News and Information

White Paper on Australia’s CBD car parking

Sun, 13 May 2012 22:40:00 GMT

Colliers International, in conjunction with Parking & Traffic Consultants, have released a white paper into CBD car parks in Australia.

The paper, entitled Australian CBD Car Parking – The Next Decade, examines the current trends and the expected future of car parks in Australia. With the number of car spaces in Australian CBDs increasing only marginally from 141,690 in 2006 to 153,400 in 2011, car parking is a finite product, with the supply of car parking expected to moderate over the next decade.

A key finding of the report was that the ratio of car parking to CBD workers is declining, along with the importance of parking relative to other forms of transport. Since 2005, proximity to public transport has remained the most important driver in attracting and retaining staff by tenants when choosing an office location and has steadily increased in importance over time.

Real estate and property yields for well-established commercial car parks are generally slightly above commercial buildings in the same price range in comparable locations, with a slight risk premium factored in to allow for increased uncertainty surrounding changes to Government legislation, casual parking as a discretionary spend which generally diminished in times of economic uncertainty, and a smaller market for car parking assets.

Parking & Traffic Consultants own Managing Partner, Cristina Lynn, was a co-author to the report. Cristina said that with changes to technology and the cost of car parking on the rise, owners had to become more innovative in the services they provide. The benefits of new technology coupled with greater awareness of customer’s needs should ensure on going profitability and value maximisation for car park owners.

Click here to view the full white paper.

Help for Local Councils when introducing on-street paid parking

Tue, 13 Mar 2012 20:29:00 GMT

At Parking & Traffic Consultants we recognise that the process of introducing on-street paid parking is one that requires significant community and business consultation and debate.

To help local councils when considering paid parking, we have compiled a checklist for planners and policy makers to identify the key elements to make the process as smooth as possible. Although it is not necessarily comprehensive, it will assist to set the stage:

1. Consult with and involve the stakeholders (internal and external). Ensure that the opinions and issues raised by those who will (or think they will) be affected, including businesses, employees and the public, are captured, considered and addressed in the process.

2. Do your research. Make sure that the pricing model you implement is the best fit for the area and takes into account both the feedback received from stakeholders, the experiences of other similar local councils as well as industry best-practice theory (eg Shoupian supply and demand theory).

3. Take a holistic approach to parking and don't forget off-street car parks and how they will be priced in comparison with on-street spaces.

4. Consider the operational, management and enforcement issues and ensure you have carried out a complete feasibility study of the revenues, costs and timing involved.

5. Have a clear policy as to what will be done with any profits arising from the scheme.

6. Manage the process carefully. Ensure the rollout and consultation process is monitored and managed carefully.

7. Communicate with stakeholders throughout the process: manage the media and do not let the media manage or hijack the process.

8. Ensure you never have to make backward steps so walk before you run.

Although this may sound just like common sense, it seems that there is room for improvement in the way this issue is being dealt with.

Interested in finding out more? You may wish to read our recent commentary on London's local parking and retail situation, written by our expert consultant, Glenn Caldwell. View this article on our parking blog, Wayfinding Forum, by clicking here.

If you are considering the introduction of paid parking, and would like some additional advice, please contact us so that we can assist you with the process.

EMV Technology: The way forward

Tue, 13 Dec 2011 03:29:00 GMT

The main topic at November’s PAA networking function in Sydney concerned the imminent implementation of EMV credit card technology. A diverse ensemble of parking professionals attended Glenn Caldwell’s presentation regarding the introduction of EMV payment technology into on-street and off-street parking systems.

This highly contentious subject is still a work in progress and we look forward to a continuing dialogue with the parking profession as to where EMV is likely to lead us. To get the discussion started we have summarized below some of the questions which arose on the evening – most of which remain unanswered.

EMV will have an impact on car park owners, operators, suppliers, financial institutions and customers. How it is dealt with presents a number of challenges.

Glenn's presentation addressed the implications, obligations and responsibilities for parking suppliers, banks and card issuers, local government and gateway providers of EMV technology.

Here is a copy of Glenn's presentation:

EMV Credit Card Parking Technology for 2012

What do you think the Banks and the card issuers are going to do over the next 18 months in regards to enforcing EMV compliance?

