Parking Review, issue 337: May 2020

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May 2020 | #337

www.parkingreview.co.uk

Living in lockdown has changed the way we live, work and (don’t) travel PA R K I N G • T R A FF I C • K E R B S I D E

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RESCHEDULED EVENT CALENDAR We look forward to seeing you again in the Autumn 21 OCTOBER

4 SEPTEMBER

Council House, Nottingham

City Hall, Bristol

WORKPLACE PARKING LEVY CLEAN AIR ZONES

15 SEPTEMBER

STEAM: Museum of the Great Western Railway, Swindon

26 - 27 NOVEMBER

Holiday Inn, Brentford Lock, London

The 2nd SWHA conference

23 SEPTEMBER

1 DECEMBER

Council House, Birmingham

Manchester Conference Centre, The Pendulum Hotel,Manchester

25 SEPTEMBER

Fairfield Halls, Croydon

2020

Liveable THE

NEIGHBOURHOODS

2 DECEMBER

Manchester Conference Centre, The Pendulum Hotel,Manchester

CONFERENCE 2020

15 - 16 OCTOBER

Edgbaston Stadium, Birmingham

3 DECEMBER

Manchester Conference Centre, The Pendulum Hotel,Manchester

2020

Correct at time of going to press.

Further events to be announced.

Plus more, for further information visit:

www.TransportXtra.com/events

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WHAT’S IN MAY 2020 Editorial Managing editor: Mark Moran Tel: 020 7091 7871 mark.moran@landor.co.uk Deputy editor: Deniz Huseyin Editorial director: Peter Stonham

Advertising Jason Conboy Tel: 020 7091 7895 jason@landor.co.uk

Production & Design production@landor.co.uk

Subscriptions Christina Pierre Tel: 020 7091 7959 subs@landor.co.uk

Accounts

Temporary cycle lanes, like this one in Leeds, are popping-up around the country

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THE NEW SPACE AGE. All across the UK pavements are being expanded into the footway and temporary cycle lanes are being created using a mix of signs, lines, cones and traffic barriers.

The emergence of pop-up kerbside infrastructure is a response to a decrease in traffic numbers as a result of the coronavirus emergency.

The Department for Transport has now published new statutory guidance to assist local authorities who want to open up more space on roads to keep their residents safe and healthy during the lockdown.

Mark Moran, Editor

ANDY D’AGONE VIA TWITTER

Irina Cocks Tel: 020 7091 7854 irina.cocks@landor.co.uk

Business manager Rod Fletcher Tel: 0191 280 1410 Parking Review was launched in 1989 and is published twelve times a year. It is the only independent magazine dedicated to the UK parking sector.

Grant Shapps MP

252

Nick Ruxton-Boyle

255

256

Will Hurley

ISSN: 0962 3599 Published by: Landor LINKS Ltd, Apollo House, 359 Kennington Lane, London SE11 5QY Printed by Pensord Tram Road, Pontllanfraith, Blackwood NP12 2YA © Landor LINKS Ltd 2020

CONTENTS 4

Pandemic parking How the parking sector is reacting to COVID-19

Business news

18 In Memoriam Remembering Dr Adrian V Stokes and Ron Frampton

22 Making safer street space DfT guidance on pop-up cycling and walking schemes www.landor.co.uk Landor LINKS is a member of the Independent Press Standards Organisation. www.ipso.co.uk and the Professional Publishers Association www.ppa.co.uk

25 Business as (un)usual Nick Ruxton-Boyle reflects on working during lockdown

26 Fairness is the key

John Fogelin

New faces at AppyWay, JustPark and Videalert

Page 19

Will Hurley wants to see fair play become the norm

27 Can we map a path on pavements?

Technology

Data could settle the pavement debate, says Paul Moorby

30 A weather eye on the future Ian Geeson makes the case for sustainable car parks

32 Some light reading How Q-Park upgraded car park lighting across Europe

COVER IMAGE: DFT APPROVED SOCIAL DISTANCING SIGN ARTWORK

Parking Review online: www.parkingreview.co.uk

The latest payment and enforcement systems

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BEN GARRATT/UNSPLASH

COVID-19

COLIN D/UNSPLASH

City of London, April 2020

JOHN CAMERON/UNSPLASH

Testing centre sign, Glasgow

An NSL officer delivering essential supplies in Haringey, London

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Hammersmith Bridge, London

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COVID-19

Mapping out a long journey back to normality The pandemic will change how we live, work and travel, writes Mark Moran We have now lived through two months of lockdown as the UK seeks to mitigate the potential deadly impact of COVID-19. The forced closure of workplaces, non-food shops, venues, schools and universities has reduced travel by rail, bus, road and air.

In parallel, social distancing has limited contact between people beyond their own households.

These measures have helped reduce the transmission of coronavirus in the community and meant that the NHS’s critical care capacity has not been overwhelmed, as had been feared.

However, the UK has still seen the deaths of over 30,000 people, with more fatalities to come.

The emotional and psychological impacts of social distancing are also a matter for serious concern.

And the lockdown has had a profoundly negative effect on the economy. The incomes of millions of workers are being paid by the government’s furlough scheme and many companies are depending on a range of grants and concessions.

However, with the economy in a coma, many businesses are laying off staff and fearing closure.

It not surprising, then, that

Prime minister Boris Johnson addresses the nation individuals and organisations alike desperately want to see an end to lockdown. However, hopes of an early return to normality were dashed when prime minister Boris Johnson spoke to the nation on 10 May. Johnson mapped out a recovery plan in which social distancing will remain the norm for months to come. One key message was that when travelling, people should, wherever possible, avoid public transport and instead drive, cycle or walk.

He expressed a preference for walking and cycling.

The prime minister’s statement came the day after transport secretary Grant Shapps announced a major investment in walking and cycling infrastructure. This funding supports work already

being undertaken by local authorities across the UK, who have been installing ‘pop-up’ measures to support social distancing such as widening pavements and

‘Stay alert’ is the UK government’s new instruction to the public, but the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Ireland executives have stuck with the ‘Stay at home’ message

Government announces £250m active travel fund The government is to invest in pop-up infrastructure to support cycling and walking during and after the coronavirus pandemic, transport secretary Grant Shapps announced during a 10 Downing Street briefing on 9 May. Pop-up bike lanes with protected space for cycling, wider pavements and safer junctions, as well as cycle and bus-only corridors will be created in England within weeks as part of a £250m emergency active travel fund. Shapps announced the publication of new statutory guidance that would enable emergency measures to be implemented in the context of the Traffic Management Act 2004.

Shapps opened the briefing by saying: “Here is a very stark fact. Even with public transport reverting to full service – once you take into account the 2-metre social distancing rule – there would only be effective capacity for one in ten passengers on many parts of the network. Just a tenth of the old capacity. So, getting Britain moving again, while not overcrowding our transport network, is going to require many of us to think carefully about how

Grant Shapps MP and when we travel.”

Shapps said that, in some places, there has been a 70% rise in the number of people on bikes for exercise and necessary journeys, such as stocking up on food. “So, while it’s still crucial that we stay at home, when the country does get back to work, we need those people to carry on cycling and walking, and to be joined by many more,” he said. “Otherwise, with public

creating temporary cycle lanes.

The dramatic reduction of traffic on many streets and roads has brought benefits such as noise reduction and a reduction in air pollution. There is a desire in many quarters to see what are currently temporary measures become permanent. This will transform how urban streets are planned and managed.

However, while cycling and walking will become more commonplace, the car will make a comeback. When returning to work many people will opt to drive rather than use public transport. This means currently underused and mothballed car parks will start attracting both existing and new customers. The return of driving will be welcomed by beleaguered parking operators, whose businesses are not been receiving grants and rates relief.

And while private cars could be managed out of urban centres, arrangements will still have to be made for deliveries. For example, civil enforcement officers could be deployed as marshals and there is potential to allow the booking of kerbside delivery slots – technologies that enable this already exist. There is also potential to re-purpose car parks as ‘click & collect’ points.

When the pandemic does abate, it will have had a lasting effect on the way we all travel, work, socialise and do business.

transport capacity severely restricted, more cars could be drawn to the road and our towns and cities could become gridlocked.”

The emergency active travel fund will be the first stage of a £2 billion investment commitment, which is in turn part of £5 billion in funding announced for cycling and buses announced in February.

Other measures announced were: • Testing e-scooters: New laws could see people using electric-scooters on UK roads.

E-scooter trials will also be brought forward from next year to next month.

• Encouraging electric vehicles: An extra £10m – double the current funding amount – is being committed to the onstreet residential chargepoint scheme.

• Developing transport apps: The government is working with companies such as Google, Zipabout and Trainline to see how technology could be used to help commuters stagger their journeys and advise on alternative modes of travel.

Potential solutions could include phone apps warning when public transport is particularly busy or advising on a quieter time to travel, allowing people to flex their hours and prevent the transport network from being overburdened.

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NEWS

JON TYSON/UNSPLASH

Local authorities receive £3.2bn boost Government injects additional funding to support front line

Getting rough sleepers off the street has been a priority

Retail sector suffers record decline UK retail sales fell by over 5% during March as many stores shut due to the coronavirus lockdown.

Figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reveal the steepest sales fall since it started collecting the data in 1996.

In March 2020, the monthly retail sales volume fell sharply by 5.1%.

This is the largest fall since the ONS series began as many stores ceased trading from 23 March following official government guidance during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

In March 2020, clothing store sales saw a sharp fall when compared with the previous month, at negative 34.8%.

Food stores and non-store retailing were the only sectors to

6 | MAY 2020 | PARKING REVIEW

show growth in the monthly volume series in March 2020, with food stores seeing the strongest growth on record, at 10.4%. Food sales rose as households stocked up and restaurants closed.

Online sales as a proportion of all retailing reached a record high of 22.3% in March 2020 as consumers switched to online purchasing following the pandemic.

In the three months to March 2020, retail sales volume fell by 1.6% when compared with the previous three months, with strong declines in non-food stores and fuel.

The first few months of the year have seen several high street brands go into administration, including Debenhams, Cath Kitson, Oasis and Warehouse.

Robert Jenrick said: “Councils are playing a central role in our national fight against coronavirus and the government continues to back them at this challenging time. That’s why I announced an extra £3.2 billion of support for councils to help them to continue their extraordinary efforts. The latest £1.6 billion of this will be allocated to councils in the fairest way possible, recognising the latest and best assessment of the pres-

Slump in car trips hits town halls COVID-19 could cost councils much more than the amount of emergency support the government has made available to them.

Surrey County Council estimates that the virus will cost it £61.4m in the first half of 2020/21. This includes additional expenditure, a shortfall in income, and £18m of budgeted efficiencies that are unlikely to be realised. Surrey received £25.2m from the government’s first tranche of £1.6bn emergency funding for councils in England that was announced in March. Of this, £1.4bn was based on the adult social care funding formula and the remaining £0.2bn on general need.

Car parking is one of the big income losses for councils. Many have suspended on-street and offstreet charges and far fewer

motorists are using car parks anyway because of the movement restrictions imposed on the public by the government. Surrey may waive parking charges for a period after the COVID-19 restrictions end. It says a car parking charge “amnesty” for shoppers/residents for a period after COVID-19 would support the “revitalisation of our high streets and retail centres.”

Brighton & Hove City Council had budgeted for on-street and off-street parking income of £39.5m in 2020/21, but COVID-19 will reduce this substantially. Neighbouring East Sussex County Council has deferred planned increases to on-street pay and display and permit charges that were due for implementation on 27 April until at least 1 July. The changes were expected to generate an extra £2m a year.

DAN BURTON/UNSPLASH

ment on the challenges they are facing.

The split of funding between county and district councils also reflects the financial pressure being felt by councils as a result of residents staying at home, rather than using services including car parks and leisure facilities. A majority of district councils will now receive more than £1m of additional funding to ensure they are fully supported.

Local government secretary BEN GARRATT/UNSPLASH

Councils in England have received their funding allocations confirmed following the government’s announcement they would receive £1.6 billion in additional funding.

The Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) said the extra funding is intended to help local authorities continue to deliver front line services and meet new pressures such as getting rough sleepers off the streets, supporting clinically vulnerable people and providing assistance to the public health workforce.

The £1.6 billion funding means councils in England will be provided with over £3.2 billion to deal with the immediate impacts of coronavirus. The extra funding will be distributed to councils across England based on their population and the latest assess-

sures they face. We are backing local district councils and a clear majority will receive at least £1m in additional funding.”

The funding will not be ringfenced, enabling councils to decide how to meet pressures in their local area.

The split between county and district authorities will be 65:35.

Where there are separate fire authorities, a specific tier split for fire of 3% will be used.

The funding is part of a package of support that has also included allowing councils to defer £2.6 billion in business rates payments to central government and brought forward £850m in social care grants paid to councils from this month.

The government has also confirmed that the Review of Relative Needs and Resource and 75% business rates retention will no longer be implemented in 2021-22. This will allow councils to focus on meeting the immediate public health challenge posed by the pandemic.

