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February 2021 | #346
www.parkingreview.co.uk
TIME TO DELIVER Towns and cities need to look after logistics, says Natalie Chapman PA R K I N G • T R A F F I C • K E R B S I D E
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WELCOME FEBRUARY 2021 | #346
The media seldom discusses how parking revenues finance public services
Parking pays for the good stuff Why do discussions about what councils earn from parking seldom mention how surpluses are invested?
P
arking equals money: that seems to be the only equation that sticks in the minds of many people when it comes to discussing how towns and cities manage the motor vehicle. And as far as the media is concerned, the main function of kerbside controls and the provision of car parks is to extract cash from drivers. Sadly, there is seldom any discussion of how parking revenues are used by local authorities to support the essential services they provide to the public. For example, surpluses generated by on-street parking have to be used for traffic and transport projects. There is never an acknowledgement that drivers derive a benefit from the kerbspace or parking bay they pay to use. And, by the way, parking spaces need to be equipped and maintained. The perception that parking is primarily a cash machine is reinforced by press releases generated by companies providing services to motorists. Take, for instance, a release from Comparethemarket titled: ‘Parking profits: the councils making millions from parking fines’. The release, which was picked up by national papers including The Guardian, stated that penalties are a “cash cow” for local authorities. It is not that surprising that companies selling insurance would want to create a clickbait generating hook, but respected organisations also frame the discussion of parking in a way that focusses on what is earned rather than how it is invested. The RAC Foundation produces an annual audit of local authority parking accounts, which was announced in a press release that titled: ‘English council parking profits dip as COVID bites’. While the word ‘profit’ makes it into a headline, the less provocative term ‘surplus’ is relegated to a parenthesis. (The survey is worth a read and we cover its key findings in this issue.) However, there is an onus on local authorities, and their representative bodies, to do more to help drivers, the media and their stakeholders to connect the parking fees they pay with improvements in their towns and cities. There are lessons to be learned from local authorities that are operating, or planning, Workplace Parking Levy (WPL) schemes. In this issue, Nottingham City Council, which pioneered WPL, and Leicester City Council, which is preparing a levy, discuss the importance of explaining to local residents and businesses that revenue generated by the WPL will be invested in better transport and streetscene measures that reduce traffic congestion, improve air quality, and encourage active travel. Now, there is a good news story. Mark Moran Editor
Parking Review online: www.parkingreview.co.uk COVER IMAGE: NATALIE CHAPMAN, HEAD OF POLICY, SOUTH, AT LOGISTICS UK
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CONTENTS
18 26 28 32
Inspecting the parking accounts RAC Foundation analysis shows that English council parking surpluses stood at £890m despite a dip as COVID bites
Welcome to WPL 2.0 There is growing interest among local authorities in the Workplace Parking Levy concept, reports Nick Ruxton-Boyle
Nottingham has laid the tracks for WPL Nottingham should be the first stop for anyone planning a Workplace Parking Levy scheme, says Nigel Hallam
Leicester’s positive connections Workplace Parking Levy will play a key role in enabling a transformation of travel in Leicester, says Sir Peter Soulsby
34 38 40 42 Editorial Managing editor: Mark Moran Tel: 020 7091 7871 mark.moran@landor.co.uk Deputy editor: Deniz Huseyin Tel: 020 7091 7872 deniz.huseyin@landor.co.uk Editorial director: Peter Stonham
Production and design production@landor.co.uk Advertising, sponsorship, marketing and exhibition packages Jason Conboy Tel: 020 7091 7895 jason@landor.co.uk Darryl Murdoch Tel: 020 7091 7891 darryl@landor.co.uk
Logistics is an essential service The pandemic has shown how much society depends on the efficient movement of goods vehicles, says Natalie Chapman
Mapping out a route to Net Zero The Climate Change Committee says a transition to electric vehicles will help fuel a new economy over coming decades
A focus on camera technology Automatic number plate recognition cameras are being linked to phone payment and virtual permit schemes
Station revitalisation is on track Rail park & ride facilities are being expanded and improved across the UK to encourage more drivers to take the train
Subscriptions Christina Pierre Tel: 020 7091 7959 subs@landor.co.uk Accounts 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.
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BRITISH PARKING ASSOCIATION
NEWS
Parking sector fights the virus BPA urges parking sector to support COVID-19 vaccination programme Parking providers are being asked to support the COVID-19 vaccination programme wherever they can. The British Parking Association (BPA) has updated guidance to its Approved Operator Scheme members, suggesting they offer free parking and extending grace periods at NHS testing and vaccination centres. The BPA is also updating its Parking and Traffic Management Operational Advice for England, Scotland and Wales. This online advice is designed to help local authorities and parking providers manage their services in line with coronavirus regulations. It has been updated to take account of the latest national lockdown and the start of the vaccination programme. The operational advice covers issues such as the Parking Pass scheme for critical-care workers and presents advice from the CIVEA, the civil enforcement association, regarding debt recovery. “Our BPA community continues to work closely with government and other stakeholders to support the national effort and our amazing NHS,” said Steve Clark, BPA director of operations and business development. “We are proud of the contributions being made by our sector which includes many of our members providing free parking for NHS staff and critical care workers. “In the coming weeks and months, the elderly and those who are clinically vulnerable and, therefore, the most likely to suffer the most, will be invited to attend a vaccination centre. This will be a stressful time for many. Effective parking management has an important part to play and a parking charge notice (PCN) should only be issued where necessary. If a PCN is issued to a motorist at a vaccination centre who can prove that they were attending that centre on the day of the parking event, the BPA expects the PCN to be cancelled.” Looking to the longer term, the Department for Health and Social Care and NHS England have both met the BPA to discuss how parking at hospitals can be improved. Work is underway on creating definitions of who should qualify for free concessionary parking at hospitals. www.britishparking.co.uk
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DfT approves COVID traffic signs The Department for Transport (DfT) has published guidelines for temporary traffic signs to guide drivers to vaccination centres. The ‘COVID-19’ or ‘NHS’ legends can be used or omitted. Once a decision has been made on use of wording, all signs within a local authority area must be the same for consistency purposes. The DfT says this approach will aid driver recognition of the vaccination centre destination. The NHS legend must be set in the font Transport Heavy Alphabet, and must not be replaced by the NHS logo.
Funds for NHS parking NHS trusts across England will be able to able to bid for funding to help them invest in technology to help them manage their car parks. The funding is to be advertised on the NHS Estates Collaboration Hub at a date to be confirmed.
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NEWS
COVID marshals help keep public safe NSL recruits, trains and deploys uniformed advisory staff to support councils and the police Parking enforcement contractor NSL is providing local authorities with COVID marshals to help manage the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. The uniformed marshals are assisting the police and council enforcement officers in monitoring and managing busy public areas, thus protecting local communities and ensuring that town centres are safe places to visit. NSL strategic account director Richard O’Malley said: “The pandemic has reinforced our commitment to working in the community and ensuring that people stay safe as they go about their daily lives. “We are proud that our COVID marshals are able to make such a positive impact and will continue to work closely with councils over the coming months, delivering a bespoke service to meet their specific requirements as government guidelines evolve.” With frontline customer staff newly unemployed as a result of the pandemic, NSL
Critical security worker status clarified by SIA In the light of new lockdown measures, the Security Industry Authority (SIA) has clarified when a security operative is considered to be a “critical worker” On 4 January 2021 Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that the government would be introducing new national COVID-19 measures in England to protect the NHS and save lives. The SIA spoke with the Home Office to obtain guidance for individuals and security employers to enable them to consider working requirements during the lockdown. The authority says a security operative is considered to be a critical worker if they are deployed in the following ways: • critical security provision in hospitals, social care, the courts, government estate buildings, as well as key supermarkets and food supply chain, the transport network and critical national infrastructure and utilities • roles essential to supporting law and order, or which have the potential to limit any further likely pressures on the police or national emergency services – this could include the guarding of empty or closed commercial property judged at risk, closed retail sites or sensitive office premises, or the monitoring such sites through CCTV, and the provision of alarm response centres including mobile units. The SIA said: “To further assist in determining locally which private security roles are critical, decisions will need to be taken on a case-by-case basis by those contracting security provision and security businesses/employers. Any access to school places is role dependent and will be decided on by the relevant local authority.”
An NSL COVID marshal reports that it has received hundreds of applicants for each advertised position. “With infrastructure and recruitment processes already in place, NSL has the ability to rapidly scale up our workforce to meet this demand from councils,” he said. New COVID marshals receive training to ensure the effectiveness of every interaction. When deployed, they are equipped with
personal protective equipment (PPE) including face coverings and hand sanitiser, as well as radios and mobile phones. When required, they wear bodycams and work in pairs when operating at night. O’Malley said: “We are committed to ensuring the safety of every employee as well as members of the public and operate strict daily cleansing regimes for all equipment and vehicles used.” NSL marshals have been deployed by clients including Bracknell Forest Council in Berkshire and Trafford Council in Greater Manchester. Trafford’s strategic growth team reports: “We are delighted by the friendly and professional way in which our COVID information officers are providing advice and support for local businesses on COVID-safe practices and ensuring safe, socially distanced queuing in public spaces. They are supporting the night economy, helping to ensure that outside eating and drinking areas are safe and meet government guidelines.” NSL is part of Marston Holdings, a provider of transportation and enforcement services with over 5,000 staff.
Free AA signs for vaccination centres
A road sign being posted The AA is offering councils free road signs to help people find temporary COVID-19 vaccination centres. There are currently around 280 community vaccination centres (excluding hospitals, GP surgeries and pharmacies), but this is set to grow to 500 once locations in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are announced. While many people know how to get to their local hospital, pharmacy or GP surgery, the temporary vaccination centres may be harder to find, says the AA. The organisation says it will provide, distribute, install and maintain the recycled plastic signs as well as removal
and recycling at the end of the vaccination programme. AA chief executive Simon Breakwell said: “We are offering free signage to around 500 temporary COVID-19 community vaccination centres such as sports halls, religious venues, nightclubs and community buildings. “In a matter of days, the AA Signs team have come up with a bespoke solution to design, print, install, remove and recycle approximately 5,000 road signs and I am proud of our expert teams who have bought this idea to life. The AA is delighted to help sign the way to vaccinate Britain.”
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NEWS
PATROL director Hutchinson retires
on the success they have achieved to date. I’m excited about the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead, and am committed to continuing to deliver an exceptional service to motorists and local authorities in the years to come.” Hutchinson worked with Padden during a handover period before her retirement on 1 February. Stuart Hughes, chair of the PATROL Joint Committee, said: “On behalf of over 300 authori-
ties that make up the Joint Committee, I would like to congratulate Laura on her appointment. I know she will hit the ground running and her time in London will be invaluable in continuing the great work Louise has overseen. Louise has been an exemplary and determined director of the joint committee during her 15 years at the helm. “This is a period that has seen the complete digital transformation of the TPT, as well as numerous achievements contributing to the debate around – and public awareness of – civil enforcement and key traffic management issues.” Caroline Sheppard OBE, chief adjudicator of the Traffic Penalty Tribunal, said: “We are delighted that Laura shares the tribunal’s dedication to accessible justice, a commitment to transforming our users’ experience and an aspiration to continue improving our digital processes. I am very much looking forward to working alongside her to continue the close, collaborative relationship between PATROL and TPT that has exemplified Louise’s tenure, supporting the tribunal’s journey to become the fully online service it is today.”
centre Avenues public realm and roadspace reallocation projects, and the recommendations of the council’s Connectivity Commission. Ferns also cited the “unprecedented changes in the economy and retail sector, which have and will continue to negatively affect the operations of City Parking”. Cllr Ferns’ report to the city administration committee states: “In line with the council’s commitment to continually reviewing its structures, a detailed review has now been undertaken in relation to City Parking. The business case highlighted a number of material issues to be taken into consideration and acknowledged that the drivers for change are very different from those which applied when City Parking was established in 2007.” A “changing appetite” locally and nationally towards arms-length bodies, like City Parking, has also been listed as one of the reasons for the proposed move.
The business case identified a preferred option of winding up the current model and transferring the services to the council. All staff will be transferred, with the majority working for the council’s neighbourhoods and sustainability team. Assets and liabilities will transfer to the council. It is possible the ‘City Parking’ name could be retained by the council for future use. City Parking, which operates the car park at Cadogan Square, has a ground lease over the Anderson Centre to generate income from subleasing office and retail space. It entered a 35-year, £45m loan agreement with Lloyds Bank to cover upfront lease costs. Four multi-storey car parks at Charing Cross, Cadogan Square, Concert Square and Cambridge Street were used as security for the loan. Ferns said that Lloyds have “intimated to the council that they would agree to amend the terms to an unsecured loan directly with the council”.
Padden to head local authority traffic and parking organisation Louise Hutchinson has retired as director of local authority traffic and parking body PATROL after 15 years in post. The PATROL (Parking and Traffic Regulations Outside London) Joint Committee has appointed Laura Padden as its new director. Padden is joining from London Tribunals, where she has been head of Support Services for the past five years. London Tribunals provides administrative support to the environment and traffic adjudicators who consider appeals against penalty charges issued by the 33 London local authorities and Transport for London. Besides parking, London Tribunals hears appeals relating to the recently implemented Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ), the Congestion Charge scheme, the London Lorry Control scheme, moving traffic enforcement and littering. Prior to her position at London Tribunals, Padden held various parking and highway management roles at Lancashire County
Louise Hutchinson Council. PATROL sees Padden’s experience as being of particular relevance to member authorities rolling out charging Clean Air Zones across England in 2021, and with the planned granting of moving traffic powers to English local authorities outside London. Padden said: “I am delighted to have been appointed to the role and am looking forward to working with the expert teams at PATROL and the Traffic Penalty Tribunal (TPT) to build
Glasgow to disband City Parking
Glasgow City Council is to close its wholly-owned parking business. It says the decision is partly because the council’s parking policy objectives no longer align with those of City Parking (Glasgow) Limited Liability Partnership (LLP). City Parking was set up in 2007 to manage the council’s off-street parking interests. The LLP operates 16 car parks in all: seven multi-storey and nine surface sites. On-street enforcement services were added to the LLP’s activities in 2009 and it took on the review and
processing of bus lane enforcement notices in 2012. In a presentation to the city administration committee, Michelle Ferns, Glasgow’s convener for workforce, cited a number of factors behind the decision to disband the LLP, including that “the objectives of the council and City Parking may no longer be complementary”. She pointed to the “strategic direction” of the council’s transport policy that could inhibit the ability to grow parking income, for instance the low emission zone, the city
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NEWS
Newham launches emissions-based permits 6,000 residents sign up for Chipside’s MiPermit digital system Emissions-based parking permits have been introduced by the London Borough of Newham to help tackle poor air quality. The MiPermit system went live in December. More than 6,000 permits had been registered when the first went live in January. Newham had previously been one of only two London boroughs that did not charge residents for their first vehicle permit. Now very low emission vehicles in Vehicle Excise Duty bands A-B will still incur no charge. But a vehicle in bands G-I, such as a 1.4 litre 2017 VW Golf, falls into Tier 3 of the Newham system, meaning a permit for a first vehicle costs £80, while a band L-M vehicle, such as a 3 litre Grand Cherokee Jeep, is in Tier 5, costs owners £160. The basic cost of permits for second, third and additional vehicles per household remain unchanged, but they are also
subject to an emissions charge on a slightly more steeply rising basis than for the first vehicle. In recognition of the financial impacts of COVID-19, the council has introduced a one-off £40 discount to be applied to the overall cost of the first permit issued under the new scheme. It is hoped the parking permit charges will help lower vehicle emissions by encouraging residents to switch towards less polluting vehicles as well as considering taking more local trips by sustainable modes of transport, like walking and cycling. Cllr James Asser, lead member
for environment, highways and sustainable transport said: “The pandemic has highlighted the effect poor air quality has on public health. Long-term exposure to polluted air can have permanent health effects including development of diseases such as asthma, bronchitis and emphysema. Those with underlying respiratory illnesses like these have been the most vulnerable to the most severe outcomes of COVID-19 infection. “In a landmark ruling, a coroner found that air pollution was a contributory factor in the death of a nine-year old girl from
Experimental commuter parking scheme in Leicester An experimental traffic scheme aims tackle commuter parking in a Leicester neighbourhood. The measures, which came come into effect on 1 February, are being introduced in Clarendon Park, which is a short walk from the city centre and close to business areas. Ward councillors in the area had called on Leicester City Council to look at ways to prevent commuters using residential streets for free allday parking. Unlike previous parking scheme proposals for the area, the experimental measures will be limited to a restriction on non-residents parking there between 9.30am and 10.30am on weekdays. The scheme will focus on the streets immediately adjacent to Queen’s Road, which contain around 530 parking spaces. So far around 400 residents’ applications have been received, along with 36 applications from businesses. While the scheme is designed to stop commuters from outside the area using the streets to park for free all day, it is expected to have less impact
on nearby businesses by still enabling customers to park. The experimental nature of the measures allows council officers to adjust them to meet local needs, or stopping the scheme altogether if residents felt it wasn’t working. Castle Ward members Cllr Danny Myers, Cllr Patrick Kitterick and Cllr Deborah Sangster asked city council officers to look at how to ease the commuter parking situation by looking at measures currently in place in parts of Nottingham and London. The Experimental Traffic Order will include Cradock Road, Oxford Street, Edward Road, Montague Road, Seymour Road, Cecilia Road, West Avenue, Central Avenue, East Avenue, North Avenue and Orlando Road, as well as parts of St Leonards Road, Howard Road and The Avenue. Properties on Queens Road and the northern side of Clarendon Park Road that are adjacent to the scheme area will also be able to apply for permits, although Queens Road and Clarendon Park Road will not be subject to the new
parking restrictions. Residents and businesses will be able to give their views on the Experimental Traffic Order throughout the trial period, which runs from 1 February to 31 August 2021. The scheme can then either be ended, continued, modified or even extended to streets that express an interest in joining the experiment. Permits will be available to residential and business properties in the area, and people won’t be charged for permits during the trial period. Provision will be made for essential visitors such as carers, as well as Blue Badge holders. Leicester assistant city mayor for policy, delivery and communications, Cllr Danny Myers, said: “All three Castle ward councillors are aware of the problems caused by commuters using residential streets in Clarendon Park for free, all-day parking, which impacts on residents and businesses in the areas. “This experimental scheme is designed to help resolve that, by preventing people from parking all day.”
