since expanded to include the many non-government entities involved in the parking industry, which takes the lead in advancing parking matters in Australia. Perhaps partly because of this change in technology and because more commuters were taking up shopper parking space, there was a significant expansion in the number of Councils across Australia who adopted paid on-street parking. In some States, Council’s first needed to be freed from restrictive legislation before they could install and enforce their meters. If such enforcement could also be efficiently coupled with enforcement of non-metered time restrictions and other kerbside parking regulated zones then Councils had an excellent opportunity to put in place all the elements needed for an effective all encompassing parking strategy for their city. Many Councils now have such strategies in place and their communities are reaping the benefits of efficient parking space turnover or ‘rationing’ in the words of Lord Mayor Park, as well as a source of income that is being used to construct off-street spaces that can be made available at low rates to shoppers and visitors to the retail and commercial centres. Some Councils also use such income to improve and maintain the appearance and amenity of their streetscapes making them attractive places to visit. Installing parking meters for the first time in any location can be a challenge and there are many examples of failed attempts. The robust democracy of Australian Local Government is far more likely now to provide these challenges than in the 1950s and1960s, often supported by an activist local print media. Usually the greatest fear of parking meters is that it will encourage shoppers to park elsewhere and therefore opposition may be expected from some retailers. Often the failures can be traced back to a flawed consultation process where the traders and their customers have had the benefits inadequately explained to them. This presumes of course that the particular Council is not using the meters as just a revenue source and really does have a desire to increase turnover in the their on-street parking spaces and use the funds to increase the off-street parking opportunities and for streetscape improvements. Of course not all Council shopping centres and streets are suitable for paid on-street parking and locations need to be carefully assessed. It may be that beachside parking or other ground level off-street car parks with high demand would benefit from a higher turnover using meters and again such revenues could be directed back to improve the safety, security and amenity of the car park itself or the streetscape and urban design of the local area. Demand for highly accessible short term parking may be better controlled using restricted time zones alone. Normally however depending on demand, the enforcement of non-metered parking restrictions is more difficult, less efficient ,less effective and attracts higher fines than those on parking meters. It is for this reason that parking meters are the most effective means of guaranteeing parking space turnover and accompanying increased business for nearby traders. The move from mechanical to electronic meters allowed for the addition of payment by credit card and by mobile phone (limited adoption) and the use of more efficient and cost effective enforcement processes. Electronic meters could be built tougher to resist the theft of cash and vandalism and cash collection could be properly audited, something that mechanical meters unfortunately could not be. For the first time Councils could begin to collect data on how their spaces were being used without the labour intensive task of direct observation.
Reduced numbers of meters sometimes with solar panels to recharge batteries reduced the capital and maintenance costs of owning meters and assisted Councils to improve the visual amenity of their streetscapes. Councils that have well defined and clear parking policies in place that includes paid on-street and off-street parking will soon have access to technology that may in future replace the parking meters altogether. The pace of change in parking related technology is quickening with innovation in parking management racing to keep up. A few Councils are leading in the adoption of this new technology, some examples being the installation of devices in the road pavement to measure accurately when a vehicle enters and leaves a particular parking space and have these devices automatically relay this information to hand held enforcement devices or back to a computer in the Council office. Together with the use of Licence Plate Recognition (LPR) Technology, such devices could dramatically raise the efficiency of enforcement, lowering costs and making the task much safer for enforcement officers at the same time. Mobile phone payment heralds the biggest change of all, probably since Oklahoma City in 1935, creating for the first time a viable and simple way of managing paid parking without the need for any meters at all. A pre registered mobile phone user will simply park in a designated parking space on or off a street where Council charges for parking. Once having informed their phone parking account of the ID of the space and how long they wish to park, they will be charged against their credit accordingly and by arrangement between the Council and the phone parking system provider Council will collect its fee. Again this may involve a marriage between mobilephones and LPR to facilitate enforcement and to enhance customer service. The beauty of this mobile phone technology is that it can run parallel with existing parking meters and these do not need to be phased out until the level of public acceptance of the new technology is high enough to warrant it. For off-street car parks LPR could be used to allow automatic exit to those drivers who prepaid by mobile phone. In the future it is even possible that all car parks could be operated using this marriage of technology but this would require a combination of very high ownership of mobile phones and a willingness by those owners to use them to pay for parking. While the technology is just about capable of doing anything for the management of parking spaces its use is still limited by whatever management processes a Council is willing to adopt. The PAA is aware that keeping up with available technology let alone taking advantage of it, is no easy task for any individual in the parking industry including the managers of a Council’s parking infrastructure. For that reason it sees its main objective as keeping all of its members informed using its National Convention held every two years, regular seminars and forums held a number of times per year in most capital cities and special industry related workshops with expert presenters. For further information on how the Parking Association of Australia can help your Council or organisation take advantage of the changes in parking technology to improve the management of your parking spaces and your level of customer service please see our web site www.parking.asn.au or contact paa@parking.asn.au. Leyon Parker Immediate Past President Parking Association of Australia
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