Sydney’s CBD bike path debate continues
Whilst on the subject of bikes, according to a number of expert reports obtained by the Sydney Morning Herald, the controversial bicycle lanes in Sydney’s CBD have made little to no impact on the city’s general traffic congestion. The consensus amongst traffic experts is that congestion continues as no car traffic lanes have been removed […]
Cycle-tecture in urban landscapes
A guest post from our Senior Traffic Consultant, Andrew Morse. Will the bicycle influence our future streetscapes? It’s not such a strange question when considering how the car influenced not only our streets, but our architecture too. In fact, according to Dr Steven Fleming, Professor of Architecture at the University of Newcastle, there are architectural […]
Around the country: Australian parking news wrap
A number of short stories we’ve collated in parking and transportation from around Australia over the past few weeks. Adelaide Airport has opened a new multi-level short term car park, providing customers with more efficient parking and a weather-proof link to the terminal. According to Impact Pub, the new short term car park is more […]
London installs in-street parking sensors
Westminster City Council, in central London, is set to become the first to use in-ground sensor technology to detect whether a car is parked in the space. According to UK’s Telegraph, the three month trial will be run across a number of streets, with plans to roll out the technology to the rest of the West […]
Parking policy and practice – a UK report
A report released in July by the UK’s Royal Automobile Club (RAC) has detailed British parking policy and practice. Called “Spaced Out: Perspectives on parking policy”, the 113 page report offers a huge depth of data on the industry. The report focuses on the demand and supply of parking, with a particular emphasis on the […]
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 […]
Is charging for parking un-Australian?
We came across a great opinion piece on Crikey.com.au this week that explored the issue of paid parking being introduced into some of Brisbane’s largest shopping malls, generating significant debate and outcry in the Sunshine State (see our previous post here). According to the Secretary of the Shop Distributive and Allied Employees Association in Queensland, […]
Mary Portas is almost correct about UK town city centre parking
There’s been a lot of exposure in the UK on Mary Portas, the spokesperson and champion of reinvigorating local high streets (see our past article ). This week we came across commentary by UK parking consultant Chris Wortley on the likelihood of councils abolishing paid parking on their high streets. Acknowledging that this is highly […]
Car Park Façades are making design news!
It seems that some of the more aspirational car park exterior designs around the world are starting to see recognition in the mainstream commercial design world. An article recently published in Commercial Design Trends magazine (see their website at trendsideas.com) explores how car park façades are being used to disguise and shelter car park buildings […]
Australian Parking Convention 2012 – registrations now open
A message from Cristina Lynn, Parking & Traffic Consultants’ Managing Partner.< As you may be aware the biennial convention organised by the Parking Association of Australia will be held on 11 – 13 November 2012 at the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre. Similarly to the event held in 2010 the Exhibition will be occupying Hall […]
How much does it cost to design and build a car park?
The most popular article on the Wayfinding Forum we’ve published (in terms of traffic to the article) was regarding the costs of building a car park (view the article, ‘How much does it cost to build a car park‘, here). This week, we came across data on the construction and design of car parks, with […]
Technology and innovation key trends in IPI survey
The 2012 Emerging Trends in Parking Survey from the International Parking Institute (IPI) has seen increased demand for technology-related innovations account for half of the top ten trends in today’s $30 billion parking industry. Among these trends include, cashless, electronic, and automatic payment systems; real-time information about parking rates and availability via mobile apps; and […]
Electric Vehicle charging in Europe
A report released by Pike Research (now stored in web archives) into the deployment of Electric Vehicle charging infrastructure across Europe has forecasted that by 2020 there will be more than 2.9 million plug-in electric vehicles on Europe’s roadways, and the region will have more than 4.1 million electric vehicle charging stations installed. The EV […]
Road pricing may be the answer to transportation funding
In an article published on the Australian Financial Review recently, transport consultant John Cox claims that the potential introduction of road pricing is much needed with discussions going on under the surface. One of the biggest driving factors in the examination of road pricing has been the realisation that the congestion issue in Australian cities […]
Airport Operations 2012 Conference
The second annual Airport Operations Conference will be held in Canberra in September this year. The conference is the only event addressing operational challenges and opportunities in airport development, and will take a close look at current trends, as well as offering a site tour of Canberra Airport. The key issues to be covered at […]
Andrew Morse joins Parking and Traffic Consultants partnership
A message from Parking & Traffic Consultants’ Managing Partner, Cristina Lynn I would like to officially welcome Andrew Morse to the Parking & Traffic Consultants partnership. Andrew has cemented his commitment to the business by becoming a partner, demonstrating the success of the implementation of a traffic division within our long established parking consultancy. We […]
Pango mobile parking service launches in US
The Israeli-founded app “Pango”, designed to help with city parking and cruising, has launched in the US, together with their first so-called ‘smart garage’ in New York. Once users install the app and create their account using their license plate number and credit car details, they are able to search for participating parking stations. On […]
Urbanized: A must see for all Urban Designers (real or otherwise!)
