Parking Review Issue 358

Parking

The ICE Age is over, let ’s evolve

The days of the internal combustion engine (ICE) being the powertrain for road vehicles are numbered. The ‘ICE Age’ is over, welcome to the ‘EV Era’. Car manufacturers and governments around the world are making a commitment to the electrification of the vehicle fleet over the next decade. For example, it is UK government policy that sales of ICE cars will come to an end in 2030. The transition from ICE to electric vehicles and other zero-emission vehicle types, such as hydrogen, is picking up speed, with car manufacturers now offering drivers a growing range of hybrid and pure-electric models in their showrooms.

As the population of zero-emission vehicles grows, there will be need to dramatically increase the infrastructure required to fuel them in a variety of settings: at home; at the workplace; on the kerbside; in public car parks; and on the motorway network. People and organisations planning, building and managing parking facilities will be key players in the implementation and provision of EV charging infrastructure. The need to integrate energy utilities into parking areas and to connect with chargepoint networks requires parking professionals to expand their already wide-ranging skillsets.

The transition to zero-emission vehicles is creating a need for parking professionals to obtain new knowledge and share intelligence on policy, business and technology trends. To meet this need, Parking Review magazine has been devoting space to EV charging. Over the past year so, this coverage has been appearing on a new website called www.EVolutionMagazine.co.uk

Now, in this issue of Parking Review, you will find the first print edition of the EVolution magazine. There is a growing range of magazines and websites covering EVs, but they tend to focus on the vehicles. What makes EVolution different is that it is the first journal truly dedicated to covering the emerging business of developing the infrastructure needed to support the transition to zero-emission vehicles. Over the coming year, further editions of EVolution magazine will be distributed with Parking Review and at key events such as our upcoming Mobility Hubs 2022 conference, which is being held in London on 25 May. So now you can stay up-to-date with the latest developments in print, online and in person. Everything is connected.

Mark Moran Editor

Prepare for moving traffic powers

A sense of place

The

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Oxford maps a way ahead

The councils believe that by changing the way people travel in and around Oxford, the schemes will support the two councils’ ambitions for a zero-carbon transport system as well as help to reduce air pollution and create healthy communities, whilst also making travelling around the historic city safer and quicker.

Oxford is a historic city that is proving willing to adopt innovative, even radical transport policy measures in order to reduce traffic congestion, improve air quality and promote active travel. The city has long been in the vanguard of using park & ride services to encourage motorists to swap the car for public transport. Now, one of Oxford’s park & ride sites, Redbridge, is being transformed into the Energy Superhub Oxford, a ground-breaking project that will offer an array of electric vehicle charging. And the city has just launched a trial clean air scheme called the Zero Emission Zone (ZEZ) which makes drivers of the most polluting vehicles pay more to enter the city centre. And there is more to come.

Plans to introduce a city-wide workplace parking levy, six new traffic filters and a wider city centre ZEZ were announced by Oxfordshire County and Oxford City Councils in February. These traffic management and restraint measures will be complemented by improved public transport and cycle routes. The plans aim to reduce traffic levels across the city and encourage more people who live and work in and visit Oxford to walk, cycle and use public transport.

Over the coming months, the county and city councils will engage with businesses, service providers, hospitals, transport providers, schools and town and parish councils to gather suggestions and feedback on the proposed schemes. Consultations on the proposals will take place in late summer 2022, with the schemes set to be implemented between 2023 and 2024.

Transport emissions currently account for 17% of greenhouse gas emissions in Oxford. In order to achieve a zero-carbon transport network in the city by 2040, a 30% reduction in the use of vehicular transport through increases in cycling, walking, home-working, car sharing and car clubbing is needed.

Cllr Duncan Enright, Oxfordshire County Council’s cabinet member for travel and development strategy, said: “The climate emergency and inequalities across the county and city mean Oxford needs a more sustainable and reliable transport system for everyone. We want to make walking, cycling and using public transport the first choice for people. The new plans will not only help us move towards a progressive transport network in the city, but they will also improve the quality of all our lives.

“Oxford has always been a leader in innovation and these new plans will help us move towards a zero-carbon transport system in the city, while making Oxford a safer, cleaner and better place

A range of innovative schemes aim to cut air pollution and encourage modal shift in Oxford, reports Mark Moran

Controlling the car in Oxford

Three key arms of plans for transport in Oxford include:

• Workplace parking levy: Oxfordshire County Council and Oxford City Council are proposing to extend the workplace parking levy (WPL) to cover employers across the city. By law, money raised by the levy must be spent on improving transport in the city.

• Traffic filters: Six traffic filters are proposed on certain roads to reduce traffic congestion, improve bus journey times and create safer routes for cyclists and pedestrians.

• Zero Emission Zone (ZEZ): The councils propose to extend the ZEZ from the current pilot area to cover the entire city centre.

for people who live and work here and for those who visit. While the county council is leading the development of these plans together with the city council, we also intend to work with key partners such as our businesses, universities and bus operators.”

