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 […]
The future of the LA meter plan?
Following from our previous post, the LA Times Cartoonist Ted Rall has provided his projection of what the future of the dynamic pricing system could have in store. The full cartoon is published below, or you can view on the LA Times site here. Thank you to Donald Shoup for sending this to us this […]
Barcelona’s bike sharing program health benefits
Last week, we published excerpts from an article written by Chris Rissel, Professor of Public Health at University of Sydney, about the Melbourne bike sharing scheme. One of Rissel’s arguments was that the low uptake of the bike sharing schemes in Australia was in part due to the mandatory helmet laws, going on to suggest […]
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 […]
Pods from the car park at Heathrow Airport
London’s Heathrow Airport has recently launched a commercial personal rapid transit system, with 22 electric autopilot pods now shuttling 800 passengers a day back and forth from parking lots to the British Airways terminal. Called ULTra, or Urban Light Transport, the pods are a self-driving, electric-powered pods which can carry four to six passengers plus […]
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 […]
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 […]
Sydney bus study finds no end to the congestion
The Sydney Morning Herald published results from a report on Sydney’s bus terminus at Wynyard and the resulting congestion across the Sydney Harbour Bridge. According to the paper, released to the Herald, the report shows that the York Street bus stops, used by thousands of commuters from the northern areas of Sydney, were already operating […]
Does parking supply influence transport planning?
Sareco, a Paris-based firm, recently published a paper that explores car parking management and transport policies, and their influence on greenhouse gas emissions. Notably, the paper claims that most urban trips (both for commuting and pleasure) are influenced by the parking conditions at their origin and destination. Further, a research paper by UK-based academic Adrian […]
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 […]
Canberra electric vehicle charging network rolls out
The construction of Australia’s first full service electric vehicle charging network is underway in Canberra, which is currently operating on a limited scale but due to offer a full service from the second quarter of next year. According to the Australian Financial Review, the nation’s capital has been targeted because the city’s households have a […]
WA local councils’ parking revenues
An analysis of parking fine data collected from 15 councils in Western Australia has shown that some of them are reaping nearly twice as much as originally forecast, with significant variations in laws between local government areas. According to The West Australian, more than 225,000 parking fines were issued in the past financial year in […]
Sydney Tweed Cycle
The number of cyclists on Sydney roads is increasing every day, but this was taken to a new level on the morning of Sunday 30th July when over 150 dapper cyclists took to the CBD streets for the Sydney Tweed Cycle. The event was organised through the Sydney Cyclist website, following the success of similar […]
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?’ […]
Proposed revised public transport model for Sydney
A report released by the Tourism Transport Forum has recommended that Sydney’s complex and unreliable public transport timetables should be scrapped and replaced by frequent peak-period bus, train and ferry services. According to the Daily Telegraph, the report recommends a major investment in technology to provide real-time information for commuters, with simple SMS texts and […]
New York to create a pedestrian wayfinding system
This week, New York City’s Department of Transportation announced that they were planning to add signage to the streets to help pedestrians navigate the city more easily. The wayfinding system will provide clear signs that tell people their location, how long it takes to walk to key locations and gives a map of the area. […]
Electric vehicles face challenges despite infrastructure roll out
A report released by the Boston Consulting Group questions the ‘dominance’ of the electric vehicle era, arguing that internal combustion engines will continue to improve enough to cut CO2 emissions and enable automakers to hit their 2020 emission targets. Whilst they acknowledge that automakers will need to improve across a number of areas, including vehicle […]
Europe moves towards reducing cars in cities
Cristina Lynn, Parking & Traffic Consultants’ Managing Partner, is currently attending the World Parking Symposium in Canada, presenting a research paper on ‘How do Australian cities manage parking?’ Her research and presentation is in part based on a comparison with research developed by the Institute of Transportation and Development Policy in New York. You can […]
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 […]
Sydney’s transport solution may lay underground
Over the past two weeks, we have discussed the new precinct of Barangaroo on the Wayfinding Forum, and the resulting affect of the increased commuter numbers on the infrastructure in Sydney’s CBD. One of the key concerns for the project is the commuter hub of Wynyard; with the existing train station due to reach capacity […]
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 […]
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 […]
Mackay introduces paid monthly parking permits
Mackay Regional Council has recently announced the development of an online paid parking system, allowing customers to pre-purchase their parking permits. The permits apply for off-street car parking in five car parks in the CBD, and are available for periods of one, three, six or twelve months. You can view the announcement on the […]
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 […]
Barangaroo – errata corrige
During the week, we were contacted by Lend Lease in regards to our blog post last week about Barangaroo, titled ‘Sydney’s Barangaroo precinct faces transportation challenges‘. As a result, we would like to take the time to publish several points conveyed to us by Lend Lease’s communications team in relation to our post. First of all, […]
Sydney’s Barangaroo precinct faces transportation challenges
According to NSW’s Auditor-General, Peter Achterstraat, Sydney’s $6 billion Barangaroo development is at ‘considerable risk’, due to inadequate transport and lower-than-expected developer contributions. Wynyard Railway Station, which is expected to handle up to 63% of the commuters to the waterfront development is likely to reach capacity by 2017. The additional 14,300 predicted commuters won’t be […]
Congestion pricing – is it an option?
The Victorian Government has confirmed that it is not considering a congestion tax for Melbourne’s gridlocked roads, despite a submission by Acil Tasman (an economic consulting firm) proposing charging cars and trucks each time they enter the CBD and inner suburbs, saying the money could be used to improve roads and public transport. According to […]
Bicycle usage: increasing in Australia and US but declining in China
Research released by IBISWorld estimates that the Australian bicycle industry will grow by 17 per cent over the next five years, starting with the sale of 1.2 million bikes this year. The average cost of each bicycle is $927. Of all Australian cities, Canberra has the highest percentage of regular riders, with 13 per cent […]