NYC mayor wants massive bike-sharing program

Following the launch of London’s bike sharing scheme (see our post on Aug 5, Bike share scheme in London launched as pedal power grows), New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Transport Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan have put forward a proposal for a bike sharing program. With the number of people in New York commuting by bicycle […]

The bus system that runs over traffic in China

The above picture illustrates a concept drawing of a revolutionary bus system being proposed in China: the 3D Fast Bus. The giant hybrid bus/train straddles the street allowing cars to drive right underneath it – meaning it is not slowed down by traffic, and doesn’t contribute further to it. The bus is designed to run […]

Port Macquarie parking sensor installation begins

This week marks the start of the project by Port Macquarie – Hasting Council to install sensors within CBD parking spaces in Port Macquarie. The technology will be able to record how long a car has been parked, with notifications sent to a ranger when a car exceeds the permitted time limit – but with […]

1111 Lincoln Road, Miami

We have touched on the parking structure at 1111 Lincoln Road, Miami recently (see our blog post A call to arms to improve car park design here), but must admit, when we found out more about this car park during the week, our jaws dropped. The architects of the garage (Herzog & de Meuron) developed […]

Parking lot solar ‘forests’

We recently posted a blog on a study that found that open car parking lots have a significant detrimental effect on the environment – including raising heat due to absorption into the concrete (which can raise temperatures by 2 to 3 degrees Celsius according to Indiana state climatologist Dev Niyogi), as well as contaminants from […]

Smart car solution to parking

Newcastle City Council has given approval for an inner-city apartment block to proceed with a ‘deficiency’ of 15 spaces under the minimum parking planning requirements, approved on the basis that a car sharing scheme for residents will be installed instead. The 99-apartment residential development will have only 56 parking spots, with a two-vehicle car pool […]

Google launches app to help find parking

Just this week, Google has joined the parking app bandwagon by announcing that they are launching an application to help users find parking using location-based technology. We have already reported on location-based applications a couple of times over the past two weeks (see Parking embraces new parking technology and Other wireless parking applications). See also […]

Parking matters

As the International Parking Institute (IPI) International Parking Conference & Expo begins in Las Vegas, the official kick-off of a major new initiative for advancing the parking profession will commence. Called ‘Parking Matters’, the program is a focused public relations drive to educate and increase awareness of the value of parking professionals amongst target audiences […]

So long suburbia

A new study published by the Environmental Protection Agency in the US has indicated that construction in urban cores and older suburbs of US cities is beginning to catch up with the pace of home construction in the outer suburbs – meaning that the ‘suburban sprawl’ may be beginning to slow. In a study of […]

The pitfalls of the bicycle in Sydney

In a timely follow up to last week’s post ‘The benefits of the bicycle’, John Pucher, a US academic from Rutgers University in New Jersey, says that Sydney is one of the world’s most hostile cities for cycling. Prior to publishing a paper in the Journal of Transport Geography, Dr Pucher claims that Sydney motorists […]

Car park planning

Cristina Lynn, Managing Partner of PCI, recently delivered the above presentation on the benefits of good planning to the car park development process. Particularly relevant to urban planners and councils, the presentation provides an overview of car park planning processes, including optimal space calculation, design, ‘green’ parking and other initiatives for consideration in optimising the […]

Preserving historical architecture

This building is a 17th century condominium in Crema, Northern Italy – the Palazzo Compostella già Dolfin. At first glance it seems perfectly normal, but in fact it hides an underground car park by the brilliant use of hydraulic stacking technology. The end result is a garage that stores 18 cars invisibly underground, with the […]

Is New Zealand ready for a parking levy?

Following many blogs relating to the issue of parking levies in some cities of Australia, we came across a post on the Auckland Transport Blog, discussing the Auckland CBD Rail Tunnel, and what means might be implemented to fund this massive infrastructure project. The author proposes that Auckland should consider a flat rate parking tax […]

The most dangerous profession on Earth

If you thought that going to fight the Taliban in Afghanistan was dangerous, think again. The Courier Mail reported on January 6 of yet another incident of “parking ticket” rage, when a man was charged with assault, accused of trying to run down two Brisbane City Council parking inspectors in the CBD after they gave […]

Airport “mobile phone waiting lots”

The Age recently published an article drawing attention to an innovation being introduced at US airports: the mobile phone waiting lot. Since 2004, an increasing number of US airports have incorporated a free of charge area where family and friends picking up arriving passengers can wait in the relative safety and comfort of their cars. […]