These are sentiments shared by Cllr Tom Hayes, deputy leader and cabinet member for green transport and Zero Carbon Oxford, Oxford City Council. “Gridlocked traffic is bad for everyone,” he said. “It is bad for residents, bad for the economy, and bad for the environment. Our air must be cleaner to protect our health. Our energy must be cleaner to protect our futures. As well as tackling air pollution and our climate crisis, everyone must be able to move swiftly and simply from A to B. Citizens have lives to lead and they want to enjoy the best possible health and transportation, and to look to the future with hope. That’s why we’re expanding the planned workplace parking levy across the city and the zero emission zone to the whole city centre, as the city council has long called for. In closer partnership, both councils are throwing our weight behind our critically important bus network. We must back Oxford’s buses to recover from the pandemic and move around the city without significant delays, and that must take place immediately and, with these plans, over the medium-term.

“Everyone in the city struggles with the same congestion choking their roads, worries about the air they breathe, and looks to our climate future with nervousness. We all want to fix our problems – by proposing these plans, both councils want to speak directly to citizens and organisations over the next few months ahead of further public consultation later this year. We want everyone to have their say.”

Initial engagement on a workplace parking levy and traffic filters took place in 2019. Consultations on temporary city centre bus gates took place in 2020. Since then, the two councils have been working together to enhance these proposals drawing on feedback from over 10,000 residents, businesses and community groups, as well as the continuing climate emergency and the impact of COVID-19 on the way people travel.

Funding for these schemes will come from various sources. The county council is actively applying for grants from the government such as the zero emissions transport cities bid. It is also currently awaiting the outcome of its Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) submission, as well as a bid to the government’s Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA) scheme for funding to support the delivery of more than 150 new electric buses in Oxford. The two councils will be hosting a series of online webinars to introduce these schemes in more detail and answer questions. It is recognised that exemptions and discounts will be appropriate in certain circumstances and the engagement process will inform the approach to these taken by the councils.

Details about how to sign up for these will be provided on the council’s website and social media in the coming months.

The timetable

Activity

Date

Engagement with businesses and stakeholders Spring 2022

Technical work Spring to summer 2022

Public consultation Summer 2022

Cabinet member decision . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Autumn/Winter 2022

Zero Emission Zone is live

Britain’s first Zero Emission Zone (ZEZ) is now live in Oxford. The pilot, which launched on 28 February, will allow Oxfordshire County Council and Oxford City Council to gain useful insights before introducing a larger ZEZ covering most of Oxford city centre next year, subject to further public consultation.

The ZEZ pilot will operate from 7am-7pm, all year around. All petrol and diesel vehicles, including hybrids, will incur a daily charge unless eligible for a discount or exemption. However, zero-emission vehicles, such as electric cars, can enter the pilot area free of charge.

The charge will vary from £2 to £10 per day depending on the emission levels of the vehicle. Automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras have been installed to enforce the zone. A range of exemptions and discounts are available for businesses and residents in the zone. ZEZ charges for driving a polluting vehicle can be paid up to six days in advance, on the day the vehicle is driven in the zone, and up to six days after the vehicle has been driven inside the zone.

Funds raised by the ZEZ will be used to cover implementation and running costs of the scheme. Any remaining funds will be used to help residents and businesses make the transition to zero-emission vehicles as well as other schemes that promote zero and lowemission transport in the city.

Transport emissions currently account for 17% of greenhouse gas emissions in Oxford. Over the past few years, air pollution levels in the city have plateaued following a period of significant improvements in air quality, due in part to the introduction of a low-emission zone for buses in 2014 and government funding to install cleaner bus engines. The ZEZ pilot and its expansion into a larger area offers the opportunity to ensure a further reduction in air pollution levels.

Cllr Duncan Enright, Oxfordshire County Council’s cabinet member for travel and development strategy, said: “The ZEZ pilot is a very important step towards our aim of moving towards a zerocarbon transport system in the county. I want to thank all the residents and businesses who sent us their feedback and worked with us as we developed the pilot. Over the next year we will learn from this pilot and continue working with our communities before expanding the ZEZ. Poor air quality is a public health risk for everyone. The ZEZ will reduce toxic air pollution in our city while making Oxford a safer, cleaner and better place for people who live and work here and for those who visit.”

Cllr Tom Hayes, Oxford City Council’s deputy leader and cabinet member for green transport and Zero Carbon Oxford, said: “The start of the Zero Emission Zone pilot is a landmark event for the city of Oxford and our journey to tackle toxic air pollution and reduce our carbon emissions. For five years the city council and I have been engaging with businesses and citizens to develop the ZEZ, and I want to thank everyone for sharing their passion for cleaner air and knowledge about how to pragmatically achieve it. We will be using the learnings from this pilot to inform the expansion of the zone to the wider city centre in 2023.”

The streets included in the ZEZ pilot are: New Road, between Bonn Square and its junction with Castle Street; Bonn Square; Queen Street; Cornmarket Street; New Inn Hall Street; Shoe Lane; Market Street, from Cornmarket junction east for 40 metres; Ship Street; and St Michael’s Street.

Petrol and diesel vehicles pay up to £10 a day, but zero-emission vehicles have free access

ULEZ to be expanded across London

The Mayor of London is planning to expand the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) across the whole city in 2023.