Lewisham, Ella Kissi-Debrah, and this highlights that we have a responsibility to do everything in our power to protect our communities and improve our air quality.” The introduction of the emissions-based charges supports the ‘Towards A Better Newham’ action plan, which seeks to help the borough’s recovery from COVID-19. Cllr Asser said: “The impact of COVID, coupled with poor air quality, has presented us with twin challenges to improve the lives and health of our residents. There is now emerging evidence about the links between increased COVID mortality rates and long-term exposure to air pollution, as well as dirty air being linked to increase risks of catching coronavirus. “During the first lockdown we saw the impact of fewer cars on our roads – cleaner air. A 40% reduction in road traffic during lockdown resulted in a 50% reduction in noxious nitrogen dioxide (NO2) pollution in our busiest roads.”
Amazon to operate City of London’s ‘last-mile’ hub The City of London Corporation is to rent 39 spaces in a 195-space public car park to Amazon Logistics for a ‘last-mile’ logistics hub that will consolidate deliveries and remove polluting delivery vehicles from the City’s streets. Amazon has won a tender to operate the facility. It will make final deliveries within a 1.25-mile radius of the London Wall car park by foot and cargo bikes. This area covers the whole of the City. The corporation estimates that, based on occupancy levels from October 2018 to April 2020, there will still be an average of nine free spaces in the car park at peak times, and there will be “significant spare capacity” in nearby sites. Cllr Alastair Moss, chair of the planning and transportation committee, said: “The Amazon lastmile logistics hub will take up to 85 vehicles off the roads each day, meaning up to 23,000 fewer vehicle journeys in central London every year.” The corporation wants two more logistics hubs launched by 2022 and five to be operational by 2025.
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NEWS
Taxi drivers’ Streetspace challenge upheld Transport for London (TfL) failed to have proper regard to the public sector equality duty when preparing its Streetspace Plan for temporary traffic restrictions during COVID-19, a High Court judge ruled last month. Mrs Justice Lang quashed TfL’s Streetspace Plan, the accompanying guidance for boroughs, and the specific temporary traffic restriction implemented last summer on the A10 Bishopsgate in the City of London that restricts access for vehicles other than buses between 07.00 and 19.00 on weekdays. The judicial review was brought against TfL and the Mayor of London by taxi trade bodies the United Trade Action Group and the Licensed Taxi Drivers Association. Arguably the most significant part of the ruling is that major changes to traffic systems implemented on the pretext of COVID19 are irrational. Lang also upheld three of the other four grounds. The judge said that TfL should have applied the public sector equality duty of the Equalities Act 2010 to the Streetspace Plan and guidance. “Once the plan was announced, it was embedded in the guidance to all traffic authorities in London, who were
TRANSPORT FOR LONDON
High Court rules TfL flouted equality duty, writes Andrew Forster
The Bishopsgate Streetspace scheme expected to accept, and act upon, the broad proposals which it set out. Thus, it was important that any potential adverse equality impacts had been assessed and taken into account when the plan proposals were still at a formative stage.” This included “the elderly and disabled, who rely on taxis and private cars to make door-todoor journeys, and could not reasonably be expected to cycle, walk or use public transport”. Lang also voiced concern about the quality of TfL’s equality impact assessment (EqIA) for the Bishopsgate traffic restriction. The judge said: “In my judgment the EqIA did not meet the required standard of a ‘rigorous’ and ‘conscientious’ assessment, conducted with an open mind. Most worryingly, the EqIA read as if its purpose was to jus-
tify the decision already taken.” The Streetspace Plan and the guidance also failed to distinguish taxis from general traffic. TfL and the mayor had failed to recognise “the long-established status and role of taxis as a form of public transport, distinct from other cars, reflected both in law and policy”. The fourth ground that Lang upheld was that the plan, the guidance and the A10 Order all breached the “legitimate expectation held by taxi drivers, as a class, based upon the bus lane policy, and long-established practice, that taxis would be allowed to drive in all Transport for London Road Network bus lanes, and enter bus lanes to pick up or drop-off passengers. “The Mayor and TfL have not shown that there was an overriding public interest which jus-
tified the frustration of the taxi drivers’ legitimate expectation.” TfL said that all temporary traffic schemes would remain in place pending the appeal’s outcome. TfL can also retain the Streetspace Plan and guidance until the outcome of the appeal is known. A TfL spokesman said: “We are disappointed with the court’s ruling and are seeking to appeal this judgment. Temporary streetspace schemes are enabling safer essential journeys during this exceptionally challenging time and are vital to ensuring that increased car traffic does not threaten London’s recovery from coronavirus. “We absolutely recognise the need for schemes such as our Bishopsgate corridor to work for the communities they serve and have worked hard to ensure that people across London, including those who use taxis, can continue to get to where they need to be.” The claimants’ legal team, Chiltern Law, said: “TfL will be seeking leave to appeal from the Court of Appeal but they have a difficult task ahead in trying to persuade the court that Mrs Justice Lang was wrong on so many matters and in so many ways.” The claimants employed Martin Low, Westminster City Council’s former city commissioner of transportation, as their transport export.
TfL borough guide for consulting
LTNs do not hold up fire engines
Transport for London (TfL) has issued guidance to boroughs on the public engagement they must conduct for schemes funded by the £20m of Active Travel Fund grant awarded to the capital by the Department for Transport (DfT). The DfT announced the allocation of £175m of Active Travel Fund grant in November, of which the capital’s share is £20m. “It is anticipated that most schemes introduced through this tranche of Active Travel Fund will use Experimental Traffic Orders,” says TfL in the guidance. To receive a share of funds, boroughs must publish a summary of the consultation activities they will undertake with local stakeholders prior to commencing delivery of schemes. Boroughs must undertake
Fire brigade response times have not been affected by residential street closures, according to a study in one part of London. Researchers looked at London Fire Brigade (LFB) data from 2012 to 2020 in the London Borough of Waltham Forest, where Low Traffic Neighbourhood (LTN) street closures were implemented in 2015. LTNs are area-based interventions that remove through motor traffic from the area’s residential streets, for example via modal filters that restrict motor vehicles while allowing pedestrians and cyclists through Anna Goodman, Anthony Laverty and Rachel Aldred wrote: ”We find no evidence
“appropriate surveys” with local residents and demonstrate how they will engage with residents, businesses, emergency services, bus operators, the Royal Mail, local MPs and ward councillors. Before scheme construction begins, authorities must supply to the DfT a letter signed by the leader of the council or a senior officer, confirming they have: consulted all key local stakeholders; obtained “broad support” for their schemes and considered any changes to take account of local feedback; implemented a clear communications plan to deal with any backlash; drawn on the results of local opinion surveys; and discussed plans with local MPs. They must also provide a summary of MPs’ responses.
that response times were affected inside Low Traffic Neighbourhoods, and some evidence that they improved slightly on boundary roads. “However, while the proportion of delays was unchanged, the reasons given for delays initially showed some shift from ‘no specific delay cause identified’ to ‘traffic calming measures’. “Our findings indicate that Low Traffic Neighbourhoods do not adversely affect emergency response times, although while LTNs are novel this perception may exist among some crews.” In fact, all parts of Waltham Forest outperformed the rest of Outer London and achieved LFB response targets by a wide margin.
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NEWS
TfL starts crackdown on dangerous HGVs Direct Vision Standard targets blindspots, reports Deniz Huseyin Heavy goods vehicle (HGV) owners will not be able to operate in Greater London from 1 March unless they comply with the Direct Vision Standard designed to reduce lethal blind spots. Transport for London (TfL) said permit system will assign vehicles a star rating based on how much the driver can see directly through their cab window. All HGVs over 12 tonnes must meet a minimum one-star rating or will need to fit Safe System measures to improve the vehicle's safety. From 1 March HGV drivers who enter the capital without a safety permit may receive a penalty charge notice (PCN) of up to £550 (reduced to £275 if paid within 14 days). So far, more than 50,000 safety permits have been issued. “However, there remain many thousands of HGVs on London’s roads whose operators have not yet applied for a required free safety permit,” said TfL. “HGV owners are advised to check TfL’s online vehicle registration
checker to see the star rating of their HGV and apply for a safety permit urgently if they have not already done so.” Between 2018 and 2020, HGVs were involved in 41% of colli-
Cameras for London lorry control scheme London Councils is to use automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras to enforce the London Lorry Control Scheme following a trial last year. “ANPR technology will provide much higher levels of enforcement, improved compliance with the scheme and be more cost-effective than the current manual enforcement arrangements,” said Stephen Boon, London Council’s chief contracts officer. London Councils’ preference is to share the cameras that Transport for London (TfL) uses for enforcing the low emission zone, ultralow emissions zone, and congestion charge. However, Boon said it was “unclear whether there is the scope or appetite at TfL for such an arrangement”. The alternative is for London Councils to procure cameras itself.
Post-Brexit number plates revealed
UK driving licences and vehicle number plates have been given a makeover. To mark the UK’s exit from the European Union, the EU flag has been removed from all UK driving licences and number plate designs, with the first batches issued from 1 January 2021. While existing licences and number plates will still be valid, the new versions will be issued to everyone renewing a licence or getting one for the first time. The new designs coincide with the beginning of a number of agreements made between the UK and member states that make it easier for Britons to drive in the EU when existing restrictions end. The agreements mean that drivers who hold photocard licences will not need an international driving permit to drive in any of the 27 EU member states, Iceland, Norway, Switzerland or Liechtenstein. UK drivers will not need to display a GB sticker in most
sions where people cycling were killed and 19% of collisions where a pedestrian was killed, TfL said. On average, HGVs were involved in 15% of all road
EU countries if their number plate has either GB or GB with a Union Flag on it. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: ”Changing the designs of our driving licences and number plates is a historic moment for British motorists, and a reassertion of our independence from the EU one year on from our departure. Looking to the future, whether it’s for work or for holidays abroad, these changes mean that those who want to drive in the EU can continue to do so with ease.” Driving licences and number plates can be renewed online.
deaths over that period, despite making up just 3% of vehicle traffic in London. “This means that HGVs are five times more likely to be involved in a collision resulting in a fatality, relative to their share of traffic,” said TfL. TfL said it delayed enforcement of the Direct Vision Standard by more than four months in response to the challenges faced by the freight industry due to COVID-19 and Brexit. Operators that have applied before 1 March, or are in the process of having Safe System equipment fitted but have not yet received their safety permit, will be added to an “allow list” of vehicles. This will prevent them from incurring PCNs for up to 90 days from the enforcement date. Operators will have provide details of their applications or planned Safe System component installation. The introduction of the Direct Vision Standard forms part of the Mayor of London's Vision Zero plan to eliminate all deaths and serious injuries on London's transport network by 2041. A tighter Low Emission Zone (LEZ) standard will also come into force on 1 March.
Police blast level crossing stunt
The Bromley Cross incident
The original posting
A social media stunt featuring a car parked on a level crossing has been branded “staggeringly stupid” by the British Transport Police (BTP). The TikTok post, recorded on the line at Bromley Cross, near Bolton, showed a camera and tripod set up on the railway to record the scene. It was inspired by an image a caption that asked viewers: “Would you take the risk to get the shot no-one else would?” BTP Inspector Becky Warren said: “No picture or video is worth risking your life for. There is simply no excuse for
not following safety procedures at level crossings. The behaviour shown by the individuals in this video is incredibly dangerous and reckless.” Network Rail reported the footage to the BTP after it appeared on the video-sharing app. It called the clip “staggeringly stupid and dangerous” and has issued a reminder that trespassing on railway lines is against the law. North West route director Phil James said: “Lives could so easily have been lost by this reckless behaviour.”