What measures do you think the Banks and Card Issuers will take to encourage change?

Do you think that the bottom line will be a matter of “offsetting risk” which basically means that there will be higher merchant fees for non-EMV transactions (which can be passed onto the consumer in the form of a credit card surcharge)?

If this is the case, then how long will this delay the introduction of EMV in the parking industry?

Will contactless payments become prevalent within the next 12 months despite certain Card issuers still relying on magnetic cards?

Do you really need a pin pad system in an off-street car park?

Should all new parking equipment have EMV compliant card readers that are backward compatible to Magnetic stripe?

We would really like to hear your opinion and generate discussion. Please leave a comment below. We will provide regular updates on this subject as they become available.

Madame Parking: Teresa Sapey

Thu, 03 Nov 2011 21:49:00 GMT

Teresa Sapey is rapidly emerging as one of the world's leading designers, and she happens to have a fascination with designing car parks. Recent projects include the Hotel Puerta America and the Underground Parking station on Serrano Street both in Madrid.

We have recently spoken about Teresa (Madame Parking) in our blog, which you can read here, including a range of images and information on some of her more interesting projects.

Teresa has also kindly provided us with a PDF portfolio which covers a wider range of her car park designs. You can view this in full here.

Where are our consultants working at the moment?

Thu, 06 Oct 2011 05:54:00 GMT

Bogotá, Colombia

We have been appointed by a Shopping Centre developer and operator based in Chile to assist with a project located in Bogotá, the capital of Colombia. According to Wikipedia, Bogotá has over 7 million inhabitants which makes it the largest city in the country. It figures amongst the thirty largest cities in the world and is the third highest capital city in South America at over 2,600 metres above sea level. We can vouch for the fact that working at that altitude is quite a heady experience!

The project relates to a proposed shopping mall which incorporates over 4,000 parking bays in a rather complex design which includes an external “roller coaster” ramp.

Our current brief is to carry out an independent review of the car park layout and propose improvements to achieve the maximum level of customer convenience within the site constraints and the development application guidelines.

The development team comprises professionals from Santiago (Chile), Buenos Aires (Argentina), Sydney (Australia) and local consultants based in Bogotá. Our Managing Partner’s Spanish skills came in very handy during her two day visit to the site, whilst our designer George Burton is working on a set of design recommendations which are set to achieve the client’s objectives.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

This is not our first foray into this exciting and vibrant city. Again quoting Wikipedia, the city proper, making up an area of 243 km2 (94 sq mi), had a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million people. To say that this leads to interesting congestion issues pretty much across the day is an understatement.

Some years ago we were responsible for the design of the Mid Valley City car park (11,000 bays) as well as providing advice on signage, equipment, wayfinding and operations. More recently we completed a feasibility study of 7 car parks around the city on behalf of a Singapore-based listed company.

Our current project relates to a development just a stone’s throw from the Petronas Towers which comprises two commercial towers and a 1600 bay underground car park. Our initial brief here is to provide a concept design for the car park layout in order to achieve the maximum yield of space with the minimum amount of excavation. Andrew Morse, our Senior Traffic Engineer is on the case, making regular trips to KL to meet up with the client and the development team.

Australian projects

Our current projects in Australia comprise an interesting mix of projects for government authorities, airports, entertainment venues, hospitals, shopping centres and commercial projects. Our input is being sought on a wide range of topics from signage (static and dynamic), equipment, road safety, intersection modeling, design reviews and financial feasibililites.

We are very proud of our work and wish to thank all our clients, near and far, for the trust they place on our consultants and our service.

Interview with Dr. Barbara Chance

Tue, 27 Sep 2011 22:49:00 GMT

Following the World Parking Symposium at the end of June 2011, our Managing Partner Cristina Lynn, made a detour to Philadelphia to meet up with Barbara Chance of Chance Management Advisors.

You would have met Barbara at the PAA’s biennial Convention and Exhibition in Sydney in November 2010. Barbara is one of the most prominent figures in the Parking industry globally, recently receiving recognition for her work by being named as joint Parking Professional of the Year for 2010 by the International Parking Institute, as well as being part of the establishment of the 'Women in Parking' conference group.

Cristina had the opportunity to ask Barbara a few questions about automated car parks. Click here to read the full interview.