Q-Park promotes mobility hubs approach

Operator sets out a ethical and sustainable approach to business

Mobility hubs form a key element of Q-Park’s work to reduce its carbon footprint and better support the communities in which it operates.

The car park operator has a portfolio comprising over 677,000 spaces in over 3,400 facilities in the UK, Ireland, Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, France and Germany.

Q-Park has been developing mobility hubs which provide access to a variety of mobility solutions. These hubs provide a activities ranging from last-mile logistics, electric vehicle charging, micromobility and car sharing services which help support urban accessibility, sustainability and liveability.

The company’s newly published Annual Corporate and Social Responsibility (CSR) Report 2022 sets out Q-Park’s social engagement, environmental impact and contribution to helping meet UN sustainable development goals relevant to its business. The report makes particular reference to the Global Reporting Institute’s GRI 2021 standard to report on the company’s impact on the economy, the environment and people.

During 2022 Q-Park achieved an average carbon footprint per parking space of 45.8kg CO2 (2021: 93.2 kgCO2), a 74% reduction since it started measuring it emissions in 2010.

Emissions are being reduced

POPLA appeals case fee increases

Parking on Private Land Appeals (POPLA has increased its appeal case fee by £1 per case. The new fee of £27.50 will apply to appeals received from 1 April 2023. This 3.8% increase is the first rise since May 2017.

POPLA hears appeals by drivers contesting parking charge notices issued by companies who are members of the British Parking Association’s Approved Operator Scheme.

POPLA only handles appeals after the recipient of the parking charge notice has been through the internal complaints procedures of the operator who issued the notice and appeals must be received by POPLA within 28 days from the date of the operator’s notice of rejection.

Sara Roberts, the BPA’s head of the Conformity Assessment Body Transition, said: “From the latest Approved Operator Scheme census, it remains the case that less than 1% of parking charge notices end up at POPLA, with 78% of motorist appeals being rejected after taking the relevant law, the BPA Approved Operator Scheme’s code of practice and evidence provided by both parties into consideration.” via a range of initiatives such as offering electric vehicle chargepoints. The company reports that it has installed 2,831 EV charging points, an increase of 34% on 2021.

The company is offering online pre-booking at 476 sites, which is a way of reducing parking search time when traffic arrives at a destination. Some 286 car parks offer access to major public transport hubs enabling sustainable mobility choices, with 109 offering bicycle parking, provid- ing options for active mobility to reach final destinations.

To deliver its CSR ambitions, Q-Park has formed a growing number of strategic partnerships with:

• Partners who support the development mobility hubs with fast charging.

• Logistics organistions who use parking facilities as a base for last mile delivery and storage services.

• Public landlords developing off-street parking to reduce onstreet parking, thereby opening up space for pedestrians and cyclists.

• Private landlords who repurpose car parks from private to public use, thereby decreasing the need for construction work, and all the inconvenience this causes while increasing the lifespan and usage of existing assets.

• Public transport operators who can nudge Q-Park customers to park their car at convenient locations, often at the edge of the city, such as park & ride, and use public transport for part of their journey.