Why cyclists are better customers for local businesses
A recent post on the DC Streets Blog examined the economic effects of cycling, and specifically exploring the notion that an investment in cycling infrastructure generally will limit car parking. The article quotes a few numbers, statistics and pieces of information around the economic benefits of the bicycle over the car. We’ve summarised some of the […]
Parking in Miami keeps getting groovier
A new apartment block in Miami has elevators to take residents directly to their units whilst they are sitting in their cars. The $560 million tower is a collaboration between Germany-based Porsche Design Group and a local developer, Gil Dezer. According to the Miami Herald, after the resident pulls over and switches off the engine, […]
Dynamic on-street pricing overview
We came across a video on the Parking Today site this week that explains how dynamic pricing for on-street meters works. Created by IPS Smart Meters, the company responsible for San Francisco’s SFPark project, the video features contributions from Donald Shoup, John Van Horn and many more. It’s a simple overview of how the technology […]
Should car sharing be required in developments?
Fairfax media published an article this week exploring the range of benefits that a car share scheme is able to provide to residents, developers and councils of a city. The car-sharing model is one that’s growing rapidly in many countries, and reflects a shift in the way that people are using their cars. In recent […]
Melbourne underground car park street art preview
Here is an update on Melbourne’s underground street art project we wrote about recently, as the project has started to take shape. Around 90 artists from New York, Paris, Amsterdam and Melbourne came together to paint over 8,600 square feet of wall space over the 3 levels of Emerald House in South Melbourne. Reminds us […]
Melbourne media agency brings art to their car park
The Melbourne car park of one of Australia’s biggest media agencies, Aegis, is set to undergo a dramatic transformation. Around 90 artists will contribute to what is set to become Australia’s largest exhibition of street art, with the graffiti works painted directly onto the walls of the car park. The contributing artists will hail from […]
Parking news review 2011
Another year, another summary. In what has become an annual tradition, we try and distil the key news and trends from the Wayfinding Forum blog. It’s no easy job, with just under 200 posts published every year… Parking rates and sentiment In 2011, Australian parking rates and the construction industry sentiment were inversely proportional. Sydney […]
Construction worker uses bulldozer to move car
A frustrated construction worker put his skills with a bulldozer to good use by delicately removing a vehicle blocking the entrance to his building site. According to Metro.co.uk, Ralf Scherrer from St Gallen, Switzerland, used the massive machine to move a classic Fiat X1/9 sports car illegally parked across the entry to the site. He […]
An interview with Dr Barbara Chance on automated car parks
Following on from the World Parking Symposium at the end of June 2011, Cristina Lynn, Parking & Traffic Consultants Managing Partner, made a detour to Philadelphia to meet up with Dr. Barbara Chance of Chance Management Advisors. You would have met Barbara at the PAA’s biennial convention and exhibition held in Sydney in November 2010. […]
Davis Langdon construction sentiment survey report
The latest results from Davis Langdon’s construction sentiment survey suggest that a strong resurgence in the property and construction industry is unlikely over the course of the next year; an effect that will likely be compounded by recent global market shocks adding to the sense of investor unease. Davis Langdon’s projections show sustainability ranked number […]
Christchurch’s retail restoration post-earthquake
Christchurch’s rebuilding process is underway, with one retail hub, the Palms shopping centre, announcing a September 8 re-opening date. Following the smaller earthquake on June 13, further damage has been done to the centre and more remedial work has been required, including re-checking the car park and the centre columns, flooring and plastering repairs, travelator […]
Sydney car park to install solar panels on rooftop
Willoughby Council has announced plans to install the biggest council-owned solar farm on the rooftop of Chatswood’s Albert Avenue car park. The project, which will see 140 solar panels installed on the rooftop of the car park, is the first part of a three-year plan to build a 300-kilowatt energy system that will provide power […]
New York to create a pedestrian wayfinding system
This week, New York City’s Department of Transportation announced that they were planning to add signage to the streets to help pedestrians navigate the city more easily. The wayfinding system will provide clear signs that tell people their location, how long it takes to walk to key locations and gives a map of the area. […]
Sydney’s Barangaroo precinct faces transportation challenges
According to NSW’s Auditor-General, Peter Achterstraat, Sydney’s $6 billion Barangaroo development is at ‘considerable risk’, due to inadequate transport and lower-than-expected developer contributions. Wynyard Railway Station, which is expected to handle up to 63% of the commuters to the waterfront development is likely to reach capacity by 2017. The additional 14,300 predicted commuters won’t be […]
Federal Government launches first national urban policy
The Federal Government’s first national urban policy was launched yesterday by the Infrastructure and Transport Minister Mr. Albanese. The policy, called “Our Cities, Our Future” underlines the relationship between funding for projects with specific criteria relating to productivity and sustainability. The areas in which the Government intends to get involved in includes water, rail, urban […]
The vertical bike hanger
New York architects Manifesto Architecture have developed a concept design for bike parking, an issue which is growing in line with the popularity of bicycle commuting. The Bike Hanger can stack bicycles vertically, along the usually bare building walls along laneways. Bike Hanger was designed and shortlisted for the 2010 Seoul Cycle Design Competition, which […]
Do CBD tenants still want parking spaces?
