Enforcing New York City’s bike lane laws
Further to the previous article, increased usage of bicycles in New York City has resulted in the New York Police Department now stepping up enforcement of the rules and regulations governing the use of bicycles and the lanes throughout the city. We came across this video this week which highlights some of the challenges that […]
Parking & Traffic Consultants once again at the World Parking Symposium
Cristina Lynn, our Managing Partner, will be attending her third World Parking Symposium which this year is being held in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Canada between 26 – 29 June. The World Parking Symposium’s title is: “Why does Parking & Transportation Matter? The Future of Service Delivery in the 21st Century” and will address selected issues in urban […]
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 […]
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 […]
How many parking spaces are enough if your development is in Wynyard?
The developers of a new building at Sydney’s Wynyard station are clashing with the City of Sydney over parking requirements. According to an article published by the Daily Telegraph, the developers want 177 parking spaces for the 3,500 employee capacity building, claiming that the building needs that number of spaces to attract high-profile tenants. On […]
…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 […]
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 – […]
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 […]
Sydney road congestion IS getting worse!
Australian Insurer NRMA has surveyed 1,100 businesses that run vehicle fleets in the city, finding that 80 per cent believe that congestion has worsened in the past year. In addition, 62 per cent of businesses surveyed believe that the roads themselves have worsened while 78 per cent believe that it is taking them longer to […]
Americans are working to feed their cars
Cycling enthusiast James Schwartz published an article recently on the cost of owning a car in America. According to his findings on the average rates of car ownership, when compared to the median household income, the average employee needs to work around 2.9 hours every day, just to pay for their car. In addition to […]
Mobile technology: changing the way drivers look for parking spaces
The recent emergence of location-based applications servicing the parking industry is having a significant (and very fast) impact on how drivers seek for available parking spaces and how owners/operators of those spaces monitor usage, provide information on their location to the public and, in some cases, enforce the regulations governing their use. With the largest […]
Google’s newest engine has no driver
Following our previous post, it seems that perhaps Google might have the answer, with the development of technology for cars that can be driven safely without human intervention – allowing the occupants to send text messages and use their mobile phones whilst behind the wheel. The search giant is currently lobbying for legislation that would […]
Manly Council – great parking developments!
Manly Council (in Sydney’s Northern Beaches) announced last week plans to build a two storey car park underneath Manly Oval, as part of a plan to reduce the number of cars in the village area. The 800-space underground car park will allow Council to demolish two other at grade car parks with a combined capacity […]
How much parking is enough?
Following the lead of Sydney and Melbourne Councils recently reducing the minimum parking requirements in both residential and commercial buildings, Wollongong City Council announced last week that they plan to reduce minimum parking requirements in the CBD by almost 20 per cent. The Illawarra Mercury reported that the first instalment of a three-stage review of […]
Virgin introduces kerbside check-in service
Another innovation launched by Virgin Blue (since renamed Virgin Australia) last week, brings a kerbside check-in service and valet parking for its business, premium economy and Gold Velocity passengers at Sydney Airport’s Terminal 2. Domestic passengers travelling without luggage now have their own entrance, check-in and security screening point that allows them to bypass the […]
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 […]
Honk For iPhone
The parking app business is booming at the moment, with the release of another great parking application for iPhones, called ‘Honk’. It includes a range of features to help with the management of the parking process – from a timer which can be set when parking, with minute by minute updates of remaining time on […]
Electric motorcycles the future of road transport?
With rising petrol prices and the release of plug-in electric and hybrid cars, the auto industry (as well as this blog!) have given the electric car revolution significant attention over the past two years. However, with all of the attention on the electric cars, a smaller adaption of the technology may have been overlooked – […]
San Francisco switches to demand-based parking fees
The implementation of demand-based parking fees (on city streets and public parking garages), which is an integral part of the SFpark project in San Francisco, is starting on April 21. Sensors installed at each parking space will track where parking is available in real time and uploaded to signs and smartphone applications. According to the […]
Davis Langdon’s Construction Sentiment Monitor update April 2011
The April release has seen the Sentiment Index drop by three points from the previous release in September 2010, down to an index score of 60. Key findings from this quarter’s Sentiment Monitor include: workload expectations dip into negative access to finance remains greatest obstacle tightening of competition Health and Civil & Resource sectors most […]
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 […]
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 […]
“Best of Green” awards for cars and transportation
This week, TreeHugger published their ‘Best of Green’ awards for the cars and transportation category. Whilst we won’t run through each of the winners, we’d like to share those that especially inspired us: Best electric car on the market:Nissan LEAF. The LEAF won the award because it’s a mass-produced family-friendly electric car which sells at […]
Sydney’s mayor says that the critics are wrong on cycle lanes
An article this week in the Sydney Morning Herald summarises a lecture delivered by the Lord Mayor at the University of NSW on Wednesday April 6th about the city’s cycle lanes, currently in construction along several key corridors to and through the CBD. She argues that NSW has been held back due to little interest in […]
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 […]