PARKING REVIEW | FEBRUARY 2021 | 15
PR346_P08-17_News.qxp_PR346_p08-17 08/02/2021 19:13 Page 16 P
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PR346_P08-17_News.qxp_PR346_p08-17 08/02/2021 19:13 Page 17
NEWS
Outer London parking standards relaxed Communities Secretary overrules Mayor of London’s policy Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick has instructed Mayor of London Sadiq Khan to allow more parking provision in new residential developments in parts of outer London. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has issued a direction to the Mayor requiring that some of the draft London Plan’s parking standards for new residential and non-residential developments be rewritten. A number of outer London boroughs and retailers complained that the Mayor’s original proposals were too restrictive. But the planning inspectors who inspected the draft plan endorsed the Mayor’s proposals. The MHCLG supports the Mayor’s car-free standards for new residential development in the Central Activities Zone, Inner London opportunity areas, metropolitan and major town centres, and areas with the best public transport accessibility – those with Public Transport Accessibility Level (PTAL) scores of 5 and 6, and parts of inner London with a PTAL of 4. The MHCLG also accepts the Mayor’s standard up to 0.25 spaces per dwelling in areas of inner London with a PTAL score
Robert Jenrick of 3. Likewise, it accepts that in areas of inner London with a PTAL score of 2, and outer London opportunity areas, parking provision should be up to 0.5 spaces per dwelling. However, the MHCLG has removed areas of outer London with a PTAL score of 4 from the above standard. They have instead been allotted a potentially more generous 0.5-0.75 spaces per dwelling, irrespective of the number of bedrooms. The MHCLG says the lower level in this range should apply as a maximum for proposals that are high density or in more accessible locations. For developments in areas of outer London with a PTAL score of 2 and 3 the MHCLG sets new standards that vary according to the number of bedrooms: • one or two bedrooms – up
to 0.75 spaces per dwelling • three or more bedrooms – up to one space per dwelling. The Mayor had proposed up to 0.75 spaces in outer London PTAL 3 areas and up to one space in outer London PTAL 2 areas, irrespective of bedroom numbers. The MHCLG has also imposed bedroom-based standards for outer London PTAL 0-1 areas – those with the worst public transport accessibility. These are: • one to two bedrooms: up to 1.5 spaces per dwelling • three or more bedrooms: up to 1.5 spaces per dwelling with a new piece of text adding: “boroughs should consider standards that allow for higher levels of provision where there is clear evidence that this would support additional family housing.”
New streets must comply with ‘beauty rules’ Well-designed, high quality homes and tree-lined streets should be the norm, not the exception, said Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick MP, launching the Building Better Building Beautiful Commission’s final report, Living With Beauty. The commission, led by the late Sir Roger Scruton and Nicolas Boys Smith, made over 130 practical recommendations to support the creation of more beautiful communities, including: • planting millions of trees over the next five years, opening old canals and supporting every home to have its own or access to a fruit tree • speeding up the planning process for beautiful buildings through a new ‘Fast Track for Beauty’ rule for councils • increasing democracy and involving communities in local plans and planning applications, using digital technology such as virtual reality and 3D modelling to help local people shape their own areas. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has
launched a consultation in response to the commission report. The MHCLG is proposing changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) that place greater emphasis on beauty and placemaking. The MHCLG has also published a draft National Design Code that provides a checklist of principles to consider for new developments, such as street character, building type, façades, and requirements that address wellbeing and environmental impact, that councils can use as a foundation for their design codes.
The Mayor had proposed up to 1.5 spaces per dwelling in outer London PTAL zones 0-1 but said that, if studios and onebedroom flats made up a proportion of the development, the provision should be less than 1.5 spaces. The MHCLG has deleted this text. For new retail developments, the MHCLG has accepted the maximum standards proposed by the Mayor, subject to a new clause that states “unless alternative standards have been implemented in a [borough] development plan through the application of Policy G”. The MHCLG’s new Policy G states: “Boroughs may consider alternative standards in defined locations consistent with the relevant criteria in the National Planning Policy Framework where there is clear evidence that the standards in table 10.5 would result in: a) a diversion of demand from town centres to out-of-town centres, undermining the town centres first approach b) a significant reduction in the viability of mixed-use redevelopment proposals in town centres. In all, Jenrick has issued Khan with directions to change 13 parts of the London Plan. Jenrick will approve the plan’s formal publication after the Mayor resubmits it with the necessary changes made.
The National Model Design Code consultation documents cover all aspects of movement planning, including: active travel; public transport; parking; street hierarchies; along with neighbourhood design and identity. The MHCLG plans to create an ‘Office for Place’ within the next year to support local communities to turn their designs into the standard for all new buildings in their area. Jenrick said: “I am interested in the proposal of a ‘fast track for beauty’. Where individuals and developers have put in the time to create proposals for well-designed buildings, which use high quality-materials and take account of their local setting, it can’t be right their planning applications are held up. I too want to see a return to planting more trees. We set out in our manifesto that we will expect all new streets to be lined with trees and are working to make this commitment a reality.” The measures mean the word “beauty” will be specifically included in planning rules for the first time since the system was created in 1947.
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PARKING REVENUES
Inspecting the accounts RAC Foundation analysis shows English council parking revenues dipped as COVID bites, but still made a combined surplus of over £890m
than the average annual increase observed over the preceding four years, which was 7.6 %. For the rest of England, excluding London, the surpluses have decreased by 6.9%, which is less than the four-year average annual increase at 1.7%. On average, the RAC Foundation says, parking surpluses in Great Britain have risen by about 6.2% annually over the four years compared with 2.1% annually for the Retail Prices Index during the same period (Office for National Statistics 2021). Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, said: “Parking management is quite a money-spinner for some local authorities, and nationally it is a big business with total income of more than £1.7bn. The surplus for 2019-20 is down a little on the year before which may, in part, reflect the impact of the first COVID lockdown which saw traffic levels plummet at the end of last March. The dip is likely to be much deeper for the current financial year given the range of restrictions over the past 12 months and the government’s current plea that we should all stay at home if we can. Going forward there are likely to be many councils who are actually looking to cut parking charges as a way of encouraging more people to visit their High Streets, which are fighting for survival.”
C
ouncils in England made a combined surplus of £891m from parking in 2019-20. This was 4.6% lower than the £934m profit made in the previous year. The analysis by the RAC Foundation is based on the standardised financial returns made by 338 English councils to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG). Between them, these 338 local authorities in England had a total income of £1.75bn from their on-street and off-street parking operations in 2019-20, the same amount as in 2018-19. On-street income rose by 1.2% and off-street income fell by 1.6%. Expenditure rose by 4.2% for on-street parking and by 6.5% for off-street parking. As a result, the combined surplus from both on-street and off-street parking was £891m, 4.6% lower than the previous financial year and 18.9% higher than four years ago. Local authorities fell short of their 2019-20 budgeted surplus of £919m by 3%. The difference between the income and expenditure figures is the surplus from day-to-day operations. The analysis includes the £10m net income generated by the Nottingham Workplace Parking Levy, as detailed in the council’s draft statement of accounts. However, the data for five more councils is missing because they had not made their returns by the time MHCLG published its summary. The analysis excludes the six national parks. The on-street parking surpluses must, by law, be used for transport projects. Overall, local transport net expenditure in 2019-20 fell to £3.8bn. Without the contribution from parking surpluses, net expenditure would have been 23.7% lower. The RAC Foundation calculates that the amount local authorities spent on running their parking was £854m, up on the £812m in the previous year. This expenditure does not include interest payments or depreciation on their capital assets such as car parks as these figures are not accounted for in the official data. Not all councils made large profits, but only 35 of the 338 reported a loss. As seen in previous years those councils with the largest surplus (profit) tended to be in London, with Westminster council topping the list with a surplus of £69.6m. In the last year the surpluses for London have decreased by 2%, which is less
Income Parking income is derived from three main sources: meter income, residents’ and business permits, and penalties. Other sources are towing and storage charges although relatively few councils operate pounds now. Total income in 2019-20 was £1,746m, 0% higher than in 201819. In London boroughs the total income was £727m, -0.2 % more than in the previous year, while the total for the rest of England was £1.0bn, 0.1 % more than in the previous year. In England as a whole, 151 councils increased their income over the past year and 165 decreased their income. Another 17 councils’ incomes stayed the same. There are 25 councils that did not report income data in this or the previous fiscal year, so the RAC Foundation cannot define the change. The top three English councils by income were Westminster, Kensington & Chelsea, and Camden, which between them accounted for 10.1% of parking income. The three councils that had the largest year-on-year percentage increases in income were: Plymouth (up 659.6%); Eastbourne (up 128.2%); and Redditch (up 79.2%). The biggest decreases were in South Oxfordshire (198.8%), and Buckinghamshire (84.5 %) (excluding Surrey Heath, Cherwell, Melton, and Rossendale, where income was under £30,000).
Summary table of English council parking accounts for 2019-20 (£millions) 2015-2016
2016-2017
2017-2018
2018-2019
2019-2020
% change 2019-20 on 2018-19
821 407 414
889 414 475
954 431 523
1,012 439 573
1,024 458 566
1.2 4.2 -1.2
671 336 335
686 341 345
704 355 349
734 372 362
722 397 326
-1.6 6.5 -10.0
1,492 743 750
1,575 755 820
1,657 786 872
1,746 812 934
1,746 854 891
0.0 5.2 -4.6
On-street parking Income Expenditure Surplus Off-street parking Income Expenditure Surplus All parking Income Expenditure Surplus
Note: Some figures have been rounded and might not sum exactly Source: RAC Foundation
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PARKING REVENUES Top 30 English councils by level of parking surplus in 2019-20 (£millions) Council
2015-2016
2016-2017
2017-2018
2018-2019
2019-2020
Westminster
55.9
73.2
57.6
69.2
69.6
Kensington & Chelsea
34.2
32.2
34.5
37.3
38.8
4.0
Camden
25.2
26.8
19.6
26.0
29.0
11.6
Wandsworth
21.2
20.5
24.2
26.3
28.4
7.7
Islington
15.5
19.1
20.5
23.2
26.6
14.8
Hammersmith & Fulham
22.7
23.1
23.8
26.1
25.5
-2.0
Brighton & Hove
20.1
21.2
23.4
26.0
24.8
-4.8
Haringey
14.9
14.6
16.8
17.6
19.7
11.7
Lambeth
% change 0.6
9.9
11.9
12.1
17.0
16.7
-1.9
Nottingham
13.6
10.5
14.5
13.3
16.4
23.7
Hackney
0.0
12.9
14.5
15.6
15.5
15.5
Birmingham
9.8
11.1
11.2
13.6
14.9
9.5
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
13.9
N/A
Brent
8.0
10.5
11.9
11.0
12.5
13.8
Croydon
4.2
6.7
7.7
10.6
12.5
17.7
Tower Hamlets
9.5
9.5
10.6
11.7
12.3
5.0
Merton
6.7
10.2
12.3
12.2
12.2
0.4
Barnet
6.7
8.6
10.7
13.7
12.2
-10.8
Bristol
7.7
9.5
9.5
10.4
11.5
9.8
City of London
5.3
6.5
14.4
13.9
10.7
-23.1
Milton Keynes
10.8
11.1
11.3
12.1
10.5
-13.0
Newham
7.7
8.9
19.0
14.3
9.9
-30.5
Waltham Forest
5.7
5.2
6.8
9.5
9.1
-4.0
Manchester
8.9
7.8
9.4
9.7
8.8
-9.4
Cornwall
9.8
9.7
9.7
9.7
8.7
-10.5
Newcastle upon Tyne
7.3
7.5
8.5
8.8
8.6
-1.9
Richmond upon Thames
7.5
8.3
9.8
8.6
8.5
-1.0
Harrow
7.4
8.5
7.0
8.5
7.8
-7.5
Hounslow
7.2
12.0
12.2
13.0
7.8
-40.3
Bath & North East Somerset
6.3
6.3
7.8
7.3
7.6
4.3
Source: RAC Foundation
Expenditure Overall expenditure on parking rose to £854m, up 5.2% from 2018-19 for both on-street and off-street. Expenditure in London went up by 2.9% and up by 6.4% in the rest of England. Expenditure represents 44.7% of income for on-street parking and 54.9% for off-street. Overall expenditure has risen by £43m (5.2%) after a rise of £26m last year. In England as a whole, 220 councils increased their expenditures over the past year and 102 decreased them. Another 11 councils’ expenditures stayed the same. The RAC Foundation says that there are 25 councils that did not report expenditure data in this or the previous fiscal year, so they cannot define the change. The top three English councils by expenditure were Lambeth, Ealing, and Camden. Between them they accounted for 6.1 % of parking expenditure in the country. The largest increase in expenditure in England occurred in Plymouth where it increased by 28,237.2%, while Eastbourne and Southampton increased by 557.3% and 539.2% respectively. The biggest decreases were in Reigate & Banstead (603.8 %), and Selby (242.7%).
Surpluses In total, councils in England made a surplus of £891m in 201920, 4.6% lower than in 2018-19. Of this total, £445m (49.9%) came from London and £446m from the rest of England. This excludes a £1.9m surplus from parking in the national parks. The total surpluses for London amounted to £445.1m between 33 authorities, of which the top three – Westminster, Kensington & Chelsea, and Camden – accounted for 30.9%. No London councils made a loss last year. Overall, parking contributed £445.1m to local authority finances in London in 2019-20 compared with £454.4m in 2019-20, an increase of -2.0%. Enfield increased its surplus by 62.4% while Croydon and Southwark increased by 17.7% and 17.0 % respectively. The
biggest decreases were in Ealing (69.1%), and Hounslow (40.3%). None of the London boroughs has had a deficit two years in a row, reports the RAC Foundation. The total surplus from parking outside London of £446m in 2019-20 was 7.0% lower than in 2018-19. Brighton & Hove was the highest earning council outside London, ranking as the seventh largest nationally, and with a surplus in 2019-20 of £24.8m, 4.8 % lower than in 2018-19. The total surpluses outside London amounted to £905.7m between 253 authorities, of which the top three – Brighton & Hove, Nottingham, and Birmingham – accounted for 12.2%. Some 52 councils made a loss with the total of parking deficits rising to £14.3m from £8.5m last year. Dorset increased its surplus by 1,169.4%, while South Norfolk and Welwyn Hatfield increased by 600% and 198.1% respectively (excluding Corby with a surplus under £30,000). The biggest decreases were in Somerset (83.1%), and Wigan (80.4 %) (excluding Nottinghamshire, Cherwell, and Melton with a surplus under £30,000). West Oxfordshire increased its deficits by 971.4%, while Cumbria and North Yorkshire increased by 730% and 662.3% respectively The biggest decreases were in Northumberland (88.8%), and Slough (87.6 %) (excluding Forest of Dean with a deficit under £30,000). The report uses the MHCLG (formerly DCLG) tables on parking income and expenditure for the period from 2015-16 to 2019-20 (UK Government 2021). Full details for all councils can be found in the RAC Foundation analysis paper: www.racfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/English-councilsparking-report-2019-20-final.pdf
PARKING REVIEW | FEBRUARY 2021 | 19
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BUSINESS NEWS
RAC all-in-one patrol van can go anywhere 4x4 can reach cars stranded off-road and in car parks The RAC is rolling out a new version of its heavy duty patrol van that has been designed to cope with the increasing number of larger and heavier vehicles that need assistance in harderto-reach locations. The new model is an evolution of the original Isuzu D-Max Heavy Duty Patrol Van. It features a lowered rear body enabling the widest possible range of vehicles – including SUVs, 4x4s, small vans, hybrids and full electric vehicles – to be attended and recovered from more difficultto-access locations such as car parks, shopping centres and airports. The heavy duty patrol van means stricken vehicles can be rescued using a single patrol vehi-
The Isuzu D-Max patrol van cle without having to wait for an additional flatbed recovery truck to attend. RAC head of technical innovation James Gibson said: “As more and more larger vehicles, particularly SUVs, appear on our roads, we’ve been investing in upgrading our breakdown fleet to ensure our customers continue to receive roadside assistance,
wherever they are. “This update to the successful customisation of the Isuzu DMax, which we first put into service last year, means our patrols can now get to vehicles that are in harder-to-reach spots such as under-cover supermarket or airport car parks, like those at Heathrow, much more easily. “The new vehicles, alongside
our existing low-roof fleet, mean we’ll be the first breakdown company that can access almost any car park to complete a fix or, if needed, tow a vehicle to a garage. It’s a solution that saves drivers both time and hassle. “The new model has a completely redesigned rear body but carries all the same market-leading breakdown assistance technology that our patrols use to such great effect – including our leading ‘all-wheels-up’ system for recovering cars that can’t be fixed.” By the end of 2020, the RAC’s fleet featured more than 100 customised Isuzu D-Max patrol vans, double the number deployed during 2019. All RAC patrols covering London Heathrow now have heavy duty patrol vans and the roll-out will see the vehicles appearing in locations including Birmingham and Manchester.