Urbanizedis a feature-length documentary about the design and development of cities, which looks at the issues and strategies behind urban design and features some of the world’s foremost architects, planners, policymakers, builders, and thinkers. According to the film’s press release, over half the world’s population now lives in an urban area, and 75% will call […]
Ohio State University leases parking operations to QIC
Ohio State University has moved ahead with leasing their parking operations to Australian company QIC and US partner LAZ Parking, in a 50 year contract deal worth US $483 million. According to the Star Tribune, the university pushed the plan as a way of providing cash flow at a time of declining public funding, with […]
Bicycle infrastructure funding far from priority
An article published in The Conversation this week provides a comprehensive assessment of the benefits and costs associated with state governments’ transport policies. They claim that governments across Australia have been slow in investing in the areas that deliver maximum benefit for least cost. A recent example of this mismatch is the Victorian Government’s decision […]
Canberra Airport plans to build high-speed rail station
Canberra Airport has unveiled plans to build a A$140 million high-speed rail facility next to its new airport terminal, in a bid to transform the gateway into a multi-modal hub and eliminate the need for a second Sydney airport. According to a federal government study, a high speed rail link between the two cities would […]
Transport blueprint recommends user-pays roads
A report published by the Infrastructure Finance Working Group, a Gillard government taskforce comprising of Treasury officials and experts from ANZ, KPMG, Royal Bank of Scotland, Alinta Energy and industry associations, has recommended a stronger push towards the user-pays approach to infrastructure financing used in toll roads. According to the Australian Financial Review, charges such […]
Parking news from around Australia
In a quick summary of other news from around the parking and traffic world this week, the press is once again taking aim at airports, this time comparing the cost of parking a car to the cost of parking a plane. The article compares the base rates for parking against each other (finding that it […]
Nurses protest over parking charges
In the UK, nurses and health workers protested over a proposed increase in car parking charges to £40 a month for staff and patients’ relatives. Over five hundred nurses and staff have signed a petition opposing the imposition of the increased parking charges. According to The Guardian, those against the plan claim that staff will […]
Car park signage – the good, the bad and the ugly
One of the areas that is often overlooked or taken for granted in car parks is signage. From exterior signage that attracts customers, to interior signage that helps drivers and pedestrians navigate quickly and easily through a car park, the importance of good signage to a positive customer experience is crucial. We would like to […]
Saga City film on urban planning
This week we came across a film on the website of the Victoria Transport Policy Institute called Saga City. This short film is intended to show how our communities can tackle the challenges of urban planning and vehicle emissions, as well as learning more about the impacts of our current development patterns. The film is […]
New York explores private deal for parking meters
New York City is exploring the possibility of privatising the running of its 39,000 parking meters, currently researching mistakes made by other cities and exploring potential bidders. According to the Wall Street Journal, NYC officials are motivated in part by a belief that a private company could help alleviate some of the well-known frustrations of […]
Sustainability in parking
Sustainability and ‘green’ parking solutions have received a lot of attention in the media of late, with this blog in particular giving the cause solid support. And whilst sustainability has predominantly focused on the environmental aspects of maintenance and responsibility, it’s important to remember that long-term sustainability also encompasses other aspects: economic and social dimensions. […]
Melbourne Airport’s Southern Precinct project
The Southern Precinct project and expansion of Melbourne’s Tullamarine Airport is part of a proposed program of investment by Melbourne Airport over the next five years. The expansion project is budgeted to cost in excess of A$1 billion. According to MICEBTN magazine, Stage 1 of the project is focused on the area south of the […]
San Fran parking plan undergoing reappraisal
After a strong pushback from the residents and business owners in neighbourhoods planned for parking meter expansion, San Francisco transportation officials have said that they will gather more data and work more closely with each neighbourhood to refine the parking management proposals. According to SFGate.com, the plan to add about 5,000 new meters across a […]