According to an article published in last weekend’s Sydney Morning Herald, the demand for CBD car spaces is decreasing and being replaced by increased demand for shower facilities as more people either cycle to work, or take public transport. The article claims that this trend is putting pressure on developers to redesign the basement areas […]
Traffic Management Plan proposed for Parramatta Road
The NSW road lobby group presented a plan this week with the aim of turning Parramatta Road – one of Sydney’s most congested roads – into a public transport corridor. The plan, developed by the NRMA and one of Australia’s leading urban planners, Ed Blakely, wants to remove most of the traffic and put it […]
Urban planner Jan Gehl discusses Sydney’s potential
The City of Sydney recently hosted a series of ‘City Talks’ at the Sydney Town Hall, exploring how the city can become a better place to live in for all residents. This included a presentation by Janette Sadik-Khan, Commissioner of New York City’s Transport Department; as well as a panel discussion and debate on how […]
Parking Consultants: 2010 in review
2010 was an exciting year for us and, although it seems to have flown by, when we look at what we have achieved it looks like at least we were not idle! Working back, we close the year with a new name “Parking & Traffic Consultants” to reflect our additional service offering. As you may […]
From the blog: Parking news in 2010
Where did 2010 go? As we once again reach the end of another year, we take a few minutes to look back on the main events of the year that was. In 2010 we started recovering from the GFC, with the industry as a whole innovating and searching for new ways to deliver a more […]
Monetising bicycle sharing schemes
Whilst there has been growing attention paid to bicycle sharing schemes around the world, one of the biggest challenges they face is that they rely exclusively on the self-motivation of the users, reassuring themselves as to the health and mental outlook benefits of biking as an alternative to driving. An innovation from a New York […]
Perth Airport set for $500m upgrade
A $500m program is being deployed at Perth Airport over the next three years to meet growth in demand, giving the airport new and expanded passenger terminals, expanded aircraft parking areas, and greater public access to the terminal. The resources boom in Western Australia has contributed to a 7.5 per cent increase in the 2009-10 […]
Where will the cars and the parking spaces go?
A guest post from PCI’s Managing Partner Cristina Lynn A couple of days after the conclusion of the 12th Australian Parking Convention, a lively debate took place at the Sydney Town Hall as part of the City Talks 2010 series. Hosted by the Lord Mayor Clover Moore, the talk on Thursday 11th November was titled […]
Debate continues over high-rise Barangaroo developments
In contrast to the residential sprawl of Sydney’s west, the development of Sydney’s urban precinct Barangaroo is only going up and up. Last week, developers Lend Lease released the plans for the first of three giant office towers for the East Darling Harbour development, known as ‘C4’. According to developers, C4 will be the ‘greenest business address in the […]
Automated car park in Birmingham
A new car park in Birmingham has been made possible by the installation of a sophisticated £2m robotic system that enables cars to park themselves. The car park is situated 20 metres (65ft) below ‘The Cube’, a canal-side office and apartment development, access to which is hampered by nearby shops and bars. The use of […]
Cuts to car parking allowances in residential developments
We noted two instances this week of development applications in Sydney and Melbourne being lodged without any provision for car spaces, highlighting the increasing attitude by Councils that car ownership is a luxury, not a necessity. According to an article in the Australian Financial Review on October 5th, research by the City of Sydney Council […]
The world’s 10 most beautiful parking garages
We came across a fantastic gallery this week of ten of the most beautiful car park designs around the world. Whilst there are some well known sites in the list, there are others which we did not know about. Our favourites include the Greenway Self Park, Chicago designed by HOK, the Michigan Theatre Parking Garage, […]
A wall of bicycles
For our longer-term subscribers of the PCI blog, you may remember the ‘wall of cars’ we reported in Adelaide (see our post ‘Vertical car park’ here). We think we’ve come across its equal this week – a wall of bicycles in Germany! Over time, the number of bikes has increase as people trade their old […]