Intelligent Parking Rates and Pricing

The Future of Intelligent Parking (Nate Berg, The Atlantic Cities, Mar. 23, 2012) Also discussed here: San Francisco Pilot Parking Program Watched By Other Cities (Irwin Dawid, Planetizen, Mar.21, 2012) Today we review another article on the expanded use of smart parking meters and parking systems which began in San Francisco and now is being [...]

How Does San Francisco Price On-Street Parking?

A Meter So Expensive, It Creates Parking Spots (Michael Cooper and Jo Craven McGinty, New York Times, Mar. 15, 2012) San Francisco is a leader among cities which want to reduce the number of drivers circling the block for an open space and adding to the traffic congestion found in many downtown areas. It is [...]

Onstreet Parking- a Public or Private Good?

A rethinking of what parking is in the first place (Reinventing Parking,  Jan. 16, 2012) Also discussed here: The case for the $6 parking meter (Ideas, Leon Neyfakh, Boston Globe, Jan. 15, 2012) And here: Minimum parking requirements are like restroom requirements (Reinventing Parking, Aug. 23, 2010) Today, we look at onstreet parking that could [...]

The Environmental Impact of Parking Spaces and Structures

Parking Infrastructure and the Environment  (Mikhail Chester, Arpad Horvath, and Samer Madanat, ACCESS, Fall 2011) Also discussed here: Paved, but Still Alive (Michael Kimmelman, New York Times, Jan. 6, 2012) The article reviewed today looks at the overall economic and environmental life-cycle costs, both direct and indirect, for the provision of parking facilities and associated [...]

Free Parking and Planning Sustainable Cities

Between the Lines (Dave Gardetta, Los Angeles Magazine, Dec. 1, 2011) The focus today, as it has been in past reviews, is the craziness involved in cities which give away free parking or set parking rates at the same low rate regardless of the demand- with a prominent example from Los Angeles compared with the [...]

Privitized, Dynamically Priced Parking- a good deal for cash strapped cities?

Chicago Cashing In on Privatized Parking; Could LA be Next?  (Steven Dornfeld, City Watch, Dec. 19, 2011) Also discussed here: CPM-Chicago Parking Meters A key example of the value of applying the pricing concept to parking rates is described in the article reviewed today about Chicago where the investment in the new technology needed for [...]

Why Do Cities Require So Many Offstreet Parking Spaces?

Glut of parking spaces in city (Jeremy Smerd, Crains New York, Oct. 2, 2011) The article reviewed today from New York City makes an excellent point- why do cities require developers to build  so many parking spaces for occupants of their buildings.  Many times the private parking spaces go unused, especially in large cities with [...]

Searching for a Parking Spot and Needless Pollution

IBM Global Parking Survey: Drivers Share Worldwide Parking Woes (IBM Press Release, Sep. 28, 2011) Today we review another “pain” survey facing drivers, the challenges in finding an open parking spot downtown in over 20 cities worldwide- and the shared pain residents of those cities experience in terms of emissions from these vehicles who on [...]

Peformance Prices for Parking

Progress in immobility – How optimization of stationary traffic can improve traffic flow (8 page pdf, Donald Shoup, ITS magazine- The Magazine for Intelligent Traffic Systems I 2/2011, Siemens, July 2011) The patron saint of parking, Donald Shop, is the focus of today’s review. He points out the many issues caused by free parking and [...]

What Determines Parking Rates Globally

Parking Rates Broadly Up – Worldwide (4 page pdf, Ross J. Moore Chief Economist | USA, Colliers, CBD Parking Rates, 2011) The focus of today’s review is an update on a comparison of central business district (CBD) parking rates around the world. While one expects them to correlate well with real estate prices, one finds [...]

The Impacts of “Free” Parking

Free Parking or Free Markets (13 page pdf, Donald Shoup, Access Vol. 38, University of California, Spring 2011) Today’s review article looks at the benefits of having parking rates vary by demand, with some very interesting statistics from New York City on the amount of wasted driving while searching for empty spaces that are not [...]

