Fast electric car charging technology
Whilst it may be 10 years away from commercial production, technology has been developed in Japan that may solve one of the biggest challenges facing electric cars: long charging times. While current electric car models can take up to eight hours to be fully charged, the SMH reports that this new technology can replenish a car’s battery […]
1111 Lincoln Road Miami continues to impress
This month’s Parking Professional magazine, published by the International Parking Institute, includes a four-page spread on the groundbreaking parking garage at 1111 Lincoln Road, Miami. From our perspective, we are impressed at the way the garage is commanding the attention of the artistic elite in Miami, as a venue for weddings and as an art […]
IBM launches city parking analytics system
IBM has announced the launch of a system designed to help ease parking congestion, collect more parking fees, and help motorists find parking spaces more easily in crowded urban areas. According to PCWorld, the system is being offered in conjunction with Streetline leveraging their remote sensor technology, combined with IBM’s analytical software which aggregates the […]
Technology enabling greater vehicle utilisation
We have posted in the past a number of articles about car sharing, with companies such as GoGet operating in Australia and Zipcar in the US. Robin Chase, the founder Zipcar, talked at TED in 2007 about a range of other technology-enabled ways of reducing car usage, the first being technology to enable ‘ridesharing’ – […]
Airport car parking prices and performance
According to a recently released Productivity Commission draft report, Australia’s five major airports have been found not to be misusing their market power in setting car parking and land access rates. The report, entitled ‘Economic Regulation of Airport Services’, differed from the findings of the report into airport parking prices by the Australian Competition and […]
An interview with Dr Barbara Chance on automated car parks
Following on from the World Parking Symposium at the end of June 2011, Cristina Lynn, Parking & Traffic Consultants Managing Partner, made a detour to Philadelphia to meet up with Dr. Barbara Chance of Chance Management Advisors. You would have met Barbara at the PAA’s biennial convention and exhibition held in Sydney in November 2010. […]
Davis Langdon construction sentiment survey report
The latest results from Davis Langdon’s construction sentiment survey suggest that a strong resurgence in the property and construction industry is unlikely over the course of the next year; an effect that will likely be compounded by recent global market shocks adding to the sense of investor unease. Davis Langdon’s projections show sustainability ranked number […]
New Los Angeles variable parking rates plan gets approval
Los Angeles has now followed San Francisco’s lead and has approved a pilot program that will adjust the cost of parking based on demand at various times throughout the day and the duration that motorists stay within each parking space. The program, called ExpressPark™, will use sensors and other technology to monitor around 6,000 sidewalk […]
On street parking – Italian style
A guest post from Managing Partner Cristina Lynn You have to love the Italians. Not only are they the G8’s most undisciplined parkers but no one seems to care that much. In Milan the congestion tax has turned the areas surrounding the city centre into gigantic car parks. With on street parking (as well as […]
This is one way to enforce parking rules!
To show that he doesn’t like people parking in bicycle lanes in the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius’ mayor has released a video showing him ‘taking matters into his own hands’. The infringement-fighting mayor is shown driving a tank and running over a parked Mercedes, sweeping up the debris and then riding off into the sunset […]
Post-Carmageddon lessons
The Los Angeles Times published an opinion piece this week following Carmageddon, opening with a line that we think is great: ‘Now that we’ve finished freaking out about the weekend closure of 10 miles of the 405 Freeway, can we do something about the fact that it’s Carmageddon every single day in West Los Angeles?’ […]
TED: Bill Ford discusses a future beyond traffic gridlock
We came across a TED Talk this week by Bill Ford, great-grandson of Henry Ford, who has spent over 30 years working for the Ford Motor Company. He recently delivered a speech at TED which discussed both his concerns about the impact of cars on the environment, as well as what, for him, is a […]
Colliers global parking rate survey 2011
Following the release of the North American parking rates two weeks ago, Colliers this week released their global parking rates survey results. Melbourne has now overtaken Sydney as the world’s third most expensive place to park based on daily rates, at US$69.53 ($64.23) a day, while Sydney was fourth at US$67.42. Only Copenhagen and Oslo […]
Traffic management inspiration from New York