Q-Park teams up with Fixter car maintenance Q-Park has entered into a partnership with Fixter, an online car maintenance service provider. Launched in 2017, Fixter reports significant growth in recent months as the public have swapped public transport for private car usage due to COVID-19. The company offers contactless car collection and drop-off. It sees working with Q-Park as a way to further expand its customer base. Fixter and Q-Park are providing exclusive customer rewards. Q-Park customers can receive an exclusive £10 off in their basket or a half price MOT when booking a car service with Fixter. Meanwhile, Fixter customers will be able to claim 10% off
parking in all Q-Park locations that offer prebooking. Limvirak Chea, chief executive and co-founder of Fixter, said: “The new partnership has trust and security at its heart, both key in sectors such as car maintenance and repair, and car parking, which are often singled out as not being sufficiently transparent. “At Fixter, we have always believed in the core value. Trust gets us further. From the moment we set up our business, convenience, transparency and trust have been at its heart. This latest partnership enhances our offering even further.”
Flowbird’s tribute to colleague
Dave Simpkins Dave Simpkins, one of Flowbird’s longest serving employees, passed away following a short illness. Simpkins was a customisation and systems engineer. Danny Hassett, managing director of Flowbird Smart City UK, paid tribute to the popular
and much respected member of the team. “News of Dave’s untimely death has shocked everyone who knew him, colleagues and customers alike,” said Hassett. “Dave had been part of our team for over 18 years and he was one of the first people we all turned to when we needed the benefit of his considerable technical expertise and industry experience. “Much more than this though, he was a close friend to all his colleagues and he will be sorely missed. We send our sincere condolences to his family and loved ones at this difficult time.” Simpkins leaves behind three sons.
20 | FEBRUARY 2021 | PARKING REVIEW
A Fixter operative
TKH consolidates Park Assist and ParkEyes Parking guidance technology companies Park Assist and ParkEyes have been integrated into the business of TKH Security. Park Assist and ParkEyes develop parking guidance products such as bay sensors, software platforms, wayfinding signage, number plate recognition systems, video inspection systems and lighting. TKH Group, a €1.6bn (£1.4bn) publicly traded company, is currently the parent company of TKH Security, Park Assist and ParkEyes. It has decided that the technology providers will now sit inside TKH Security, which operates across both Europe and the USA. TKH Security delivers access control, parking management, surveillance and intrusion detection solutions.
The Park Assist and ParkEyes brands will be retained. Gary Neff, president of TKH Security, said: “Both Park Assist and ParkEyes are established global leaders in the camera-based parking guidance sector. TKH Group NV has assembled a technology ecosystem, through both innovation and acquisitions, that will bring strong value to our clients through these merged entities. “Parking facility management is already one of TKH Security’s core solutions. Incorporating Park Assist and ParkEyes parking guidance technology will allow the combined teams to provide clients across the globe with a complete parking solution, improving safety, optimizing the customer experience, and increasing parker loyalty.”
PR346_P20-25_Business news.qxp_PR346_p20-25 08/02/2021 17:32 Page 21
BUSINESS NEWS
SWARCO Traffic names new MD Pickworth to head up traffic and parking technology supplier SWARCO Traffic has appointed John Pickworth as its new managing director. He is a chartered engineer with a background in intelligent transport systems (ITS). Pickworth has worked at a senior level in the industry for almost 20 years. He joins SWARCO Traffic from the engineering consultancy Pell Frischmann, where he was responsible for creating and delivering its ITS market strategy. He also led its Highways England account management team. Jeremy Cowling, SWARCO vice president, said: “John will position the business for further growth through exploring new market sectors, and introducing new technologies to our extensive portfolio. His considerable experience in the sector, along with his drive and enthusiasm, make him the ideal candidate to lead the company in the next phase
John Pickworth of our journey.” John Pickworth said: “I believe my experience in delivering strategic focus in a range of different ITS related businesses can really help SWARCO Traffic with future successes, be they relationship, product or solution focussed. “I see this as being particularly important in the delivery of SWARCO MyCity and the future world of ITS, from V2X (vehicle
to anything) to smart mobility. This is a relatively new journey for SWARCO and our customers, but something that has the potential for immense customer value, and an absolute must for our future as we build more service-focussed solutions to build on our established product base.” Pickworth succeeds Berony Abraham, who is stepping down after two years running the business.
HUB wins retail parking award HUB Parking Technology won the Parking Innovation Award at the Spectre Awards 2020. The company’s entry related to a car finder system installed at the Westfield London shopping centre. Lee Burton, HUB Parking Technology’s managing director, said: “The whole team is proud to have received this award for our integration with Park Assist at Westfield London. This integration allows customers to find the location of their vehicles by entering their registration into HUB’s equipment.” The SCEPTRE Awards were staged as a virtual event on 26 November due to COVID19 restrictions on social gatherings. The judging panel, comprising retail sector experts, said they were impressed by the quality of entries, many of which were responses to the difficulties created by the pandemic.
Gemini founder’s path to success
Ryan Jackson, founder of Gemini Parking Solutions, has published a book in which he sets out his approach to fulfilling one’s personal potential. The Success Rebellion invites readers to challenge social rules and adopt a dynamic approach life. “After two years of research, writing, changes in concept and various re-drafts, The Success Rebellion is finally here,” says Jackson. The book draws on his personal experiences of starting a business from scratch and his desire to learn new skills and develop the talents of the people he works with. “Having started my
journey from the very bottom, with no job, no goals and my only income being £40 per week from government benefits, I have now created huge transformation in my life resulting in me becoming the owner of several successful businesses turning over millions each year,” said Jackson. “I now want to show other people from similar backgrounds (or anyone who feels marginalised) that they too can achieve their goals and don’t have to limit themselves to what they think (or society thinks) they can or should do. “The completion of this book marks a huge achievement in my life. I would deeply appreciated if colleagues in the parking sector could support The Success Rebellion movement by purchasing a copy in order to help push it into the best seller category, which will hopefully put it directly in front of those who are seeking change and will truly benefit from its teachings.” The Success Rebellion is available on Amazon
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)
• CCTV Operators – SIA and BTEC qualified
Looking for staff or need employment? Please contact our experienced team on: Tel: 0203 668 5680 Email: parking@unity-recruitment.co.uk Web: www.unity-recruitment.co.uk
***Parking Experience Essential***
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BUSINESS NEWS
YourParkingSpace reveals green branding Electric vehicles are central to company’s new look and ethos Online parking rental portal YourParkingSpace.co.uk has revealed a brand-new look and ethos with a major focus on electric vehicle (EV) parking and charging. The changes follows the recent injection of £5m funding investment from Pelican Capital to develop YourParkingSpace’s proprietary technology. The rebrand sees the adoption of a new ‘P’ logo and redesigned website and social media pages. The revamped logo has a green colour palette, designed to signal the YourParkingSpace’s move towards an environmentally conscious approach. YourParkingSpace.co.uk is an online marketplace that markets and manages over 65,000 parking locations UK-wide, ranging from private driveways through to commercial car parks. The company has signed an agreement with Atlas Hotels, which has seen the installation of five EV chargepoints at the Holiday Inn Express Bicester. There are now plans to install
Harrison Woods a further 250 chargepoints over the next 12 months at properties operated by the hotel group. YourParkingSpace will be promoting a green ethos in its traditional core market of rented driving parking. Homeowners with an EV chargepoint are being encouraged to list their spaces with YourParkingSpace. YourParkingSpace estimates that its customers could save 132 tonnes of CO2 per year by driving directly to a reserved
space rather driving round searching for an empty space. YourParkingSpace managing
Homeowners made £21m renting out driveways UK homeowners made £21m in 2020 by renting out their vacant driveways to motorists needing somewhere to park, YourParkingSpace.co.uk reveals. Despite various lockdown restrictions, the parking portal is reporting strong growth in demand for rented driveways near workplaces as a result of COVID-19 because many workers are choosing to drive rather than take public transport.
Recent booking data shows that town and city centre bookings have increased by 19% compared to pre-lockdown towards the start of the year, compensating for a shift away from traditional driveway parking hotspots such as those near stadiums, airports and train stations. The £21m made from driveway rental in 2020 with YourParkingSpace is actually higher than in 2018 and 2017, when £15m
Videalert MEV gets VCA certificate Videalert has achieved Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA) approval for ‘over the air’ data transmission from mobile enforcement vehicles (MEVs) whilst in operation. This approval allows data to be ‘live-streamed’ using 4G and 5G as it is captured whilst the vehicles are on the move, eliminating the need for operators to manually download data from the on-board systems onto USB drives before uploading it to the Videalert platform. It also allows evidence review operators to access the data and approve the automatically compiled evidence
packs even more efficiently. Rob Kinch, Videalert’s technology and innovation director, said: “Approval from the VCA for ‘livestreaming’ data from MEVs is the latest development in an ongoing programme being undertaken by Marston Holdings to consolidate Videalert’s leading position in the CCTV enforcement marketplace.” The functionality is available across Videalert’s range of multipurpose MEVs, which includes fully electric cars, vans and bikes as well as hybrid, petrol and diesel variants. Existing vehicles can be retrofitted.
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director Harrison Woods said: “Our new look reflects where YourParkingSpace.co.uk is going as a business, including emphasising the link between pre-booked parking and the subsequent reduction in the carbon footprint. “As well as some notable EV charging partnerships, we’ve also witnessed a significant growth in the number of individuals listing their empty parking space with an EV charging facility, some 4,000 to date, and this perfectly reflects our bold new image.” As well as low carbon agenda, YourParkingSpace will also be focussing on the future of mobility, the digitalisation of parking infrastructure both in the UK and overseas, and the increasing demand for a contactless way of life, not least enhanced by the pandemic. Woods said: “Our goal at YourParkingSpace is to change the way the world parks, one parking space at a time. A new look, new ethos and a New Year spell exciting times ahead, together with further expansion plans for our London and York offices where we’ve recently been recruiting for a variety of positions.”
and £12m were made respectively. Managing director Harrison Woods said: “Rented driveway demand has remained strong in 2020, not least because empty driveways near workplaces have provided an attractive alternative to motorists who are avoiding public transport and need somewhere cheap and convenient to park their vehicle. We fully anticipate demand to remain strong in 2021, especially if many workers continue to drive rather than take the bus or train.”
Videalert provides a suite of software for deployment in different enforcement and monitoring applications. The software combines ANPR with a data analytics engine to determine whether or not vehicles have actually committed offences. For example, it can determine whether vehicles are in contravention in parking bays as well as whether they are legally parked off-street or on private driveways. This reduces the incidence of false-positive alerts generated by the roof-mounted cameras. In addition, the MEVs have GPS positioning to confirm that images are captured are within enforceable areas.
An MEV
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BUSINESS NEWS
APCOA staff lend homeless a helping hand CEOs will connect rough sleepers with StreetLink Parking company APCOA is working with StreetLink, a national service supporting people who are rough sleeping. StreetLink is managed by St Mungo’s in partnership with Homeless Link. It enables members of the public to alert local authorities and homelessness outreach teams about people sleeping rough in their area. Once rough sleepers are located, they are connected with local services that can help them move off the streets. Throughout the COVID-19 lockdown, this interaction enabled local authorities and street outreach services to help people to access emergency accommodation. During 2020, StreetLink put 13,000 people in touch with support to help them end their rough sleeping. The programme is managed by APCOA’s local government services division, whose director, Tracey Munford, launched the partnership with StreetLink in London. When APCOA staff in London come across someone sleeping rough, they use a mobile app to provide a direct alert to StreetLink, who then connects those people with local services as swiftly as possible. Munford is now working on extending the app service to as many as possible of the 27 local authority partners APCOA works with across the UK. APCOA employs 1,000 staff who patrol streets and car parks across the UK as part of their jobs in parking enforcement and supporting local authorities. Kim Challis, APCOA’s regional managing director UK & Ireland said: “Streetlink’s work has never been so important, with the ongoing pandemic causing an added level of anxiety and disruption for this vulnerable group of society, and APCOA will continue to provide active assistance.
“Our team is really pleased to assist StreetLink to provide support to those in most need, especially those who are identified as facing homelessness for the first time and are in vital need of support. It’s also one of the practical ways we demonstrate our commitment to social value and sustainability.”
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WORKPLACE PARKING LEVY
The Workplace Parking Levy is one of those rare policies that is budget positive because it can generate ringfenced revenue embedded in a transport solution Nick Ruxton-Boyle
Welcome to WPL 2.0 The Workplace Parking Levy’s time has arrived, says Nick Ruxton-Boyle
T
he Workplace Parking Levy (WPL) is a mechanism by which local authorities can raise revenue to improve public transport and the urban realm by imposing a surcharge on staff and business car parks. The Transport Act 2000 is the overriding legislation that governs the implementation of WPL schemes. In the two decades since the Act was introduced, only one scheme has been launched – Nottingham’s pioneering project. However, this situation is changing as we are seeing more WPL schemes being brought forward. The Workplace Parking Levy is a pretty hot topic at the moment, with lots of local policy frameworks and several schemes starting to take shape. What we are seeing is the emergence ‘Workplace Parking Levy 2.0’. The Greater London Authority (GLA) transport strategy promotes the use of WPL as a demand management measure to meet a range of current objectives, be it traffic reduction, the Climate Emergency, public health and air quality. The WPL is a very flexible tool that sits well within all these policy contexts.
The case for WPLs There are three main reasons why a local authority might want to consider a WPL scheme alongside other transport policy interventions. These are not new reasons, but they have been moving up the political agenda in recent years and even more so in the last year. • Climate change: First, and number one, is climate change.
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Many local authorities are planning their pathways to achieve Net Zero between 2030 and 2050. WPL is a really good way of achieving climate action goals. Friends of the Earth has released a Climate Action Plan and at the very top action on its list is workplace parking levies. • Air quality: The second reason is air pollution. Whether it is NOx or particulate matter, the WPL should be a part of the toolbox that transport practitioners can use to reduce traffic and encourage mode shift. WPL targets peak-time traffic and it has got equity built into it because it is the polluters that are paying for the journeys that are made. • Public finances: The third reason relates to budget planning and management. I have worked in and with local authorities for 20 years and they have always faced financial challenges, with budgets reducing despite facing ever growing demands on their finances. The WPL is one of those rare policies that is budget positive because it can generate ringfenced revenue embedded in a transport solution. Over the past year, COVID-19 has tested local and national funding, so the WPL has come to the forefront as a pricing level solution. It is a mechanism that government can use to finance how we build back better as we return to a sort of normality.
The local context When designing a Workplace Parking Levy, some local authorities are looking at their whole areas, while others are looking at more focussed ‘red line’ boundaries around specific areas. At an early stage, a local authority needs to look at its parking stock and consider where a WPL scheme might work, such as around town centres, business growth zones or a business park with a lot of
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WORKPLACE PARKING LEVY parking that is causing congestion. Project Centre, which is Marston Holding’s transport consultancy arm, is working with a number of local authority clients, undertaking surveys to establish a baseline of how many parking spaces exist for when the permits come in. Not many local authorities carry this data. They tend to know a lot about what is going on on-street, but they do not really know what is happening off-street. The number of parking spaces a specific business has is not really data that councils collect. Transport for London (TfL) offers a good package of support to the capital’s boroughs. Even for those councils not in London, TfL’s resources provide useful content to help them think about whether or not a Workplace Parking Levy would be right for their particular area or region. A note of warning: A Workplace Parking Levy is not going to be for every local authority. This will probably be down to a number of things: the local transport geography and land use.