Spillover Parking and Minimum Municipal Offstreet Parking Requirements

Who’s afraid of the spillover bogey? (Reinventing Parking, Jul.4, 2011) Today’s focus is on the perceived problem of spillover parking which could be treated as an opportunity rather than a curse – if parking rates were raised like traffic, according to demand. To see Key Quotes and Links to key reports about this post, click [...]

Demand-based Parking Rates, Smart Phones and Less Congestion

Now, to Find a Parking Spot, Drivers Look on Their Phones (Matt Richtel, New York Times, May 7, 2011)   The focus today is on an innovative system to be introduced in the summer of 2011 that combines demand-based parking rates with a smart phone app  (iPhone to start) that allows drivers to find unused [...]

Parking On Demand- Lessons Learned from Europe

Europe’s Parking U-Turn: From Accommodation to Regulation (84 page pdf, ITDP, Spring 2011) Also discussed here: European Parking U-Turn Reaps Rewards: Ideas for the Rest of the World (Sustran-discuss, Jan. 19, 2011) Some advocates for congestion pricing advocate improved approaches for managing urban parking as an intermediary step. Today’s report under review summarizes some innovative [...]

Impacts of Road Tolls, Parking Rates and Lane Reductions on Urban Pollution

  Traffic control policies to reduce pollution in Perth CBD ( 24 page pdf, 25th Conference of the Australian Institutes of Transport Research, 2003) The article reviewed today looks at the impact of varying four traffic controls on pollution levels: fixed and varying road toll charges, parking rates and lane reductions. The results indicate a [...]

What do Cars Cost Society?

Taking the Con Out of Convenience: The True Cost of Transport Modes in Sydney (21 page pdf, Urban Policy and Research, Vol. 27, No. 1, 5–24, March 2009) Also discussed here: What costs society more – cars or public transport? (The Melbourne Urbanist, Nov. 24, 2010) And here: What Does a Car Really Cost? (Pollution [...]

What Comes Next after Parking Meters

Time Expired – The end of the parking meter (Slate, Oct. 19, 2010) Also discussed here: Prize-winning innovators Skymeter could revolutionize parking — and eliminate traffic (YongeStreet,  Jun. 2, 2010) And here: Skymeter And here: Who pays for free parking? (Pollution Free Cities Aug. 23, 2010) Congestion and air fouled by emissions from traffic on [...]

Leasing Public Space for Parking

Image via Wikipedia Parking Meters and the Perils of Privatization (Urbanophile, Aug. 22, 2010) Today’s review article looks at the consequences of very long term leases for parking meters which lock cities into policies that may and probably will become unsustainable. It suggests innovative use of public space for parking with examples from New York [...]

Impact of Parking Spaces on the Environment

Image via Wikipedia Parking infrastructure: energy, emissions, and automobile life-cycle environmental accounting (9 page pdf,  Environmental Research Letters, Volume 5, Number 3, July 29, 2010) Also discussed  here: Insight: how do parking lots affect the environment? (Environmental Research Web, Aug. 30, 2010) And Here: Solar Roadways (Pollution Free Cities, Aug. 30, 2009) The energy consumed [...]

Minimum Parking Requirements

Do Parking Requirements Significantly Increase The Area Dedicated To Parking? A Test Of The Effect Of Parking Requirements Values In Los Angeles County (37 pages pdf, unpublished, Sofia Franco, University of Munich, Jan. 25, 2010) Also discussed here: New Evidence Links Sprawl to Parking Minimums (Streetsblog, Aug. 23, 2010) And here: New Evidence Links Sprawl [...]

Managing Parking

Parking Management – Strategies, Evaluation and Planning (30 page pdf, Todd Alexander Litman, Victoria Transport Policy Institute, July 16, 2010)  Several articles, including the one reviewed today, point out that providing parking free of charge has significant consequences in terms of unnecessary downtown congestion and encouraging auto dependency as shown in the diagram above. [...]

