The hidden beauty of America’s car parks

For Baltimore based photographer Ben Marcin, there is more to car parks than grey concrete and cars.  Ben aims to identify the hidden beauty and colour of a standard ‘parking garage’, according to citylab.com To what is often considered as just a ‘space’ to park one’s car, Ben is able to see the structure, the […]

Design & fashion make their way to the car park

Ask anyone about the definition of a car park, and you will instantly hear words such as: congestion, nightmare, traffic, expensive, hard to use or perhaps “I can never find my car”.  But has anyone ever responded with “they are the best place to hold a fashion show”?  Perhaps not. Earlier this year the British […]

Belgium takes a leap of faith into green street parking

For the Belgian town of Ghent, population of 600,000, the idea was simple: create a car-free street during the summer months and let the community decide what to do with the space. For a period of two months, 25 streets have been transformed into a perfect playground for kids.  The crux of the idea is:  […]

Happy PARK(ing) Day

    Creativity and a forward thinking group of innovative designers, Rebar, converted a single metered parking space into a temporary park in downtown San Francisco.  Bingo – a worldwide event was created – PARK(ing) Day.  From its humble beginnings in 2005, PARK(ing) Day has evolved into a global movement and it is here in […]

Melbourne car parks valued at $100m+ up for sale

  Two car parks located in Melbourne, have hit the market at a time when the number of purpose-built commercial car parks is rapidly declining.   According to Urban Developer, the combined sale of these two car parks will see more than 1,000 parking bays on offer with a value of more than $100 million.  This […]

Will Melbourne commuter car parks ease congestion?

Is building multi-level car parks at train stations the best way to encourage the use of trains by commuters? This question was presented in a recent article in the Melbourne Age, whereby Metro (Melbourne’s rail operator) proposed to build a multi-storey car park at some of Melbourne’s busiest railway stations and potentially charge commuters to […]

Adelaide Car Park Value Hits the Roof

As reported in the Financial Review, a six level car park close to one of Adelaide’s major entertainment and higher education areas has sold to a local private buyer for $27 million. Located close to Rundle Mall and the University of Adelaide, the car park enticed a high level of interest due to the potential […]

VIC Legislation Impacts on Retailers

In the June news released by the peak industry body for the Parking industry, Parking Australia, the association has expressed concern around the lack of consultation regarding the introduction of legislation by the Andrews Government in Victoria.  This new legislation removes the ability for a private property owner to reasonably identify and seek to recover […]

The hidden cost of parking

Have you ever budgeted for the privilege of a car parking space in your apartment block?  Probably not, because this cost is usually well hidden into the price of housing, land, construction, and maintenance.  Over time this can certainly add up to a large proportion of your rental cheque or purchase price. According to Reinventing […]

Car parks are hot property in Sydney, too

As reported in the Property Observer, a spirited auction for an undercover Potts Point car space fetched $264,000.  This price reflected around $10,000 per square metre. In an area that has been described as the toughest in Australia to find a car space – with almost 25,000 residents living in a 1.89 square kilometre, restaurant mecca […]

Car Parking – Where is it headed?

We are proud to announce the release of the 2015 Whitepaper on CBD Car Parking, a joint project between Parking & Traffic Consultants and Colliers International. The focus of this report is the changing landscape of CBD car parking and the resulting challenges and opportunities created in the car parking business. In our CBDs, supply […]

Would London’s Congestion Charging work in Australia?

If you had to pay $20 to enter the CBD by car, would you take public transport instead?  Apparently, if London’s experience is translatable, the answer is yes!  In 2003, in an attempt to improve the untenable congestion and pollution that plagued Central London, the government introduced “Congestion Charging”.  All private and commercial vehicles entering […]

Cost to build a car park- and more!

  Read the 2019 updated version of this post. Occasionally, people inquire as to what it costs to build a car park (this week, in fact).  This is not an easy question to answer quickly, as there are many variables to consider — Is it at-grade or multi-storey, CBD or regional, number of bays, which […]

Creepy car parks – no thanks!