Closed car parks mean lost revenue

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NEWS

Calls for COVID-19 rate relief on car parks

keeping car parks open, and providing free parking for NHS staff and critical care workers, their revenue is severely impacted,” said the association.

“Business rates relief is available for numerous properties that have been forced to close but has not been extended to BEARFOOT GRAPHICS

The government is being asked to extend business rates relief to car parks, which are not eligible from government backed coronavirus support schemes.

The British Parking Association (BPA) is lobbying government for business rates relief for car parks during the COVID-19 emergency.

Car park operators have expressed frustration that they have been excluded from support even though retailers and venues their facilities serve have been given support.

For most car park operators their major operating costs are rents and business rates, said the association. “Whilst operators are doing the right thing by following government advice,

YGAR KILIC YAL/UNSPLASH

BPA shares parking operators’ concerns with government

The Saints’ drive-in concept

Rugby club plans drive-in screenings Northampton Saints rugby union club has revealed a plan to overcome the possibility that the remaining 2019-20 season Gallagher Premiership matches could be played behind closed doors. Rather than have fans watch the season’s remaining games at home on TV, Northampton hopes to screen the games in a drive-in.

The Saints’ chief executive Mark Darbon came up with the idea of converting a 2,500space car park at Franklin’s Gardens into a drive-in. ”We are dedicated to delivering an outstanding supporters’ experience at Saints,” Darbon told the Daily Telegraph. “If we have to operate behind closed doors then we must remain

Heathrow passenger numbers drop 90% Heathrow Airport forecasts that passenger numbers will fall by more than 90% in April due to coronavirus travel restrictions.

Instead of an expected 6 million people, just 680,000 passengers used Heathrow last month. These were mainly Britons returning home after being stranded abroad or foreign citizens being repatriated, as well as

medical experts and key personnel travelling to help with the crisis.

Heathrow passenger numbers fell 52% during March compared with the same month last year, as the 6.5 million who went on holiday or travelled for work last March shrunk to 3.1 million this year.

The airport is now only using one of its two runways. Priority is being

car parks, many of which have revenue streams linked directly with leisure and retail business.

“We have worked closely with our members, including national operators and local authorities, to consider all of the information and requirements provided by government and believe that committed to that principle. It’s an opportunity to show some imagination and be innovative to maintain the connection with our supporters, but also to give the players the right stage on which to perform.

“Clearly we would rather not play in empty stadia, and nothing is confirmed in the Premiership yet, but we have to be ready should it become a reality. We’re determined to come out of the challenge this situation presents with some ideas which will be useful when we get back to normality too.

“This is an idea that we’re currently exploring which we actually heard about when a Danish football club discussed it (FC Midtjylland). We have around 2,500 parking spaces on-site at Franklin’s Gardens so we have the capability – we just need to do some more work on the interest levels from our supporters and whether we can do it safely and securely.”

given to cargo flights with medical supplies, the airport said, although overall cargo volumes were down by a third last month because supplies mostly travel in the hold of passenger planes.

Heathrow said it wanted to work with the UK government to develop a health screening process for passengers and believes that common international practices needed to be developed.

most car parks – free-standing or attached – whose primary use is for retail, hospitality and leisure should be entitled to the full 12 months business rates relief holiday.”

The BPA said it is speaking with officials at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) to get clarity on the issue. “Several government schemes are available but are unsuitable for many parking operators, primarily because they do not meet the eligibility criteria or the schemes available only provide limited support, such as loans or credit.

Car park revenue once lost is gone forever.”

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy’s guidance on funding schemes explicitly excluded car parks both from the Small Business Grant and Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Scheme.

Aberdeenshire CEOs deliver aid Civil enforcement officers working for Aberdeenshire Council have been ensuring personal protective equipment (PPE) and essential supplies to health and care providers.

Lorna Hogg, parking services officer, said: “Our parking enforcement team has been delivering PPE to community hospitals and health and social care facilities. They are also delivering laptops to key workers in the council and the health and social care partnership of which the council is a part.”

Swansea extends annual permits Swansea Council is giving city centre workers with annual parking permits an additional three months free. This will mean they do not lose out due to the coronavirus pandemic lockdown.

Mark Thomas, Swansea Council cabinet member for environment and infrastructure management, said the council’s system does not allow permits to be suspended, so has decided to extending them by three months.

“Obviously we want to ensure motorists are not out of pocket and paying for a service they are not receiving,” he said.

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m1 m1929 m19 m192

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NEWS

£5m social distancing plan for Manchester Council leaders across the Greater Manchester area have committed to creating enhanced space for pedestrians and people on bikes across the city-region, to enable people to keep their distance for safe essential journeys and exercise during the coronavirus lockdown and through recovery.

Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham said the money would help make more room for social distancing and improve safety as the coronavirus pandemic continues. “As more people turn to walking and cycling, we want that to continue as we move into life beyond lockdown,” he said. “These choices are contributing to cleaning up our city’s air and causing less congestion on our roads, and that’s something we must sustain.”

Brought together under the ‘Safe Streets Save Lives’ campaign, local authorities are looking to prioritise a range of temporary, pop-up measures such

NORTHERN QUARTER FORUM

Pop-up infrastructure and temporary measures prioritised

Cones were used to create temporary cycle lanes on Tib Street in Manchester’s Northern Quarter as footway extensions, one-way streets, removing through traffic on certain roads, adding extra cycle lanes and removing street clutter such as pedestrian guard rails at pinch points.

The emergency changes will be matched to help ease social distancing at specific locations such as areas outside shops, transport hubs or routes to hos-

DfT relaxes TRO advertising rules The Department for Transport has issued temporary guidance to councils in England concerning the advertising of traffic regulation orders (TROs) during COVID-19. The guidance is a response to the difficulties councils face in complying with the rules on publicising permanent or temporary TROs. Problems include advertising in a local paper when it has moved to online publishing only; posting notices on affected roads; and making documents available for public inspection in council offices.

The DfT said: “An online newspaper that is circulated locally is likely to satisfy the requirements to an extent.”

Efforts should be made to publicise the TRO because some people do not have internet access, it said. “This could include the use of other media, for example, letter or leaflet drops, local radio, circulation of information via council mailing lists, publication on local authority websites.”

The DfT acknowledges that local authorities will be “understandably concerned about the safety of staff posting on-site notices”.

With council offices closed, the DfT suggested authorities consider posting a notice on the authority’s website or outside offices, or other relevant place to inform the public of alternative arrangements. The notices could include a telephone number or email contact details.

10 | MAY 2020 | PARKING REVIEW

pitals in the districts, with £5m of funding made available through the Mayor’s Cycling and Walking Challenge Fund.

Whilst there has been a dramatic fall in traffic volumes of about 60% across Greater Manchester, walking and cycling have played an increasingly important role. They now account for approximately 33%

of all journeys, with cycling up 22% compared to pre-lockdown data.

By encouraging the use of sustainable modes of transport, Greater Manchester authorities are looking to support the area’s recovery plans while supporting an ambition to be carbon neutral by 2038, as well as honouring a commitment to become a walking and cycling city-region.

Key to this is providing people with safer direct routes around their local area by fast tracking the approval of side road zebras, as part of the emergency response. Greater Manchester was part way through a study with evidence showing that 93% of road users recognised side road Zebra markings that are currently used across the world.

Chris Boardman, Cycling and Walking Commissioner for Greater Manchester, added: “If we don’t take steps to enable people to keep travelling actively, we risk a huge spike in car use as measures are eased. Not only is it the right thing to do to protect people now, but it’s vital to meet our clean air goals and protect our NHS long term.”

Leicester sets up temporary cycle tracks

Leicester’s new cycle track Leicester City Council is creating temporary cycle tracks to help create safe routes for people cycling into the city centre during the coronavirus lockdown.

The council has taken advantage of a substantial reduction in traffic to create a one-kilometre long safe route.

The first section was 500-metres of temporary cycle track on Aylestone Road, between Almond Road and the former Granby Halls site next to the Leicester Tigers rugby ground. That route provides a protected cycle track for key workers commuting to the nearby Leicester Royal Infirmary (LRI).

The second route is between Aylestone Road and Hawkins Road. It comprises a two-way cycle route using the outbound bus lane on a section of Saffron Lane. Bus stops at either end of the cycle lane will remain in use.

In both schemes the cycle track has been segregated by traffic cones to create a safer route, and combined they help to link up existing cycling tracks between Freemans Common and the south Leicester suburbs, with Leicester Royal Infirmary via the existing Welford Road cycle track into the city centre. This additional cycle track helps to link Saffron Lane and Aylestone to LRI. In addition to the temporary lanes, timings at traffic lights have been altered to give even greater priority to pedestrians and cyclists to cross normally busy roads.

There are hopes the increase in walking and cycling will continue once lockdown ends, with residents using the permanent network of routes created under the city council’s Connecting Leicester scheme.

Leicester deputy city mayor for the environment and transportation, Cllr Adam Clarke, said: “The significant drop in traffic due to the lockdown has created the opportunity for us to put in these temporary cycle routes, at very low cost and quickly, on what would normally be busy roads.

“With more key workers cycling to work at the moment, and some disappointing reports of a few people driving at higher speeds, this is clearly the right thing to do as it gives key workers confidence that they can cycle to where we need them to be safely.”

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NEWS

£10m fund for active travel in Scotland The Scottish Government will fully fund a new infrastructure programme for pop-up walking and cycling routes or temporary improvements to existing routes to better enable physical distancing. Transport Scotland and Sustrans Scotland will provide a package of guidance and support to local authorities for improvements such as widened pavements and cycle lanes.

Cabinet secretary for transport, infrastructure and connectivity Michael Matheson said: “Cities around the world have seen increased rates of cycling as the number of car journeys have declined due to COVID-19 restrictions. Many cities have been reallocating road space to better enable this shift and make it safer for people who choose to walk, cycle or wheel for essential trips or for exercise.

“Every year, Transport Scotland and Sustrans Scotland run the Places for Everyone annual active travel infrastructure initiative. We know the

SUSTRANS SCOTLAND

Scottish Government to support pop-up cycling and walking projects

People are increasingly walking in the street impact of COVID-19 means that local authorities will not have the capacity to design and apply for complex multi-year infrastructure programmes due to the necessary focus on responding to the outbreak. As such, up to £10m is being reallocated from the Places for Everyone budget to deliver the new Spaces for People initiative with no match funding from local authorities required, while continuing to support previously committed projects.”

Matheson has written to every local authority in Scotland to advise them that the Spaces for

People initiative is designed with agility and pace in mind.

“Our communities need this support quickly, especially with the welcome increases in cycling we are seeing across the country,” he told councils. “At the same time, almost every journey starts and ends on our pavements in some way, and so it is vitally important that people can physically distance for those essential trips or for exercise.”

Lee Craigie, Active Nation commissioner for Scotland said: “Access to safe, pleasant places to exercise is good for everyone’s physical and mental health but

it has taken this crisis for towns and cities across the world to realise the urgency with which space for walking, running, cycling and wheeling is needed, and especially in our urban areas. It has never been more important that we look after our own health and the health of members of our society who have limited access to such spaces. When life resumes its usual pace, let’s not forget how good it feels to enjoy having more space to move freely.”

John Lauder, deputy chief executive at Sustrans Scotland, said: “We are ready to respond to local authorities’ needs. With our local authority partners we have helped turn around this idea in less than two weeks and it’s great to work with a government that listens and engages so actively. It’s clear that people across Scotland want to do the right thing during this COVID19 crisis. They want to look after their physical and mental health.

They also want to make sure that they are keeping to physical distancing guidelines while still being safe on our streets. The Spaces for People programme will allow that.”

The City of Edinburgh Council is to introduce emergency measures to help pedestrians and cyclists to travel safely while observing physical distancing guidance.

The council has been working with Transport Scotland and Sustrans to develop an approach to re-designating road space. This will benefit from support from a £10m fund to help local authorities introduce temporary active travel solutions, announced by the Scottish Government’s transport secretary Michael Matheson on 28 April.

Over the coming weeks the council said it will be implementing several changes to help prioritise walking and cycling. Immediate actions will tackle areas highlighted as pinch points for pedestrians and cyclists and will include some road lane closures and the implementation of temporary cycle lanes.

In the medium term, as lockdown measures continue and are eventually eased, the council will develop a citywide

SUSTRANS SCOTLAND

Edinburgh introduces emergency measures for pedestrians and cyclists

Temporary closures in Edinburgh approach to more significant changes, such as expanded cycle lanes and the creation of bus gates. In the longer term, it is proposed that progress on more permanent schemes under the active travel programme is brought forward.

Council leader Adam McVey said: “The way we move around the city has changed significantly over recent weeks and it’s clear that we need to respond to this. We’ve been working closely with the Scottish Government to

develop measures to help pedestrians and cyclists travel safely while remaining socially distant. Our commitment to encouraging and facilitating safer, more convenient walking and cycling in Edinburgh remains as strong as ever. We want to ensure that our city can support essential journeys and let local people access their local open spaces by creating safe, accessible routes to do so.”

