Parking still matters

The COP26 Transport Declaration states: “We recognise that alongside the shift to zero emission vehicles, a sustainable future for road transport will require wider system transformation, including support for active travel, public and shared transport”.

New mobility matters – but the “great car society” won’t disappear overnight. There remains the need to plan for the challenges created by a mode that is parked 96% of the time, produces 55% of road vehicle emissions and has a lone driver for 62% of trips – so parking matters also.

There is no doubt about the direction of travel. Parking is no longer an ex-serviceman at a bomb site with a leather satchel collecting coins.

“Smarter parking” combines technology and innovation to use as few resources as possible to achieve faster, easier and denser parking. Digitisation of parking services can make a major contribution to sustainable mobility for example by reducing circulating traffic on the road network or by differential and dynamic pricing in response to congestion or air quality.

The Department for Transport’s National Parking Platform demonstrates how open parking data and multi-vendor payment truly enhance the customer experience. Mobility as a Service platforms can integrate and influence all modes, nudging behaviour towards sustainable travel options. It is more important than ever to integrate alternative modes into the parking landscape. Carless-ness is, for many, not a realistic option, yet for the smartphone generation a car is a hindrance when shared services can be accessed on demand.

Led by technology, parking has diversified away from its traditions in property and enforcement to embrace wider interdisciplinary thinking. Practitioners must contemplate the complex ecosystem of shared mobility, mobility hubs, EVs and the energy sector, active travel, micromobility, public transport, demand responsive travel, consumer behaviour, digitised kerbside management and monetisation, connected vehicles, automated valet parking and the automotive industry, last mile deliveries and the logistics industry, climate change, clear air zones, repurposing of existing car parks, planning policy, and the design of the built environment.

Parking Matters provides advice on parking, mobility, data and technology. We innovate in the parking sector as data, communications and payment systems become ever more important, assisting both private and public sector clients with parking strategies, technology, operational performance and procurement.

The success of future transport policy initiatives in urban, suburban, and rural settings will depend on proper alignment of the private car with the strategic objectives being pursued – more than ever, parking really matters.

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