proposal for photo IDs to be displayed with disabled parking permits. According to the Gold Coast News website, Councillor Bob La Castra admitted […]
Plans to ease weekend congestion in Sydney
Earlier this week the Sydney Morning Herald reported on the State Government’s imminent plans to extend clearways on Sydney’s most congested roads to include weekends. The report tells us that there are up to 200,000 more cars on Sydney’s roads on Saturday mornings when compared with weekday mornings, and less people are using public transport. This […]
National Cycling Strategy to make roads safer for cyclists
A report released late last year by Austroads entitled Cycling on Higher Speed Roads will dovetail into the agency’s National Cycling Strategy 2011-2016. Leon Patterson, National Director Infrastructure Management for the IPWEA says the report provides options for public works professionals to consider when seeking ways to accommodate bicycles on Australian roads. The latest report is only […]
Car park design – an interesting beast
In any development, there is a fine line between the interests of the engineer, the developer, the investor and the end user. Ultimately all are after a solution which works, but it can be the age-old battle between cost and benefit which dictates terms. In a previous post entitled Why Simple Design is Often […]
City workers paint handicapped spot around car, then tow it
The UK’s Daily Mail has reported on a truly remarkable story described by the irate victim as “bullying and contempt never seen before.”When Hila Ben Baruch, from Tel Aviv, Israel parked her vehicle outside her home with a parking permit, she had done so legally. By the time Ms Ben Baruch had returned, a handicapped […]
NYC upgrades parking signs
The New York City Transportation Department announced last week the replacement of more than 6,000 parking signs with an easier-to-follow design. According to the NYTimes, key changes include “more breathing room” (white space), eliminating a colour (blue), and reducing the number of characters needed to explain the rules to a Twitter-friendly 140 (from 250). The […]
Parking and Traffic Consultants – 2012 year in review
2012 has been another eventful year for PTC. Many new clients joined the prestigious names in our portfolio, including Perth Airport, Health Infrastructure, Adelaide University and Leichhardt Council. Many other previous clients engaged us to do new work. Just to give you an idea, during the year we worked for these airports: Adelaide, Gold Coast, […]
A year of ‘Parking and Traffic’ blogs in review
Feel like the year has passed you by too? If you’ve been too busy to stay on top of the parking and traffic industry news every week – never fear! Here is our annual round-up of the highs and lows, and headline-making stories from 2012. Parking and policy in Australia This year saw Parking & […]
Sydney’s bike lane network set to be completed
NSW Premier Barry O’Farrell’s push to take control of Sydney’s CBD transport may see the completion of the network of bike lanes. The committee set up by the government to take control of the city’s transport planning has endorsed the completion of the bike lane network by May next year. The committee gave new impetus […]
13th Australian Parking Convention is a resounding success
Following in the steps of the November 2010 Convention, the Parking Association of Australia held its 13th event at the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre earlier this week. The event was characterised by a high level of local and international speakers that had the delegates particularly riveted to their seats. The exhibiton, in Hall 6 […]
Avoiding holiday parking stress
Whilst still very early in the holiday season, that doesn’t stop some department stores displaying Christmas decorations and nor is it too early for the International Parking Institute to publish a list of tips to help avoid parking stress during the holiday period. According to a press release on the IPI site, shoppers who circle […]
Smart paint lights your way on the highway
The Netherlands is introducing a form of ‘smart highway’, featuring glow-in-the-dark tarmac and dynamic paint that warns drivers of weather conditions. The roads will include interactive lighting and an induction priority lane for electric vehicles, with the aim of using light, energy and road signs that automatically adapt to varying traffic conditions. The design and concept […]
The case for eliminating disabled parking permits
As we’ve reported before, the abuse of disabled parking permits is widespread across the US (and not just there!). Boston, Chicago, Washington DC, New York and Philadelphia are all reporting problems, with the situation particularly bad in Los Angeles, where a 2010 investigation found disabled passes in 80 per cent of parked cars in a […]
Smarter parking meters for “human cities”
An article published by social scientist Thomas Erickson compares his experience of parking in two cities. In one, overstaying the allotted time on his meter led to a ‘courtesy ticket’ with no charge as a warning. In another city, a 3 minute lapse led to a $42 ticket, with no reprieve for first offenders. In […]
Charges for disabled parking in the US
From our vantage point, we see many stories about the misuse of disabled parking permits in the US. This week, we came across the experience in Arlington County, where they have done away with free parking and now charge a uniform fee for all users. According to The Washington Post, the decision was made based […]
Can this decision by a UK Car Park operator be considered un-Olympic?
Britain’s biggest car park operator NCP was accused of taking advantage of the Olympics as charges at its central London sites increased by up to three-fold since the beginning of the games. According to the UK’s Daily Mail, visitors to the capital are being hit with parking prices ramped up by an ‘average’ of 40 […]
Parking spots for women introduced in Germany
(Yes, you may have heard about this already…!) The mayor of the German town of Triberg has courted controversy by introducing parking spaces for women only, which are wider and have better lighting. Explaining the policy, Mayor Gallus Strobel said it was a “natural” decision because men are better at parking than women. He then […]