Parking meter privatisation deal renegotiated by Chicago Mayor
Chicago City Mayor Rahm Emanuel is attempting to make up for what he describes as the mistakes of a previous administration by renegotiating its 75 year deal with the private company now responsible for running the city’s parking meters. In 2008, the Chicago Parking Meters group paid $1.15 billion for the lease to monetize about 36,000 […]
Can road pricing really improve urban productivity
The Grattan Institute has this month released a report entitled, Productive Cities: Opportunity in a changing economy offering solutions to help increase economic productivity and efficiency in Australian cities. The report analyses housing, income and transport data in Australia’s four largest cities to show that while highly paid and qualified workers are living close to city […]
Adelaide parking levy faces stiff opposition
CBD parking levies are still a hot topic of discussion around Australia following last week’s blog reporting on the Victorian government’s plans for an increased parking tax. This week has seen South Australia’s Opposition ramping up its fight against their state government’s planned parking levy for Adelaide’s CBD. The controversial plan is fast becoming a […]
Car parking levy in Melbourne on the rise
An increased parking levy is set to be included in Victoria’s state budget next Tuesday. The Age reports that property owners are currently charged $950 annual per long term (all day) parking space, however this will rise to $1300 p.a and will be extended to include short term parking as well. The levy will now […]
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 […]
Futuristic transport plan for Windhoek
Namibia’s capital Windhoek is close to finalising a futuristic transport master plan, focusing on safety, aesthetic and environmental concerns, as well as traffic efficiency by integrating the road network of the capital, including surrounding regions and the international airport. The Sustainable Urban Transport Master Plan is a collaborative effort between the City of Windhoek and […]
Parking levy could fund transport expansion in Toronto
Toronto’s transport authority Metrolinx has big plans to solve their city’s congestion troubles, but the question remains, how are they going to pay for an ambitious list of proposed investments? To better engage the community and help inform policy decisions, the authority has released an online interactive simulation where the public can select the projects […]
Parking meter technology is not always convenient
Every week we read about new car parking technology being unveiled somewhere in the world. This week, The New York Times published about the latest smart phone application being trialled in the Bronx, using real time updates to direct drivers to available parking spaces. The technology also allows for motorists to pay for parking with […]
Brisbane to Melbourne high-speed rail, but at what cost?
Phase two of the Federal Government’s study to construct high-speed rail (HSR) spanning from Brisbane to Melbourne via Sydney and Canberra was released this week to a lukewarm reception. The ambitious infrastructure plan would be the largest investment of any national project, eclipsing the NBN many times over. The HSR network, comprising over 1,700 kms […]
George Street makeover a step closer
Both the State Government and the City of Sydney agree that light rail from Circular Quay to the city’s east along George Street will be a great thing for Sydney. The vision is for an integrated transport network able to move large groups of commuters quickly and effectively around the CBD and out to major […]
Transit Oriented Development needs to be more than transit and development
Transit Oriented Development (TOD) is not a new concept in urban planning. DNAinfo.com has published a story about the latest mixed development taking advantage of local public transport hubs in Chicago. The Wicker Park building contains 99 residential units but only 15 car spaces, supposedly reserved for visitors only. Whilst ratios vary around the world, […]
Green badges to encourage electric car investment
The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) has called for free parking for electric vehicles in an attempt to encourage UK drivers to switch to the more environmentally friendly mode of travel. An article published by the Guardian this week, explains that the concept is similar to the existing blue badge scheme for disabled drivers. […]
Businesses fight parking levy in Adelaide
A coalition of South Australia’s most influential property owners have joined forces to fight the State Government’s Transport Development Levy planned for Adelaide’s CBD. We posted about this levy earlier this year. Led by the SA branch of the Property Council of Australia, the State Coalition to Repeal the Parking Tax (SCRPT, or ‘SCRaP iT’) is […]
CBD parking tax win for New Zealand businesses
New Zealand PM, Mr John Key Meanwhile in New Zealand, business organisations and unions have claimed victory after the Prime Minister backed away from a government proposal to introduce a fringe benefit tax on car parks provided to employees as part of their remuneration. The tax on inner-city car parks in Auckland and Wellington drew […]
Electric cars to have a home at Highland Park, Chicago
The Chicago Tribune has reported Highland Park, a municipality of Chicago, will create areas in its downtown to accommodate electric cars. The city will consider priority parking spaces and reduced vehicle sticker fees to further incentivise electric car owners. The concept is hoped to be not only good for the environment, but also may help […]
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 sharing in San Francisco seems like a good idea, doesn’t it?