However, Sadiq Khan believes that the long-term and fairest solution to the challenges of pollution, carbon emissions and congestion will ultimately be smart road user charging. The mayor suggests this would enable all existing road user charges, such as the Congestion Charge and ULEZ, to be scrapped and replaced with a simpler scheme that charges motorists on a per mile basis.

Smart road user charging could allow for different rates to be charged depending on how polluting vehicles are, the level of congestion in the area and access to public transport.

Khan has asked Transport for London (TfL) to start exploring how the smart road user charging concept could be developed. However, TfL is still many years away from being ready to implement such a scheme.

Given the urgency of the climate crisis and the damaging impact of toxic air pollution, last year Khan commissioned TfL to present him with a range of policy options that could be taken forward quickly.

The options presented included: • introducing a ‘Greater London Boundary Charge’ for vehicles driving into London

• implementing a low-level daily ‘Clean Air Charge’ for all but the

cleanest vehicles

• extending the ULEZ to cover the whole of Greater London.

In weighing up the different proposals, the rising cost of living was a key consideration. This meant looking for a scheme that would have the biggest effect on reducing emissions and congestion relative to the potential financial impact on Londoners as a whole.

After examining the science, studying the data and carefully considering the wider economic context, the mayor has decided his preferred option is to extend ULEZ to the wider London Low Emission Zone (LEZ) boundary in 2023, subject to a public and stakeholder consultation. Khan ruled out both the Clean Air Charge and the Greater London Boundary Charge as options.

The ULEZ is targeted at getting the most polluting vehicles off streets. Early assessments indicate that making it London-wide would:

• reduce NOx emissions from cars and vans by between 285 and 330 tonnes

• lead to a reduction of around 10% NOx in emissions from cars and vans in outer London on top of building on the 30% reduction in road transport NOx emissions expected from the expanded ULEZ and tighter Low Emission Zone standards

• reduce CO2 emissions in outer London by between 135,000 to 150,000 tonnes

• reduce the number of the most polluting cars on London’s roads by between an additional 20,000 and 40,000 a day.

Sadiq Khan said: “The triple challenges of tackling toxic air pollution, the climate emergency and congestion mean we need to further reduce emissions from vehicles in London. We simply don’t have time to waste. The climate emergency means we only have a small window of opportunity left to reduce carbon emissions to help save the planet.”

Zero Emission Zone plan for Norwich

A Zero Emission Zone (ZEZ) could restrict all but the most eco-friendly vehicles entering Norwich. Norfolk County Council hopes a ZEZ could reduce pollution in the city centre and encourage more people to switch to sustainable forms of transport.

The scheme would initially cover only a limited number of streets, but with a wider area being covered in the future.

A pilot zone could cover streets already off limits to most vehicles such as St Stephens Street, Red Lion Street, Castle Meadow and Exchange Street. This means the main impact of the zone would be on buses, taxis and delivery vehicles, reports the Eastern Daily Press.

In Oxford, where a ZEZ launched in February, all petrol and diesel vehicles,

including hybrids, incur a daily charge unless eligible for a discount or exemption. However, zero-emission vehicles such as electric cars can enter the pilot area free of charge.

The county preparing to bid for up to £500,000 from central government to create a business case for a pilot project. The council will consult with retailers, bus operators and taxi firm

Martin Wilby, cabinet member for highways, infrastructure and transport, said: “We welcome investment that aims to support a growing economy, strengthen communities and reduce our impact on the environment. I’m pleased that we have expressed an interest in this innovative fund announced by the government. This will

The proposed London-wide ULEZ will be subject to impact assessment, public and stakeholder consultation and confirmation by the mayor (with or without modifications) in light of consultation responses received.

The mayor has made a commitment to help charities, small businesses, disabled people and Londoners on lower incomes adapt to a London-wide ULEZ, with as large a scrappage scheme as is feasible to help motorists in outer London scrap older, more polluting vehicles and instead switch to cleaner forms of transport, use a car club vehicle or purchase newer models that are ULEZ-compliant.

Subject to impact assessments, consultation and decision-making processes, the proposed Londonwide ULEZ scheme could be implemented in 2023.

Christina Calderato, director of transport strategy and policy at TfL, said: “Road-based transport has for many years been a major contributor towards poor air quality and carbon emissions and we are determined to tackle this through a wide range of programmes across TfL.

“The world-leading road user charging schemes we’ve delivered throughout the last two decades have been really effective, but it is clear that as a city we need to go further. We know Londoners understand the Ultra Low Emission Zone, and expanding it to cover all roads and bring the area in line with the Low Emission Zone will be hugely beneficial for improving air quality across the whole city.”

allow us to explore, alongside residents and businesses, the exciting possibilities this could bring along with the all-important environmental improvements for Norfolk.

“Should our application be successful, the next step will be to look closely at how this approach could be the right fit for Norwich.”

Council officers have acknowledged getting deliveries to businesses within a ZEZ would also require ideas such as electric vans and the creation of consolidation hubs.

The council is also planning to investing in an e-cargo pilot programme to encourage use of the electrically powered bicycles to deliver goods. Beryl, which rents out bicycles, e-scooters and e-bikes in Norwich, is piloting e-cargo bike hire in London and is understood there have been discussions about following suit in the city.