The council has already closed, Silverknowes Road,

Braid Road and Links Gardens.

These locations were identified in dialogue with relevant council services and Police Scotland, who had expressed concerns in each area. Further emergency measures are being investigated.

McVey said: “We will continue to quickly address other pinch points and local issues, making use of Temporary Traffic Regulation Orders where necessary, which allow urgent amendments to be made to road layouts to help create more space for people on foot or bike.

“The next steps will see a report brought to the policy and sustainability committee in May outlining a citywide plan for more significant changes to the road network to create additional space for walking and cycling. Alongside this, we will be investigating early delivery of some of our more ambitious active travel projects which will help people to make essential journeys safely and quickly as we move towards a new normal.”

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NEWS

WILL NORMAN

London mayor unveils Streetspace plan New cycle lanes and wider pavements will aid social distancing

TfL’s Streetspace plan in action where possible. Wider footways on high streets will facilitate a local economic recovery, with people having space to queue for shops as well as enough space for others to safely walk past while socially distancing.

• Reducing traffic on residential streets, creating low-traffic neighbourhoods to enable more people to walk and cycle as part of their daily routine.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “The capacity of our public transport will be dramatically reduced post-coronavirus as a result of the huge challenges we face around social distancing.

Everyone who can work from home must continue to do so for some time to come. The emergency measures included in our major strategic London Streetspace programme will help those who have to travel to work

Hackney reduces space for cars

Broadway Market Hackney Council in east London is introducing the first parts of a package of emergency measures to improve road safety and social distancing during the pandemic.

Footpaths will be widened with barriers and parking will be suspended to help people walk and shop safely at sites where residents are experiencing difficulties with social distancing.

12 | MAY 2020 | PARKING REVIEW

The council is also temporarily restricting parking on Broadway Market and closed it to throughtraffic to improve pedestrian safety in what is a high footfall area.

The council said it will ensure that deliveries to food retailers can continue as required.

The council has asked TfL to bring in similar measures outside food retailers on its road network.

BRENDA PEUCH

Transport for London (TfL) will repurpose London’s streets to serve growing demand for walking and cycling. With the city’s public transport capacity potentially running at a fifth of precrisis levels, millions of journeys a day will need to be made by other means. Early modelling

by TfL predicts there could be more than a 10-fold increase in kilometres cycled, and up to five times the amount of walking, compared to pre-COVID levels, if demand returns.

The Mayor of London and TfL have thus unveiled the Streetspace plan, which envisages the city’s streets being able to accommodate a possible tenfold increase in cycling and fivefold increase in walking when lockdown restrictions are eased.

TfL, working with London’s boroughs will make changes to focus on three key areas: • The rapid construction of a strategic cycling network, using temporary materials, including routes aimed at reducing crowding on London Underground and train lines, and busy bus corridors.

• A transformation of local town centres to enable local journeys to be safely walked and cycled

by fast-tracking the transformation of streets across our city.”

TfL has been boosting social distancing using temporary infrastructure. Widening more pavements in town centres to allow people to access local essential shops and services more easily. Pavements have been doubled in size at Camden High Street and Stoke Newington High Street. Other streets are to be widened in coming weeks.

TfL has also worked with Hackney Council to close Broadway Market to throughtraffic, and with the Royal Parks to close through-traffic at weekends to The Mall/Constitution Hill and all Royal Parks (except Regents Park).

Further improvements as part of the plan will include: • Creating new walking and cycling routes along major cor-

ridors, including temporary cycle lanes in Euston Road. TfL is also looking at creating temporary cycle lanes on Park Lane.

Upgrades will also be made to existing routes including creating sections of temporary segregation from Merton to Elephant and Castle, and Pimlico to Putney. Space for cycling will be created between Catford town centre and Lewisham via the A21, and on the A23 between Oval and Streatham Hill.

• The Cycleway 9 scheme between Kensington Olympia and Brentford, and the Cycleway 4 scheme between Tower Hill and Greenwich will be accelerated with temporary measures.

Meanwhile on-street parking and lanes for cars and general traffic will be repurposed to give people on foot and on bikes more space.

• Widening more pavements in town centres to allow people to access local essential shops and services more easily. Pavements will be widened in more than 20 locations, including in Brixton and Earl’s Court.

• Working to make walking and cycling in local neighbourhoods safer and more attractive by reducing the speed and volume of motor traffic. A low-traffic neighbourhood will be created in Hounslow along the future Cycleway 9 route by closing local roads to through traffic.

Waltham Forest suspends bays Waltham Forest Council in east London is looking at using road and kerbside management measures to encourage social distancing requirements during the coronavirus pandemic.

The emergency measures being considered are intended to ensure road safety for pedestrians and cyclists and support active travel in the short to medium term.

As part of the first stage of planned works the council has identified four areas where footway parking bays will be suspended to enable people to follow social distancing guidelines. These temporary parking suspensions have been chosen in town centres and shopping areas to support people to continue to take their daily exercise or to shop for essential items, such as food or medicines.

The sites where measures will be introduced are: • High Road Leytonstone/ Church Lane • Wood Street/Cann Hall Road • Higham Hill Road Where possible, parking provision for disabled users, deliveries and business servicing will be maintained.

The council is also investigating a number of other locations where footway and/or carriageway parking could be suspended and footways temporary widened, as well as a range of other temporary or interim interventions that could be delivered over the coming weeks and months to support residents and businesses going about their daily activities.

Further updates will be available as these measures are progressed.

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Cars barred from seafront

Madeira Drive

Brighton’s Madeira Drive allocated for walkers and cyclists Brighton & Hove City Council has reallocated seafront road space for local people to get their daily exercise. Madeira Drive was temporarily closed to motor vehicle traffic and open to residents in the area to walk and cycle on 20 April.

The road closure was done under emergency powers granted by the UK government to provide space for people to

exercise safely once a day.

Cllr Anne Pissaridou, chair of the city’s environment, transport and sustainability committee, said: “Madeira Drive is a long, wide road right by the seafront and will create an extra safe open space for local people in the area to use for their daily walk or bike ride. It will provide a traffic-free place for the many residents in that area who do

not have access to a garden.

“Practising social distancing is making us all aware of the importance of public spaces and making us rethink how we use them, but I would also ask that cyclists and pedestrians respect each other’s space and safety in this shared area. We’re all in this together.”

New signs advised people to keep a safe distance.

TRANSPORT FOR THE SOUTH EAST

NEWS Lambeth to widen pavements Pavements have been widened on a temporary basis in parts of Lambeth to make streets safer during the pandemic.

Footways in the south London borough will be widened under railway bridges and through traffic will be removed from some roads.

The pavements are being widened using the new class of Experimental Orders introduced by the Department for Transport during the COVID-19 crisis.

Lambeth Council said that these emergency changes will be followed by longer term work to make safe routes to and from the borough’s town centres. Lambeth will be temporarily widening some pavements around the borough in places where pedestrians are finding it hard to observe social distancing.

The first ‘pinch points’ the council will be working on are at: • Half Moon Lane, Herne Hill (under railway bridge) • Coldharbour Lane, Loughborough Junction (under railway bridge).

Hounslow’s emergency response

A range of traffic management measures are being rolled out across Hounslow in west London to help keep pedestrians and cyclists healthy and safe during the coronavirus pandemic.

The projects will create more space for people to follow social distancing guidelines.

They include closing some roads, widening pavements, improving cycling routes and introducing more ‘school streets’.

Hounslow Council is also launching a public consultation to get ideas from residents on ways they think traffic can be managed better and streets made more pedestrian and cycle-friendly.

All works will be carried out in line with social distancing

measures, said the council.

The public consultation will be open until the end June 2020. The schemes that are most technically feasible and can demonstrate strong local support could be delivered later in the year.

Cllr Hanif Khan, cabinet member for transport and corporate property, said: “The council has a duty to ensure that people can get around the borough safely while following the government’s strict social distancing guidelines to help reduce the spread of coronavirus.

“Temporarily suspending parking to provide more space for pedestrians at town centre sites, bringing forward sustainable transport schemes we have already approved, trialling projects at other areas where concerns about safety and through traffic have been raised previously, are all necessary to help keep people healthy and safe.

“There could well be varying forms of social distancing for many months to come, so it’s important we take action to best manage it.”

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NEWS

Cardiff’s roads to be remodelled for safety City council to redesign public realm to aid social distancing Extending pavement space into the road, creating temporary cycleways, removing street furniture, carrying out a speed awareness campaign and redesigning public space around neighbourhood shopping centres are some of the ideas being put forward by Cardiff Council as part of its COVID-19 response.

With lockdown restrictions expected to be eased next week, Cardiff Council has been working to bring forward a number of pilot schemes designed to enable social distancing in public spaces.

Cllr Caro Wild, cabinet member for strategic planning and transport, said: “With social distancing expected to be the ‘new normal’ for some time to come, this does pose a significant challenge both for residents and the local authority. The pavements in the city were not designed to allow a two metre distance between other people, so public space will have to be adapted to ensure social distancing can be maintained as the city gradually starts to re-open for business.”

The first neighbourhood shopping area, which will be adapted for safety reasons, is Wellfield Road in Plasnewydd. Plans have been drawn up to remove car parking on either side of the road to ensure that the pavement

Schematic showing social distancing measures can be safely extended into the highway for the public to use.

Cllr Wild said: “It is important everyone understands that the city can’t be transformed overnight to ensure social distancing guidelines are followed.

This is a significant task and we have to be confident that any temporary measures we do put in place are safe for the public to use.

“Wellfield Road is the first neighbourhood shopping area pilot scheme which we are looking to adapt. Once these measures are in place and the necessary assessments are carried out, we will look to bring in other schemes in different areas of the city and work is also underway on creating a ‘safer

city centre’ too. We will be working with partners in the city centre to ensure any methods we introduce can work for businesses, residents and people travelling to work.”

Other road traffic schemes are also being looked at in the city including bringing forward agreed clean air proposals in the city centre on Castle Street.

Cllr Wild said: “Before the COVID-19 outbreak, the council published and consulted on our 10-year strategic transport vision for the city. This included clean air plans for Castle Street. We will now bring forward some of these schemes that will help ensure the safety of the public during the recovery period.

“First up is the traffic lane

next to the castle on Castle Street, which will be removed so that the walkway can be extended into the road for both pedestrians and cyclists to use. This will run from the Cathedral Road/ Cowbridge Road junction, over Canton Bridge, along Castle Street, Duke Street and up to the North Road/Boulevard De Nantes junction.

“We will also be bringing forward the agreed transport improvement scheme in Wood Street and Central Square which will involve pedestrian safety improvements and restrictions on through traffic while ensuring and access is maintained for residents and businesses, as well as the development of a new cycleway on Wood Street.”

Welsh Government calls for pop-up cycling and walking measures Local authorities are being invited to transform Wales’ transport system with measures such as temporary cycle lanes, pavement widening and speed restrictions.

Councils are being asked by the Welsh Government to consider examples introduced in places like Milan and Berlin in response to quieter roads.

Lee Waters, the Welsh Government’s deputy transport minister, has written to all local authorities inviting them to submit proposals for temporary measures that would improve the conditions for sustainable and active travel.

Coronavirus restrictions have led to significant reductions in traffic on roads, fewer people

using public transport, and more people walking and cycling. The Welsh Government’s call to action is driven by the expectation that social distancing will need to be observed for months to come, as well as uncertainty around future transport patterns.

The lockdown has also seen an increased uptake in digital remote working, bringing the need to travel long distances for work into question.

The type of ‘pop-up measures’ that are being encouraged include (but are not limited to): • Road closures or lane closures, with filters for cyclists • 20mph limits, bringing forward trials for the

introduction of default 20mph limits • Footway widening and decluttering • Real-time information systems, including occupancy levels • Temporary crossing facilities • Bus lanes, bus only roads and park & ride facilities • Enhanced waiting facilities to encourage social distancing.

Measures should not be limited to large urban areas, as the same principles apply for smaller towns in rural areas.

Initial expressions of interest are asked for by 21 May and measures are envisaged to be introduced from early summer.

The deputy transport minister said: “The immense

challenges of coronavirus have severely disrupted our transport network, and I am clear that we don’t need to go back to normal.

“We have a chance to do things differently, helping more people to walk, cycle and travel in sustainable ways.

“To do this we need to make changes quickly. I want local authorities to be imaginative, drawing on good practice from towns and cities across the globe. By reallocating road space and changing our environment we can alter the way people think about travelling. These changes will support much needed improvements in air quality, decarbonisation and public health.”

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NEWS

POPLA extends PCN appeals time limits Motorists given more time to challenge private parking tickets

POPLA is, therefore, putting new appeals on hold and giving motorists extra time to submit their case.

A statement posted on the POPLA website explains that, in the interests of fairness, all appeals received after 6 April 2020 will be adjourned – meaning that appeals will be put on hold and no action will be taken until further notice.

