Dublin City Council’s Post

Snippets A couple of interesting snippets I gleaned from the British Parking Association political monitoring bulletin today. - A response to two parliamentary questions on the private parking sector that "the government will set out its' plans in due course" - Two questions around the use of ANPR by councils, with a response due date of 7th October. Councils have been at a disadvantage for some time in their ability to adopt ANPR, especially off street. Free flow parking solutions using number plate recognition provide the opportunity of frictionless parking experiences for users. They also arguably reduce capital and operational costs. But their adoption is often hampered by councils not being able to use the data to then enforce non compliance. Adoption of free flow solutions on private land / by commercial operators is gathering pace unhindered by the same regulation. This provides competitive advantage and greater choice for drivers. Tight controls afforded by the common Code of Practice for Parking on Private Land ensure that the technology is used ethically and professionally. It will be interesting to watch this area of debate within government. #anpr #numberplaterecognition #parkingenforcement #parkingmanagement #technology #innovation

Another interesting (and now past: sorry) AITPM - Leadership in Traffic and Transport event. I asked NZ's Simon Kingham and (especially) the Netherlands' Marco Te Brömmelstroet what, if anything, they have seen in Australian transport practice that is worth exporting. As well as needing to know what happens in far away places, we have a way of learning from how people from elsewhere experience us. When we find out, often (as with American disbelief at the absence of car parking around Australian stadia) we are surprised. Which I wasn't, when living streets advocate Marco struggled to come up with anything immediately. And which I was, a little, when he then referenced (I assume) the Sydney / Melbourne / Brisbane e-tolling ecosystem as providing positive evidence of the technological feasibility of road pricing. On reflection, though... Whether it's EVs, speed limit reductions, separated cycleways, etc, there are few sustainable transport planning and policy developments that one can't confidently expect to migrate south from western Europe over a period of 10 years, give or take. Look around; too slow, but happening. In contrast, with urban tollways Australian governments lead the world. As well as showcasing our technical expertise in monetising the movement of vehicles, that makes us the first jurisdictions to have to grapple with the contractual, social and spatial mess we've got ourselves into. If we can find a way through, that will be knowledge worth exporting!

In the most recent issue of Parking Trend International magazine, EPA-POLIS cooperation reaching a new stage, Tom Antonissen, European Parking Association Executive Director, writes "The cooperation between EPA and POLIS, a network of European cities and regions working together to develop innovative technologies and policies for local transport, goes back a long way. Both associations were created in the '80sand a working relationship was formalised over 15 years ago, when EPA was invited to join the POLIS Network Parking Working Group..." Read the full article here https://lnkd.in/ePu47ZHT If you're interested in finding out some more about EPA, getting involved with some of our working groups, and in joining the association then reach out to yasmin.jefferies@europeanparking.eu #EPA #MembershipBenefits #ParkingTrendInternational #Parking #Mobility #ParkingSector #ParkingTechnology #ParkingPolicies

With the introduction of a Multifunction Device, Kyocera helped Clubs Queensland not only lower the total cost of ownership but also reduce their environmental impact. Learn more about the outcomes we helped them achieve here: https://hubs.li/Q02m8D760 #KyoceraSuccess #MFP #MultifunctionDevice #TCO