Mayor Khan sees smart road pricing as future solution for the capital

The central London ULEZ was launched in April 2019

Harrow issues £442,000 in fines on 39ft bus lane

Motorist argues that signage on approach to junction is unclear

Nearly 8,000 motorists have been fined in less than two years for driving into a 39-foot long bus lane in London. Harrow Council made total of £442,363 between April 2019 and the end of 2021 from a 39-foot stretch of bus lane on Northolt Road.

Data has revealed that 7,854 drivers were caught using the north-west London route illegally. The number of fines issued came to light after motorist Geoffrey Ben-Nathan, submitted a Freedom of Information (FOI)

request to the council.

Ben-Nathan, 77, overturned a penalty charge notice (PCN) he had received after driving into the bus lane.

The local authority said it was against the law for motorists to use the lane, but the way the road is laid out and signposted has led some people to believe they have been treated unfairly.

At a tribunal, Ben-Nathan told adjudicators that signage on the approach to the lane is unclear and so lead to people getting fined

The tribunal heard that most restrictions along Northolt Road only apply at certain times of the day. But the stretch in which

he was fined becomes a 24/7 restriction for the small section of the route at the junction with Alexandra Avenue.

Ben-Nathan said clearer signage should be put into place to warn drivers, but also suggested that the council is happy to keep the existing measures because, even if it loses a few cases, most people will still pay their fines.

Ben-Nathan said: “One answer is that councils be put under a statutory duty to flag up all contraventions which are so many per cent above average: be they contraventions in entering a bus lane or contraventions at any other location.

“Morally, the onus must be

Van drivers risk sat nav fines and penalty points

on councils to prevent motorists from contravening their motoring regulations. This is not the case at the moment.”

Responding to Ben-Nathan’s criticism, Harrow Council said it believes that “the signage here is clear and in accordance with the law”.

Nicholas Lyes, head of roads policy at the RAC motoring organisation, said: “Signage and road layout are crucially important when it comes to enforcing any bus lane, and anywhere a local authority is dishing out a high volume of penalty charge notices for a single location should sound alarm bells about the design of the scheme.”

view. In addition, drivers must also have hands-free access, such as a Bluetooth headset, voice command, or integration with the on-board infotainment system, with police able to stop drivers if they see that they are distracted by the phone.

Volkswagen found 93% of van drivers use a sat nav system, whether through their vehicle’s in-built infotainment, an app or a standalone product.

Despite so many keying in a destination before setting off, the research found that half of van drivers do not always listen to the instructions, instead preferring to take their own shortcuts and ignoring the advice of the technology, even though current generation sat navs offer real-time traffic updates to divert around road closures or congestion.

Just 7% of drivers do not use any sat nav systems, instead relying on local knowledge or maps to complete their daily trips.

Almost half of van drivers are risking a £200 fine and six penalty points on their licence as a result of using a satellite navigation app on their smartphone.

A study by Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles of 1,000 UK van drivers found 46% use an app on their smartphone, but may be at risk of breaking the law following the

introduction of new rules in January 2022.

The law now states it is illegal to touch your device. This rule is designed to prevent a loophole that allowed taking photos or scrolling on social media. While it is still legal to use sat nav on a mobile phone, it must be safely secured to the dashboard or windscreen, where it must not block your

David Hanna, head of sales operations at Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, said: “We know that van drivers rely on sat navs to get them from one job to the next, but it’s important they do so legally. No matter which app or device they prefer for directions, we have the technology in our range of vehicles to get drivers from A to B, while ensuring both yourself and other road users are safe.”

Drivers support more camera enforcement

other more serious crimes. This is why we support drivers in their calls for cameras to be used against those who violate the rules of the road.”

The overwhelming majority of UK motorists support the use of safety camera technology to check for insurance, MOT and road tax offences.

Research conducted by the charity IAM RoadSmart revealed that 89% of over 2,000 motorists surveyed supported the idea of safety cameras being used to spot those who decide to flout the rules and drive illegally on public roads without the required documentation.

The survey was conducted for the charity’s annual Safety Culture Report, which gauges drivers’ attitudes to key road safety issues over time

Neil Greig, director of policy and research at IAM RoadSmart, said: “As with previous years, the results from our Safety Culture Report demonstrate that law-abiding citizens are totally

in favour of a zero-tolerance approach when it comes to catching those who are a menace to other motorists on UK roads.

“However, despite the vast majority of drivers agreeing for several years now that we should be using the widely available technology we have at our disposal to catch illegal drivers, many police forces are yet to leverage the equipment to its

full capabilities.

“The inconvenience, as well as pain and financial misery uninsured drivers often inflict on other road users should not be overlooked, meaning we should be doing all we can to deter and punish drivers who think the rules don’t apply to them. It is well known that enforcing ‘paperwork’ offences often leads to the detection of

The IAM RoadSmart research also showed support among respondents for more fines to be handed to those who decide to exceed the speed limit with 82% agreeing that cameras should automatically fine drivers who go more than 10mph over the limit in school zones and urban areas. There was also support for similar schemes to be enforced for those who decide to exceed the speed limit in residential areas and motorways, albeit to a lesser extent (78% and 64%, respectively).