John Gallagher, lead adjudi-

cator at POPLA, said: “Motorists can still register new appeals on the POPLA website – www.popla.co.uk – but they will be informed that their case has been adjourned. Motorists will have the opportunity to submit further appeal details and evidence when they are able to revisit car parks to gather information to support their case.

“When we start considering appeals again, we will write to JOHN CAMERON/UNSPLASH

Motorists wanting to contest parking tickets issued on private land will be given more time to prepare their case, under changes announced by Parking on Private Land Appeals (POPLA) in response to coronavirus.

Motorists who use the POPLA service are often keen to revisit the site of the car park where they were issued with the parking charge notice (PCN) in order to gather evidence. An example would be when the parking operator says signage setting out the terms and conditions at a car park is clear but the motorist disputes this.

As revisiting a car park would be classed as non-essential travel under the government’s COVID19 restrictions, some motorists are currently unable to submit effective appeals or comment on parking operator evidence.

Police respond to an incident during lockdown in Richmond upon Thames, London

Over 9,000 lockdown penalties issued by police More than 9,000 fines were issued in England and Wales for breaches of coronavirus lockdown restrictions, according to data from the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC).

In England, there were 8,877 fixed penalty notices issued between 27 March and 27 April, while in Wales there were 299.

Almost 400 of those fined

were repeat offenders, with one individual penalised six times.

Police have been given powers to hand out a £60 penalty, reduced to £30 if paid within two weeks, for breaches of the lockdown rules. The fine is doubled for each repeat offence up to a £960 maximum.

Calls about anti-social behaviour have more than

doubled compared to the same period last year. For the four weeks to 26 April there were around 215,000 antisocial behaviour reports, compared with 106,000 in 2019. Many of the calls related to concerns over gatherings, noise or trouble in homes.

However, NPCC chairman Martin Hewitt said overall compliance had held up.

affected motorists and give them additional time to submit their full appeal. My message to motorists is that if you do not submit your appeal, we may not be able to consider it later.”

POPLA, which is run by the not-for-profit organisation Ombudsman Services, considers appeals against PCNs issued by parking operators that are members of the British Parking Association (BPA).

Steve Clark, head of operational services at the BPA, welcomed the changes introduced

by POPLA. “Motorists cannot be pursued for payment while their appeal is registered with POPLA,” he said. “POPLA is independent of the BPA and we always act on intelligence provided by them. If they advise us that an operator seems to be pursuing a motorist whilst an appeal is being considered then we will investigate it. If a motorist believes this is happening they should contact us by email at aos@britishparking.co.uk.”

Police asked to recognise CEOs are key workers Police forces are being asked to recognise that civil enforcement officers (CEOs) are performing an essential role during the coronavirus pandemic.

Following reports that some patrols had been told to go home by police officers, and that some had even faced sanctions, the British Parking Association (BPA) has been engaging with forces around the UK. The BPA said it has been able to explain to police forces that CEOs are helping keep streets safe and had received positive responses.

“A number of councils have reported that the police are requesting CEOs cease their duties or face fines as they don’t consider them essential workers,” said a BPA spokesperson.

“A response from the Metropolitan Police was very positive, as they instructed their teams not to advise CEOs to cease their duties but to provide support at a time when they are feeling especially vulnerable. The BPA is engaging with the police at a wider level to request that they adopt the same stance as the Met.”

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OBITUARIES

Looking back at a life connecting people Tribute to internet pioneer and mobility rights campaigner Dr Adrian V Stokes OBE Dr Adrian V Stokes was someone whose life was spent helping connect people, initially as a pioneer of the internet and then as a disabled motoring champion.

Dr Stokes, who passed away in April, was the president of Disabled Motoring UK (DMUK), the national charity supporting disabled drivers, passengers and Blue Badge holders. He served on the DMUK board of trustees, and one of its predecessors, the Disabled Drivers’ Motor Club, for 50 years.

He also held all the executive positions, including chairman, vice-chairman and treasurer. After stepping down from the board he was appointed president.

Disabled since birth due to spina bifida, Dr Stokes dedicated much of his life to supporting organisations for disabled people.

He was also a founder governor of Motability, amongst others. In 1983 he was awarded the OBE for services to disabled people.

Dr Stokes worked as a freelance IT and healthcare consultant and also obtained a First-Class Honours degree in Law and a Postgraduate Certificate in Commercial Mediation. His then worked in academia and the NHS, developing an expertise in telecommunications, computer networks and health informatics.

He was recognised as one of the founders of the internet. In 1973, whilst a research assistant at the Institute of Computer Science, University College London, Dr Stokes was part of a research team who were working on ARPANET, the experimental computer network of the United States Department of Defense. ARPANET became the internet in the mid-1970s. One of his responsibilities was the implementation of email in the UK. Dr Stokes took early retirement from the NHS Centre for Information Technology

scheme was created to provide conventional cars adapted for disabled drivers. There are currently over 600,000 Motability vehicles on the road and a total of over 4 million vehicles have been supplied across the scheme’s life.

Work still to do

Dr Adrian V Stokes OBE (where he was director) in 2000, and then held a number of non-executive director positions in NHS organisations.

Campaigning achievements Throughout his life Dr Stokes was also an advocate for better mobility for people with mobility challenges. When he first started driving the only government assistance was a small sum towards the cost of installing hand controls in a conventional car. An alternative was that the government would supply a blue “trike” with all costs except fuel covered. However, passengers were not allowed in trikes and there were serious concerns about their safety.

Stokes was involved in a major campaign by the Disabled Drivers’ Motor Club (DDMC) and the Disabled Drivers’ Association (DDA), in conjunction with the Haemophilia Society, to persuade the government to provide small cars as an alternative to the trike. Although the costs of a Mini and a trike were very similar, the government’s concern was that many more people would opt for a Mini and so the overall costs of the provision would be far greater.

However, during the 1970s Motability

During Dr Stokes’ time on the DMUK board the UK saw many achievements in the advancement of access and inclusion for disabled people. However, when he stepped down from the board in 2018 he spelled out that much work still needed to be done.

Dr Stokes said: “The environment for disabled motorists is becoming progressively more difficult with schemes to reduce dependence on cars. Many disabled motorists are completely reliant on their own vehicle for personal independent mobility and find it difficult, if not impossible, to use public transport. There is still very much to do and it is DMUK’s responsibility to campaign for the rights of disabled motorists, as it has been doing for nearly a hundred years.”

Paying tribute to Dr Stokes, Graham Footer, chief executive of DMUK, said: “Adrian dedicated so much of his time and energy to DMUK over many years and his influence on the charity is evident everywhere. His knowledge, passion and commitment to the organisation was an inspiration to his fellow board members and staff alike. He took over as chairman at a difficult time for the charity, but set about turning it around and getting it in shape.

“There is still much for DMUK to achieve, including campaigns on improving Blue Badge enforcement and the Disabled Parking Accreditation (DPA) scheme to drive up accessibility standards in the parking industry. Adrian was chairman of the organisation when the DPA was launched in 2015. This initiative had his full support and the best way we can honour his memory is to continue to campaign on behalf of disabled motorists so their voice is heard.”

Parking veteran Ron Frampton passes away, aged 103 Ron Frampton, an engineer who helped to build Britain’s first park & ride in Oxford has died aged 103.

He was born in Enfield, Middlesex, on 5 March 1917. After leaving school in 1935 he initially worked at Enfield Steel Mills, however, he soon applied for a job with Enfield Urban Council.

This was the start of a 46-year career in local government. After working as a timekeeper and cost clerk in the engineer’s department, he was offered a position as an articled pupil to engineer Frank Lee. At the outbreak of World War 2, Frampton supervised the construction of 180 large concrete air raid shelters in just 12 months. Then, in 1940, he joined the Army, initially serving with

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the Royal Artillery and later with the Royal Engineers.

He installed the first anti-aircraft sites at Blackpool and spent 18

months protecting the fleet at Scapa Flow before returning to London to supervise the building of gun sites.

By 1943 he was a Sergeant with the Royal Engineers. He was stationed in East Africa where he worked on the building of camps, hospitals, roads, slipways and radar stations.

After the war Frampton returned to Enfield and worked on prefab construction, road and sewer projects.

He also worked on proposed routes for the Enfield Ring Road (40 years later this became the foundation of part of the M25).

In 1951 he moved to Wales to become principle assistant engineer with the County Borough of Newport, where he was involved drainage,

roads and bridge projects.

Frampton joined Oxford City Council as chief assistant engineer in 1961, later becoming deputy city engineer. He worked on the Meadow Scheme, which would have built a new relief road through Christ Church Meadow. The scheme was eventually abandoned. Two projects he did realise were the city’s St Ebbes multistorey car park and what was the UK’s first park & ride at Redbridge.

In 1973 Frampton was elected to the British Parking Association (BPA), rising to become vice chairman in 1977 and president in 1981.

Frampton was married twice. His five children, ten grandchildren and 11 great grandchildren survive him.

He passed away on 18 April, aged 103, after contracting COVID-19.

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BUSINESS NEWS

JustPark brings in new talent

Morrison joins Videalert team

Fuller and Nair take up new roles in midst of coronavirus lockdown Online parking provider JustPark has made two new appointments to its management team.

Hannah Fuller joins JustPark as head of parking partnership from rival platform PayByPhone UK, where she was client director. “There are so many opportunities to innovate and to raise the profile of what makes parking an exciting industry to work in,” said Fuller.

“With the current landscape within transport expected to change dramatically as a result of COVID-19, technology will play an increasingly important role in the parking industry, however even for a tech company like JustPark, starting a new role during this pandemic has had it’s challenges.”

Navin Nair joins the company as chief product officer to lead the product and technology teams. Nair started his career as a developer but switched focus to product development. He

Hannah Fuller

Navin Nair

worked at the BBC and Timeout before setting up his own consultancy, primarily working with start-ups and scale-ups. He said: “I started working with JustPark as a consultant and, as soon as I started, I could see that they were different. I was excited by both the team and the opportunities ahead.”

Both Fuller and Nair joined the company as the coronavirus lockdown took hold, which has presented them with challenges.

JustPark chief executive Anthony Eskinazi said: “When Hannah and Navin ‘met’ as two

new joiners, one of the main topics of conversation was how strange it is to start a new job in our current situation.

“Things like meeting new team members over Zoom, not being able to walk over to a desk to ask a quick question or catch up on the weekend’s activities over lunch means building relationships could have been a real challenge.

“The way JustPark has adapted their family feel working environment to the new ‘work from home’ normal has been remarkable.”

CCTV enforcement solutions company Videalert has appointed Cara Morrison to the new role of bid solutions manager.

Morrison will be responsible for the management and delivery of tender bids. She will also work with parent company Marston Holdings’ business development teams to secure existing clients and win new contracts.

Morrison was previously business development manager for ParkingEye, provider of car parking management solutions, where she managed bids across the public and private sector, as well as securing framework agreements.

Cara Morrison

AppyWay expands its board

John Fogelin AppyWay has appointed two new board members and one new advisor to provide expertise across logistics, automotive and internet of things (IoT) sectors.

The first board appointment is Ron Kornfeld, who was Amazon’s head of worldwide business development for transportation technology. He led the team deploying the technology supporting Amazon’s One Hour Prime logistics service.

Kornfeld went on to become head of worldwide business development for Alexa Auto, where he worked with automobile companies and on extending Alexa’s in-home customer experience so that it became an onthe-go service.

John Fogelin, AppyWay’s resident chief technology officer and chief security officer, is the next board

appointment. Fogelin was previously a technologist with Silicon Valleybased technology companies, including Wind River Systems. He also led the team that wrote the operating system for NASA’s Pathfinder Rover which landed on Mars in 1997.

Fogelin’s IoT knowledge came from his previous role at EVRYTHNG, an enterprise class platform-as-aservice designed to operate digitally active, cloud-driven products.

Geert-Jan Kistemaker joins AppyWay’s advisory board.

Kistemaker is vice-president and global head of corporate development at Delphi Technologies, a supplier of vehicle propulsion technologies. He has a background in investment banking.

Dan Hubert, chief executive and founder of AppyWay, said: “Digitising a very analogue and siloed industry such as parking takes a lot of strategic thinking, patience and proof points. Having additional big thinkers and seasoned executioners joining the AppyWay team is incredibly exciting. They have the mutual passion needed to crack the current kerbside status quo and unlock sustainable mobility.”

We currently supply and have vacancies around the UK for Permanent and Temporary positions: • Civil Enforcement Officers • Environmental Enforcement Officers • Parking Back Office (Appeals/Notice Processing/Correspondence) • Parking Change Management • Interim Parking Managers • Car Park Attendants/Marshalls/Stewarding • Parking Supervisors (Both Enforcement and Back Office) • Parking Management (Both Enforcement and Back Office) • Heads of Parking/Directors • Parking Technologies (Business Development and Project Managers/ Field Service Engineers/General Managers)

• Off Street Parking (Business Development, Contract Managers and Regional Managers)

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Please contact our experienced team on: Tel: 0203 668 5680 Email: parking@unity-recruitment.co.uk Web: www.unity-recruitment.co.uk

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CityLine

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“CityLine is totally radical“

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PIPPA FOWLES/10 DOWNING STREET

TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT

Grant Shapps

Making safer space Transport Secretary Grant Shapps publishes new statutory guidance to enable new cycling and walking schemes that support social distancing

Active travel is affordable, delivers significant health benefits, has been shown to improve wellbeing, mitigates congestion, improves air quality and has no carbon emissions at the point of use. Towns and cities based around active travel will have happier and healthier citizens as well as lasting local economic benefits.