Engagement is essential Stakeholder engagement is key to the whole Workplace Parking Levy process. It is important to communicate that WPLs are not targeting residents, they target those who are travelling into an area. While it is important to recognise political sensitivities, because WPL schemes do not target residents, politically speaking they are particularly risk low. It is the business community that tends to see WPL schemes as negative rather than residents. This is what Project Centre is seeing with some of the schemes it is working on. Businesses will feel like they are being unfairly targeted, so a good engagement programme with businesses is essential to helping build a case. It is also important to show local businesses how they will benefit from a WPL. And councils can set a minimum threshold, meaning they have create a small business exemption. There are also different activities that can be exempted from the levy using the powers in the legislation. Formal consultations are key to planning transport improvements and the legislative process that is needed to implement a WPL scheme. Project Centre has created a flow diagram to help clients navigate through the process. There are many gateways and decisions based on the study stages. Project Centre is working with the London Borough of Hounslow, which is looking at a focussed ‘red line’ boundary scheme around a business park. A key benefit will be that the WPL will help deliver a new rail station. Project Centre wrote to businesses, counted cars, created a database of all the thousands of parking spaces in the area. We devised an income model showing how much revenue Hounslow could create based on a variety of metrics in terms of exemptions, charges, the threshold set and so on. Project Centre also produced impact assessments, looking at which groups and businesses would be affected. The revenue models for how much a levy could generate indicate what could be achieves in terms of reinvestment into sustainable modes of transport. For Hounslow, the models have shown how much the council could borrow against WPL revenue. This is important, because the council wants to deliver rail stations early on, rather than in 30 years time when the revenue pot had grown sufficiently.
Moving forward Local authorities often ask questions such as: How long does it take to set up a WPL? When will we see the revenue? When will we see the transport improvements introduced? Three years seems to be the timescale within which a WPL could be implemented. The Nottingham WPL took 10 years, but it was the first and there were many engagement and challenges related to being the first. And that work has paid off. The scheme has raised over £75m to invest in local transport projects such as its tram and electric bus network. Nottingham has said that businesses are now coming back to the city because they want to be associated with a green city and that they do not mind paying the levy. Over the coming years, this will be a story that we will hopefully hear told in many other cities across the UK.
What is a Workplace Parking Levy? A Workplace Parking Levy (WPL) is a licencing scheme for active parking spaces. It is a power that local authorities can use to charge businesses for the spaces that they provide for their staff. The key words here is “active spaces” – the levy applies only to those parking bays that are in use. A WPL is not a tax on land or another business rate, it is a charge on use which targets those commuter trips that are causing congestion on the roads network, contributing to both the Climate Emergency and public health crisis. WPL is a fiscal tool with which to make changes to that commute. A WPL does not apply to on-street parking. It does not apply to private car parks or to individual parking at home. It applies only to those car parks that businesses provide for their staff (commuters) and not their customers. In essence, WPL applies to staff car parks. The liability falls to the employer or business owner, but they can pass it on to their staff. A targeted tool The WPL is viewed as a demand management tool because it particularly targets commuter trips, which is what causes roads to be their most congested. WPL also supports local priorities because most local authorities have targets for traffic reduction and have air quality improvement targets. WPLs also generate revenue and, as part of the legal framework, that revenue has to be reinvested back into transport and the network. For example, Nottingham has expanded its tram system and invested in buses, so lots of trips that were being made by car are now made by other modes. How is it done? An annual charge is allocated to parking spaces – businesses can pay or choose to make their car parks smaller and create a mode shift. In London, secondary legislation is required and permission from mayor and the secretary of state, but the ultimate power lies with local authorities. It is the boroughs that make the revenue, they keep the revenue, and they reinvest the revenue. There is a governance framework within which to work in. The revenue plans which local authorities have to create are basically what they will reinvest their funds in, be it trams, bus services, new liveable neighbourhoods or walking and cycling. These revenue plans are key to the success of a Workplace Parking Levy scheme.
Nick Ruxton-Boyle is director of environment at Marston Holdings. He is a chartered transport planner and urban mobility expert with significant professional experience spanning strategic planning to concept design. He was head of transport at the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. He moved to Project Centre as technical director in 2017 and became Marston Holdings’ director of environment in 2020. He is currently working on a wide range of air quality projects including Workplace Parking Levy (WPL) and Clean Air Zone (CAZ) schemes. www.marstonholdings.co.uk Nick Ruxton-Boyle led the ‘Workplace Parking Levy: From policy to practice webinar’, which is now available on the Landor LINKS Live YouTube channel.
A panel discussion from the Marston’s sponsored WPL webinar
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WORKPLACE PARKING EVY
A Nottingham NET tram
Nottingham pioneers Workplace Parking Levy Nottingham should be the first stop for anyone thinking about creating a Workplace Parking Levy scheme, says Nottingham City Council’s Nigel Hallam
T
he change in physical environment is leading to a changing political climate. Local authorities across the UK are developing policies to meet combined challenges of climate change and poor air quality. The need to invest in better public transport, active travel and greener energy is leading to a pressing question being asked by councils everywhere: how do they raise the finance they need to make changes? Seeking an answer to this question has led many politicians and council leaders to thinking what might have been unthinkable just a few years ago – a Workplace Parking Levy scheme! The Workplace Parking Levy (WPL) is a demand management tool that disincentivises employers who provide parking by placing a modest charge on those places with a view to them reducing the supply and encouraging more sustainable modes of transport. Now, anyone looking to understand how to develop, launch and operate a WPL has one place at which they should take look – Nottingham.
Nottingham: an ambitious city Nottingham is an ambitious city, led by some very forwardthinking politicians who are particularly ambitious for transport. It has often been said we have got the best public transport
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system outside of London. However, we still wanted to have more attractive solutions and alternatives to the car. Nottingham is a very tightly bounded city. We have 3 million commuters potentially within a one-hour of journey time from Nottingham. Unsurprisingly, 70% of peak period congestion is commuter traffic. Back in the late Noughties, congestion was forecast to grow by 15% by 2021. So real action was needed to prevent the local economy choking going forward. In 2007, consultant Atkins produced a major report for the East Midlands Development Agency that estimated the cost of congestion in Nottingham to be £160m a year, and suggested that over half of that cost was borne by businesses directly in terms of delays to the supply chain. Nottingham wanted to develop high quality, affordable public transport. We also wanted to protect the city’s economy, improve the environment and enhance the general sustainability of the city. All that needed to be done within the context of shrinking funding coming from central government. This was the context from which the city’s trailblazing WPL scheme was born.
The WPL pathfinder After extensive planning, Nottingham City Council introduced the UK’s first Workplace Parking Levy scheme in 2011. The aim of the WPL was to tackle problems associated with traffic congestion by both providing funding for major transport infrastructure initiatives and by acting as an incentive for employers to manage their workplace parking provision. So where are we now? We have come a long way over the last nine years and WPL in Nottingham has been a fantastic success. We have generated £75m of new revenue since the levy started. Money raised from the WPL has helped to fund NET Phase
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WORKPLACE PARKING LEVY
We wrap our arms around employers, we support them, guide them and give them as much assistance as we can Nigel Hallam
Two extensions to the existing tram system, which now carries more than 19 million passengers a year, as well as the redevelopment of Nottingham Station. It also supports the city’s popular Link bus network. The annual WPL charge is currently £424 per place and all revenue raised by the levy is ringfenced by law to be spent on locally identified transport improvements. That was a really strong selling point when we did engage with businesses who, quite understandably, wanted everything that the levy would deliver but did not necessarily want to pay for it. Besides providing funds to support NET Phase Two extension, the WPL has helped finance the redevelopment of Nottingham Railway Station and the city’s popular Link bus network Unlike other road user charging schemes, WPL generates a guaranteed revenue stream. Even in the middle of a very severe lockdown, significant revenues are being collected through the levy. This guaranteed revenue stream has enabled Nottingham City Council to match-fund and take advantage of prudential borrowing – for example, WPL has unlocked £600m of inward investment, including £200m for our electric bus fleet.
100% compliance Nottingham has achieved 100% compliance among liable employees since the first year of the scheme – indeed, we have never fell below 100%. Out of the £75m have collected, only £10,000 has had to be written off, so we have debt collection rate of greater than 99.9%. Nottingham has achieved this by adopting a compliance-centred approach. We wrap our arms around employers, we support them, guide them and give them as much assistance as we can. We have a Workplace Travel Service that offers journey planning, car park management advice and money in the form of grants – now match-funded by the employer – to deliver cycle infrastructure, not just cycle shelters, but drying rooms and other facilities for cyclists and other uses of active travel modes. We have done all that at less than 5% of revenue. The WPL scheme has encouraged employers to reassess their operational parking. For example, Nottingham Trent University and other employers have reduced parking that has allowed them to redevelop the land. Because WPL is a licencing scheme, it requires no infrastructure investment and the operating costs are very efficient when compared with other types of congestion charge. Employers, rather than employees, are responsible for paying any WPL charge, although employers can choose to reclaim part or all of the cost of the WPL from their employees.
Proof of success The Nottingham WPL has been a subject of a thorough, independent and rigorous academic evaluation conducted by Dr Simon Dale from Nottingham City Council and Professor Stephen Ison, now of De Montfort University. One of the key findings and outcomes of their academic exercise was that levy has had a constraining effect on congestion growth. We have seen mode shift, but most importantly from a political and a business perspective, the levy has not been a disincentive to companies basing themselves in the city and not impacted on investment in the city. In fact, to the contrary, there is evidence that Nottingham’s fantastic public transport infrastructure is
Nottingham LINK buses proving attractive for business. High quality and affordable public transport is instrumental in leading to businesses locating into and relocating into Nottingham. WPL will always be contentious, but the focus on the need to improve air quality, arguably, makes the concept much less contentious than when Nottingham embarked on it scheme. The feedback from business representatives in Nottingham is that WPL is seen as business as usual. When Oxford stated its intention to consider WPL, the chair of its Regional Chamber of Commerce was asked for his opinion. He said Nottingham’s WPL has delivered what it said on the tin. So there is no reason why somebody should not at least consider WPL and see if the scheme is right for them. Nottingham’s Workplace Parking Levy scheme was focussed on constraining congestion growth and achieving modal shift. Air quality was not the hot topic it is now, but nevertheless the step change improvements the WPL scheme has delivered, principally the electrification of public transport has enabled Nottingham to become the first local authority in the country to have its Air Quality Management Plan signed off by the UK government without the need to create a charging Clear Air Zone (CAZ). There is greater awareness of poor air quality and recognition at political levels, with climate emergencies declared by many authorities. Public opinion is also more vocal on environment and health issues, which could lead to a greater acceptance of WPL schemes. Nottingham has declared its ambition to be a carbon neutral city by 2028.
Who pays the levy? Employers can pass the annual levy on to staff Workplace Parking Levy (WPL) schemes can be revenue neutral for an employer as they can pass the cost on to the vehicle user – staff members. Making drivers pay for their workplace parking is an effective way of changing travel behaviour. In Nottingham, 53% of liable car parking places are now subject to a car park management scheme where the actual vehicle user pays the levy in whole or part. There are some really clever car park management schemes. The University of Nottingham, for example, has developed a scheme where pricing of parking is not only based on the midpoint of salary but as the university has a very green agenda, its parking policy is also linked in with carbon emissions of vehicles. The driver of an electric vehicle could pay less to park than someone who drives a 40-year-old Range Rover that leaves a cloud of black smoke behind it. Other organisations, particularly in the manufacturing sector, have told to their workforce that they will absorb the levy if the organisation meets its carbon emissions targets. And some organisations have used the WPL charge to encourage community building activities by agreeing to cover the parking levy if their staff to do charitable work wearing the tabard of their organisation on it.
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WORKPLACE PARKING LEVY
Nottingham’s Ningbo Friendship Bridge
WPL: The next generation There is now fantastic ambition around the UK when it comes to Workplace Parking Levies. Leicester, Hounslow and Oxford are all progressing WPL schemes. WPL is a very flexible tool. The Nottingham scheme covers the whole of the administrative boundary, but you do not need to do that, you can tailor a WPL scheme to fit local needs. For example, Hounslow is looking at specific geographic area encompassing a development zone in west London. By way of contrast, Oxford is looking at a large swathe of land across the east of the city. You can also set different charging levels, either setting a flat rate like Nottingham or based on identified geographic areas. We believe that a WPL scheme can be implemented from start to finish well within one electoral cycle if the will and resources are there, and you follow the Nottingham model. That’s really important when you have perhaps not got the same level of political stability that a city like Nottingham has.
consultancy advice to a capital city in the southern hemisphere. We have developed a number of products including a webbased end-to-end Workplace Parking Levy system, which employers use to manage their WPL licences and the compliance team use for all aspects of managing the scheme. During the summer lockdown, in the absence of being able to do a parking survey due to COVID restrictions, we developed a Desktop Parking Audit tool that uses real data from the Nottingham scheme to estimate the number of potential liable workplace parking places. The algorithm using multiple regression analysis was developed by Dr Simon Dale, who conducted the WPL evaluation and Usman Aziz who is providing project support to the WPL consultancy team. It estimates the amount of potential liable workplace parking in the other city and enables financial modelling for the business case. Our colleagues in Leicester are benefitting from this innovation.
Talk to the experts Nottingham has a huge amount of experience in the world of WPL. The city council has long supported peers who are interested in a WPL, discussing the scheme in articles and at conferences. Such is the current level of interest, we have now created a consultancy service, led by Jason Gooding, Nottingham’s Head of Parking, Fleet and Transport Services, and myself. We offer advice at the outset of schemes, evaluating whether or not a proposed scheme is appropriate and viable for a specific area. Then, as a project progresses, we can offer informed advice on planning a scheme, the legislative process and implementation. For example, Nottingham is providing consultancy advice to our neighbour Leicester City Council. We started off our work for Leicester by doing a feasibility study to see if WPL is right for them. Leicester’s City Mayor, Sir Peter Soulsby, is 100% supportive of WPL and sees it as a way to deliver the fantastic ambitions he has for the citizens of Leicester. Sir Peter is really keen to engage with business leaders in Leicester, who have been generally positive. Nottingham’s WPL scheme has also made an impact on the international stage. We have talked to cities from around globe directly and at events, including ones organised on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Nottingham has also delivered
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Nigel Hallam is WPL Service Manager at Nottingham City Council Email: Nigel.Hallam@nottinghamcity.gov.uk He spoke at the ‘Workplace Parking Levy: From policy to practice’ webinar, which is now available on the Landor LINKS Live YouTube channel.
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WORKPLACE PARKING LEVY
Walking and cycling schemes will be funded by Leicester’s WPL scheme
Making positive connections A Workplace Parking Levy scheme will enable Leicester to invest in better active travel, public transport and urban realm, says City Mayor Sir Peter Soulsby
W
e live in extraordinary times. COVID-19 has taken a huge toll on our society. It has taken lives, separated families and communities, shocked our economy and halted everyday activities and interactions that we once took for granted. Long before the pandemic dominated the daily agenda, Leicester City Council had been developing a Local Transport Plan for how our economy could grow in a sustainable manner over the next 15 years. The plan will offer opportunities for increased public transport interventions and focusses on supporting economic growth while improving the city’s air quality, the health of our citizens and tackling the Climate Emergency. The plan will form a vision of key transport projects and provides the necessary enabling context for the introduction of a Workplace Parking Levy (WPL) scheme. A core commitment as part of my 2019 election manifesto was to consult on a WPL, which would form a key part of funding and delivery of theLocal Transport Plan, building on investment through the Transforming Cities Programme. A levy for Leicester would provide a continuous stream of funding as well as providing crucial match-funding to leverage central government funds. There is significant growth planned for Leicester, including a huge increase in the building of new homes over the next decade. Like everybody else, we are tackling the challenges of climate
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change, health and air quality, as well as dealing with what COVID-19 means for transport in the city both now and during the period of continued recovery.