Greig added: “Speeding is simply unacceptable, and it’s encouraging to see that the public are largely in support of looking for new ways to identify motorists who are endangering the lives of others. Introducing automatic detection will deter drivers who are tempted to speed, which in turn will help reduce the number of casualties on our roads.”

Speed

Speed cameras are now a common sight

Oxfordshire takes over street enforcement

County set to bring West Oxfordshire patrols in-house

Oxfordshire County Council is planning to bring consistency to highway parking enforcement around the county by taking over responsibility for fining motorists who break the rules in West Oxfordshire.

West Oxfordshire District Council currently carries out parking enforcement on behalf of the county council in the area. However, the county council is proposing to end the agreement and carry out enforcement itself following its adoption of powers for the rest of Oxfordshire last year.

On-street parking would be enforced by the county’s contractor Conduent Transportation.

Under the proposals, West Oxfordshire District Council would continue to manage and enforce its off-street car parks. Oxfordshire County Council would manage on-street infringe-

ments, such as yellow-lines, loading bays, and bus lanes, as it already does in Oxford City, Cherwell, South Oxfordshire, and the Vale of White Horse districts.

Cllr Tim Bearder, Oxfordshire’s cabinet member for highways management, said: “We were delighted by the positive reaction people had when we began enforcing parking regulations elsewhere last year. Many people got in touch with our officers to

Oxford pilots cashless car parks

Oxford City Council is piloting a completely cashless car park operation. The trial at the Gloucester Green car park marks the start of the next stage of an initiative which could see all the city’s car parks going cashless.

The council approved the move to going cashless for all its services in February 2021. Since then work has been ongoing to eradicate cash payment across council services.

To ensure the city’s car parks will run smoothly using a purely cashless operation, the city council is working with Oxford Direct Services (ODS) to conduct the trial at the Gloucester Green car park. While cash has been removed as an option, payment at the car park’s machines can be made using cards.

Alternatively, payment can be through the RingGo phone parking or via Hozah, which uses automatic number plate recognition (ANPR).

The council has installed new signage at Gloucester Green to inform users that other nearby car parks retain cash payments.

The trial will enable the council to monitor customers’ reactions to the changes and provide an indication on the best way towards cashless implementation at other city council car parks.

It is estimated that a change to a totally cashless system across all sites would see an annual saving of around £12,000.

Cllr Tom Hayes, cabinet member for green transport and Zero Carbon Oxford, said: “More and more services are becoming available only through cashless systems. Already, 93% of payments at our Gloucester Green car park are cashless. The vast majority of users are paying for parking by card at the pay machine, via our pay-by-phone provider RingGo, or through Hozah the automatic payment provider.

“Overall we have seen an increase in cashless payment throughout the pandemic as it is a convenient and quick way to pay. Additionally, contactless payments have been shown to reduce virus transmission, though noncontactless card payment will remain available.”

tell them where the problem areas were so that we could tackle them. People have benefitted from the expertise of our enforcement officers in keeping the roads clearer and safer for all users.

“This proposed change would also improve consistency and reduce confusion for all road users in the way on-street parking regulations are enforced in Oxfordshire, and provide greater levels of efficiency, resilience,

and technology when it comes to enforcing the rules. We believe it would be sensible for the public to have one single organisation to contact about highway parking matters throughout the whole of Oxfordshire.”

There is a 12-month notice period for ending the agreement, so the proposed new arrangements would come into effect from spring 2023. Under the proposals, the county council would continue to work with West Oxfordshire District Council and the town and parish councils to ensure that the parking management regimes and enforcement services meet the needs of the local community, that the right restrictions are in the right places, and that access to on-street parking creates the right mix of needs for residents, shoppers, and commuters.

Any future parking proposals, such as residential parking permits or pay and display schemes, would need to be consulted upon and determined in their own right.

P&R bus ticket combo launched

integration of the technology with its parking systems.

The integrated option can be also added on the city’s Key smartcards.

Visitors to Oxford using the city’s park & rides can now buy a combined bus and parking season ticket. Oxford Bus Company season ticket holders using the P&R services can choose to add parking when buying their bus season ticket. They are able to park as many times as they like at any of the city’s five P&R sites for the duration of their bus season ticket and will no longer have to buy a separate ticket to park or select which car park they will use.

Season tickets are available for four weeks, 13 weeks, or annually. The integrated ticket went live on 26 January.

Oxford Bus Company, Oxford City Council and Oxfordshire County Council jointly funded the new functionality. Oxford Bus Company worked closely with Oxford Direct Services (ODS) to ensure the successful

Gary Preston, assistant parking manager at ODS, said: “A key part of our strategy is to make bus travel as accessible and convenient as possible and utilising technology helps us deliver this via continued innovations for our customers. By eliminating the need to purchase separate parking and bus tickets, it will save the customer both time and hassle, which will I am sure enhance the customer experience.”

Phil Southall, Oxford Bus Company managing director, said: “The integrated service streamlines ticketing for our season ticket holders and provides them with unlimited parking for the duration of their ticket, with the ability to switch between the car parks for added convenience. Our park & ride services are a sustainable and cost-effective way to travel into Oxford city and a key part of the city’s ambition to reduce congestion and carbon emissions.”

