Customer Service anyone?
Here’s a fabulous post from former chair of the International Parking Institute (IPI), Casey Jones which appeared last month in the IPI’s blog, Parking Matters. With Casey’s permission, we are re-blogging it to our network. The lesson is short and sweet, and compulsory reading for any business that thinks it offers GREAT customer service…just make […]
Australia well-positioned after V2V technology given green light in US
Australian technology companies look to be well placed in what could become the future of road safety for light vehicles. The US Department of Transportation (DOT) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) have recently announced that the US will begin taking steps to facilitate the introduction of vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication technology. V2V technology […]
Tick of approval for safer car parks
The reputation of car parks is slowly evolving, but there is definitely more work to be done in ensuring that they are safe places for the people that use them. Unfortunately, they are still a common place for thugs to commit a crime, be it robbery, assault or even murder. The responsibility of owners and […]
Bogotá leads the way with a car-free week
This story from Treehugger is a great follow up to our recent post featuring former Mayor, Enrique Peñalosa and his inspiring TED Talk on creating cities of the future. Peñalosa was responsible for Bogotá’s first car-free day back in 2000, which was subsequently approved as an annual event. Last week marked a new first in […]
Audi’s Intelligent Assist predicts parking availability
A recent story from Wired has showcased the latest in intelligent technology from Audi. By using “big data”, wireless connectivity and the car’s on-board navigation system, an Audi-developed phone app will not only find parking, but also uses “intelligence” to predict when other spots might open up! Branded as Audi’s Urban Intelligent Assist, the project […]
Rome enlists Twitter to combat illegal parkers
We all know that Rome is synonymous with chaos when it comes to traffic and parking. For the most part, Romans and visitors have just accepted this as “the way it is”, because historically, enforcement has been seen as non-existent to intermittent at best. According to last week’s story on Mashable, the local polizia have […]
Tesla S travels across US for free
The Tesla S electric car is in the media again, this time for taking one of its enthusiasts, John Glenny, across the country at no cost. As reported in BRW, Glenny and his daughter travelled from New York to Los Angeles in just five days, via Tesla’s network of Supercharger stations where they were able […]
The Greening of Hamburg
A team of 30 city planners in Hamburg, Germany are working on a massive project that is sure to keep Hamburg in the list of one of Europe’s most sustainable cities. A previous winner of the European Green Capital award in 2011, Hamburg has recently announced ambitious plans for reshaping the city centre over the next […]
Equality the goal in planning cities of the future
We came across another great TED talk in December, featuring the former mayor of Bogotá, Colombia, Enrique Peñalosa, who suggests a new yardstick by which to measure our cities of the future. “An advanced city is not one where even the poor use cars, but rather one where even the rich use public transport.” Peñalosa […]
Car vending machines address transport issues
Reported last month by news.com.au, Hangzhou’s nine million residents will be encouraged to relinquish car ownership in favour of a greener solution – electric hire cars available on demand from giant vending machines! In this attempt to spearhead the problems of pollution, traffic congestion and overcrowding, all exacerbated by spiralling car ownership in China, Hangzhou […]
BMW adopts technology for the greater good
Last week’s report featured on The Green Car Website reminds us of the Christmas classic, Miracle on 34th Street. You will remember the part when Kris Kringle, employed at Macy’s, starts sending customers to Bloomingdales when they can’t find what they are looking for? Some might say it is the cleverest marketing strategy around. So, […]
Exquisite beauty of the humble traffic light
We couldn’t resist sharing this post from My Modern Met which recently featured the work of German photographer, Lucas Zimmerman. Using long exposures on a foggy night in Weimar, Zimmerman has managed to turn the humble traffic light into an ethereal masterpiece. Beauty is an experience, nothing else. It is not a fixed pattern or […]
2013 from the rear-vision mirror
Hard as it is to accept it, another year is about to end. When we ask ourselves “Where did it go?”, we realise that we have been too busy working to notice the passing of time! Appreciating Our Regular and New Clients 2013 has been a very successful year for us at Parking & Traffic Consultants. […]
Top shelf garaging for your Lamborghini
The subject of previous PTC blogs and articles, automated garaging must be the ultimate accessory! Well, if you can afford the car, then you can probably afford this Hamilton Scotts luxury apartment and the “attached” garage to go with it. That’s one way to keep an eye on your investment…Enjoy!