This week is National Licensing Week! Today is day 5, relating to business and licensing. You may not notice how often licensing plays a part in your day to day life but let's focus on the taxi you got last Friday night or the one you hopped in to coming to work this morning, when the train was delayed. Those taxi drivers are licensed and Licensing Authorities have deemed them fit and proper. But what if they're not fit and proper? NAFN are the host of the National Register of Revocations, Refusals and Suspensions (NR3S), relating to taxi licensing and all licensing authorities in England are now mandated to use our NR3S. Licensing authorities are tasked with safeguarding communities by ensuring licensed taxi drivers are assessed to be fit and proper. This duty is underpinned by the Taxis and Private Hire Vehicles (Safeguarding and Road Safety) Act 2022 (legislation.gov.uk) and statutory guidance shared by the Department for Transport. Click here for the statutory guidance shared by the Department for Transport.  Taxis and Private Hire Vehicles (Safeguarding and Road Safety) Act 2022 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Let me put this out there and shoot me down if you want. 1.     The Paris increase in parking fees for heavy vehicles (not SUVs, but all vehicles weighing 1.6 tonnes or more) only applies to on-street parking. As far as I can see off-street parking is excluded. A quick online search suggests that there are five times as many off-street parking spaces in Paris than on-street ones, and the latter are being removed incrementally by the mayor. So the effect is likely to be little more than a shift from on-street to off-street parking for SUVs and other big and heavy vehicles. 2.     The change in fees applies to non-Parisians entering inner Paris. Residents are excluded from the increase. According to the BBC, only about 1.3m residents of central Paris were eligible to vote. Who wouldn’t choose to vote for a policy that makes it more difficult for outsiders to park their big vehicles outside of my house? As a referendum result, is this showing not much more than NIMBYism? A solid initiative by the mayor of Paris, but in my view not worth all the excitement it has generated. If you fancy taking part in the Transport Planning Society’s debate with Andrew Potter and Alice Roberts about other parking policies that may also be useful on this side of the Channel, building on our recent parking policy paper: “Just the ticket”, dial into the webinar on 27 February, 1230h-1400h. Details on how to register can be found here: https://lnkd.in/e7qjitdc

There are lots of takeaways from how the Welsh Government have handled the move to default 20mph speed restrictions, especially for anyone studying public policy. It's a really great example of the gulf between policy makers at a national level and local actors, but the big thing for me is how this has played out in public and in government communications. How quickly can policy be undermined when governments rush to respond to elements of public opinion? Is the arguably hostile narrative from Welsh Government - the proponents of the policy - now undermining any confidence that this policy had left?

Lingqian Hu and I just published a viewpoint in the Journal of the American Planning Association with lessons learned from the success of FlexRide Milwaukee. Instead of automatically choosing to invest in shuttles to extend from the end of fixed transit routes: 1) Listen to existing and potential riders; 2) Consider flexible transit options (e.g., on-demand microtransit) and multimodal networks (e.g., bicycling) that can serve door-to-door trips; 3) create more efficient systems in the long run through transit-supportive development decisions (encourage businesses close to transit routes; incentivize affordable housing close to employment & activity centers). 50 free downloads from https://lnkd.in/gFGw74-A

Here are two recent articles that cite my research: Gerd Stieler (2024), Make America use CBA again! The Real Impact of Gas Taxes and Car-Centric Spending," RWC Pulse (https://lnkd.in/gcZtCWaT). This article references my research concerning the total costs of automobile travel and the small portion of roadway costs paid by user fees such as fuel taxes. It advocates more support for bicycling. Talia Resnick (2024), “Woman shares frustrating experience walking dog on pedestrian 'sidewalk': 'I didn't notice how bad it actually was'”, The Cool Down (https://lnkd.in/gkVGtiJy). This article describes an example of terrible sidewalks conditions and references my report, "Completing Sidewalk Networks: Benefits and Costs" (www.vtpi.org/csn.pdf ). This and other research indicate that investments in active modes provide a much better return on investment than spending more money expanding highways. What do you think? Is it time to shift spending from roads and parking subsidies to walking and bicycling facilities?

Melbourne needs a fast, fairer and better-connected bus network. This is especially true for under-serviced outer growth areas. Tonight's edition of 7.30 on Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reports on the current limitations of Melbourne's bus network, features research from Infrastructure Victoria and includes an interview with our very own Dr Allison Stewart - https://lnkd.in/gHVp2nNW 'Fast, Frequent, Fair - How Buses Can Better Connect Melbourne' from Infrastructure Victoria makes 10 recommendations to the Victorian Government to prioritise bus network actions and investment within 5 years - https://lnkd.in/gzfDnRy3 Comprehensive reform of the network will give more people access to good public transport. It will help reduce traffic congestion and cut Victoria’s transport emissions. Graham Currie FTSE Bus Association Victoria Public Transport Users Association Department of Transport and Planning #buses #Melbourne #reform #fairness #access #evidence #research