Cllr Tim Bearder

Greenfield housing built around the car

Transport for New Homes wants to see greener developments

Greenfield housing estates are adding hundreds of thousands of new car journeys to roads, increasing congestion, increasing carbon emissions and air pollution, a new study suggests.

The Building Car Dependency report, released by Transport for New Homes, states that a typical greenfield development is designed in every way around the car – with as many as two to three car parking spaces per home. Rather than the walkable, green, and sustainable places that both the government and developers envisage for future living, the group observed places where residents had to drive for nearly every journey.

Transport for New Homes has created a large photographic evidence-base from visits to present their observations and many of these are in their new report.

The research follows Transport for New Homes’ 2018 flagship report based on visits to housing developments across England. Returning to these sites three

years later, the group have revealed that new greenfield housing has become even more car-based than before and that the trend had extended to surrounding areas, with out-of-town retail, leisure, food outlets and employment orientated around new road systems.

The researchers found that developers are building ‘car-park to car-park’, creating the risk of creating a sedentary lifestyle and

isolation for new residents, as well as limited choices for people who do not drive.

Despite plans for vibrant communities with local shops, leisure facilities and community services, the visions of developers have not materialised, reports Transport for New Homes.

Promised public transport was often not in place and in some cases had been reduced. In practice greenfield estates planned

Cardiff rail parking deck cancelled

to enable construction of tracks to access the depot.

The station had 93 parking spaces before the construction work began. A condition of the original planning consent for the depot was that a minimum of 178 parking spaces would be provided in a decked parkand-ride car park.

as ‘walkable vibrant communities’ were dominated by parking, driveways and roads with easy access to bypasses and major roads.

In contrast, brownfield developments in cities tended to be less car-based, allowing better access to local amenities by foot, cycle and public transport, the report reveals.

However, two greenfield developments – Derwenthorpe (York) and Poundbury (Dorset) – were found to be less car-dependent. This was because they had been designed around walkability and the needs of a local community from start to finish, without compromise. These developments were also well-positioned to allow residents to easily walk and cycle along overlooked streets to shops and services in their nearby town centres.

Jenny Raggett, project coordinator at Transport for New Homes, said: “We cannot go on as we have been, building many hundreds of thousands of new homes in places which are not only impossible to serve with sustainable transport, but actually promote more and more travel by car.“

Parking concerns stall Ramsey flood defence plans

A debate about parking will lead to plans for new flood defences on the Isle of Man being revised.

TfW downsizes rail station car park plan, reports Rhodri Clark

Transport for Wales (TfW) has decided not to proceed with a planned decked car park at Taff’s Well railway station, north of Cardiff.

The decision follows postponement or withdrawal of other station car park enlargement projects in South Wales, but Transport for Wales

said it had changed its plans for Taff’s Well as a result of “value engineering”, rather than the reduction in commuting since the first COVID-19 lockdown.

Land to the east of Taff’s Well station is being redeveloped as the depot for 36 tram-trains for the Core Valley Lines (CVL). The site will also host the CVL control centre.

The station is being modified

TfW and its partner Amey have now informed Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council (RCT) that their preferred option is to continue with the parking spaces at Moy Road, 150 metres north of the station. This is the site of the temporary car park for rail users while the depot is constructed.

RCT officers agreed that this was the best option but told councillors that TfW has a lease on that land until 2025. “It is considered important that suitable provision is made for an alternative site for parking if control of this site cannot be secured on a permanent basis going forward beyond 2025,” they said.

The Department of Infrastructure (DOI) withdrew its application after a meeting with Ramsey Commissioners, who wanted the loss of parking to be kept to a minimum.

A glass and concrete wall formed part of the department’s original plans to redevelop the road along Ramsey’s harbour. However, at a meeting in the town last year some residents and business owners feared the loss of parking would have a negative impact to trade.

The residents had complained the £4m scheme for the town’s West Quay would take away more than 50 parking spaces.

Transport for New Homes says parking takes up a lot of space and impacts severely on public realm and good urban design

It ’s time to get moving on preparations for new rules

The Taranto Systems team has already been working on this with our customers – even with those that are not currently planning to move ahead with enforcing moving traffic.

It is likely that anyone reading this article will by now be aware of the incoming civil enforcement changes by which councils in England will be able to apply new powers from 31 May onwards. While there has been much discussion of the opportunities for councils to enforce moving traffic contraventions, to date there has been less consideration of the policy, operational and technological challenges that this will present for many councils – whether they are aiming to take advantage of the powers or not.

Check your documentation

The first thing that needs to addressed is that councils must review legal documentation. When the new civil enforcement of parking, bus lane and moving traffic contraventions legislation comes into effect on 31 May it will replace several existing regulations, at which point correspondence for new cases will need to reference the new legislation.

Having undertaken a review of existing documentation used by our customers, we found that all of our 60-plus UK local authority clients have a requirement to update documentation due to references to older legislation, or risk being unable to enforce existing restrictions. References to older legislation were found in a range of documents – on average around 15 per customer –including penalty charge notices (PCNs), Notice to Owners and Charge Certificates.