Is Park-and-Ride a Good Idea?

Image via Wikipedia Be cautious about Park-and-Ride, especially in dense areas (Reinventing Parking, Aug. 23, 2010) Also discussed here: Parking Management – Strategies, Evaluation and Planning (30 page pdf) Victoria Transport Policy Institute, July 16, 2010) And here: Park and ride (Wikipedia) Today’s review post flags several disadvantages of park and ride, especially in Asia [...]

Who pays for free parking?

Free Parking Comes at a Price (New York Times, Aug. 14, 2010) Also discussed here: San Francisco rolls out new smart parking meters with ‘demand-responsive pricing’ (Engadget, Aug. 7, 2010) And here: Parking Spaces and Toilet Stalls And here: Parking Strategies and Traffic Congestion Today’s article reviews the cost imposed by many cities on those [...]

Free Public Transit

17 Reasons (or More) to Stop Charging People to Ride the Bus (The Tyee, July 5, 2007) Also discussed here: Campaign for free public transport leaflet (Wiganshale’s blog, Jan. 23, 2010) Why do we expect public education, fire and police services to be “free” (or more accurately, paid for out of the public purse), but [...]

Is Access to Transportation a Basic Human Right?

Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Accessibility (Streetsblog, June 11, 2010) Also discussed here: Mobility as a Basic Human Right (Streetsblog, Oct. 23, 2009) And here: Driving is a Privilege; Accessibility is a Right (A Place of Sense, June 11. 2010) The demand for transportation leads one to ask if mobility is a basic human [...]

Parking Spaces and Toilet Stalls

Image via Wikipedia Parking slots are like toilets – according to conventional parking planning (Reinventing Urban Transport, June 10, 2010) Parking availability and the rates charged for street parking affect  the level of downtown congestion and the associated pollution caused by traffic. Despite this, municipalities insist on free on-street parking and require parking spaces in [...]

What Does a Car Really Cost?

How much is that car really costing? You? The rest of us? (World Streets, May 24, 2010) Also discussed here: Transportation Cost and Benefit Analysis Techniques, Estimates and Implications (500 page pdf in sections, Victoria Transport Policy Institute, Jan.2,  2009) And here: Transportation Cost Analysis Spreadsheet (Excel spreadsheet, Victoria Transport Policy Institute, Jan.2, 2009) And [...]

Why Drive?

Want to Prevent Oil Spill Disasters? Stop Driving (AlterNet / By Jason Henderson, May 1, 2010) Also discussed here: The Politics of Mobility & Business Elites in Atlanta, Georgia (24 page pdf, Urban Geography, 2004) The unsustainable and combined impact of carbon fueled driving on health through pollution (both via the air and oil spills) [...]

Automobile Dependence and the Future of Roads

Image via Wikipedia The future for roads in 2050 – Australian perspectives on sustainable transportation (World Streets, Apr. 23, 2010) Also discussed here: RESILIENT CITIES – Responding to the Crash, Peak Oil and Climate Change (151 page pdf slideshow, Peter Newman, Professor of Sustainability, Curtin University, Australia) And here: Sustainable Urban Transport – Responding to [...]

Environmental Impact of Urban Intensification

Does high-density life have a bigger ecological footprint? and why? (Human Transit, Mar.20, 2010) Discussed here: Forced March To The Cities (New Geography, Mar. 15,2010) Also discussed here: Consuming Australia: Main Findings (20 age pdf, Australian Conservation Foundation, Centre for Integrated Sustainability Analysis at the University of Sydney, 2007) Urban planners frequently advocate higher population [...]

Parking Strategies and Traffic Congestion

U.S. Parking Policies: An Overview of Management Strategies (86 page pdf, Institute for Transportation and Development Policy, February, 23 2010) Also discussed here: Free Parking? Breaking Our Addiction to the Parking Lot (OpenAlex, Mar. 1, 2010) And here: San Francisco’s quest for the perfect price for parking (The Operations Room, July 29, 2010) Key Quotes: [...]