The government therefore expects local authorities to make significant changes to their road layouts to give more space to cyclists and pedestrians. Such changes will help embed altered behaviours and he coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis has had a terrible impact on demonstrate the positive effects of active travel. the lives and health of many UK citizens, as well as severe ecoI’m pleased to see that many authorities have already begun to do nomic consequences. But it has also resulted in cleaner air and this, and I urge you all to consider how you can begin to make use of quieter streets, transforming the environment in many of our the tools in this guidance, to make towns and cities. And millions of sure you do what is necessary to people have discovered, or rediscovensure transport networks support ered, cycling and walking. In some recovery from the COVID-19 emerplaces, there has been a 70% rise in gency and provide a lasting legacy the number of people on bikes – for Local authorities should to make of greener, safer transport. exercise, or for safe, socially distanced significant changes to road layouts to give This guidance is additional statutory travel. guidance issued by the Secretary of When the country gets back to more space to cyclists and pedestrians State for Transport under Section 18 work, we need them to carry on Grant Shapps of the Traffic Management Act 2004. cycling, and to be joined by millions It applies to all highway authorities more. With public transport capacity in England, who shall have regard reduced, the roads in our largest to this guidance to deliver their netcities, in particular, may not be able work management duty under the to cope without it. We also know act. It is effective from the date of publication. that in the new world, pedestrians will need more space. Indications It does not replace the original Network Management Duty Guidance are that there is a significant link between COVID-19 recovery and published in November 2004, but provides additional advice on fitness. Active travel can help us become more resilient. techniques for managing roads to deal with COVID-19 response related That is why towns and cities in the UK and around the world are issues. It will be reviewed three months after publication. making or proposing radical changes to their roads to accommodate The guidance sets out high-level principles to help local authorities to active travel. We recognise this moment for what it is: a once in a genmanage their roads and what actions they should take. Updates to this eration opportunity to deliver a lasting transformative change in how document or further guidance on related subjects may be published as we make short journeys in our towns and cities. According to the the need is identified.

National Travel Survey, in 2017-18 over 40% of urban journeys were www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-transport under two miles – perfectly suited to walking and cycling.

T

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TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT

Reallocating road space The Department for Transport’s statutory guidance on network management in response to COVID-19 under the Traffic Management Act 2004

L

ocal authorities in areas with high levels of public transport use should take measures to reallocate road space to people walking and cycling, both to encourage active travel and to enable social distancing during restart (social distancing in this context primarily refers to the need for people to stay 2 metres apart where possible when outdoors).

Local authorities where public transport use is low should be considering all possible measures. Measures should be taken as swiftly as possible, and in any event within weeks, given the urgent need to change travel habits before the restart takes full effect.

None of these measures are new – they are interventions that are a standard part of the traffic management toolkit, but a step-change in their roll-out is needed to ensure a green restart. They include: • Installing ‘pop-up’ cycle facilities with a minimum level of physical separation from volume traffic: for example, mandatory cycle lanes, using light segregation features such as flexible plastic wands; or quickly converting traffic lanes into temporary cycle lanes (suspending parking bays where necessary); widening existing cycle lanes to enable cyclists to maintain distancing. Facilities should be segregated as far as possible, i.e. with physical measures separating cyclists and other traffic. Lanes indicated by road markings only are very unlikely to be sufficient to deliver the level of change needed, especially in the longer term.

• Using cones and barriers to: widen footways along lengths of road, particularly outside shops and transport hubs; to provide more space at bus stops to allow people to queue and socially distance; to widen pedestrian refuges and crossings (both formal and informal) to enable people to cross roads safely and at a distance.

• Encouraging walking and cycling to school, for example through the introduction of more ‘school streets’: pioneered in London, these are areas around schools where motor traffic is restricted at pick-up and drop-off times, during term-time. They can be effective in encouraging more walking and cycling, particularly where good facilities exist on routes to the school and where the parents, children and school are involved as part of the scheme development.

• Reducing speed limits: 20mph speed limits are being more widely adopted as an appropriate speed limit for residential roads, and many through streets in built-up areas. 20mph limits alone will not be sufficient to meet the needs of active travel, but in association with other measures, reducing the speed limit can provide a more attractive and safer environment for walking and cycling.

• Introducing pedestrian and cycle zones: restricting access for motor vehicles at certain times (or at all times) to specific streets, or networks of streets, particularly town centres and high streets. This will enable active travel but also social distancing in places where people are likely to gather.

• Providing additional cycle parking facilities: at key locations, such as outside stations and in high streets, to accommodate an increase in cycling, for example by repurposing parking bays to accommodate cycle racks.

• Changes to junction design to accommodate more cyclists: for example, extending Advanced Stop Lines at traffic lights to the maximum permitted depth of 7.5 metres where possible.

• ‘Whole-route’ approaches to create corridors for buses, cycles and access only on key routes into town and city centres.

• Modal filters (also known as filtered permeability): closing roads to motor traffic, for example by using planters or large barriers.

Often used in residential areas, this can create neighbourhoods that are low-traffic or traffic-free, creating a more pleasant environment that encourages people to walk and cycle, and improving safety.

• Identifying and bringing forward permanent schemes already planned: for example, schemes under Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plans that can be constructed relatively quickly.

All these measures can be introduced temporarily, either in isolation or as a combined package of measures. Some interventions, including new lightly-segregated cycle lanes, will not require Traffic

Signs for pedestrians

*Distance may be varied or omitted.

Signs for drivers/cyclists

*The warning sign may be substituted to one of these.

*The supplementary plates may be omitted.

The DfT’s new traffic signs to support social distancing Regulation Orders (TROs). Others will require TROs, of which there are different types. The main ones are: • Permanent: this process includes prior consultation on the proposed scheme design, a 21-day notice period for statutory consultees and others who can log objections; there can be a public inquiry in some circumstances.

• Experimental: these are used to trial schemes that may then be made permanent. Authorities may put in place monitoring arrangements, and carry out ongoing consultation once the measure is built. Although the initial implementation period can be quick, the need for extra monitoring and consultation afterwards makes them a more onerous process overall.

• Temporary: these can be in place for up to 18 months. There is a 7-day notice period prior to making the TRO and a 14-day notification requirement after it is made, plus publicity requirements.

These are most suitable for putting in place temporary measures and road closures.

The department’s temporary guidance on making TROs should be consulted for help in making orders during the COVID-19 crisis.

Traffic signs may be needed to inform pedestrians, cyclists and drivers of changes to road layouts, particularly where temporary widening is in place. Advice on using existing signing, and some new temporary designs, will be published alongside this guidance. These are covered by the provisions of the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2016 and, as such, do not need special signs authorisation from the department.

Authorities should monitor and evaluate any temporary measures they install, with a view to making them permanent, and embedding a long-term shift to active travel as we move from restart to recovery.

Access will still be required for other activities in the road, particularly street works, maintenance and other highway works, which will need to be balanced with work to reallocate road space to active travel. Street works and maintenance activity should carry on, as they will be essential to getting the economy going again. Use of the Street Manager digital service will help to plan and co-ordinate works.

Depending on the measures they are installing, authorities will also need to consider access for Blue Badge holders, deliveries and other essential services as appropriate.

Authorities should consult with the local chiefs of police and emergency services to ensure access is maintained where needed, for example to roads that are closed to motor traffic. They should also work with local businesses to ensure changes reflect their needs, particularly around access to premises.

The public sector equality duty still applies, and in making any changes to their road networks, authorities must consider the needs of disabled people and those with other protected characteristics.

Accessibility requirements apply to temporary measures as they do to permanent ones.

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COMMENT

MARK MORAN

Business as (un)usual The lockdown could transform how businesses organise their workforces, predicts Marston’s Nick Ruxton-Boyle

I

f you’re like me, you will have watched with interest the daily coronavirus briefings and the fascinating slide decks that show the travel reductions across every mode. This comes on top of thousands of column inches on the environmental benefits of the lockdown: my own favourite being the images of the clear waters of the canals in Venice.

As a transport planner working with local authorities on air quality improvement and carbon reduction projects you would have thought I could retire a happy man: job done? However, we know this situation cannot last and as we all look forward to the exit strategy I wonder if we will ever return to life as usual.

For the last 18 months many local authorities have been investing and investigating the potential of workplace parking levies to assist with the delivery of their overlapping transport and environmental policy objectives. The ability to charge businesses for their off-street staff parking can both raise significant revenue for transport investment and create a powerful incentive for companies to develop a sustainable travel culture that can reduce road demand during the rush hour. And then the pandemic hit.

Homeworking truths As I write this from my new office (the spare room) I cannot help but think how coronavirus will affect the way in which road user charging schemes such as workplace parking levies will be viewed by the public, businesses and politicians. Given the unprecedented travel reductions we are seeing at the moment it does beg the question as to whether we will return to business as usual? And what will it look like?

As many non-key worker jobs are being undertaken quite successfully at home, as far as I have seen, will this be the lasting legacy of coronavirus?

Will businesses review their accommodation strategies and start to invest in virtual offices rather than bricks and mortar, and the associated car parks that drive congestion and pollution in our towns and cities?

My own company Marston Holdings and its subsidiaries have, like many others, moved to a digital operation as far as possible, and our travel footprint is dramatically reduced. I was in the process of updating our staff travel plan earlier this year and drafting our carbon reduction plan towards our 2030 net zero pledge. But, as I sit here and contemplate the new meaning of an ‘essential trip’ I cannot help thinking: are offices a thing of the past?

Nick Ruxton-Boyle This may sound contradictory if you have seen my recent LinkedIn posts about the power of face-to-face collaboration with colleagues in generating creativity and innovation. However, one or two days in the office a week should be able to achieve this with the rest of the time working from home using new skills that most of the office-based workforce have now tried and tested, and are now somewhat expert at.

Many councils have declared a climate emergency in which a workplace parking levy plays a key role Nick Ruxton-Boyle

All this fills me with hope for the legacy of coronavirus on travel demand and to quote the somewhat old, but still relevant, planning policy guidance note PPG13 “reduce the need to travel, especially by car”.

Recalculating the cost of travel So, what will happen to workplace parking levies? I spoke to a few local authorities that are working towards schemes and they are generally confident that they will proceed, and the impacts will be broadly in line with what they expect (traffic reduction and income generation for transport investment).

Local authorities are expecting traffic levels to return, along with congestion levels and pollution levels. Many have declared ‘Climate Emergencies’ in which a workplace

parking levy plays a key role in sustainable travel investment. However, with the government bailing out businesses to the tune of billions of pounds and the startling economy predictions, one struggles to see where funding for local authority transport investment could and should be secured from.

Many clean air zone (CAZ) cities are citing the pandemic as a reason to delay or even scrap local road user charging schemes and, based on the assumed impact of significant and sustained road travel demand reduction, the business cases start to drop off. Either way local authority finances are going to be under even more pressure when we come out of this and, if history repeats itself, investment in road building and maintenance is going to suffer. Now might be the best time to consider sharing the burden with the business sector and implementing a workplace parking levy.

Time for a change Businesses have had a taste of a reduced commuting culture and know the tools and techniques needed to sustain this, and reduce their staff parking and levy liability to boot.

This may reduce the overall revenue pot available to the council for investment, but with a reduced travel demand across the modes, investment priorities will undoubtedly shift and be re-prioritised. Coronavirus might even make it easier to implement a scheme given the baseline reductions many businesses should have achieved.

The Victorian prime minister Benjamin Disraeli said that there is no education like adversity. Let us hope that businesses and their staff have used the adversity of the lockdown to educate themselves, colleagues and clients that work is something you do rather than some place you go.

Nick Ruxton-Boyle is director of environment at Marston Holdings

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COMMENT Will Hurley

Fairness must define parking Parking operators, landowners and drivers all need to recognise their responsibilities in order to protect their rights, says Will Hurley

O

the rules when it comes to parking their vehicle. I am thrilled with the response to this campaign, both from operators and the general public.

