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.

From an economic perspective, sustainability is about much more than green stamp on marketing materials; green investment decisions should have positive and lasting environmental effects without negatively impacting the bottom line.

A post we came across on the ‘Passport Parking’ blog this week talks about how much of the movement in the parking industry towards sustainability has focused on the ‘green’ aspect of the cause, whilst being financially and fiscally unsustainable. Passport Parking claim that the only way to continue to advance sustainability in the Parking industry is a grassroots movement toward sensible innovation that makes “going green” an easy decision for the Provider, through innovation that has long-term responsible environmental impacts while proving to be an easy implementation decision. Solutions that should be cash flow positive from the start.

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.

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!), and turn the tracks into an elevated boardwalk and cycleway. His proposal would involve a three to five-metre-wide deck across the track, creating a 3.6-kilometre public walkway through the central business district.

The High-Lane, as he calls it, could be used by joggers, cyclists, office workers, parents with prams and tourists. The existing pylons would become vertical gardens and Monorail stations would be transformed into pocket parks, cafes and gallery spaces, taking around 12 to 18 months to build.

All the government entities remain non-committal regarding the project, with some scepticism and concerns given the proposed demolition to make way for the Darling Harbour redevelopment. 

Airport car parks are huge business, with major airport hubs seeing car parking producing around $80 million to $100 million of revenue each year.

Recent results from the 2012 ACI Airport Economics survey shows that car parking now accounts for around 7% of global airport revenues and is the second biggest source of non-aviation related revenue (equal with real estate) after retail. In 2010, Denver International Airport (DIA), for example, made $118 million in revenue from car parking and Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) saw its car parking revenues exceed $97 million.

An article published in Airport World examines what some airports are doing to maximise their revenues.

• Variable rates based on the location of the car park, the level of service provided, covered parking vs open air parking, and VIP or valet parking.
• Ensuring customer service is at the forefront of their business, making the experience as stress-free as possible. This can include the investment in wayfinding services, advance reservation programs and even loyalty-style programs for business passengers and frequent flyers.
• Parking innovation through their infrastructure and services, including online booking systems, and car finding applications on screens and kiosks directing them back to their parked vehicle.
• Pricing mechanisms such as discounted multi-day packages, or internet coupon offers.
• Upselling additional services, including valet services, oil change, car wash or general car inspection.
• A wide range of payment options including ticketless and credit card payment enabling greater efficiencies for customers and the airport.

The full article can be found on the Airport World site here. For any Spanish speaking readers out there, you may also be interested to read a presentation by Parking & Traffic Consultants’ Managing Partner Cristina Lynn, delivered on Airport Parking at the 1^st National Congress of Airports in Argentina, in November 2011. Click here to view her presentation on slideshare. 

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 streets are turned into "shared spaces" – used by cars, bicycles and pedestrians. The business association ‘Heart of the City’ considers the lost spaces a necessary price for improving central Auckland’s urban environment, putting more emphasis on the need to build a better place for people, not just for traffic.

Auckland Transport claims a 26 per cent increase in patronage on key central bus routes, such as the inner and outer link services, since these were re-designed last winter. This is a trade off in return for a 20 per cent reduction in parking.

Cars are still a major consideration and access method for many, with cars last year bringing about 34,500 people into central Auckland each morning compared with 36,500 who arrived on buses, trains, ferries, bicycles or by walking.

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 with the tap of a mobile phone. (For more information, refer to our previous Wayfinding Forum posts, ‘Mobile cashless payments by card and phone’, and ‘Google Wallet’s potential effect on parking industry infrastructure’).

Technology site ARN recently polled global mobile industry experts to find that eighty one percent expect that NFC technology will be widely used and adopted for mobile payments in two to five years time. Of these executives, 38 per cent believe consumer concern over security of personal financial information exchanged during mobile transactions is the leading obstacle to large-scale adoption of mobile payments.

