Parking news from around Australia
In a quick summary of other news from around the parking and traffic world this week, the press is once again taking aim at airports, this time comparing the cost of parking a car to the cost of parking a plane. The article compares the base rates for parking against each other (finding that it […]
Should new freeways be tolled?
In a follow up to last week’s article on the recommendations of a government taskforce that users should pay for all new toll roads and infrastructure financing, Alan Davies of Crikey.com also explored whether new freeways should be tolled. Davies claims that the argument for tolls is straightforward – they provide the ultimate test of […]
Executives value their car parks
An article published in the Sydney Morning Herald this week rated and ranked the top ‘extras’ in demand by senior business executives. A car park ranked as the third most in-demand perk; following money and holidays. (The fourth and fifth most important factors were flexibility and relocation). Given the scarcity of CBD car parks, the […]
New York car space expected to sell for $1m
An undercover car parking space in Manhattan is expected to sell for over $1 million, according to the New York Post. The garage is twice the height of an average space at 4.5m high, meaning that the owner could install a car elevator and allow two cars to be parked at the one time. The […]
New York explores private deal for parking meters
New York City is exploring the possibility of privatising the running of its 39,000 parking meters, currently researching mistakes made by other cities and exploring potential bidders. According to the Wall Street Journal, NYC officials are motivated in part by a belief that a private company could help alleviate some of the well-known frustrations of […]
Russian newspaper uses social shaming to stop bad park
An online Russian newspaper ‘The Village’ has launched an app and a media campaign designed to try and stop illegal and inconsiderate parking. Using the app on a mobile phone, the public take photos of the parking offenders, capturing photos of the car and the number plates. Image recognition technology then reads the number plates […]
Minimum parking to blame for LA’s commercial inefficiency
Thanks to Paul Barter’s Reinventing Parking blog, we came across an article this week that explored how the minimum parking requirements in Los Angeles have had a negative impact on street life and force property owners to use their blocks of land highly inefficiently. For us the clearest representation of how the minimum parking requirements […]
Sustainability in parking
Sustainability and ‘green’ parking solutions have received a lot of attention in the media of late, with this blog in particular giving the cause solid support. And whilst sustainability has predominantly focused on the environmental aspects of maintenance and responsibility, it’s important to remember that long-term sustainability also encompasses other aspects: economic and social dimensions. […]
…as Monorail’s planned demolition calls for higher line
Due to be demolished to make way for the redevelopment of Darling Harbour, Sydney’s monorail has seen significant debate over what should happen to the structure once dismantled. Landscape architect David Vago has drawn up a plan to take inspiration from New York’s famous High Line (see our blog post about the High Line here!), […]
Sydney’s Darling Harbour to be rebuilt..
The NSW government announced last week that the Sydney Entertainment Centre, Convention Centre and Exhibition Centre at Darling Harbour will be closed for three years while they are expanded or replaced under a $1 billion upgrade approved by NSW cabinet. According to the Sydney Morning Herald, the precinct will be expanded with a view to […]
Display garages
A new type of garage is on sale from architects EcoSpace which turns the once humble and hidden away parking garage into the centrepiece of your back garden. The modular garage is designed to be a showroom for your car, with features like ambient lighting, floor-to-ceiling glazing and even modular storage systems available. Security is […]
NFC payments in parking
Near field communication (NFC) technology allows secure data to be transmitted from a device or object to exchange information or even conduct electronic transactions with a tap. The technology is already embedded in many chip credit cards, and mobile phone providers are moving to roll out handsets which are NFC enabled, allowing users to pay […]
Shared spaces put squeeze on Auckland parking
Car parking faces a continuing squeeze in downtown Auckland streets, following a 20 per cent reduction in spaces over the last five years. Auckland Transport says 843 street parking spaces have gone since 2007, leaving 3417 bays compared with 4260 previously. According to the NZ Herald, the trend is set to continue as more CBD […]
Turning parking lots into better public spaces
The New York Times recently carried an article by Eran Ben-Joseph, a professor of urban planning at MIT and author of ‘Rethinking a Lot: The Design and Culture of Parking’. In it, Ben-Joseph shares his vision for transforming the parking lot into a space beyond simply providing parking availability and convenience. He believes that the […]
Incompetent bike thief caught on camera in NYC
We came across a great video this week on TreeHugger, showing a hooded bandit’s unsuccessful attempts to steal the handlebars from a locked bike in New York. Watch the video below.
Townsville introduces greater minimum parking requirements
Meanwhile, in Townsville, the City Council has won a battle with the State Government to force developers to allocate more car parking spaces for multi-unit developments. According to the Townsville Bulletin, the council has approved amendments to the city’s planning scheme to require new developments to provide two car spaces for units of two bedrooms […]
Should car sharing be required in developments?
Fairfax media published an article this week exploring the range of benefits that a car share scheme is able to provide to residents, developers and councils of a city. The car-sharing model is one that’s growing rapidly in many countries, and reflects a shift in the way that people are using their cars. In recent […]
California gets more transport sharing options
The residents of two major cities in California have recently seen the introduction of car sharing and bicycle hire operations, thus increasing their choice of transport. In Los Angeles, the US’s largest car sharing network, Zipcar, has recently opened for business, placing over 125 vehicles throughout the city. The ‘car capital’ of the US is […]
Hospital parking charges to stay
In South Australia, a bid to overturn a government decision to charge staff for car parking at some Adelaide metropolitan hospitals has been dismissed by the full bench of the Industrial Relations Court. The Public Service Association made the application, arguing the parking fees were a breach of enterprise agreements for staff at the public […]
Brisbane park‘n’ride woes
The City of Brisbane seems to be having a few issues with its Park‘n’Ride system. We recently posted an article on the introduction of paid parking at the Westfield Chermside mall, a move by Westfield to stop commuters from using their facilities as a free park and ride car park. The result was an overflow […]
Parking news review 2011
Another year, another summary. In what has become an annual tradition, we try and distil the key news and trends from the Wayfinding Forum blog. It’s no easy job, with just under 200 posts published every year… Parking rates and sentiment In 2011, Australian parking rates and the construction industry sentiment were inversely proportional. Sydney […]
Darwin council increases parking fine revenue
Darwin City Council increased its revenue from fees and fines by around $500,000 year on year, according to the NTnews.com.au site. This included an increase in fines from $917,000 to $1,193,000, and an increase in fees from $3,597,000 to $4,042,000 from the previous year. The Lord Mayor Graeme Sawyer said that this could be attributed […]
Australian airport regulations once again in focus
Australian Airports are again in conflict with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), with the incoming ACCC chairman making a speech singling out the airports as a particular focus of attention. Press reports from SMH.com.au quote Rod Sims, the ACCC chairman, as proposing greater regulation over the services provided by the privately owned airports, […]
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 […]
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 […]
How’s this for a value add service
While recently working on a project in Broken Hill one of our consultants, Kelvin Worthington, spotted this great example of a value add service. While getting your car washed you can have your pooch washed at the same time!
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 […]
Brisbane’s Westfield Chermside introduces paid parking
Last week, Brisbane’s Westfield Chermside shopping centre announced plans to introduce paid parking. The shopping centre, previously providing free, unlimited parking, will now introduce paid parking for parking durations of over three hours, in a bid to stop commuters taking up spaces meant for shoppers. According to the Courier Mail, this will be the first […]