Recognising realities

ver the past few years parking practices have In all of this, it is worth drawing attention to a number of come under ever closer scrutiny and there is no important factors that must not be overlooked by either industry doubt that the unified code of practice now on or the motoring public. The number of private cars on Britain’s the horizon represents an important threshold roads has doubled in the last 40 years, putting enormous pressure for the parking sector. But the new code will not on an ageing transport infrastructure. While road improvements, be a panacea. It will provide a base level of town centre bypasses and the construction of new roads has approved practices. The onus will lie squarely with the parking helped to absorb some of this expansion, the options and facilities industry to use this benchmark as a catalyst for continuous profor parking a car certainly have not doubled over the same gression and to go over and above accepted standards to reinforce period. the central tenet of the new Parking (Code of Conduct) Act – Studies have indicated that every one of the 32 million private fairness. cars in Britain is parked for 96% of the time, but there is only one Taking decisive action and striking the right balance is vital for non-residential parking space for every 10 licensed vehicles on delivering – and maintaining – both fairness and service improveBritish roads. With supply falling far short of demand, the ments without risking erosion of pressure on parking resources is the respective rights of parking operrelentless so the potential for inconators, landowners and, of course, venience and frustration is never motorists. That is why the far away. Prior to decriminalisation, International Parking Community research showed that a third of all ‘Get Your Reg Right’ recognises that (IPC) has taken the initiative and motorists exceeded the permitted responsibilities lie with the different introduced a new code of practice length of stay in a parking space. that embodies most, if not all, of Only through effective enforcement parties on the parking ‘journey’ the anticipated changes that will be has it been possible to improve levels Will Hurley included in the new unified code. of compliance and ensure regular In doing so, the IPC is providing turnover of parking spaces for the immediate benefits to motorists in benefit of all motorists – optimising keeping with the core objectives of accessibility to key urban centres, the new regulations, while also helpeasing congestion and helping to ing to ensure our member operators are well placed to take the match demand to parking space availability. new pan-industry code in their stride when it arrives.

In recent years, parking operators have looked to capitalise on We have also implemented a number of initiatives to promote the user convenience and operational advantages of new selfand ensure fairness. Most notably, our ‘Get Your Reg Right’ camserve digital systems and automatic number plate recognition paign has really struck a chord. This is helping to minimise over (ANPR) technologies. Helping to overcome the limitations of zealous enforcement of trivial typographical errors when a cash-only payments and exasperating searches for a parking motorist validates or pays for a parking session. By equal measure, space, as well as the inefficiencies of manual and paper-based ‘Get Your Reg Right’ is also serving to remind all motorists that, enforcement practices, such technologies continue to transform just as they have responsibilities to comply with motoring regulathe parking experience for motorists. But, with an undercurrent tions, they also have responsibilities to ensure compliance with of poor public perception and understanding, and with the

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COMMENT inevitable challenges of ‘change’, user experience has often fallen short of expectations.

With artificial intelligence (AI) and other new generation technologies waiting in the wings, such issues are unlikely to disappear any time soon, so all the more reason to take proactive steps to ensure fairness is tangible and accepted.

Can big data help us walk a difficult path?

Going the extra mile

A pavement parking ban will require data driving decisions, writes Paul Moorby OBE

The new pan-industry code of practice will establish a clear framework for the consistent application of best practice and provide the motoring public with assurances of fairness. But initiatives like the ‘Get Your Reg Right’ campaign go the extra mile and help to reinforce this drive for fairness by demonstrating the industry’s genuine resolve to deliver a fair and responsive service for motorists in the digital age.

As the use of the registration number is vital for so many automated payment and validation systems, this is precisely the type of action that will help the industry to finally discard the cloak of distrust and begin to restore public confidence.

Significantly, ‘Get Your Reg Right’ is not targeted at just one audience. It recognises the responsibilities that lie with the different parties within the parking ‘journey’. It reminds motorists to ensure typographical accuracy when entering their vehicle’s registration number and offers advice to minimise errors or oversights. It encourages manufacturers of parking technologies to devise systems that minimise the risk of human error. And it promotes tolerance on the part of parking operators when motorists have made seemingly trivial typographical errors – especially in the case of ‘correct’ mistakes like mistaking the number “O” for the letter “0”.

By highlighting the respective responsibilities of all parties, the ‘Get Your Reg Right’ campaign is a considered exercise to promote awareness and fairness at the very point of contact between operators and motorists. Significantly, it is a campaign that is open to all approved operators – not just those registered with the IPC. It is encouraging, therefore, to see more than 100 parking operators and suppliers having already pledged their support and commitment to the campaign and prominently displaying the campaign logo and information.

And the profile of the initiative is continuing to grow with a considerable increase in web traffic to the campaign website and organisations such as Disabled Motoring UK (DMUK) also confirming their support. Equally, there is a clear indication that the campaign message is having the right impact, with operators reporting a significant reduction in parking charge notices for incorrect inputs at pay & display terminals. One operator reports that the reduction has exceeded 60%, delivering a noticeable improvement to the parking experience of its customers.

If everyone knows they are being treated fairly and their rights are protected at all times, they are far more likely to be accepting and supportive. If motorists know and comply with their responsibilities, if landowners and parking service providers know there is compliance with their applied parking conditions and if regulators know there is adherence to accepted standards, then the risk or potential for distrust and assuming the worst diminishes.

That’s definitely the way forward as the industry looks to deliver and promote fairness, restore public confidence and fulfil the objectives of the Parking (Code of Practice) Act. Will Hurley is chief executive of the International Parking Community www.theipc.info

A

ban on pavement parking could soon be introduced, after the Department for Transport announced the government will consult on whether to hand local authorities more powers to crackdown on vehicles parking on the kerb.

Pavement parking can be dangerous for pedestrians and wheelchair users and needs to be addressed.

Almost one in 10 UK motorists park on the pavement every day.

With an estimated 32 million cars in the UK today, that equates to approximately three million vehicles parked on pavements.

A ban on pavement parking is already in place in London, with motorists liable for fines of up to £100. Lorries are prohibited from parking on pavements across the rest of the UK. With pressure mounting on lawmakers to roll out a nationwide pavement parking ban in the UK, local authorities are actively considering the impact this will have on their own parking infrastructures and mobility.

A nationwide ban will be beneficial for pedestrians, wheelchair users and parents with pushchairs. Yet, it poses questions as to how cities will manage more vehicles with less available on-street parking?

A total ban would require access to alternative parking.

One size fits all?

Drivers who irresponsibly park on pavements, blocking access for pedestrians, need to be penalised. Not only does pavement parking mean pedestrians may have to walk in the road, but it has been shown to exacerbate social isolation for elderly people, wheelchair users and parents with prams who feel unable to safely leave their homes.

However, there could be unintended consequences of implementing a nationwide ban. Motorists in some narrow residential streets park on the pavement to allow traffic to flow through easily and for emergency vehicles to get through. If councils were to crack down on this, it is likely to cause further problems and congestion. By creating a tailored approach, with a street-by-street assessment, councils are more likely to achieve a more sustainable solution to a widespread problem.

Better connected Data from connected parking systems can be used to identify which streets need a pavement parking ban and those where it would potentially be counterproductive. Big Data allows local authorities to combine large datasets – such as analysis of traffic flows and parking problem areas in real-time.

This can enable the setting of demand-led parking tariffs and help local authorities make informed decisions around traffic management policies, the building of new parking facilities and the development of new resident parking schemes.

Councils can then deliver more effective parking solutions in both the short and the long term for the benefit of the local economy and public wellbeing.

The consultation on the pavement parking ban is largely welcomed for the safety of pedestrians, wheelchair users and parents with pushchairs. However, it is a complex issue that requires a strategic and granular approach, based on real-time data. An outright ban may not be practical or sustainable.

Paul J Moorby OBE FRSA is the managing director of Chipside

PARKING REVIEW | MAY 2020 | 27

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PARKING STRUCTURES

Safety concerns over concrete pours Poor practice increases risk of punching shear, warns CROSS The designers of buildings need to inspect concrete pours on flat slabs in order to prevent failure, a structural safety body has warned. Confidential Reporting on Structural Safety (CROSS) has published an engineer’s concerns about incidents where flat slabs had not been inspected.

Inadequate treatment of the connections between columns and slabs can cause a form of structural failure called punching shear, which was implicated in the partial collapse of a multistorey car park in 1997.

CROSS shares anonymised concerns about problems in the structural engineering sector.

In this case, the reporter was assessing candidates for membership of a professional institution. Two candidates reported

Pipers Row collapsed in 1997 separate experiences of observing the omission of design punching shear reinforcement in a slab pour about to take place. The candidates were the structural engineers monitoring the progress of projects on sites.

Given that the candidates were from different companies on different projects, the reporter felt their comments worth reporting in case it is a trend.

One of the candidates was particularly experienced, having visited many sites and said that

omission of punching shear reinforcement is a ‘watch-it’ item within their team.

In its report, CROSS said designers of flat slabs should make it their business to conduct site inspections, or have them conducted, before concreting.

CROSS said issues about shear reinforcement in slabs, and particularly flat slabs, have been around for many years and were highlighted by the failure of the Pipers Row car park in Wolverhampton, which dated

from 1965. A 120-tonne section of the top floor collapsed during the night of 20 March 1997.

Investigations identified the cause as being an initial punching shear failure that developed into a progressive collapse.

“Designers should know that the critical connection on any flat slab is the shear resistance around its supports,” advises CROSS. “Part of a structural engineer’s skill set is to know what to look for and to create a structure that is capable of being strong enough even before starting calculations. These skills are only acquired by practice and under supervision. However, as such reinforcement is a critical factor in the safety of flat slabs, the importance of it being in place should be known to constructors and supervisors.

“Designers of flat slabs should make it their business to conduct site inspections, or have them conducted, before concreting.” structural-safety.org

Take off for Hatfield MSCP Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council is to build a new multistorey car park to serve its town centre.

The 420-space multi-storey car park is planned to improve access to the town centre shops and businesses.

Over a third of the town centre is currently used for surface level car parking.

The multi-storey car park, located on the Common car park, will consolidate this

parking in one place, freeing up sites elsewhere for new homes, shops and leisure.

The car park’s design will incorporate graphics featuring iconic aircraft designs, symbolic of Hatfield’s aviation heritage – the town was home to the de Havilland aircraft company and British Aerospace.

Planning permission has been awarded and contractor Bourne Parking is expected on site at the beginning of June.

West Midlands NHS trust to build two car parks An NHS trust in the West Midlands has received planning permission to build a pair of multi-storey car parks on its hospital sites. Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust said its plans to improve parking would ensure it could continue to meet demand at Sandwell General Hospital and City Hospital.

The trust is developing the sites as part of the move of some services to the Midland Metropolitan Hospital, which is due to open in Smethwick in 2022.

A 400-space car park will be built at Sandwell General Hospital and a 550-space car park at City Hospital.

Residents, councillors and hospital staff were invited to hear about the plans during engagement events held in October 2019.

The views, ideas and concerns gathered fed into the planning applications that were submitted to Sandwell Metropolitan

Borough Council and Birmingham City Council by specialist health and care developer Prime.

James Pollitt, associate director of strategic development at Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust, said: “We’re delighted to have received planning permission, which will address a longstanding concern for our dedicated workforce.

“Our schemes will include electric vehicle charging provision and will help us to tackle parking on neighbouring streets. The trust continues to invest in supporting other modes of travel as part of our Net Zero commitment.”

Proposals for the new multi-storey car parks are being developed by the trust in conjunction with its car parking operator, Q-Park and its estates development partner Prime.

Sandwell Metropolitan Council and Birmingham City Council granted planning through a mixture of delegated authority and remote committee consultation.

Ewan Forsyth, Prime’s development director, said: “This milestone demonstrates the great efforts that councils and planners are making to ensure planning systems can continue to operate effectively throughout this COVID-19 emergency period. Councils are adopting practical and virtual approaches to planning decisions to ensure planning can continue and contribute to economic and social recovery.”

Adam Bidder, managing director of QPark UK, added: “High-quality parking facilities at hospital sites are vitally important. Building the multi-storey car parks has the potential to improve the quality of access and parking at both Sandwell General Hospital and the City Hospital to enhance the patient, visitor and staff experience.”

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CAR PARK DESIGN

Paving blocks mark out disabled parking bays at Leicester’s Enderby park & ride

A weather eye on the future Car parks can play a part in mitigating climate change, says Ian Geeson

D

riverless technologies and electric vehicles are rapidly developing. There is a lot of discussion about how autonomous and electric vehicles will change the way we travel, work and spend our leisure time. Thought is being given to the radical impact that connected and autonomous vehicles (CAVs) could have on parking facilities. To accommodate the fast-emerging vehicles of tomorrow, the next generation of car parks will no longer be viewed as a basic commodity. Instead, they will become sophisticated and smart automotive structures that enable future mobility. However, creating car parks of the future it is not just about preparing for innovations in vehicle design. Architects and designers will also need to take account of the UK’s increasingly erratic weather. In particular, parking infrastructure could play an important role in mitigating the impact of higher rain falls.

The future is coming, fast It’s certainly no exaggeration to say that changes in the way we use our cars are expected to drive hitherto unprecedented changes in parking infrastructure over the coming decades. More and more of us are considering making the switch to an electric vehicle (EV). EV sales are set to rise from 80,000 in 2019 to 131,000 in 2020. Meanwhile, the rapid proliferation of connected vehicle technologies shows no signs of abating. According to a recent report by The Society of Motor Manufacturers & Traders (SMMT), more than 95% of the vehicles on the road in the UK will be connected vehicles by 2025, with 25% expected to be fully autonomous by 2030.

