National Parking Association launches parking industry Peer Networks
Last week, the US based National Parking Association (NPA) officially launched an industry program called Peer Networks, an international series of peer topic and trend discussions on leading parking and transportation industry issues. The Peer Networks have been created to provide an opportunity for parking and transportation professionals to build industry connections, learn best practices […]
NSW Government promises 100 days of transport focus
Following the outcome of the NSW state elections on the weekend, the Liberals leader Barry O’Farrell has promised a 100 day focus on transport in NSW, particularly on roads and rail systems and includes the establishment of a Public Service Commission, the integration of public transport agencies and the launch of Infrastructure NSW, to take […]
No Parking Meters Party in NSW state elections
Speaking of elections, we noted the advent of a new party on the NSW State election ballot forms – the No Parking Meters Party. Our investigation into the party has shown that whilst they were originally conceived as a single-policy party, a ‘groundswell of support’ led them to put forward 18 candidates for the NSW […]
Research finds Adelaide to be car friendliest city, Sydney the least….
Research into Australia’s car friendliest cities released last week by Virgin Car Insurance has found that Adelaide has emerged as the best city in which to own a car. The research looked at a number of variables, such as the cost of car insurance, petrol prices, parking fines, theft and tolls. Adelaide leapfrogged Hobart, Darwin […]
The car parking mobile revolution continues
Following our article last week on the explosion of mobile technology and applications designed to assist with finding parking spaces (see ‘Parking mobile technology takes off’ here), we came across yet another development in the USA. We find this one particularly interesting, as it uses information (freely released by Baltimore City officials on the internet) […]
Useful tips for reviewing Councils’ parking strategies
The recent volume and variety of articles appearing on the media locally and internationally with regards to parking management, parking strategies and revenue generation has caused us to stop and think about these important issues. On-street parking controls are often introduced by local councils to improve management of available spaces as a response to regular […]
New York City asks bankers to assist in maximising parking revenue
New York City officials have recently issued an Expressions of Interest document, calling on investors to identify ways to extract more revenue from city assets, including its parking meters and garages, real estate and infrastructure, while reducing costs. The EOI is seeking ideas on how to develop new sources of revenue and restrain costs, as […]
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 […]
What’s the cost of a parking spot?
The value of parking spaces is one of our blog’s favourite topics. We published a story recently about a stand-alone garage in Bondi, Sydney, selling for almost a quarter of a million dollars. This week, we have come across an article about the impact of an off-street parking space on the value of a private […]
ACCC report targets Australian airports
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s annual airport monitoring report was released last week again focusing on car parking fees. Sydney Airport commissioned two independent reports which put into question the methodology adopted by the regulator in reporting customer service levels. A Productivity Commission has been appointed to carry out an independent review of the […]
A car park minus the cars
A new Federally-funded car park in Fisher Street, Cabramatta, in Sydney’s West, is top of the range – with electronic parking displays, well-lit, polished and coloured interiors, landscaped gardens, native hardwood exterior panelling, and a 200-panel solar system feeding into the electricity grid. However, according to a recent article in the Sydney Morning Herald, it […]
Melbourne City announces new automated parking monitoring system
This week, the Melbourne City Council announced the introduction of an electronic parking detection system throughout Melbourne’s CBD and Southbank. Utilising sensors installed in the ground beneath the parking spaces, and in conjunction with technology able to automatically read license plate numbers, the system monitors the length of time a car spends in a space. […]
Wollongong parking meters follow up
Following the installation of parking meters in Wollongong’s CBD in March 2010, Council experienced significant backlash from the community which resulted in the review of parking rates and pricing schemes, and the placement of the meters and parking zones in conjunction with community consultation. According to data provided by Council, and an interview with the […]
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 […]
An environmentally advanced parking lot
A new parking lot constructed at Denver airport claims to be the most environmentally advanced open-air parking lot in North America. The parking lot includes 4,200-spaces and it incorporates virtually every green construction innovation available, including water-permeable pavement, contaminated water treatment, solar-electric energy, wind turbines, geothermal heating systems, state of-the-art LED lighting and electric vehicle […]
Westfield launches virtual shopping mall
Over the past few weeks the Australian media has been following closely over the past weeks the push from prominent goods retailers to lobby the government to ban tax-free online shopping in Australia, which has seen a significant public backlash against the retailers. This week, Westfield announced the launch of a new ‘virtual mall’, grouping its […]
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 […]
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 […]
Criticism against Sydney Council’s car share program
We have recently focused on the emergence of Car Sharing, both in Australia and across the world, from a planning, development and parking perspective. For the most part, our coverage of car sharing programs has concentrated on the benefits of car sharing programs, and how the City of Sydney in particular has enthusiastically embraced them. […]
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 […]
NPA Third Annual Parking Survey
The National Parking Association (USA) released their Third Annual Review of Parking Rates in North America this month. Key findings of this year’s study include: Parking facilities in and near airports were hit hardest, with 56 percent of on-airport and 44 percent of off-airport facilities reporting a decrease in 2009 revenues. Municipal operators and facilities […]
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 […]
Australian Parking Convention day two photo gallery
Following the successful second day of the Australian Parking Convention 2010, Parking and Traffic Consultants’ resident photographer Grant MacLean has supplied additional photographs capturing all of the action from the Convention. In the below slideshow, you can see several of the keynote speakers from day two, including shots from the conference floor and exhibitors stands, […]
Australian Parking Convention day one photo gallery
With day one of the Australian Parking Convention 2010 complete, Parking Consultants have sourced some photographs of the event and activities of day one. In the below slideshow, you can see several of the keynote speakers from day one, the opening address from Larry Schneider, the presentation of the Awards For Excellence at the Convention […]
The fairness of parking fines
For those of our readers unfamiliar with the work of APC keynote speaker Donald Shoup, he published this week an article in the Los Angeles Times entitled ‘Parking-fine fairness’. The article talks about a proposed ‘graduated’ system of parking fines – charting higher fines for repeated parking offenses. Shoup states that most cities use parking […]
Australian Parking Convention starts in a few days!
The 2010 Australian Parking Convention is due to commence at the end of this week, and Parking Consultants would strongly encourage members of the parking community across Australia to attend and make the most of the global knowledge that will be shared at the event. Running from Sunday November 7 – Tuesday November 9, the […]
Cycling movement gathers momentum… expect perhaps in Rome
We have noticed a significant increase in the number of articles about cycling, and the infrastructure being installed around the world to support this mode of transport making it a more attractive form of commuting and transportation. We’ve come across a debate In the US on building standards, with one critic claiming that giving building […]
Understanding more about electric cars
The approaching Australian Parking Convention will address, amongst other topics, issues relating to the advent of the electric motor vehicle and its repercussions for car park owners, operators and drivers in general. Dr. Andrew Simpson of Curtin University’s Sustainability Policy Institute will make a presentation titled “Planning for Renewable Electric Transport”. The title of the […]
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 […]
Parking Consultants interview APC speaker Colin Chodos
This week, we came across an article in the Australian Financial Review, called ‘Create a hook factor to keep staff motivated and thriving’. The article discusses the deeper reasons why people can engage with their employer and their roles. You can read the article in full here. Inspiring us to pursue the matter further within […]