FEATURE
THE PARKING FORUM
discussion Adiverse
Sarah Juggins reports from the Parking Forum as stakeholders get to grips with some key issues
he Parking Forum provides the opportunity for a range of stakeholders to get together to discuss issues of parking, set within the wider transport and planning context. Groups such as the RAC Foundation, DVLA, consumer groups, the Association of Town and City Management and local authorities can speak in an open forum about pertinent issues. This joined-up approach allows in-depth exploration of the
T CLARION FOR CLARITY
Ojay McDonald, a research and policy manager with the Association of Town and City Management (ATCM) outlined the key points raised by a recent report: Re-think! Parking on the high street. Research undertaken for the report has highlighted some key points.
From a limited amount of research into public opinion, it seems there is a lot of anger over parking fees, but there is also an understanding that parking fees are necessary to run the car parks. And, even within the academic and parking community, there is a lot of confusion over parking fees, including what the levels of charge should be and the impact of this on the high street. This points to an obvious need for clarity, so the ATCM and the
BPA agreed to develop guidance on car parking through a joint report to help stakeholders within the community support their own town centres. This guidance takes on additional importance in England, due to business rates retention by the local authorities. Therefore it is in the local authority’s best interests to ensure that town centres prosper. One problem outlined in the report is that most town centres were designed before the arrival of the car. This is a particularly pertinent point, with car ownership in the UK now standing at 34.5 million. Then there is the expense. Car parks need management and
servicing; they need reinvestment, and there are always alternative, money-making uses vying for the space.
On the one hand revenue is needed to cover maintenance and running costs and, on the other hand, appropriate charging levels will
32
help change driver behaviour to moderate demand where space is at a premium.
One question raised through the Forum following the report was whether parking restrictions have actually become too restricted. Free parking is not a panacea, but what can the profession do to help match demand with available space.
Other questions raised by the report included: Is footfall driven by the amount of parking spaces available? The report suggests there is a clear relationship, but it is not clear whether availability drives footfall, or footfall drives the number of spaces provided.
Is there a relationship between the cost of parking and the footfall? In this case the evidence would suggest not.
Is there a relationship between parking fees and the health of the high street? There is no conclusive evidence yet, because so many variables impact upon the health of a town centre. Such factors include how close the car parks are to the town centre; how safe the facilities are; alternative transport options; and the consumer profi le.
McDonald emphasised that councils and private owners should not take the fi ndings as written in stone; the only recommendation is that the parking offer must be set within the community strategy. It must complement the wider planning for that locality.
www.britishparking.co.uk
range of issues affecting parking’s role in the UK.
The most recent Parking Forum, chaired
by BPA vice-president Helen Crozier, focused on the highly topical issue of the health of the high street and the parking profession’s potential impact upon town and city centre planning strategies. In the open session, a major discussion point among the assembled bodies was the changing use of town and city centres. In many towns and cities, it is now the case that the evenings are busier than the daytimes, but the parking restrictions do not refl ect that. If a town has a busy
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52