The City of San Francisco prides itself on its Transit First policy, a concept that emerged over 40 years ago to ensure that urban development focused primarily on public transport solutions to tackle the city’s congestion problems. In this vein, two such initiatives have been recently adopted. One was to tighten controls on car park […]
WA Labor’s election pledge to trial satellite car parks
Western Australia’s Opposition Leader Mark McGowan has pledged a series of measures to reduce Perth’s traffic congestion. The plan improves direct rail access to Perth Airport and would add an extra 17,000 parking bays around the rail network over the next eight years. The pre-election commitment comes as part of Labor’s $3.8B Metronet Plan aimed […]
Car parking fee slashed to encourage investment
Port Adelaide Einfield Council has voted to reduce the penalty on new developments to encourage commercial investment. Under current regulations, in lieu of providing their quota of car parks required for new proposals, developers may choose to make a financial contribution to the Port Adelaide Centre Car Parking fund. Revenue raised by this fund goes towards upgrading or building new car […]
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 […]
Jakarta’s off-street parking tariff hike to “cover loss insurance for car owners”
The doubling of Jakarta’s off-street parking tariffs to Rp 4,000 per hour (AUD$0.41) prior to the last year’s gubernatorial (City Governor) elections will be challenged in an Indonesian court. Lawyer David Tobing has filed a lawsuit against the Jakarta Legislative Council over the higher parking tariffs, claiming the unannounced hike by the former regime led […]
Free Weekend Parking Trial Halted for Gold Coast Light Rail
A trial to provide free weekend parking in Southport and Surfers Paradise has now been permanently quashed following a review which found that the cost to the city outweighed the benefit to retailers and shoppers. The parking trial was proposed early last year by Councillor Tom Tate as part of his Mayoral election campaign and […]
More parking required for rail project success: Springfield, Brisbane
The site of the Springfield railway station due to open this year. A new rail link south west of Brisbane, spanning The Darra to Springfield will reportedly deliver a major capacity upgrade for the Western Corridor’s transport needs. The project is on track to be delivered by Queensland’s transport Minister on or ahead of time […]
New York City’s parking privatisation on hold
New York City has scrapped a controversial plan to privatise its street-parking management system. The concept was designed to help ease the financial position of the city by generating a steady revenue stream under a leasing arrangement with the private sector, according to the Wall Street Journal. However opposition to the plan was strong, citing […]
Kunming, China, trials ‘no car day’
The city of Kunming in China (the home town of our analyst Sunny Huang) held its first ever ‘no car day’ recently, with private cars not allowed in the city centre. The event was the climax of Kunming’s ‘Urban Public Transport Week’, promoting the city’s bus system and other alternatives to driving private automobiles around […]
Update on Hong Kong parking prices
In November, we reported that the cost of property prices for car parks in Hong Kong was going through the roof, following the introduction of measures from the government to cool the cost of property prices. Car parking spaces are now selling for more than some homes, with AU$276,000 being paid for a space in […]
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 […]
Sydney Convention centre to be upgraded
The NSW Premier Barry O’Farrell announced last month plans to refurbish the convention, exhibition and entertainment precinct in Darling Harbour. The upgrade will see the area boast Australia’s largest convention and exhibition facilities, Sydney’s largest red carpet entertainment venue and a hotel complex of up to 900 rooms. A new urban neighbourhood in Haymarket will […]
Paying for parking by Etag is a reality (in Santiago!)
During our recent visit to the South American capital, we were able to witness the operation of a payment by e-tag in a large shopping centre car park. The system has been recently installed and the owner is expecting that use will increase very fast from a currently low 2% to around 40% of transactions. […]
Parking levy in Adelaide
The South Australian State Government has proposed a car park levy for the Adelaide City Council region, at a rate of $750 per space. According to AdelaideNow.com.au, the council has defended the decision, pointing out that Adelaide will still have cheaper parking fees and the highest number of available parking spaces than any other Australian […]