Invisible bike helmet on show
Last month, the Sydney Morning Herald brought us news of the “invisible” bike helmet. Well, it’s not really invisible — it just isn’t worn where you normally think a helmet would be worn! You may struggle to find it in the photo, because it is cleverly disguised as fashionable neckwear. The project started out as […]
Electric scooter with boot space
For the latest in electric transport options, Treehugger recently featured this prototype scooter, the Kubo. After you figure out which end is up, you will see that the space underneath is designed to give you ample carrying capacity for your groceries, shopping, briefcase or other precious cargo (not children, however!). The scooter has a weight […]
Choosing a Parking Consultant
We came across an interesting article in the US publication Parking, entitled Best Practices for Selecting a Parking Consultant, published by the NPA. Clearly, we have a vested interest in disseminating this information, but it is written for the benefit of consumers of consulting services, and that’s why we wanted to share it. For some […]
Game theory used to create Smart traffic lights
University of Toronto civil engineering graduate, Samah El-Tantawy, has used game theory to create “intelligent” traffic lights and is now receiving global recognition for her work. The system uses artificial intelligence allowing the signals to “talk” to one another, and make real-time decisions in order to keep traffic flowing. In a Uni of Toronto media […]
Women in Parking lands in Australia
Cristina Lynn, Vice President of PAA at WIP Launch Event At a recent PAA event in Sydney, PTC Managing Partner and Treasurer of the Parking Association of Australia, Cristina Lynn, launched the Australian chapter of Women In Parking. Australia is the first outpost of the US association by the same name, and members will enjoy […]
New technology could make streetlamps obsolete
A new technology is being trialled in the UK that could make standard street lighting a thing of the past. Surrey-based company Pro-Teq has come up with a product aptly named “Starpath” which is a photo-luminescent surface material that can be applied to roads and footpaths. The particles in the material absorb sun during daylight […]
Smartphone option for ticketless transport
The city of Rio de Janeiro has recently launched a pilot program allowing travellers to use their smartphones as a mobile wallet for public transportation, reports Techworld. The phones are equipped with NFC (Near Field Communication) technology which allows safe, contactless data exchange between devices. A collaborative project between RioCard Tecnologia da Informação, Gemalto, Motorola […]
Hillary Clinton gets unexpected extra at awards event
All in a day’s work! Reported last week in the International Business Times, a Westminster City Council parking warden rather courageously slapped an £80 penalty notice on the car of former First Lady, Hillary Clinton, while she was attending an event at Chatham House. No fewer than five Secret Service minders jumped out of nearby […]
Reclaiming your city – lessons from the transformation of NYC
Here’s an inspiring and interesting TED talk from Janette Sadik-Khan, the Transportation Commissioner of New York City, sharing her strategy for transforming urban areas into a place for people. In the space of five years, New York has been reclaimed by the people thanks to some bold moves in the area of transport and planning. […]
Contemporary car park turning heads
Thank goodness for the creative types who are turning the traditional vision of a car park on its ear! Reported this week in Designboom, Vienna based architects, PPAG, (in collaboration with Milan Mijalkovic) have recently completed this 3D patterned multi-storey car park in Skopje, Macedonia. The project began when architect, Anna Popelka, created a collage […]
Don’t blame the parking space!
If you think it seems more difficult to park these days, you’re not wrong. We’ve seen statistics that say 1 in 5 accidents happen in a car park, but have you ever wondered why? A contributing factor would definitely have to be that the average size of vehicles has increased steadily over the past 20 […]
The Hyperloop transportation project open for collaboration
Plans have now been unveiled. As promised in last month’s blog, Elon Musk, head of Telsa Motors and Space X, has now released a document outlining the details of his vision for a new form of transportation, the Hyperloop. The 57-page document reveals Musk’s plans for transporting passengers in a low-pressure tube along blankets of […]
Car park transformed into trendy bookshop
The Librarie Avant-Garde in Nanjing has recently been voted China’s most beautiful book shop, which is rather surprising given its humble origins. It is located in a disused government car park beneath a stadium, formerly a bomb shelter. “There is an old saying in Chinese — turn something rotten into a miracle“, says the owner, […]
(Un) expected fallout from UK workplace parking levy
The introduction of Britain’s first workplace parking levy has been causing a spot of bother in the UK. The City of Nottingham was the first in the UK to introduce the levy in 2012 in an attempt to reduce congestion in the city. Employers are being charged £334 for each parking space offered to employees, […]
Richard III resurrected in parking lot
Another on the theme of reclaiming urban space — Manhattan theatre group, The Drilling Company, has been doing just that for more than two decades. They have elevated the lowly parking lot to new heights with their annual summer productions of Shakespeare in the Parking Lot. Staged in the Municipal Lot at the corner of […]
Putting the “Park” back in Parking
Mark your diaries – World Park(ing) Day will be celebrated around the globe on Friday, September 20th. This annual, worldwide “open-source” event gives people the opportunity to demonstrate their creativity and have some fun while “greening” our cities for the day. The concept is credited to the Rebar Group, a San Francisco design studio who […]