2009 Wrap Up

This is our last blog update for 2009, and as such I wanted to take this opportunity to wish you, on behalf of the whole PCI team, a very Merry Christmas and all the best in 2010. It’s been quite a year, I am sure you will all agree. We have seen significant consolidation in […]

Middle East Parking Conference videos

Parking World magazine have now published the first three of several video interviews captured during the Middle East Parking Conference held in Abu Dhabi last month. Declan Ryan, CEO of Database Consultants, Australia, spoke on vehicle detection technology, focusing on the quality of the information into a working practice in a city development. Tim Haahs […]

Davis Langdon Construction Sentiment Monitor December 2009

Davis Langton have just released their December 2009 Construction Sentiment Monitor report. The 2009 reports have seen growing positive attitudes and the December issue continues this trend. The report illustrates the following key findings: Costs return to top three problems Planning pressures easing Finance – greatest problem Sentiment continues to improve You can view the […]

Car sharing as an example of post-capitalist cultural change

This week we came across an excerpt from an essay written by Catherine Marie Simpson on car sharing – Cars, Climates and Subjectivity: Car Sharing and Resisting Hegemonic Automobile Culture? – exploring the concept of a group of people owning one vehicle and sharing the usage collectively. We briefly touched on some of the digital […]

Parking World magazine – October issue

The October issue of Parking World magazine is now out, and focuses on Airport Parking and Technology. There are a few mentions of PCI in this month’s issue, including the announcement of Kathy Ross’ appointment to PCI, and Cristina Lynn’s article about Sydney’s traffic challenge in the future, called Traffic Congestion – Sydney’s Paradigm Paralysis.  […]

The pick of parking architecture, Vol 1: Marina City, Chicago (1962)

We have used photos of this car park in our website and other marketing material for a while now so we thought it worthwhile to give you some information and details regarding the car park and the development that it belongs to. The complex, dating back to the early 60’s, is called Marina City and […]

Dubai launches robotic car park

A commercial building near Ibn Battuta Mall in Dubai opened a 765-lot computerised multi-storied car park on August 12. Motorists drive into slots inside a parking bay, much like an automatic car wash. TV screens, voice prompts and grooves in the ground guide the driver into a proper fit. After clearing a checklist, the driver […]

Parking spaces are ‘created’ by £10 tariff

The article, ‘Parking spaces are ‘created’ by £10 tariff’, proves the point – put prices up, and parking spaces are created! In this case, it’s a slightly different scenario – we have a hospital with free parking, but such a demand for parking that available spaces are almost impossible to find. By introducing a £10 tariff to […]

Get out of your car

A ‘hot topic’ in the parking industry, especially in the application of planning principles and theories to the pricing of urban parking, is the ‘make parking more expensive’ argument. Refer to our recent blog posts, San Francisco City Parking Report, and Head out of the sand please, Mosman residents! Coined ‘Out of the car thinking’, […]

What are the key things investors look for in a car park?

Sourced from Parking World’s blog, the article ‘Parking remains attractive for investors’ explores some of the key things that make a car park an attractive investment. According to the article, authored by Macquarie Group, three characteristics have a meaningful impact on the attractiveness to potential investors: Demonstrated ability to retain locations and grow the portfolio […]

Retail shopping experiences start in the car park

We came across an article this week, written by Kevin Moore, CEO of Crossmark Australia, which talks about the experience of retail shopping. It draws upon Paco Underhill’s latest book, The Call of the Mall, which presents the concept of “retail theatre”. In the article, ‘Shopping should start in the carpark’, Moore discusses car manufacturer […]

NSW budget and implications on the parking and property industry

The NSW mini-budget was released on Monday June 15, with some interesting and relevant implications for the industry. Of course, the most notable feature of the mini-budget was a fiscal stimulus which will provide a temporary 50% cut to the stamp duty for people buying newly constructed dwellings, valued up to $600,000, until December 2009. […]

The car park of the future? Part 2.

We wish we knew where this image came from, other than as we saw it on the Cool Hunter website, on a post entitled ‘Is that really a car park?’

Are car parks just there to park cars in?

When was the last time you saw a movie that did not at least have one scene in a car park? And now, car parks have become sought after venues for parties and special events ….. Saint Laurent and Givenchy would turn in their graves! With Sydney abuzz recently with the stylish designers and chic […]


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