Future mobility looks set to be one of a more integrated transport network. This means the vision for the future of car parks is that each parking space will come equipped with charging points, accept cashless payments, have sensors for data capture and to enable autonomous parking.

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Parking for the greater good However, we should not just be thinking about preparing for the technological revolution but also looking at the role that parking infrastructure can play in providing wider societal benefits. For instance, as the impact of climate change continues to be felt, this has resulted in ever-extreme weather patterns.

The UK experienced one of its wettest autumns on record last year, with persistent heavy rains causing widespread flooding and chaos up and down the country. According to the Environment Agency, drastic action will have to be taken in the coming years to make sure the UK is resilient to flooding that could see entire communities moved away from coasts and rivers as result of an average global temperature rise of 4oC. Acknowledging the urgency of the situation, over 234 councils in the UK have declared a ‘Climate Emergency’, setting out specific timelines to become carbon neutral and tackle vital issues such as flooding. As such, local authorities are considering how the public realm can be designed to mitigate the impact of flooding, and that includes parking facilities.

For car park operators, many of which will have lucrative contracts in place with local authorities, the growing importance of climate presents an opportunity to support this and tap into new and emerging funding to the environmental plight.

So, with the escalating issues of future proofing and flood mitigation to consider, when it comes to the future of car parks, where to begin?

A simple solution The good news is that there is one approach that can achieve both tasks simultaneously: sustainable drainage systems (SuDS).

A well-known concept among town planners and landscape architects, a good SuDS strategy can help to mitigate flooding through effective water management in urban environments such as car parks, while also helping such facilities prepare for emerging changes in mobility.

This can be achieved using a combination of techniques which can incorporate the existing traditional underground drainage systems coupled with SuDS options, such as permeable and

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CAR PARK DESIGN

Electric vehicles will become the norm at the car parks of the future

porous paving, gravel areas and filter drains. Essentially, this slows water flow rate to reduce flood risk, whilst managing pollutants on site and feeding into the wider drainage network.

As with any urban planning project, decision makers may face a number of challenges when adopting SuDS. Car park design and site layout can be inherently tricky and needs to be carefully thought out, with dedicated guidelines set out in CIRIA 768.

Other considerations contractors and site engineers will need to make include soil type, the storm retention period and whether the scheme is attenuation or infiltration.

In terms of filtration, from the early design and planning stages engineers and contractors must understand where the water feeding into the SuDS scheme is coming from. This will determine the type of filtration required such as textile filter or filter drains, which may need to be suitable for detritus, such as leaves and food packaging. Alongside these factors, engineers should also think about any other site specific issues such as further implications if it’s an old industrial site or brownfield site.

Fundamentally though, utilising SuDS can also provide a host of design options. These include everything from discreet paving to accommodate charging points, through to attractive planting features for increased biodiversity and greenery – which are now frequently sought after in city centre regeneration projects.

What’s more, with data capture set to rise in prominence in order to gather parking occupancy information, as well as enable greater connectivity in future vehicles, this is giving way to the use of more ground-level sensors. To cater for this, many SuDS solutions, including asphalt, concrete block paving and even concrete can be customised to support sensing technology, whether that’s embedded within the paving or sitting directly on the asphalt. For instance, there are currently trials in progress of pod-based parking systems in Heathrow and Milton Keynes, as well as the development of fully automated vehicles led by companies such as Google.

The successful deployment of these shuttle services will rely heavily on building the infrastructure required – meaning the use of multi-functional SuDS options, such as porous paving and hard-wearing asphalt, will be critical to creating a durable and easy-to-navigate parking environment that will not get waterlogged.

To achieve this it might be a case of opting for specialist asphalt solutions. For example, increasingly in use across car parks around the country is SuperDrain asphalt – a porous asphalt designed using a polymer modified bitumen (PMB), specifically for use in SuDS applications. PMB’s composition and mix design have been carefully selected to provide a well-draining asphalt that is strong enough for high vehicle trafficked areas.

Driving ahead

The future of car parks is that each space will come equipped with charging points, accept cashless payments, have sensors for data capture and to enable autonomous parking Ian Geeson

As we look to the future, sustainability will only become an ever more important issue for local governments everywhere, and Britain’s parking infrastructure will need to play its part in not only enabling future mobility but also helping to address the nation’s escalating environmental challenges. For that reason it is time for the parking profession to invest in SuDS. Of course, this approach does require investment and innovation on behalf of car park operators and their planning teams but it can also deliver benefits on multiple fronts – not only will this future-proof their business but, ultimately, boost profitability.

Ian Geeson is technical manager at Aggregate Industries UK Aggregate Industries UK produces construction materials including aggregates, asphalt, ready-mixed concrete and precast concrete products. It is part of the LafargeHolcim Group www.aggregate.com

PARKING REVIEW | MAY 2020 | 31

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LIGHTING Q-PARK LIGHTING PROJECT BROKEN INTO COUNTRIES

169

1,754 2,122 Luminaires Spaces 6 Sites Installed

IRELAND

3,766 Spaces 5,232 Luminaires Installed

DENMARK

7,897 Luminaires Installed

BELGIUM

5,883 Spaces

11 Sites

17 Sites

19 Sites 8,849 Spaces 8,764 Luminaires Installed

GERMANY

THE UK

11,858 Spaces

15,200 Spaces 17,000 Luminaires Installed

FRANCE

26,569 Luminaires Installed

Luminaires

THE NETHERLANDS

78,500

27,734 Spaces

Parking Spaces

14,378 Luminaires Installed

76,000

27 Sites

38 Sites

51 Sites

Parking Facilities

Some light reading Q-Park has upgraded lighting across Europe using LED technology

M

anaging a building portfolio presents many challenge for property companies. When that portfolio spans different countries then the challenges can rapidly multiply due differences in language, regulations and standards. Crossborder working is a day-to-day reality for car park operator Q-Park, which operates 248 car parks across seven different European countries: the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, France, UK, Ireland and Denmark.

One major challenge that the company set itself in recent years has been a decision to upgrade lighting systems across its estate to a new, common standard. Lighting plays a key role in ensuring that car parks are safe and secure environments. However, some of the company’s older lighting technology was having negative repercussions for its operational efficiencies, so Q-Park decided to implement a strategic company-wide energy reduction programme. “The lighting products, technology and set-up we had in place across our portfolio were both costly to maintain and inefficient in terms of energy consumption,” said Peter Mertens, corporate real estate manager at Q-Park. “We wanted to put in measures that would lead to a reduction in energy lighting bills and lower maintenance costs, while also achieving an enhanced lighting level output.”

Q-Park’s objective was to achieve a minimum 40% reduction in overall energy use. It decided to upgrade its existing infrastructure based on light emitting diode (LED) technology. “With instant savings, low maintenance costs and a fast return on investment (ROI), LED lighting was the obvious solution,” said Martens.

Selecting a partner Q-Park put the project out to tender and invited a shortlist of companies to present their ideas in response to the organisation’s request for proposal (RFP). One proposal came from Future

32 | MAY 2020 | PARKING REVIEW

Energy Solutions (FES), which had previously carried out lighting upgrades for the company’s UK operation.

Marcus Brodin, commercial director at FES, said: “We have completed LED lighting rollouts for some of the parking sector’s most prestigious organisations, including Q-Park UK, which we first worked with in 2014. I was confident that this project would help exceed Peter’s objectives and produce significant energy savings and achieve a fast ROI. What’s more, as LED luminaires are 100% recyclable, and free from mercury and other hazardous chemicals harmful to the environment, this project would also complement Q-Park’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) agenda.”

FES and Q-Park devised a solution that covered the implementation process from survey and lighting scheme design through to business case production, project management and support, installation, commissioning and maintenance.

The project work began in November 2018, with all seven European countries ‘starting up’ simultaneously. While FES was responsible for the fulfilment of a bespoke configuration for all sites, a separate installation company was appointed to work in each of the seven countries. An internal tender process initially saw over 50 companies competing for the work, with FES and QPark finally awarding seven contracts. “Using local country based installers was considered a vital part of the process, as they could ensure absolute compliance with the specific electrical regulations pertaining to each location,” said Brodin. “In addition, it was felt that working with installers that could speak each country’s native language would help in terms of general communication and speed of response, thereby reducing the scope for error and ensuring faster job completion.

Choosing the technology A similar level of scrutiny was applied when it came to selecting technology suppliers. Two core LED luminaire manufacturers were selected based on a rigorous set of criteria that focussed on their ability to offer the requisite technical and commercial outcomes. Specific luminaires were selected depending on the type of site, ceiling height, overall business case and whether a point-

PR337_P32-33_Build LED.qxp_PR337_p32-33 12/05/2020 10:45 Page 33

LIGHTING

Before: Q-Park Berlin Alexanderplatz

After: Q-Park Berlin Alexanderplatz

Before: Q-Park Park Lane, London

After: Q-Park Park Lane, London

for-point replacement, new design and layout, or optimisation of existing infrastructure was required. In some cases both manufacturers were asked to supply a design strategy and business case for a site, so the most appropriate solution could be chosen.

As the project progressed, pre-defined criteria were used to identify the suitability of a particular manufacturer’s products – once again saving time and resources. Peter Mertens said: “50% of the work was point-for-point replacement, with the remaining 50% either new design and layout or the optimisation of existing infrastructure. To enable a smooth project delivery that involved, at its peak, installing up to 3,500 luminaires each week, we also appointed a dedicated multilingual project manager who worked alongside an existing project manager from FES, plus a project administrator. As a result, all work was completed without any disruption to the day-to-day activities on each site, with some work taking place at night to reduce inconvenience to customers.”

Q-Park selected some 169 parking facilities, comprising over 76,000 parking spaces, to be upgraded. The project has seen almost 78,500 luminaires installed for both general and emergency lighting. One challenge was that different sites reached different stages of the installation process at different times. “We identified 10 key milestones between the start of a project and completion, what we term maintenance mode,” said Brodin. “Not surprisingly, projects did not run in tandem across all sites and some reached certain milestones more quickly. In addition, due to longer lead times on some products due to component shortages, Q-Park and FES had to sometimes reschedule activity. This meant being aware of the status of every site in real time, while at the same time coordinating the activities of two manufacturers and seven installation companies that spoke different languages.”

Beyond the basic There are basic minimum standards that have to be met when lighting a car park. Guidance on illumination levels and other relevant information can be found in the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) Guide LG6. This states that lighting designs for car parks should meet a uniformity factor of 0.4 with a minimum light level of 75 lux. This is considered to be the bare minimum and for many car park operators, it achieves a sufficient level of illumination. However, Q-Park believed it could do better. Peter Mertens said: “Although they are incredibly useful, the CIBSE guidelines are for new builds rather than

retrofits. However, we used these figures as a baseline on which to improve upon. To do this, FES formed agreements with two LED luminaire manufacturers to supply best in class solutions that are able to provide a light level of 85 lux and a uniformity of 0.5 through their detailed designed solutions.”

FES’s Marcus Brodin added: “It took a lot of effort to get to those levels and meant using different optic types within the IP65 battens that were supplied. With multiple different beam capabilities and lumen packages, they maximise the effectiveness of the light generated by totally eliminating any dark pools of light, creating almost uniformly lit environments and a more welcoming and safer atmosphere.”

Calculating benefits Following the completion of the project, Q-Park expects to achieve savings across the seven countries amounting to an average of €3.1m (£2.7m) per annum. This translates into a ROI period of five years based on the company’s €15m (£13m) initial capital expenditure. In terms of the environmental impact, LED would deliver an energy reduction of 140GWh and a saving of 50,000 tonnes of CO2 over the five-year period. In addition, FES has mapped out a long-term maintenance programme that includes a 10-year parts and labour warranty across all sites. “One of the many reasons that LED lighting has become popular is its long life,” said Marcus Brodin. “Manufacturers are claiming lifetimes of between 50,000-100,000 hours for their products and, to get a sense of perspective on this figure, it compares to 8,000-15,000 hours for a compact fluorescent lamp (CFL). This means less maintenance and fewer replacement luminaires to be purchased.”

Lighting control has been found to contribute to additional energy savings of at least another 10%, when LED luminaires are integrated with sensors to manage when and where lighting is used. Perimeter lights can be programmed to only come on if the movement of a car or person is detected. This type of system can also monitor light levels and make use of daylight harvesting to offset the amount of electric lighting needed to properly light an area using minimal electrical power.

Peter Martens said: “The work carried out will create substantial financial and energy savings for Q-Park, and provide customers with an enhanced user experience. We have therefore decided to work with FES again to implement a second phase of the LED programme across a further 100 sites.”

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PARKING TECHNOLOGY

Lancashire switches to Videalert on bus lanes High-definition cameras used to detect contraventions in Burnley, Preston and Lancaster Lancashire County Council has switched to using Videalert systems for the enforcement of bus lanes. The decision to standardise on Videalert’s hosted CCTV enforcement platform gives the council the ability to manage multiple contravention types using a single platform.