This week, we came across a demonstration of how one particular New York intersection is both dysfunctional and more than a little dangerous. For his master’s thesis at the School of Visual Arts in New York City, Ron Gabriel created a campaign called 3-Way Street to examine how “pedestrians jaywalking, cyclists running red lights and […]
…as India also considers their car parking requirements
The Wayfinding Forum’s ‘shadow author’ recently visited India on a fact finding mission to examine the parking situation in Mumbai. Both the photo above and the video below were captured by our correspondent whilst on location. As you can see, both traffic and parking are growing problems in the city, and we expect that this […]
The importance of the Car Parking Professional
The International Parking Institute (IPI) debuted a two-minute animated video called Parking Matters at the annual Conference and Expo held in Pittsburgh, USA, last week. The video is aimed at promoting the parking profession by connecting with new audiences unfamiliar with the industry. It’s a great overview of the contribution made by the large number […]
Barbara Chance – a worthy parking consultant
In more news from Pittsburgh, the IPI recognized three parking professionals who have made outstanding contributions to the profession. Parking Consultant Dr. Barbara Chance and University of California/Irvine’s Ronald Fleming shared the Parking Professional of the Year award. You will no doubt remember that Barbara was one of the speakers at the Australian Parking Association’s […]
Interesting trends revealed by Parking Industry Survey
Also released at the IPI Conference were the results of the 2011 “Emerging Trends in Parking” survey of its members to examine the evolution of the car parking industry. The survey revealed that while parking professionals are finding increased pressure to boost parking revenue, significant trends centre on demand for sustainable parking solutions and advances […]
Solar panels built into roads
Produced by a Dutch research firm, the Solaroad comprises solar panels being installed directly onto roads and cycle lanes, using the extra space for the production of energy. The idea is that a centimetre thick layer of crystalline silicon solar cells is laid on top of the concrete road surface, in turn covered by a […]
Green power and electric vehicle charging stations
Whilst we have commented on the benefits of electric vehicles on the Wayfinding Forum for some time, recent studies are muddying the waters as to the effectiveness of the technology. Car maker Audi has examined the energy output of the entire chain of powering the vehicles – from power station to the car’s emissions – […]
New car parking technology for City of Melbourne
On April 20th the City of Melbourne formally approved a $5.48 million project to modernise the way parking is managed across the city which had been unveiled earlier this year. The new technology, which will be rolled out between 1 July and 30 October this year, includes the installation of in-ground sensors in more than […]
The vertical bike hanger
New York architects Manifesto Architecture have developed a concept design for bike parking, an issue which is growing in line with the popularity of bicycle commuting. The Bike Hanger can stack bicycles vertically, along the usually bare building walls along laneways. Bike Hanger was designed and shortlisted for the 2010 Seoul Cycle Design Competition, which […]
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 […]
Electric storm on the way
An opinion piece published in the Sydney Morning Herald’s ‘Drive’ section (written by Top Gear’s former ‘Stig’) explores and reports on test drives carried out on electric vehicles and sports cars. The article contains interesting comments on the technology and supporting infrastructure of the electric car, but we were mostly struck by the apparently inevitable […]
Colliers 2010 Global CBD Parking Rate Survey
Colliers have released their Global CBD Parking Rate Survey for 2010, with Australian cities again featuring high in the rankings. According to the survey, Sydney is now the fourth most expensive city to park (USD $51.18 daily), behind Oslo, Tokyo, and London (City), but ahead of major centres including London (West End), New York and […]
China’s 3D fast bus update
In August last year we reported on a planned traffic and transportation system from China: a ‘fast bus’ that straddles the street, allowing it to run over cars and under underpasses at up to 40kmph. Last week, TreeHugger reported an update on the fast bus – which doesn’t appear to be progressing very fast at […]
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 […]
Study on parking space management finds Europe leads the way
A study released late last year by the Institute of Transportation and Development Policy in New York has found that ‘parking management is a critical and often overlooked tool for achieving a variety of social goals.’ The study, titled ‘Europe’s Parking U-Turn: From Accommodation to Regulation’, cited improved air quality, reduced greenhouse gas emissions, reduced […]
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 […]