For heaven’s sake can we stop queuing through intersections?
A guest post by Andrew Morse, our senior traffic engineering consultant There, I’ve said it and I feel much better. Well not really because every day I am astounded by the number of drivers who think it’s perfectly acceptable to enter an intersection (typically on amber) knowing full well that they can’t clear the intersection […]
Melbourne CBD park values continue to rise
Fairfax reported this week that the value of individual car park bays in the Melbourne CBD are now selling up to $100,000, due to population growth and Melbourne City Council’s discouragement of long-term commercial parking. According to data from Savills Australia, state-titled single car parking bays, such as the Paramount complex in Bourke Street, are […]
SA Transport Chief calls for reduced CBD car parking
The Advertiser reported this week that the chief executive of Adelaide City Council’s Transport Department has called for a reduction in the number of car spaces in the CBD, and an increase in parking pricing. Rod Hook, Transport Department chief executive, was reported by The Advertiser as saying that Adelaide commuters had become too used […]
Bendigo considering LPR monitoring technology
The City of Bendigo is considering following Melbourne’s lead and introducing electronic parking monitoring technology. According to the Bendigo Advertiser, the proposed system uses license plate recognition technology to electronically ‘chalk’ vehicles, automatically detecting vehicles that have overstayed the time restrictions in the area. The technology is part of several recommended amendments to the parking […]
Canberra developers call for review of parking requirements
Following our recent post on the establishment of the Car Parking Advisory Committee to review changes to the car parking provisions (refer to our previous article here), Canberra is the latest Australian city to be reconsidering their minimum parking requirements. Developers are offering lower priced residential units and less traffic congestion in return for fewer […]
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 […]
Victoria reviews car parking planning provisions
Victoria’s Department of Planning and Community Development (DPCD) has established the Car Parking Advisory Committee 2011 to review proposed changes to car parking provisions in the Victorian Planning Provisions and planning schemes. According to the Property Council of Australia, the proposed changes made by the DPCD are based on the recommendations of a final report […]
Are helmet laws reducing Melbourne’s bike share usage?
We recently published an article entitled ‘Why is Melbourne’s bike sharing scheme underperforming’, which explored a range of possible reasons as to why the sharing scheme is seeing underutilisation and lower than projected rider numbers. One of the reasons suggested was the compulsory helmet laws. An article published on The Conversation on August 9 by […]
Car park advertising firsts
We have recently come across two (self-claimed) ‘world firsts’ in car park advertising and media placements that may be of inspiration for car park owners or operators in an additional revenue stream for their businesses. The first is an advertising campaign in Sydney and Melbourne for car insurance client Allianz. The campaign has seen a […]
Melbourne trials pay-by-phone technology in Carlton
The City of Melbourne will be trialling pay-by-phone technology in the Carlton area, allowing customers to pay using their mobile phones at on-street metered spaces. This is another step in the project announced earlier this year by the City of Melbourne to employ modern technologies to more effectively manage its on-street parking bays and improve […]
Newcastle considers variable car parking pricing
Newcastle City Council is currently considering a number of new on-street paid parking measures, including the possible introduction of a flexible pricing strategy, similar to the SFPark system currently being trialled in San Francisco. The new parking strategy is being driven by increased congestion in the city, and includes an extension of paid parking until […]
Melbourne CBD to install electric car charging stations
Melbourne City Council is currently in the process of voting on a plan to install charging stations for electric cars in 12 on-street parking spaces in Melbourne’s city centre. The program is being introduced by the Department of Transport, with Melbourne’s Lord Mayor Robert Doyle claiming that it is important to assist motorists with faith […]
Melbourne police bicycling blitz
Last week, Melbourne police launched Operation Compass, a ‘bike blitz’ on Melbourne’s key bicycle arterials coming in to the city. The planned crackdown focuses on cyclists who disobey traffic lights and road signs, and those who fail to wear helmets or have lights on their bike. Similarly, motorists who put cyclists at risk will also […]
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 […]
Why is Melbourne’s bike sharing scheme underperforming?
After one year of operation, the Melbourne bike sharing scheme is running into trouble, with apparent underutilisation and rider numbers falling short of projections. A number of issues have been identified as possible reasons for the lack of enthusiasm – including awkward pick-up points, a wet summer, compulsory helmet laws (with riders being forced to […]
Federal Government launches first national urban policy
The Federal Government’s first national urban policy was launched yesterday by the Infrastructure and Transport Minister Mr. Albanese. The policy, called “Our Cities, Our Future” underlines the relationship between funding for projects with specific criteria relating to productivity and sustainability. The areas in which the Government intends to get involved in includes water, rail, urban […]
Does the uniform make the man?
A pensioner in Collingwood, Victoria, has challenged her parking fine after an ‘unidentified passer by’ photographer her car whilst parked in a no standing zone. Her complaint is based not on the fine, but on the fact that the parking officer was not wearing a uniform or driving a marked car. Yarra City Council said […]
Making room for bicycles on parking spaces
The public sector’s push for more bicycle infrastructure continues. With bike sharing programs going crazy worldwide, and the cycle lanes in New York and Sydney generating significant debate and press, Victoria’s Moreland Council is also taking steps to supporting this sustainable means of transport. Moreland Council has divided a car parking space on Victoria Street […]
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 […]
Do CBD tenants still want parking spaces?
According to an article published in last weekend’s Sydney Morning Herald, the demand for CBD car spaces is decreasing and being replaced by increased demand for shower facilities as more people either cycle to work, or take public transport. The article claims that this trend is putting pressure on developers to redesign the basement areas […]
Issues regarding safety in car parks
A car with its driver fell six stories in Melbourne CBD on Monday, after it drove through the safety rail at a car park off Anthony Street, between Elizabeth and Queen Streets. Despite the huge fall, the driver, a 41-year-old woman, was found alive, hanging sideways from her seatbelt. The car fell into the side […]
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 […]
Parking Sensors may be coming to Melbourne’s Moreland Council
Melbourne’s Moreland Council is considering a proposal to install electronic sensors in nearly 4,000 parking bays. The technology, designed to increase the turnover of cars, sends an alert to parking officers if a car has overstayed its time in a parking spot. However, critics of the scheme claim that turnover of the spaces is already […]
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 […]
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. […]
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 […]
Car park is not ‘in the vicinity of’ for FBT purposes
In July this year we reported on a ruling from the ATO requiring Virgin Blue to pay additional Fringe Benefits Tax on a subsidised employee car park located 2km away from Melbourne Airport’s terminal. The car park was ruled to be ‘in the vicinity’ of the airport, and thus liable for additional tax. Read more […]
VicRoads launch SmarkPark application
We have posted several articles recently about a range of new mobile technologies and location-based applications for parking. For the most part, these have been built as open software, from consumers, for consumers, to aggregate parking information – either by pricing or by availability. Until now, at least in Australia, we were not aware of […]
Is Perth the new Melbourne?
On a recent trip to Perth we took the opportunity of visiting the car park under the newly refurbished Condor Tower. Rather than painting the multi level underground car park in the usual regulation grey (or the more unusual bright white) the developer of the site was keen to do something different. And to that […]
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 […]