Peter Bell, parking and regulation manager at Lancashire County Council, said: “The single platform approach coupled with significant uptime demands meant our old cameras were seriously impacting on the effectiveness of our bus lane and ongoing parking enforcement strategy.

“Bus lanes improve travel times for people using public transport, and the Videalert system enables us to meet our compliance objectives by delivering a consistently higher level of performance, as well as providing the highest availability.

“The platform also delivers better value as future-proofing is built-in and additional camera assets and enforcement applications can be cost effectively added as required.”

Videalert and sister company NSL were selected to deliver the new enforcement solution. NSL and Videalert are members of the Marston Holdings group.

The council initially installed ONVIFcompliant, digital HD cameras at 15 locations in Preston, Burnley and Lancaster during December 2019.

Cllr Keith Iddon, cabinet member for highways and transport, said: “The bus lanes are there to give priority for buses, and enforcing them helps to ensure that everyone follows the rules, and the system works as it should. I hope that we don’t make a penny from penalty notices once the cameras are working, as it will mean that people aren’t abusing the bus lanes.”

The council has a strategy to roll out the new system to the other locations. It is also considering other applications, including red routes and mobile enforcement vehicles, to add to Videalert’s digital video platform, which can simultaneously support multiple traffic management and enforcement applications, such as clean air and low emission

A Videalert camera view zones using the same infrastructure.

Mark Hoskin, business development director at Marston Holding, said: “The award of this contract demonstrates how Videalert and NSL can jointly deliver complete solutions that streamline every aspect of the traffic and parking management process from enforcement and penalty charge notice (PCN) processing through to collections.

This integrated approach helps increase efficiency and maximise compliance in short timeframes.”

Captured evidence packs are stored on the Videalert hosted video platform, where they can be accessed and reviewed securely over the internet. Validated evidence packs are sent to the council’s back office system to issue penalty charge notices. This means the council has not required the installation of any IT at its offices.

Tim Daniels, sales and marketing director at Videalert, added: “This is a continuation of a general trend whereby Videalert’s enhanced performance and functionality is causing local authorities to re-evaluate what represents best value. As a result, we are currently replacing an increasing number of legacy systems and enabling enforcement to be extended to further improve compliance without incurring major additional capital expenditure.”

Videalert launches Stingray mobile ANPR Traffic enforcement systems specialist Videalert has launched a new modular automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) camera solution. The Stingray is designed for use with Videalert’s expanding range of multi-purpose mobile enforcement vehicles (MEVs).

It is a modular solution featuring HD cameras with infrared lighting that will deliver enhanced capture rates for parking and traffic management applications.

The Stingray’s cameras and networking components are housed in a roofmounted pod that is designed to be easier to install and less obtrusive than individual roof-rack mounted units.

The Stingray

Manchester rolls out Flowbird P&D terminals Manchester City Council is upgrading its on-street parking terminal estate.

The council has installed 242 Flowbird Strada Transfer terminals in city centre and suburban locations. They replace older machines that had come to the end of their useful working lives.

The solar-powered terminals include coin, debit, credit card and contactless payment

34 | MAY 2020 | PARKING REVIEW

options.

The terminals have been incorporated into a bureau support service provided by a dedicated team from Flowbird.

The team is remotely managing the terminal estate on behalf of the council, providing officers with financial, operational and statistical reports at agreed intervals.

The Flowbird team monitors

terminal uptime, alerting engineers promptly to any maintenance requirements, including the supply and replenishment of ticket supplies, the replacement of batteries when necessary and all routine servicing.

“The decision to expand payment options to include contactless will enhance the customer experience, because as we know more and more

people are choosing this payment method for its convenience,” said Kenny Scouller, senior sales manager at Flowbird.

“At a strategic level, our total estate management support for Manchester provides officers with access to parking performance data that can also be used to inform wider mobility plans developed by the council in support of economic policies for this world-renowned city.”

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PARKING TECHNOLOGY

WPS supports clients during pandemic Payment technology firm supports key worker scheme Parking systems provider WPS said it will continue to deliver maintenance and installation work for customers within key sectors such as healthcare and utilities to ensure 24-hour availability of parking infrastructure during the COVID-19 emergency.

WPS is also working with partners in the parking sector to enable NHS staff and other key workers to access parking during the coronavirus pandemic.

Hospitals, in particular, are having to meet the challenges of parking at this time in diverse ways according to their location and situation, said Simon Jarvis, managing director of WPS in the UK. “Hospital car parks are, of course, critical because NHS staff need to be able to park close to their work and patients also need to be able to depend on the same infrastructure.

It is an extremely stressful time for both groups and it is important that parking provision is not compromised and does not add to their anxieties.”

To further support key worker parking provision, WPS is working with parking portal JustPark via the British Parking Association’s NHS Car Park Finder initiative, which provides key workers with information on where to find free parking nationwide.

Using the integration capabilities recently recognised with a 2020 Parking Technology Award, JustPark and WPS are working together with WPS customer sites that use ANPR technology.

“By collating key worker car number plates and integrating those into the systems of ANPR-equipped car parks, we can provide a system where barriers automatically open to allow key workers to park for free,” said Jarvis. “It’s not business as usual, but we’re

Simon Jarvis

Erik Dijkshoorn

doing a significant amount of usual business to support customers who need us.”

The range of car parks that are remaining operational during the pandemic is varied, said Jarvis. “In the UK, while some shopping centre car parks have closed, others remain open to accommodate supermarket shoppers,” he said. “There are town centre car parks that have opened their barriers, while others are keeping their barriers down to both help discourage people from coming into town, and to ensure there are ample spaces available for the people that genuinely need them.”

When it comes to servicing and maintenance, WPS is working with clients on a case-by-case basis, explained Jarvis. “Where our support is needed, and when appropriate planning and safety measures are in place, we are continuing to work with our clients to keep their infrastructure efficiently operational,” he said. “As well as social distancing and providing PPE (personal protective equipment), we are cordoning off working

areas, and putting up signage as appropriate to inform the public why we are there. For more involved works, we are also providing welfare stations meaning engineers have their own separate washing and toilet facilities.”

A similar picture is emerging globally, said Erik Dijkshoorn, chief executive of WPS Group. The company’s clients across the world are taking a varied approach to the coronavirus crisis, meaning ‘one size fits all’ doesn’t apply, he explained.

“There is a wide diversity of opinion amongst our clients as to how they can best support local priorities and we can support them in achieving this, meaning there is no ‘right or wrong’ way of managing our way through the current crisis,” said Dijkshoorn.

“It is our job to be as agile and flexible as possible, and I am immensely proud of how our field teams have worked safely and gone above and beyond to ensure our customers’ needs are properly and carefully supported through this genuinely uncharted time.”

RingGo gives key workers access to free parking Cashless parking provider RingGo has sent an email to all its 140 local authority customers offering two solutions to help them quickly fulfil the government’s mandate to provide free parking to NHS, health and social care workers, as well as NHS volunteers.

The first offering provides a message at the top of each RingGo location, stating: “This location is currently free for NHS, care and volunteer workers due to Coronavirus.

You must display evidence in your windscreen. See bit.ly/2UlDxRe for guidance.”

The second fulfils the government’s alternative proposal, that local authorities develop a database of vehicle

registrations. For any existing operators, RingGo’s Corporate Journal solution can easily be set up to support this requirement.

Local authorities need to send a list of vehicle registrations to the RingGo corporate team, which will set up the details on their behalf.

Peter O’Driscoll, managing director of RingGo, said: “These are incredibly difficult times, for NHS workers, individuals and our local authority customers, who are managing a whole raft of requirements, many of which are changing daily.

“RingGo is currently dedicating the corporate team to supporting our local authority customer base with the aim of loading details as

quickly and easily as possible.

We are, of course, waiving all charges both for set up, and management of this process, during these unprecedented times. With 670,000 NHS volunteer applications already made, and numbers increasing by the day, managing this data is likely to be a considerable challenge for local authorities in itself.”

RingGo’s Corporate Journal solution is used by a number of NHS trusts to support their staff. For example, NHS Lothian has been using the service for the last decade to enable its staff to park at all Edinburgh City Council’s RingGo parking locations.

RingGo is part of the BMW/Mercedes NOW group.

PARKING REVIEW | MAY 2020 | 35

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PARKING TECHNOLOGY

NHS trusts use PayByPhone eligibility feature Cashless system can manage free parking for different groups PayByPhone believes its eligibility feature offers a solution to the government’s free hospital parking manifesto pledge.

From April all 206 NHS hospital trusts across England have to offer free parking to patients, staff and carers. Free parking will be available at any time for certain eligible groups and at specific times for others.

Rebecca Maisey, head of client management for PayByPhone UK, said: “To comply with the government’s new guidelines, our eligibility-based parking feature can allow hospitals to create flexible and bespoke parking conditions.

“The feature, available on our app, automatically recognises which tariff should be applied to a registered car, depending on the time of day, or the category to which it belongs.”

Once the hospital has outlined the various categories entitled to free or concessionary parking, they are entered into the PayByPhone hospital database.

These could include: disabled drivers, staff, parents of sick children who regularly spend time at the hospital, or those with long-term conditions.

The hospital database is then populated with the eligible visitors’ vehicle registration numbers. As soon as a number plate has been added to the system,

PayByPhone users log-in using Apple ID PayByPhone users can now register and sign in to their accounts using sign-in with Apple. This means iPhone users will no longer need to remember passwords to access their accounts. Instead, they can authenticate using FaceID or TouchID.

MiPermit users support NHS staff

Chipside is working with local authorities using its MiPermit service to manage parking to enable them to offer free parking to NHS workers and social care staff.

“The team at MiPermit welcomes the government statement giving free parking for NHS key workers during this current emergency,” said Chipside managing director Paul Moorby OBE. “This statement made it clear that local councils will continue to carry out crucial parking enforcement locally to ensure the public are kept safe and that the roads remain clear for emergency and essential services.

“Our incident response teams are

36 | MAY 2020 | PARKING REVIEW

that driver will automatically be registered as exempt and not be charged for parking.

“While free parking will be offered to those who are eligible, hospitals can still offer concessions to other regular car park users if they want to. Our eligibility-based parking feature gives hospitals the flexibility to do

working with local government emergency response teams and we will continue to keep our valued customers updated as rules change.”

Moorby said that Chipside and its local authority partners want to reassure key workers that they will not be penalised for mistakes when parking during the emergency.

“NHS staff have told us that they are worried about making mistakes using their residents and visiting carer permits, or are worrying about the forthcoming annual peak permit expiry date in April,” said Moorby. “I would like to take this worry away. A number of councils have instructed us to extend permits automatically.

“If a key worker does receive a PCN during this emergency as a result of a genuine error or difficulty, we promise we will work with you and the parking operator directly to provide any evidence that you need.

Our team here at MiPermit are a family. We all thank NHS and social care staff for keeping us safe.”

The www.mipermit.com website will continue to be updated with statements from local authorities as they come in.

this and allows them to apply their own unique parameters as required,” said Maisey.

Croydon University Hospital introduced PayByPhone’s eligibility-based parking feature in Autumn 2018 in order to offer a concessionary parking rate to staff. Before its introduction, staff would have to obtain scratch card permits, which they would display in their cars.

Wasim Ahmed, supervisor for National Car Parks, which operates the hospital’s car parks, said: “The scratch card option was always problematic as the cards would often get lost or damaged, and staff couldn’t always obtain the permits when they needed them. The PayByPhone system was very straightforward to implement and has been welcomed by all our staff.”

The PayByPhone app is free to download and to use. Its Extend-From-Anywhere feature allows drivers to add more time to their parking sessions remotely via the app, in accordance with the car park’s terms and conditions if an appointment or visit takes longer than expected.

JustPark launches Apple sign-in Drivers are now able to access JustPark’s website and apps, using their Apple ID. JustPark already offers log-in options with Google and Facebook.

The sign-in option is now available for Apple users both the log-in stage and the checkout page on all Apple iOS devices such as the iPhone will be able to use this new functionality.

JustPark reports that 65% of its user base are iPhone users, so this functionality benefits the majority of potential customers.

“The benefits are numerous,” said Just Park’s chief executive Anthony Eskinazi. “Drivers will no longer need to create a new account, or even log-in with Facebook or Google, whilst signing up to use JustPark. This will make it quicker and easier to register as well as more secure.

“This, in turn, means that JustPark clients such a local authorities and operators will experience a higher cashless uptake and a happier driver

base due to the ease of registration. We all know how frustrating it is to have to download a new app.

“Additionally in a postCOVID world, we anticipate more drivers looking to pay for their parking in a contact free way, with the Apple ID sign-in technology adding another string to JustPark’s bow.”

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PARKING CONSULTANTS A-Z AN ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO EXPERT ADVICE

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PR337_p39-40_Systems&Services.qxp_PR337_p39-40 30/04/2020 11:02 Page 39

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