Leicester in context As the City Mayor of Leicester, I lead one of the just a handful of local authorities that have a directly elected mayor – Bristol, Liverpool and Salford being perhaps the only other significantly sized authorities that have a similar system. When looking at developing something like a WPL scheme, the advantage of having a directly elected mayor is something that enables us to drive this forward smoothly. Leicester is a large urban area, but one that is essentially standing alone. We are not part of a metropolitan area. Instead, we have around us a significantly rural county with some large market towns and tight boundaries around the city. This means there is a need to work quite closely with the county council on a number of city growth and related transport issues, and this will include the development of a WPL, given the impact and consequent benefits that a scheme would have not only for Leicester but also for our surrounding area
A decade of driving change Since I was first elected as City Mayor in 2011, we have come a long way in terms of investing in what I have always described as our Connecting Leicester vision. This has seen us already invest over £100m in joining up previously unconnected areas of retail and culture across the city, and in particular, has brought about improved facilities for cyclists and pedestrians in the city centre. Connecting Leicester has seen extensive remodeling of city streets, the creation of six new public squares and the largest pedestrian priority zone (PPZ) with cycle access in the UK. During the past 10 years, we have developed many sustainable
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WORKPLACE PARKING LEVY travel projects to limit emissions, responding to our air quality challenges. We have developed and are in the process of delivering extensive cycling and walking action plans and have set ambitious targets for the future. Our £70m Transforming Cities programme is based on a ‘hub and spoke’ concept that creates sustainable traffic corridors from the city centre out to existing suburbs and proposed housing growth areas. We have developed an Air Quality Action Plan that encompasses a low bus emission zone, bus priority infrastructure, cycling and walking initiatives. We’ve seen a significant recorded drop in maximum annual nitrogen dioxide levels from 60 micrograms per metre cubed in 2015, and from provisional figures we expect levels to be below our target of 40 in 2020. Whilst this no doubt relates to the impact of COVID on how we are now travelling, we think this reflects the general trend of improving air quality in the city. We are currently redeveloping Leicester’s St Margaret’s bus station to be carbon neutral, which will be the first such facility in the country to achieve this. And we will soon see 13 new electric buses take to the streets. When people can again travel more freely, they will find that they have got a new and greener alternative. We are also currently trialling our new electric bike-sharing scheme, which when fully operational later in the spring will see 500 bikes available across the city centre area; the largest scheme of its kind in the UK.
A levy will provide a continuous stream of funding as well as crucial match-funding to leverage central government grants Sir Peter Soulsby
A vision to 2036 COVID-19 has brought many challenges, but it has given us, at least, the unexpected opportunity to boost cycling and walking numbers. Leicester was one of the very first places to prepare a Transport Recovery Plan to take advantage of this. This has enabled us to promote the wider benefits of walking and cycling, and we have pioneered several significant schemes including the provision of extended pop-up cycleway across the city. In the early stages of COVID I set the target of completing a mile of new cycle way per week for 10 weeks, and we managed to achieve that quite readily, providing new and safe spaces for cyclists and pedestrians. The work of the recovery plan will continue to inform Leicester’s Local Transport Plan which will cover a period spanning the next 15 years and focusses on an ambitious programme of sustainable public transport, walking and cycling initiatives. Alongside the transport plan we are currently developing a Workplace Parking Levy proposal that could help support our ambitious plans to transform transport in Leicester. We have identified three potential emerging focal projects that could be funded by a WPL: • Rail station transformation: A comprehensive refurbishment supporting Leicester Station as a key hub for planned national and regional rail schemes with high quality passenger facilities and acting as a catalyst to encourage regeneration in the wider area. • Rapid mass transit network: high quality electric tram-quality buses running on express routes. • Active travel everywhere: A comprehensive city cycling/walking network and support to business and residents to maximise their use.
Leicester is planning to enhance its public realm
Developing a case for WPL We are working closely with our neighbours in Nottingham, who have been enormously helpful in supporting development of a WPL for Leicester based on their unique experience. We are also working with other local authorities and DfT as part of an information-sharing group to pool knowledge and experience. Initial stakeholder engagement has already taken place on a WPL for the city with the Chamber of Commerce, some of our major local employers, our universities and environmental groups. Alongside this we will be conducting parking surveys across the city. A De Montfort University study on the suitability of a levy for Leicester is nearing completion and the preparation of an outline business case is advancing well. It is inevitable that COVID will influence our thinking on the introduction of a WPL in Leicester and this is something we will be carefully reviewing. Our long-term transport ambitions remain however, and I am focussed on how we deliver these including exploring a sustainable source of funding through a WPL. We plan to consult on a draft Local Transport Plan and associated plans for a Workplace Parking Levy in Spring/Summer of this year.
Sir Peter Soulsby is the elected Leicester City Mayor. Sir Peter was speaking at the ‘Workplace Parking Levy: From policy to practice’ webinar, which is now available on the Landor LINKS Live YouTube channel.
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LOGISTICS
Logistics operates across boundaries, we know no boundaries, we will go everywhere, deliver anywhere Natalie Chapman
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LOGISTICS
Logistics is an essential service The pandemic has shown just how much citizens and businesses depend on the efficient and reliable delivery of goods and services, says Natalie Chapman
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ogistics is something that plays a vital role in all our everyday lives. Yet it is also something that, all too often, we take for granted. However, from the very start of the first coronavirus lockdown, the pandemic crisis has shone a light on how vitally important logistics is to our everyday lives. It has been really great to hear people, politicians and the press saying that delivery drivers were essential workers and heroes. But, in fact, the reality goes way beyond that. There is a wide range of people working behind the scenes in logistics who keep the supply chain moving. It is really important that logistics is not just seen as a type of transport user, but also as an essential service. Yes, the logistics sector operates vehicles, but it is actually part of the UK’s essential infrastructure. We are here to serve the whole economy and all the people. We do not move stuff just for the sake of it – believe me, it is far too expensive to do that! We move things because someone somewhere ordered it. And when we take the rubbish away, it is because someone, somewhere created it.
Rethinking road space Roads and the kerbside perform different functions for different users, depending on location and the time of day. These competing desires and demands are often difficult to reconcile. I have lots of sympathy for transport planners, who have a really tough job balancing many competing demands, with everybody waving their hand saying, ‘Hey, the most important thing you need to do is make space for us!’ In urban environments, in particular, there is a real push to make roads not just about travel, but to create a sense of place as well. But, all too often the focus is around how people move around while logistics is, at best, an afterthought. Ensuring that we get stock delivered and that we take the waste away is hugely important in creating the vibrant and exciting places in which we want live and to spend time. Remember, we cannot have that café culture without the coffee beans! We are starting to see this right now with the schemes to reallocate roadspace in our towns and cities. Active travel schemes, with more walking and cycling, are approaches that need to be encouraged, particularly when use of public transport is being limited due to the need to socially distance. But there is also a need to ensure that our streets and pavements provide space for people to social distance when walking. Many roadspace reallocation schemes have been put through with temporary or experimental orders, and we expect that many schemes will become permanent. Logistics UK absolutely supports the aims behind active travel and roadspace reallocation schemes. From our point of view, if everybody jumped into their cars because they did not want to use public transport, we would have real capacity issues on road that, of course, would affect our ability to service our towns and cities. But we have concerns as well. Many roadspace reallocation schemes will need dramatic changes if they are to become permanent. Some streetscape schemes had to be introduced so
quickly that was difficult to properly plan and consult on them beforehand. What the logistics sector is hoping is that the issues which we raised in conversation with local authorities will lead to changes being made in a dynamic way. Perhaps the biggest challenge the logistics sector faces is gaining access to the kerbside so we can still make deliveries. If we have less capacity on the roads, we need to ensure that we do not see a big increase in journey times. Otherwise there is a risk that we could end up having to put more delivery vehicles out on the roads because we have reduced productivity. If this happens, we will ironically be adding to the congestion problem, which will cost us in other ways, such as poor air quality created by increased vehicle emissions, while more traffic will have a detrimental impact on the look and feel of towns and cities.
Permission to deliver In terms of regulating use, we could consider restricting certain uses of the kerb to certain times a day. But it is important that at certain times we prioritise traffic flow. At busy times of day we should look at how our arterial routes work, making sure we are prioritising traffic flow. Meanwhile, on other roads we can create a sense of place, as we are seeing in parts of cities where they are enabling more outdoor dining for when the hospitality sector starts to reopen. We need to think about how we manage time spent by vehicles at the kerbside. You may want quite a fast turnover at the kerbside when it comes to private cars, but delivery takes time if it is to be done safely. However, sometimes we see restrictions of 20 minutes, which is an extremely challenging window in which make some sorts of deliveries. When it comes to permitting access, I think, rather than saying we do not want vehicles on our roads by adding further restrictions and regulations, we need to consider when and how best to enable and deliveries and servicing activity. This means looking at re-timing of deliveries to see how can we make better use of the shoulders of the day or overnight. Clearly during sensitive hours we need to make sure that deliveries can be done quietly. Besides behaviour change, there is lots fantastic routing and kerbside management technology out there.
Lorries will remain vital to freight movement
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ociety is going to have to really think about transport taxation. The government’s decision to ban the sale of new diesel and petrol vehicles from 2030 means that we see an accelerated shift towards more zero emission vehicles. This means the tax receipts that HM Treasury will receive from fuel duty and Vehicle Excise Duty will decline. In the past there was neither much political will nor public appetite for changing the road tax system, but the world has changed. So the question is, what is the appetite for ideas such as road pricing, which now seem to be viewed differently? One of Logistics UK’s concerns is the potential for us ending up with lots of individual charging schemes, as is the case with the roll-out of Clean Air Zones. Even with a national road user pricing framework in place, there is the potential for a patchwork of schemes and fragmented regulation. Logistics operates across boundaries, we know no boundaries, we will go everywhere, deliver anywhere. From an administration point of view, road user charging has potential to be very problematic. But, in theory, a national scheme could operate dynamically, taking into account the type of road or location, the time of day, the emissions levels of the vehicle, and the economic and social value of the journey. In London, we have had a Congestion Charge for many years. It is a blanket tool, so it applies to logistics vehicles and to private cars. To some extent, it has been successful in reducing congestion. However, at times, the London scheme has faced real challenges presented by huge amounts of demand and the changing types of users on our roads. There is a danger that the if road user charging is simply a tax and revenue raising exercise, it will be a harder sell as people and businesses will not see direct benefits in their everyday lives. What the logistics sector really needs to have in place are alternative
Cargo bikes will carry out many last-mile trips
Putting a price on movement Clean air levies and road user charges are among a growing range of costs that the logistics sector faces, says Natalie Chapman options, such as the ability to re-direct freight to other modes. There is more potential for rail freight, particularly the longer haul routes. In some of our cities, we have wonderful rivers, so we maybe we can make greater use of those. But shifting some freight to the river is always going to be a fairly niche activity, and at some point it will need to be transferred to some kind of road vehicle. There has also been lots of talk about a role for micro-mobility vehicles such as cargo bikes, for example. They all have a role to play, but what we need to understand is that
Delivering the best last-mile solutions Choosing the most appropriate form of delivery is becoming ever more important in urban areas In the future, freight will be delivered using a blend of transport modes – small electric vehicles, cargo bikes and making deliveries on foot make sense of really dense urban environments. Smaller delivery vehicles are especially suitable for places where pavements have been widened and onstreet activities are taking place. There has been interest among Logistics UK members in using ‘micro-mobility’ vehicles for ‘last mile’ deliveries to customer’s doorsteps. We have seen in passenger transport an acceptance that people are going to have to use blends of different modes and different types of transport in the future. It is no longer taking the car and doing every journey by car. This is now going to happen
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Ford and Gnewt have trialled a ‘Warehouse on Wheels’ bikes and van concept in the freight world. It would no longer be just a question of using a 44-tonner to do all freight deliveries. A move to micro-mobility will mean creating local distribution hubs from which vans, cargo bikes and cycles operate. But, to enable this to happen, the logistics sector needs land. Hubs do not need to be
the majority of our cities need thousands of tonnes of goods delivered every day. We need to think how we move of bulk of the items we need by using the largest, sizeappropriate vehicle for the streets we are servicing. The best approach is to deploy fully-laden vehicles, nice and quietly, getting as much to the end user overnight. The re-timing of deliveries is something we need to be looking at. At the moment there are limited opportunities to build new roads, so we also need to think about how we maximise use of the current road network’s capacity. incredibly large sites. For example, local hubs can be set up in car parks. But the big challenge will be safeguarding land because once it is gone, it is gone forever. Also, it needs to be recognised that micro-mobility is a last-mile solution, not suited to bringing in the bulk of stuff we need into towns and cities. What you do not want to be doing, for example, is breaking down fully-laden supermarket delivery lorry, that was going to come in and make one delivery to a store, and replace it will lots of small vehicles. To replacing a medium-sized truck you need 10 vans. In turn, a van has the carrying capacity of about eight to 10 cargo bikes. So if you are looking to ship big payloads, larger vehicles will be the better option, as long as they are appropriate in size for the route and destination. There is no silver bullet, instead, micro-mobility should be regarded as part of a mix of a really good logistics system within our cities.
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Electric vehicles will become commonplace in urban areas There will be some locations that are too sensitive when it comes to re-timing, so there will need to be a bit of a trade-off in order make sure that every location has an equally good loading solution. Logistics UK worked with Transport for London (TfL) on developing a code of practice for re-timing deliveries. There is case for applying the London code across the rest of the country. There is no need to reinvent the wheel. Check the code out on the TfL website.
Building back better
Online was already on an upward trajectory, but that has been very much accelerated by the fact that people cannot get out to the High Street. The fact that many people are working from home, shielding or self-isolating is also driving up online shopping. We also need to be thinking about what the vehicles of the future look like. As we move towards zero emission technologies and to more automation, how will our roads need to adapt? How will our high streets adapt? The answer is that there are going to be some quite exciting things to come in the future.
Besides commercial premises, the growth in online shopping means that we have to look at how we manage deliveries to homes. We need to balance conflicting legislative and regulatory frameworks, such as considering loading parking restrictions alongside planning restrictions and delivery access. As the population grows, so does our demand for goods and servicing. Therefore, when we are building new communities, as well as considering and delivering essential services such as gas, electricity, water, broadband, public transport, schools and hospitals, it is also important to think about the logistics needs for the communities living in these new developments. It is much better if we can design delivery in from the beginning, because many of challenges we are dealing when delivering goods today are the fallout from the fact that logistics was not considered from the outset.
Delivering the future We need to be thinking about logistics as a part of infrastructure. And where we do have the opportunity with new developments, or as part of wholesale changes to our high streets, there are ways in which we can help logistics be even more efficient and lessen the impact on the environment and improve safety. Besides considering the here and now, we need be thinking about what the future looks like. What will be our future buying habits? What are going to be those next big disruptors? We have Amazon. We have Uber. We now have the COVID crisis. There are all sorts of things that can fundamentally change the ways that we do things. What kinds of effect will these changes have on our demand for logistics and on personal travel? What we have seen during lockdown is a hugely accelerated growth in online shopping, and much of that is expected to stick.