Car Sharing

Sharing the road (Toronto Star, Feb. 20, 2010) Part of the solution to reduce vehicle emissions is to make the cars smaller (which reduces the need for wider roads and large parking spots), make them emission free (by using electric power) and share them. The post on the CityCar addressed the first two elements. This [...]

The CityCar

The CityCar (MIT) This post describes a prototype car to meet the transportation needs of future pollution free cities year round which is important in northern cities where walking and cycling are sometimes challenging. References: Reinventing the Automobile – Personal Urban Mobility for the 21st Century (March 2010) A Carbon-Free, Stackable Rental Car (November 2007) [...]

Slow Down

No need for speed (NOW, February 17-24, 2010, VOL 29 NO 25) Key Quotes “Speed (not just speeding) matters.. At 50 km/h.. cars will kill almost half of pedestrians struck. At 30 km/h or less, 19 in 20 will survive” “lowering speed by an average of 3 km/h would reduce U.S. deaths by 9,000 annually.. [...]

Why do you drive to work?

How Does Car Parking Availability and Public Transport Accessibility Influence Work-Related Travel Behaviors? (15 page pdf, Sustainability 2010, 2, 576-590, 12 February 2010) How to get people out of their cars for the daily commute and into public transit is a challenge for many cities in North America. This article looks at the factors that [...]

Peak Oil and ..Peak Car?

U.S. Car Fleet Shrank by Four Million in 2009 – After a Century of Growth, U.S. Fleet Entering Era of Decline (Plan B Updates- Lester Brown, Jan. 6,2010) Many see suburban sprawl and the associated car-addiction as the main threat and obstacle to sustainable, pollution-free cities. In the wake of the great 2009 recession, a [...]

Free Parking and Downtown Pollution

The New Colonist blog examines the need and consequences of municipal zoning laws calling for the provision of parking space for residences and businesses in this post “Fifty Years of Stupid Parking Tricks….” and refers to an earlier book review  Pave paradise? No, ditch the parking lot (written by Donald C. Shoup)from the New Urban [...]

“the degree to which the businesses are acting against their own self-interests”

Gary Mason,  a leading journalist from Canada’s greenest and 3rd largest city,  writes today on “Bring on taxes – if they spur transit“.  He explains how higher downtown parking rates help to reduce traffic and pollution downtown, as well as provide funds for a much more efficient and comfortable  alternative, rapid transit ( “the Canada [...]

Mobility Management and VMT Reduction Options

Are Vehicle Travel Reduction Targets Justified? (31 page pdf, Victoria Transport Policy Institute, Dec. 16, 2009) – VMT critics assume that  roadway expansion or more fuel efficient vehicles  will reduce vehicle emissions and improve air quality – others point to the need to manage the growth of traffic volume which is directly correlated with VMT [...]

Traffic Congestion and Clean Air

Clean air, climate change and traffic congestion (pdf file-28 pages) Speaker Notes-Professor Nicholas Low (Clean Air Society of Australia and NewZealand)   Melbourne’s  West Gate Freeway Key Quotes: “So what does happen when roads are built to relieve congestion?” “the average time spent in travel in Britain has remained remarkably constant over the last 35 [...]

Tips to Cities about Cycling

A well attended meeting was held recently in Ottawa to hear, Suzanne Lareau,  the head of  Vélo Québec, a well organized advocate for cycling in Montreal for over 40 years. One of the most signficant developments in that city is the free bike scheme, Bixi- Montreal, which offers close to 4,000 bikes from a network [...]

Better air quality: How Utrecht takes action

Source: http://www.cities-for-mobility.net/index.php? option=com_docman&task=doc_download&gid=190&Itemid=131 Better air quality: How Utrecht takes action Tymon de Weger, Deputy mayor and alderman for Transport and the Environment Air Quality Action Plan 2006 A set of over 20 measures including • Low emission zone for heavy goods traffic • More stringent parking policy • Clean municipal vehicle fleet • Introduction of [...]