Taranto’s service delivery team is supporting customers in making these changes using the functionality available within our software. However, this is a significant task even with powerful and flexible tools to automate workload. Therefore, the advice to any councils that have not yet begun a similar process is: act now to check your documentation and update where necessary.

Preparing to enforce moving traffic So what about those councils that are considering applying the new enforcement powers? There are some important elements to consider.

Councils must apply to enforce a specific contravention and location; as part of which they must document the offence to be enforced, where, and why. It is worth noting that the application process has several steps, including requirements for authorities

to have consulted the appropriate chief officer of police and have carried out a minimum six-week public consultation.

The review process is likely to take many months, which is why some councils are already moving ahead with their preparations. The good news is that once such documentation is produced for one contravention, it can be applied for other contraventions in an area – so implementing new sites should become quicker and easier in the future.

But the message here is simple: if you hope to enforce moving traffic contraventions in the future, it would be sensible to begin the process as soon as you can.

Understand the complexity

It is important to understand that there is vast complexity in relation to enforcing moving traffic – especially in the area of warning notices.

At present the requirements for warning notices are not fully defined, but it is likely that motorists will be required to be issued with a warning before a PCN. These warnings will apply to each specific contravention and location, which adds an inherent complexity. This means that for each location and contravention, the council must be able to identify whether it is a motorist’s first offence or not.

Now also consider that warning notices may take up to seven days to arrive by post – so councils must manage instances where the driver commits the same offence multiple times before receiving the warning. This scenario requires a need for consideration of policy, and then operations and technology.

Vehicle ownership is another area of concern. While the vehicle registration mark (VRM) and the associated keeper details might seem the obvious indicator of vehicle ownership, councils will need to consider how to deal with the significant proportion of vehicles on the road that are hired or leased, with regular – in some cases daily – changes in drivers. This presents additional challenges when considering the practicalities of applying the new legislation and will be another area for careful thought and planning.

Accounting for all these factors, there are countless permutations to consider – all of which adds vast complexity to the process. The concern here is that upon implementing moving traffic, councils will be inundated with an unmanageable level of correspondence and risk a negative backlash from the local community. Consideration of this must be central to the planned implementation.

Manage the complexity

For any enforcement technology provider, management of warning notices is undoubtedly one of the most complex areas. At Taranto, we have already worked with many London boroughs, including Islington and Camden, on the implementation of moving traffic enforcement. However, the most suitable comparison in terms of complexity would be the Dartford Crossing’s Free Flow toll.

The Dartford Crossing shares many similarities with moving traffic management on two fronts: the warning notice rules are applied separately to both northbound and southbound crossings, treating each as a distinct location; and they must reach the vehicle owner before a PCN can be issued.

From a technology perspective the Dartford solution was incredibly complex, with the warning notice functionality and logic alone requiring more than four months of development and testing.

The system had to be completely watertight, because as with moving traffic, the risk areas are linked to the legislative requirements. Issues here would result in motorists receiving a warning notice when a PCN should have been sent, or a PCN when a warning notice should have been sent; both scenarios would present a significant impact from a reputational perspective.

The time is now

As this article outlines, incoming legislation presents councils with some significant challenges. All authorities should review their documentation, and those wishing to implement enforcement of moving traffic contraventions should begin planning as soon as possible.

While the warning notice requirements associated with enforcing moving traffic present vast complexity, implementations like the Dartford Crossing’s Free Flow toll show that this challenge can be overcome with the right technology tools and experience.

Having successfully delivered in Dartford, the Taranto team has in-depth knowledge of the process and technology requirements; they can advise councils that are considering taking on this challenge, including sharing experience relating to the selection of camera partners.

But whether you are planning on enforcing moving traffic now or potentially later, it is important to prepare for the incoming legislation without delay. 31 May is fast approaching.

The author

Barry Johnson is senior technical director at Taranto Systems. Having begun writing software as a teenager, in 2000 he and a group of colleagues formed a business called Traffic Support Limited, which focussed on developing parking enforcement software.

Today Johnson leads a team of more than 25 software developers focussed on delivering innovative technology solutions that support the enforcement and management of parking and traffic violations, parking permits, civil enforcement, clamping and removal, and more. tarantosystems.com

It is important to understand that there is vast complexity in relation to enforcing moving traffic regulations

Barry Johnson

Uniting what’s next in tra c.

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With the broadest end-to-end portfolio of intelligent traffic management solutions, we work with cities, highway authorities and mobility

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It’s time to make the world a better place. We are ready. Are you?

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Our world is evolving. Let’s explore…

Welcome to EVolution, a magazine that will bring you news, analysis and comment on the development of zero-emission vehicle infrastructure and work to decarbonise transport.

Infrastructure is so often relegated to being the ‘Cinderella’ of the world of electric and hydrogen vehicles. There is, however, a rapidly growing community of dedicated professionals and organisations who are determined to deliver the systems and services that will facilitate a smooth transition away from fossil fuel powered vehicles (of which there currently over 30 million in the UK alone).

A complete ecosystem is fast developing to support zero-emission transport. However, it can be difficult to build a clear picture and detailed understanding of the various movers, shakers, policy-makers, advisors and users who shape and populate this new sector.