Natalie Chapman is head of policy, South, at Logistics UK. She spoke at the ‘Reassessing deliveries in post-COVID world’, a webinar now available on the Landor LINKS YouTube channel. Logistics UK is the new name for the Freight Transport Association (FTA). Its 18,000 members are drawn from the road, rail, sea and air industries, as well as the buyers of freight services such as retailers and manufacturers whose businesses depend on the efficient movement of goods. logistics.org.uk
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very new car and van sold the UK and each replacement boiler installed in homes must be zerocarbon by the early 2030s. These are key milestones set out by the Climate Change Committee (CCC) in its route map for a fully decarbonised nation. In a 1,000-page report, the CCC sets out the path so the UK can meet its goal of being Net Zero goal over the next three decades. The CCC predicts that by 2035, all UK electricity production will be zero-carbon. The committee also predicts that low-carbon industries will grow, producing hydrogen, capturing carbon and creating new woodlands, as well as renovating and decarbonising the UK’s 28 million homes. Initiatives such as these will also provide hundreds of thousands of jobs throughout the UK, the committee predicts. The CCC is an independent nondepartmental public body formed under the Climate Change Act 2008 to advise the United Kingdom and devolved governments and Parliaments on tackling and preparing for climate change. The CCC’s Sixth Carbon Budget (2033-2037) charts the move to zero-carbon for the UK. The report shows that polluting emissions must fall by almost 80% by 2035, compared to 1990 levels. The committee points out that just 18 months ago this was the UK’s 2050 goal. To deliver this change, the CCC says a major investment programme across the country must be delivered, in large measure by the private sector. That investment will also be the key to the UK’s economic recovery in the next decade. The committee says the targets proposed for the UK’s “carbon budget” period of 20332035 are achievable as the government moves urgently: “The message to the government is clear: the 2020s must be the decisive decade of progress and action on climate change.” The advisory body says the shift to electric vehicles will prove cheaper than sticking with petrol cars because the former is about three times more efficient. That means the government may need to claw back tax income by imposing pay-as-you-drive schemes. However, the committee warns that ministers will need to shield the poorest in society. It will cost, for instance, an average of £10,000 to insulate a home and install low-carbon heating such as heat pumps. The report says the government must find £3-4bn a year to support households make the transition. The committee says the move to cleaner fuels means people will experience real savings as the nation uses fewer resources and adopts cleaner, more-efficient technologies, like electric cars, to replace fossil-fuelled vehicles and heating systems. The CCC finds that these savings substantially reduce the cost of Net Zero compared with previous assessments: now down to less than 1% of GDP throughout the next 30 years. The savings are driven by the falling cost of offshore wind and a range of new low-cost, low-carbon solutions in every sector. The CCC is chaired by Lord Deben, the former Conservative Environment Secretary John Gummer, who said: “The Sixth Carbon
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Phase-out dates of high-carbon activities under the Balanced Pathway Technology/behaviour
Phase-out date (new sales)
Backstop date (operation)
New fossil-fuelled cars and vans
2032 (including plug-in hybrids)
2050
Gas boilers
2033 (in residential homes) 2030-33 (in commercial properties)
2050
Oil boilers
2028 (in residential homes) 2025-26 (in commercial properties)
2050
Gas power generation (unabated)
2030 (no new build of unabated gas plants from this date)
2035
HGVs
2040 (<1% of sales by 2040)
Beyond 2050
Biodegradable waste sent to landfill
Not applicable
2025 ban on all municipal & non-municipal biodegradable waste going to landfill
Unabated energy-from-waste plants
From today, new plants and extensions should be built with CCS or CCS ready
2050
The road to Net Zero Climate Change Committee predicts the transition to electric vehicles will be vital to fuelling a greener economy Budget is a clear message to the world that the UK is open for low-carbon business. It’s ambitious, realistic and affordable. This is the right carbon budget for the UK at the right time. We deliver our recommendations to government with genuine enthusiasm, knowing that Britain’s decisive zero-carbon transition brings real benefits to our people and our businesses while making the fundamental changes necessary to protect our planet. As we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Sixth Carbon Budget is a chance to jump-start the UK’s economic recovery. Anything less would shut us out of new economic opportunities. It would also undermine our role as president of the next UN climate talks.” Under the UK Climate Change Act, the UK must reach Net Zero Greenhouse Gas emissions by 2050. The Act also requires the
UK government to set a new Carbon Budget every five years, following the advice of the Climate Change Committee. The Sixth Carbon Budget must be legislated by June 2021. In November 2020, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson set out a 10-point plan for a green industrial strategy that will create and support up to 250,000 British jobs. Covering clean energy, transport, nature and innovative technologies, the Prime Minister’s blueprint was presented as a means of eliminated the UK’s contribution to climate change by 2050. The CCC is also advising Welsh ministers on Welsh emissions targets in the 2030s and has written to the Scottish Government and Northern Ireland Executive to provide further advice on setting and meeting climate targets. Together, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland cover a fifth of UK emissions. www.theccc.org.uk
Steps toward a cleaner and greener economy The CCC says its carbon budget can be met through four key steps: 1. Take up of low-carbon solutions: People and businesses will choose to adopt low-carbon solutions, as high carbon options are progressively phased out. By the early 2030s all new cars and vans and all boiler replacements in homes and other buildings are low-carbon – largely electric. By 2040 all new trucks are low-carbon. UK industry shifts to using renewable electricity or hydrogen instead of fossil fuels, or captures its carbon emissions, storing them safely under the sea. 2. Expansion of low-carbon energy supplies: UK electricity production is zero-carbon by 2035. Offshore wind becomes the backbone of the whole UK energy system, growing from the Prime Minister’s promised 40GW in 2030 to 100GW or more by 2050. New uses for this clean electricity are found in transport, heating and industry, pushing up electricity demand by a half over the next 15 years, and doubling or even trebling demand by 2050. Low-carbon hydrogen scales-up to be almost as large in 2050 as electricity production is today. Hydrogen is used as a shipping and transport fuel and in industry, and potentially in some buildings, as a replacement for natural gas for heating. 3. Reducing demand for carbon-intensive activities: The UK wastes fewer resources and reduces its reliance on high-carbon goods. Buildings lose less energy through a national programme to improve insulation across the UK. Diets change, reducing our consumption of high-carbon meat and dairy products by 20% by 2030, with further reductions in later years. There are fewer car miles travelled and demand for flights grows more slowly. These changes bring striking positive benefits for health and wellbeing. 4. Land and greenhouse gas removals: There is a transformation in agriculture and the use of farmland while maintaining the same levels of food per head produced today. By 2035, 460,000 hectares of new mixed woodland are planted to remove CO2 and deliver wider environmental benefits. 260,000 hectares of farmland shifts to producing energy crops. Woodland rises from 13% of UK land today to 15% by 2035 and 18% by 2050. Peatlands are widely restored and managed sustainably.
SOURCE: CLIMATE CHANGE COMMITTEE
ELECTRIC VEHICLES
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ELECTRIC VEHICLES
London has 6,000 public EV chargers Mayor and TfL have expanded city’s rapid charging capability London now has almost 6,000 charging points for electric vehicles following the recent installation of a tranche of 300 rapid charging points by the Mayor and Transport for London (TfL). London is currently leading the UK in electric vehicle infrastructure – with a quarter of all the country’s chargepoints located in the capital. It has more than 500 rapid chargepoints and over 5,500 residential chargepoints. Working with BP Pulse and ESB Energy as charging point operators, TfL met its target to install 300 rapid charging points by the end of December 2020, despite works being paused from April to June 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The project includes the first rapid charging hub in London at Stratford International car park with six charging points. Two further hubs are planned at Baynard House in the City of London, which will have six rapid chargepoints, and at Glass Yard in Greenwich, which will have eight rapid chargepoints. Rapid chargers are mostly used by commercial users such as taxi, delivery and courier drivers and are designed to be used for around 30 minutes for a quick charge. Some rapid points are dedicated exclusively for the almost 4,000 electric taxis operating in the capital London boroughs have also delivered more than 2,000 on-
Rapid charging hub at Stratford International street residential chargepoints, through the Go Ultra Low City Scheme, with more than 3,000 forecast to be delivered by spring this year. Both projects, as well as a grant scheme to help taxi drivers switch to electric vehicles, are funded by the government’s Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV). The EV strategy supports Mayor’s overarching goal to achieve a zero pollution and zero carbon city by 2030. Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said: “It’s essential we help more people move away from petrol and diesel cars to tackle the twin dangers of air pollution and the climate emergency. I’m delighted that 300 more electric vehicle rapid charging points have been installed by TfL, increasing London’s total electric charging points to almost 6,000. This success is testament to our partners in the private sector who have stepped up and shown real ambition to help London lead the electric vehicle revolution.
“However, there is much more to do, so we need to go even further and even faster, which is why in October I am expanding the Ultra Low Emission Zone up to the North and South Circular roads. This year the UK is hosting COP26, the climate conference, and it’s more important than ever that the public and private sector work together to speed up the transition to zero emission vehicles.” The Mayor’s Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Delivery Plan estimates that by 2025, London may need up to 4,000 rapid charging points and up to 48,000 residential chargers as more and more people and businesses move to electric vehicles. London’s EV Infrastructure Delivery Plan was published in June 2019 and follows the Mayor’s establishment of the world’s first Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Taskforce, bringing together representatives from business, energy, infrastructure, government and the London
Government promotes £20m chargepoints fund Local authorities are being urged to take advantage of a £20m cash injection to boost the number of on-street electric vehicle chargepoints in towns and cities across the UK. In a letter to councils on 2 February across Britain, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps announced that funding for the On-Street Residential Chargepoint Scheme (ORCS) would continue into 2021-22, allowing residents without private parking to reliably charge their vehicle. The government is working in partnership with the Energy Saving Trust. Since its inception in 2017, more than 140 local authority projects have benefitted from the scheme, which has supported applications for nearly 4,000 chargepoints. Shapps said the Department for
Transport would welcome applications from councils which are yet to apply for funding, as well as those that have already benefitted. The Transport Secretary said: “From Cumbria to Cornwall, drivers across the country should benefit from the electric vehicle revolution we’re seeing right now. With a world-leading charging network, we’re making it easier for more people to switch to electric vehicles, creating healthier neighbourhoods and cleaning up our air as we build back greener. “The UK is already a global frontrunner in the shift to electric vehicles. The Prime Minister’s 10-Point Plan set out that we will accelerate the transition to electric vehicles, ending the sale of new petrol and diesel cars and vans by 2030, which could create
boroughs. More than 140 organisations contributed to its work. The Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Taskforce was recently reconvened to discuss how to tackle challenges to delivering chargepoints City Hall is currently working with TfL, the Department for Transport, London Councils and boroughs to agree a plan for future installations. This includes reviewing available public land for installing EV chargepoints, and reviewing TfL’s own EV procurement strategy . Alex Williams, TfL’s director of city planning, said: “Rapid charging points will play a key part in decarbonising transport and the shift to cleaner vehicles. To help drivers make the switch from older, more polluting vehicles to electric, they need the confidence that plugging in will be convenient and hassle free.” A recent report by the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) said that London came out top of the league of European cities on electric vehicle policies. Rachel Muncrief, ICCT deputy director, said: “London’s comprehensive electric vehicle support policies – from the ULEZ and planned Zero Emission Zones to electrifying its black cabs and the innovative Go Ultra Low City Schemes – have made it an example for cities across Europe and the world. This milestone shows that London is committed to overcoming the charging infrastructure challenge and unlocking a broad transition to EVs, bringing major benefits for air quality and the climate.”
40,000 extra jobs by 2030, and transforming our national infrastructure to better support electric vehicles, backed by a total of £2.8bn and supporting around 169,000 jobs. Of this funding, £1.3bn is set to be invested in charging infrastructure over the next four years.” Nick Harvey, the trust’s senior programme manager said: “The confirmation of £20m of funding for the ORCS in 2021/22 is great news. This funding will allow local authorities to install convenient and cost-effective electric vehicle charging infrastructure for those who rely on on-street parking. “This helps to support the fair transition to the increased adoption of low carbon transport. We’re therefore encouraging local authorities to access this funding as part of their plans to decarbonise transport and improve local air quality.”
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PARKING TECHNOLOGY
Rail travellers can park now, pay later... RingGo phone service links with Sagoss ANPR at SWR rail stations Enforcement cameras at South Western Railway (SWR) station car parks have been linked to a phone parking system to offer drivers a more seamless payment experience. On 5 January cashless parking provider RingGo launched PARK NOW PayLater at 59 stations across the SWR network. South Western operates commuter services from London Waterloo to south-west London, Surrey, Hampshire and Dorset, and regional services in Devon, Somerset, Berkshire and Wiltshire. The cashless parking system is designed to reduce the stress that comes with parking in timesensitive situations, such as when travelling by rail, by giving motorists extra time to pay for their parking. PARK NOW PayLater allows drivers to either start a session as they park or, if they are in the rush, to pay in arrears after have they parked and are on-board a train. Cars parked at many SWR stations can now be tracked using automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras provided Sagoss. The cameras automatically identify the time at which a vehicle enters or exits a car park. Drivers who have downloaded the RingGo app choose the correct SWR location, see the time they entered the car park has been logged and then pay for
The PARK NOW PayLater option
Sunderland offers cashless parking option Sunderland City Council is now offering the RingGo cashless phone service as an alternative to paying for parking at machines. The cashless service will be promoted through ‘how to register’ videos, social media images tailored for each customer and a customised app screen that showcases Sunderland’s pier and lighthouse as the chosen landmark. In addition, RingGo and Sunderland City Council will be promoting the transfer of service via radio, electronic traffic signs and out of home promotions. The council said motorists could reduce exposure to COVID-19 by using their phone to park. Cllr Paul
Stewart, deputy leader at Sunderland City Council, said: “We are pleased to be moving to a phone parking solution, especially during these times when many motorists are wary of touching machines due to COVID-19. “In this day and age, cashless parking plays a vital part in supporting the safety and security of both residents and visitors, so this transfer to RingGo could not have come at a better time.” RingGo said it had a record year in 2020, with a dozen councils switching from an alternative solution to RingGo. Peter O’Driscoll, managing director of RingGo said: “The launch with Sunderland City
40 | FEBRUARY 2021 | PARKING REVIEW
A bagged P&D machine Council speaks volumes of our work and commitment to making parking simpler and safer for drivers.
their parking whilst on the go. RingGo has worked with several parking operators to connect ANPR systems to its payment functions. In December 2020, Ashford Borough Council launched a RingGo Sagoss ANPR-enabled barrier parking solution. RingGo delivered the integrated solution in just four working days, enabling the council to provide a seamless barriered parking payment experience for drivers. ANPR systems can also be integrated with RingGo’s virtual permit system. Last year RingGo assisted in the launch of a Low Traffic Neighbourhood (LTN) scheme by the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham. The LTN uses paperless parking permits issued via RingGo and ANPR cameras to enforce reduced traffic in the local area. RingGo has also assisted in the roll-out of ANPR solutions across the London Borough of Merton, where the cameras are being used in zones around schools to help alleviate congestion issues. Peter O’Driscoll, managing director of RingGo, said: “RingGo is always looking for ways to make parking easier for drivers and local authorities. Leveraging ANPR systems for parking solutions helps make journeys more convenient for drivers and more manageable for local authorities. We’re hoping 2021 will be a year where we can expand our ANPR solutions and help councils to become more streamlined and technologically-enabled.” “Throughout the pandemic, RingGo has been working directly with local authorities and parking operators to ensure they can safely support the needs of motorists and employees. Having successfully delivered 12 transitions throughout 2020, this launch definitely sets us up in a strong position to take on 2021.” The 12 transitions of service in 2020 from alternative solutions to RingGo included Dartford, Buckinghamshire, Ashford, the London Borough of Havering, Salford, Bradford, Devon County, Exeter, Windsor, Teignbridge, Leeds and Winchester. RingGo is part of the PARK NOW Group, jointly owned by BMW Group and Daimler AG.