In terms of parking structures, it is likely that every person who drives will have at least three ready examples of “really bad car parks”, because unfortunately, they are commonplace.  Whether they are “bad” in terms of design, signage, ease of use, traffic flow, safety or amenity (sometimes all of the above), these are the […]

London: Cycling now considered mass transport

Transport for London’s new Cycling Design Standards Policy begins with the words “Cycling is now mass transport and must be treated as such”.  Councils in London boroughs are now requiring developers to integrate this approach into their development plans. A recent example is the 250 City Road project which was required to include ample parking […]

New York: Parking Grand Central style

So you’re spending a lazy Sunday in New York browsing through the options for an apartment upgrade and you come across 443 Greenwich in Tribeca, New York offering (among the “amenities”) a car park inspired by Grand Central Station complete with valet parking, convenient bike racks and a dedicated entry ramp for cyclists. The following […]

School Traffic: How much can Sydney take?

During school terms it is not only traffic which increases but also pressure on public transport systems, localised congestion around schools and particularly at drop off and pick up zones.  All of this equates to an added strain on resources such as roads, public transport, police and local government and consequently to a drain on […]

Welcome to Parking Australia’s new president – Cristina Lynn

Photo credit: Parking Australia We would like to welcome the new President of Parking Australia, Cristina Lynn.  At the Parking Australia event in Sydney on Wednesday 10th December, long standing President Larry Schneider announced his retirement from the role. Cristina is the Managing Partner at Parking and Traffic Consultants and has been actively involved in […]

Turning New York City’s parking lots into affordable housing

Photo Credit: Stefan Georgi/Flickr With New York City facing increasing pressure on housing affordability, the NYC based Institute for Public Architecture called for creative ideas and solutions for affordable housing.  One of the most intriguing ideas came from fellows of the Institute Sagi Golan, Miriam Peterson and Nathan Rich, which targets the abundance of parking […]

Victoria Decides – Traffic congestion and public transport high on the agenda

In the days counting down to an election the promises and future party policies are announced in rapid fire as last ditch attempts to persuade the undecided.  Every speech is an attempt to impress the overall electorate with the “trust us – we know what you really really want” persona of political parties.  This process […]

Rise of the elevator car park

The evolution and adoption of the automobile as an everyday necessity is one of the most impacting of the 20th Century.  In 1886 the ‘modern car’ was developed by Karl Benz and only 22 years later in 1908 the first Model T became available to the mass population. Move ahead only 20 years and the […]

Focus on car park design

A recent architectural competition in the US by Combo Competitions has brought attention back to “parking garages”. Combo’s premise is to introduce an additional element to the competitions it organises (another structure, a new function tied to the main one or something completely different, as long as it adds value to the project). Combo recognised […]

A Parisian car park challenge

The Peninsula Hotel, situated in the heart of Paris was built in 1908, one of its many claims to fame being the site where George Gershwin wrote “An American in Paris” in 1928. It took two years to build and has recently undergone a four year restoration to bring it back to its former glory. […]

Canberra Pay Parking sparks surge in Bus use

The introduction of paid parking in the Parliamentary Triangle has finally moved Canberrans to leave the car behind and utilise the bus network, reports the Canberra Times.  The change was introduced in order to increase the number of spaces available to visitors to the national institutions ( e.g., National Gallery, National Portrait Gallery, Old Parliament […]

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 […]

Airport Parking Infographic a winner

We love a great infographic, and here’s an interesting one from Budapest Airport, Hungary, which is experiencing very strong growth in parking (up 40% in 2014 to over 1 million vehicles). It features a visual comparison of alternative methods of getting to the airport, and helps the traveller choose the best parking option taking into […]

Adelaide parking tax quashed

The recent introduction of South Australia’s controversial parking tax was voted down in Parliament last week, reports ABC news.  An Opposition amendment to remove the tax was passed with the support of both Family First and Independent MPs.  This was welcome news for the Property Council of Australia and the State Coalition to Repeal the […]

IKEA tries urban stores with No Parking

IKEA is making a foray into the urban market with a number of new “city” stores that have smaller footprints and no parking provision.  It sounds improbable if not impossible, given that the mainstay of IKEA inventory is the DIY flat packs which could be rather difficult to carry home on the bus, train or […]

Record price for parking in NYC

Trendy SoHo in New York City is in the news for setting a record asking price for a parking spot.  The new project at 42 Crosby Street was a former parking lot and is now being developed into 10 luxury apartments (architect Annabelle Selldorf’s rendering above), as reported in the NY Times.  With apartments priced […]

QR Codes help locate travellers’ cars at US airport

  Indianapolis International Airport is using Quick Response (QR) Code technology to help travellers locate their parked carswhich can be challenging in large lots, especially for infrequent travellers.  As reported on the QR Code Press, QR Codes have now been added to shelters throughout the Economy lot (8,000 spaces), and also on pillars on upper […]


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