They are not wrong, according to UK media site The Drum, which claims that research conducted by VoucherCodes.co.uk has found that most consumers don’t know about NFC technology, and 60% would avoid paying for goods and servies via their mobile even if they were able. A further 17% were interested in the technology but worry about how it works.

VoucherCodes has created a really interesting infographic which attempts to explain the NFC technology and quantify the results of their survey. You can view this in full size by clicking here or on the image below. 

A report prepared by the New Zealand Transport Agency has recommended that the government investigate changing the fringe benefit tax to include employer-subsidised parking.

The proposed additional tax is being considered to address concerns that employees are undermining attempts to ‘encourage more efficient commuting behaviour’. According to Stuff.co.nz, more than half of the country’s workforce is estimated to have access to free parking provided by their employer.

The report has calculated the value for the potential tax benefits in $675million annually, based on the value of car parking in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch at around $2,700 per employee.

The NZTA report also recommends that the government explore introducing variable fringe benefit tax rates for company cars based on their size and greenhouse gas emissions.

The Southern Precinct project and expansion of Melbourne’s Tullamarine Airport is part of a proposed program of investment by Melbourne Airport over the next five years. The expansion project is budgeted to cost in excess of A$1 billion.

According to MICEBTN magazine, Stage 1 of the project is focused on the area south of the existing T3 terminal and around the T4 terminal, and includes the phased development of:

• A new domestic terminal facility designed to cater for up to 20 million passengers per annum and an ultimate area of 35,000 square metres;
• 35 additional aircraft parking aprons and taxi lanes to accommodate future growth;
• Two new multi‐level structures for ground transport services, additional car parking spaces and access to other services such as taxis, shuttle buses and public transport and upgrading the airport road network to provide access to the new terminal precinct and also to support the future growth of Melbourne Airport over the next 30 to 40 years.

Stage One of the Southern Precinct project has an estimated cost of up to A$300 million, and is planned to commence in October 2012, with the new terminal open for operation by July 2014.

A new apartment block in Miami has elevators to take residents directly to their units whilst they are sitting in their cars.

The $560 million tower is a collaboration between Germany-based Porsche Design Group and a local developer, Gil Dezer. According to the Miami Herald, after the resident pulls over and switches off the engine, a robotic arm that works much like an automatic plank will scoop up the car and put it into the elevator. Once at the desired floor, the same robotic arm will park the car, leaving the resident nearly at his front door.

The glass elevators will give residents and their guests unparalleled views of the city or the ocean during their high-speed ride, expected to last 45 to 90 seconds. Residents will be able to see their cars from their living rooms.

The 57-story luxury tower will have 132 units. Smaller units will be allocated two parking spaces and larger ones will have four, with 284 robotic parking spaces in total, serviced by three elevators.

A recent post on the DC Streets Blog examined the economic effects of cycling, and specifically exploring the notion that an investment in cycling infrastructure generally will limit car parking.

The article quotes a few numbers, statistics and pieces of information around the economic benefits of the bicycle over the car. We’ve summarised some of the key points of the article below:

-        One car parking space can fit 12 parked bicycles.

-        Cyclists tend to shop closer to home more often – as car drivers are more likely to head to the suburbs or big shopping malls. According to researchers, only 16 per cent of household car expenses (expenditure when utilising the car) stay within the local community. 

-        Cyclists have an additional $6,000 to $8,776 available for spending that would have otherwise been spent on car registration, petrol and maintenance.

On top of the economic benefits listed above, there are a number of programs being implemented in the US that have seen significant boosts to the income of local businesses through encouraging cycling. Two highly successful examples of programs include:

-        Long Beach’s citywide bike discount program – where customers get better prices if they arrive by bike.

-        ‘Open Streets’ – closed to motorised traffic – has seen 73 per cent of visitors spend money in a restaurant or store on the route, and 68 per cent became aware of a restaurant or store that was new to them, according to research conducted by Washington University in St. Louis.

We did find it very interesting to see the cycling debate framed as an economic one, and the study provides useful statistics and case studies for those involved in planning or in considering the merits of promoting alternative forms of transportation.