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PARKING TECHNOLOGY
Cameras enforce Low Traffic Neighbourhood Videalert ANPR system used by Hammersmith & Fulham council The London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham has installed CCTV enforcement cameras to cover temporary vehicle restriction zones designed to stop non-residents rat-running through streets in SW6. The Videalert cameras are covering streets including Harwood Terrace, Imperial Road and Bagley’s Lane. The scheme followed a sixmonth trial closure of Harwood Terrace, which was aimed to reduce the 92% of traffic in the area that came from people who live outside the borough. Nine Videalert cameras were installed as part of the Harwood Terrace scheme and were switched on in mid-July following the installation of relevant signage by the council. The Videalert cameras use the ANPR (automatic number plate recognition) technology to capture the number plates of motorists
LTN gateway signage who enter these roads with fines issued to those that do not hold a valid residents’ parking permit. The council anticipates that the LTN scheme will significantly reduce the through-traffic east of Wandsworth Bridge Road, including through Harwood Terrace, and improve bus journey times at the Bagley’s Lane
Cameras to enforce Birmingham CAZ Siemens Mobility has completed the installation of all 67 monitoring and enforcement cameras for Birmingham City Council’s new Clean Air Zone (CAZ), which is scheduled to go live on 1 June . The CAZ scheme has been designed to deter the most polluting vehicles from entering the zone. Covering all Class D vehicles, which includes buses, coaches, taxis, private hire vehicles, light and heavy goods vehicles and cars, albeit with certain exemptions. The system will cover all the major routes within the Middleway Ring Road (but not the ring road itself). The Sicore II automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras will be installed across the city centre. The cameras will identify and register every vehicle that enters the CAZ on 24/7 basis. It is anticipated the system will capture details of around 200,000 vehicles per day, with only a small percentage expected to be in contraventions. Cllr Waseem Zaffar, cabinet member for transport and environment, said: “Poor air quality remains a public health risk and a CAZ provides the city with an effective tool for tackling this issue in the shortest possible time. The
work that Siemens Mobility has done plays a huge part in the preparation for Birmingham’s Clean Air Zone. I would urge drivers who come into the city to ensure they are aware of all of the changes and the support on offer by visiting the Brum Breathes website.” In December 2020, Siemens Mobility handed over the minimum viable product (MVP) version of the system to the council. The MVP version is the Beta version of the final CAZ solution that enables the council to carry out testing. Wilke Reints, managing director of intelligent traffic systems for Siemens Mobility, said: “Although air quality in our towns and cities improved dramatically during the first national lockdown, since restrictions began to ease in May we have seen a steady increase in the number of vehicles on the roads and a corresponding reduction in air quality levels. Most cities are now reporting air quality levels at least comparable to, if not worse than, pre-lockdown levels. As a result, local authorities such as Birmingham are forging ahead with CAZ plans to drive improvements in local air quality and deliver environmental and health benefits.”
junction. Traffic previously able to cut through to New Kings Road will also be eliminated helping to reduce noise, air pollution and vehicle emissions in line with the council’s climate emergency strategy. The council is also introducing full width speed humps and planters at the width restrictions
to reinforce traffic calming and improve the visual feel of Harwood Terrace. The data is transmitted to a Department for Transport Manufacturer Certified hosted platform that integrates with the council’s permit systems to ensure that resident and key ‘permitted vehicles’ can pass through control points and move around the area without obstacle. Videalert’s hosted platform maintains an ‘exempt list’ of permitted vehicles that includes buses, taxis, emergency services, refuse trucks and council service vehicles. The high-definition ANPR cameras automatically capture the number plates of vehicles committing an offence. This data is transmitted to the Videalert platform where evidence packs are automatically compiled for review through a secure online portal prior to penalty charge notices (PCNs) being issued. Videalert is part of the Marston Holdings transportation and enforcement services group.
Siemens launches DC charger Siemens Smart Infrastructure has launched its first fast charger designed for use by the general public. The Sicharge D has been developed for use on the highway, at urban fast charging stations and in public car parks. Siemens claims the Sicharge D offers a constant efficiency of above 95.5% and a peak efficiency of 96%, ensuring that almost all of the generated electricity reaches the car to be charged. While the charging capacities of most current electric vehicles are still limited, they will be able to accept higher charging power in the
future, which will require higher voltage ranges. The Sicharge D has a scalable charging power up to 300kW, either from the start or through plug-and-play upgrades. The charger already supports voltages between 150 and 1,000 volts (V) and currents of up to 1,000 amperes (A) across all DC outlets. This means the unit can service 800V vehicles as well as the lower voltage charging rates demanded by today’s mainstream vehicles. The standard configuration has two DC outlets and one AC outlet housed in a compact design.
A Sicharge D station
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PARKING STRUCTURES
NORTHERN
Station car park doubles as flood defence Mytholmroyd’s new surface car park will protect local area A car park built by Northern as part of the rail operator’s programme of modernisation will double as a defence to help prevent local flooding. The West Yorkshire village of Mytholmroyd has been hardhit by flooding in the past five years. It is hoped the new car park at the town’s station will help protect the area. The £3.9m engineering project includes a system designed to capture storm water running down the nearby Calder Valley in a tank that can hold approximately 431,000 litres. The water is then released from the storage tank at a controlled rate, which means surface water run-off will be slowed down before flowing into the River Calder to help to reduce the risk of flooding. As well as bolstering the village’s flood defences, the car park will provide 181 spaces for Northern customers, including nine accessible bays and nine wide access bays. Tony Baxter, regional director at Northern said: “The new car park will deliver significant improvements for our customers using Mytholmroyd station, and we’re proud to have also been able to play a part in preventing future flooding in the area.
Mytholmroyd car park “This project is a real testament to partnership work, and we are delighted that the community is now better protected. We know this will bring muchneeded reassurance to local residents and businesses who are sadly familiar with the devastating impact of flooding.” More than 3,200 tonnes of waste material were removed from the site to complete the project, while 11,200 tonnes of new material were used in the construction of the car park, which opened on 1 February. The project is part of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s
Rail Park & Ride Programme, which has been designed to increase station parking and provide people with increased access to train services. Funded through the West Yorkshire-plus Transport Fund, the park & ride scheme could help reduce congestion, improve local air quality and enhance people’s access to jobs, training and apprenticeship opportunities, as well as leisure activities. Cllr Tim Swift, deputy chair of West Yorkshire Combined Authority and Leader of Calderdale Council said: “This facility will both help more peo-
Train company Northern’s ongoing work to transform rail travel in the North has seen £650,000 worth of improvements made at car parks across its network. The rail operator has laid more than 12,035m2 of asphalt as part of Northern’s ‘A Better Way to Go’ campaign. The £650,000 parking project was funded by Network Rail. Station car parks have been given a facelift at: Windermere; Hyde North; Reddish North; Newton for Hyde; Disley; Dent; Styal, Castleton; Grange-over-Sands; and Meadowhall Northern has also re-lined the car parks to create safe walking routes and 353 parking spaces, including accessible bays. Mark Powles, customer and commercial director at Northern, said: “Our priority is always to make sure stations are safe, accessible and welcoming places for our customers. We are transforming our network to give customers better journeys and the improvements at our car parks will ensure those journeys begin and end in a
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NORTHERN
Northern invests £650,000 in car parks
Dent’s car park more pleasant environment. “We’ve made great strides with enhancements, large and small, across our entire network and car parks are just one part of it. Our new ‘A Better Way to Go’ campaign demonstrates the hard work that has taken place as we continue to transform rail travel in the north and I’d like
ple to travel by public transport and provide additional flood protection to the people and businesses of Mytholmroyd who have suffered greatly in the past. “The scheme has seen the creation of further car park spaces, providing further accessibility to the rail network. This is also the first of the park & ride car parks funded by the combined authority to include provisions for future electric charging bays, which further supports our drive to tackle the region’s climate emergency and create a greener, cleaner place for our communities to work and live.”
to thank everyone who has been involved in making such a positive impact for the north.” Matt Rice, route director for Network Rail’s North and East route, said: “For many passengers, the station car park is the beginning of their rail experience. The improvements will make these gateways to the railway much more welcoming, and we’re delighted to have worked alongside our partners at Northern to deliver these upgrades.” The Better Way to Go campaign, which will deliver improvements at stations, on trains and online, will include: • a mobility scooter policy • roll-out of more bodycam units for station staff • improved CCTV • car park refurbishments • platform extensions. Northern has launched an online tool to allow people to find out about improvements made at their local station. www.northernrailway.co.uk/better
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PARKING STRUCTURES
GREATER ANGLIA
A new lease of life for Attleborough station Greater Anglia triples parking as part of restoration works Parking at a historic Norfolk rail station is being expanded by train operator Greater Anglia. Attleborough station will see its parking capacity triple under a £500,000 project that will create 86 spaces including five accessible parking spaces. The expanded car park will feature new LED lighting and CCTV. There will also be designated parking for five motorcycles, 20 cycles and provision for four electric car charging bays when required in the future. The scheme was originally expected to be completed by the end of last year, but work paused in the autumn awaiting the outcome of a planning amendment. In the meantime, Greater Anglia is proceeding with the removal of the two ancillary buildings, as well as some tree stumps and vegetation and the excavation of the new car park area and wall boundary. The company hopes that the project will be completed by
Attleborough station the summer. The work will be phased to keep as many parking spaces as possible available for key workers and people making essential journeys by train. Greater Anglia also hopes to attract a new tenant for the restored station building. Simone Bailey, Greater Anglia’s asset management director, said: “We’re very pleased to be almost tripling the number of parking spaces at Attleborough from 30 to 86
so that, once we start to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, we will have the capacity to encourage more sustainable journeys to the area, helping to reduce the pollution and congestion caused by cars. “We support green transport initiatives across our region, which is why we’re creating additional cycle parking spaces and the provision for four electric car parking spaces.” Attleborough is well-placed
to enable people travel to either Cambridge or Norwich. Rail passengers can now also travel from Attleborough to Stansted Airport without the need to change trains, making it a more attractive option for air passengers. Last year, Greater Anglia restored the station building following a grant from the Railway Heritage Trust. The station house was previously used as a veterinary practice, but fell into disrepair and it was eventually deemed unsafe because of roof leaks that threatened to bring down the ceilings. In 2013, the building had to be closed. Greater Anglia began renovating the building in 2018, with the help of a £110,000 grant from the Railway Heritage Trust. The train operator also invested £177,000 on the scheme. The work saw the interior of the building stripped back, UPVC windows replaced with timber sash windows, new doors fitted, redecoration in the building’s original heritage colours and extensive repairs to the roofs to restore the building to its former glory.
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PARKING STRUCTURES
Walkden station to become a park & ride Transport for Greater Manchester expands parking across network Parking at a rail station in the Greater Manchester area will be expanded in a bid to make park & ride a more attractive option. Walkden is one of the principal stations that lie on the Manchester to Southport line. A proposal by Transport for Greater Manchester to provide the station with 100 extra parking spaces, four motorcycle bays and cycle storage was approved by Salford City Council on 28 January. Located off Chestnut Avenue, a short walk from the station, the new car park will also provide electric vehicle charging points. It will feature security lighting and CCTV, landscaping and boundary fencing. Work is set to start over the summer. The car park is designed to meet a need to encourage public transport use and provide an alternative to the car identified in the Greater Manchester Mayor’s Congestion Deal. Cllr Mark Aldred, chair of the Greater Manchester transport
committee, said: “Making public transport more accessible and appealing is vital if we’re serious about reducing congestion on our roads, which is why park & ride schemes like this one are so important. “By getting people out of their vehicles and onto public transport – even if it’s only for part of their journey – we can help alleviate traffic congestion and reduce harmful emissions that are damaging the quality of our air. “Over the next 12 months, thanks to this scheme, the recently opened park and ride site on the Trafford Park Line and extensions to Radcliffe and Whitefield that are due to get
underway in the summer, we’ll have delivered more than 700 extra park & ride spaces to key transport hubs.” Salford City Mayor Paul Dennett said: “It is great news for local people that the park & ride scheme in Walkden has taken a significant step forward with the approval of planning permission. This is a project that myself and local ward members have long campaigned for and we are so pleased it is continuing to move forwards. “The car park will reduce onstreet parking in the local neighbourhood, which will be a great relief to local residents. It will also help to support extra rail users and improve accessibility
Two new Scottish stations planned Network Rail has submitted planning applications for two new railway stations in Scotland. An application has been submitted to Scottish Borders Council’s planning team for a new station at Reston. Network Rail proposes building a two-platform station served by initially 70 car parking spaces with sufficient land purchased for a further 40 bays. There will also be a new access road, fully accessible lifts and a platform connecting footbridge. A planning application has also been presented to East Lothian Council for a new railway station in East Linton. The proposal is for a two-platform station that can accommodate six carriage trains, with step-free access via a footbridge with lifts and parking for 126 cars. Alex Hynes, managing director of Scotland’s Railway, said: “We are working hard to improve rail links for communities across Scotland and these stations will help open up opportunities for new passengers on our network.”
Halifax station plans unveiled Calderdale Council is working with the West Yorkshire Combined Authority to transform Halifax rail station. The station design proposals, developed in partnership with contractor Mott MacDonald, include: • a new two-storey station building • improved drop-off facilities, car parking and taxi pick-up areas • a new footbridge to improve access to the station • improved customer waiting and refreshment areas • walking and cycling facilities and
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a new foot and cycle link connecting the station to the eastern side of the railway and the Hebble Trail • links to the A629 Phase 2 project, which includes the regeneration of the area between station and The Piece Hall – better connecting the station to the rest of Halifax town centre • the preservation and incorporation of the station’s heritage features. Halifax is the sixth busiest station in West Yorkshire. Before the
to local destinations including the RHS Bridgewater when it officially opens.” The scheme is the latest in a series of planned park & ride expansions across the region. Development of park & ride is seen as a way of helping deliver Greater Manchester’s Our Network vision of an integrated public transport system. A 360-space park & ride site was completed at Parkway on the Trafford Park Line in November 2020. Plans to increase Metrolink park & ride provision at Radcliffe and Whitefield by 234 spaces were approved by Bury Council’s Planning Committee in November 2020. A separate planning application, to provide 250 temporary park & ride spaces on land to the rear of Spring Lane School, has also been submitted to the planning committee and will be considered at a future meeting. Should permission be granted, a temporary car park will be built before the closure of either site to minimise disruption. Further park & ride projects across the region are currently being considered. pandemic, it served more than 1.9 million rail journeys each year. However, the current station has limited facilities and poor accessibility. More than £30m from the Combined Authority’s West Yorkshire Plus Transport Fund and the Transforming Cities Fund is to be invested into a new station. The public was invited to comment on the designs between 18 January and 14 February. Cllr Jane Scullion, Calderdale Council’s cabinet member for regeneration and strategy, said: “Having a modern, fit-for-purpose train station is important for business, jobs and tourism. It will play a key role in our recovery from COVID-19 and the wider regeneration of Calderdale. The plans for the station include an impressive mix of new and heritage features.” Cllr Kim Groves, chair of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority Transport Committee, said: “We are pleased to be working with Calderdale Council on this important scheme, which will enable more people to travel by train, bike and on foot, while transforming the gateway to Halifax.”
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