If you are looking to plan a journey to zero-emission travel, I think you will like EVolution, which has been developed by leading transport and policy specialist, Landor LINKS, publisher of Parking Review and Local Transport Today magazines.

We are reporting on the world of zero-emission vehicle via the website: EVolutionMagazine.co.uk

We are now delighted to present EVolution in a magazine format and a range of social media channels. EVolution will also bring you regular live and digital events, each crafted around the need of the EV and hydrogen vehicle infrastructure community.

I hope that you will share your journey with us.

Mark Moran Editor

A complete ecosystem is developing to support zero-emission transport

Cover image: EQUANS’ Dee Humphries and Ford’s Chris Nicklin

Automotive sector calls for charging regulator

The UK automotive industry has published a seven-point plan to ensure every driver in Britain can benefit from an electric vehicle charging network that is affordable, available and accessible to all. The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said the plan is designed to drive collaboration between government, industry and all other stakeholders, and calls for mandated targets for infrastructure roll out, backed by an independent regulator to keep consumers at the heart of planning.

The plan calls for binding targets for chargepoint roll out as a condition of the zero-emissions vehicle mandate to energise public confidence, backed by measures to de-risk investment and support local authorities. It envisages a new regulator, ‘Ofcharge’, governing targets and ensuring every part of the country has accessible, available and affordable charging to deliver zeroemission motoring.

Since 2011, central government, local authorities and the charging infrastructure sector have delivered a 3,000% increase in the number of standard public chargepoints. The UK’s provision of one rapid charger per 32 battery electric vehicles is the best in the Western world, behind only China (1:11), South Korea (1:12) and Japan (1:17). More than one in six new cars sold in the UK during 2021 were EVs.

However, the SMMT is worried that as demand for electric vehicles has surged standard public charging infrastructure has struggled to keep pace.

Sales of plug-in cars on the road grew by 280.3% between 2019 and 2021, but standard chargepoints increased by just 69.8% in the same period. Meanwhile, battery electric cars in the parc rose by a 586.8%, whereas rapid/ultra-rapid charger stock grew by only 82.3%. The SMMT says this situation is undermining consumer confidence to make the switch, with ‘range anxiety’ now replaced by ‘charging anxiety’. The organisation says that although most current plug-in car users charge at home, public chargers remain critical to consumer confidence and are still relied upon by many commercial fleets, as well as the third of British households that do not have

designated off-street parking. Furthermore, drivers face a growing regional divide in chargepoint availability.

At the end of 2020, the ratio of electric cars to standard public chargers was 1:37 in the north of England, compared with 1:26 in the south – and in 2021, the ratio deteriorated significantly in the north to 1:52, compared with 1:30 in the south.

The automotive sector argues that to give all drivers the confidence they will be able to charge as easily as they refuel, wherever they live or work, a nationally coordinated and locally delivered infrastructure plan that puts the needs of consumers first, while also giving chargepoint operators and local authorities certainty to install the right number of the right chargers in the right places ahead of need, across every part of the UK.

The industry is also calling for the creation of a new regulatory body – the ‘Office of Charging’ or ‘Ofcharge’ – to monitor the market, including charging price levels and affordability, and to enforce regulated minimum standards. The SMMT said this would keep the consumer at the heart of infrastructure planning and roll out to ensure every region of the UK is in readiness for the

end of sale of new petrol and diesel cars in 2030, with a unified approach bringing together drivers, chargepoint operators, energy companies and local authorities.

Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive, said: “The automotive industry is up for the challenge of a zero-emission new car and van market by 2035. Delivering this ambition – an ambition that would put the UK ahead of every major market in the world – needs more than automotive investment. It needs the commensurate commitment of all other stakeholders, especially the charging industry as surveys show that range anxiety has been replaced by charging anxiety.

“Our plan puts the consumer at the heart of this transition, assuring them of the best possible experience backed by an independent regulator. With clear, equivalent targets and support for operators and local authorities that match consumer needs, government can ensure the UK has a chargepoint network that makes electric mobility a reality for all, cutting emissions, driving growth and supporting consumers across the UK.”

A Department for Transport (DfT) spokesperson said: “The government is providing more than £1.3bn to support the continued roll-out of chargepoints at homes, businesses and on residential streets across the UK, levelling up our chargepoint provision while supporting the deployment of rapid chargepoints on motorways and major A roads in England.”

The government will be publishing an EV infrastructure plan, the spokesperson said. “We continue to work with local authorities to ensure they are engaged in the transition, and are encouraging them to make use of the on-street residential chargepoint scheme which last year committed £20m for the roll out of public chargepoints in residential areas,” the DfT spokesperson added.

The SMMT’s plan

SMMT sets out case for chargepoint mandate governed by independent regulator to level up network for consumers

Mike Hawes

EQUANS joins Ford’s BlueOval network

Ford has teamed up with UK chargepoint network operator EQUANS to give owners of its electric vehicles better access to chargers when on the road. Ford’s partnership with EQUANS, which owns and operates the GeniePoint charger network, takes the Ford BlueOval network to over 16,000 UK chargepoints, and more than 300,000 across Europe. The carmaker has signed similar deals with the IONITY and bp pulse networks.

The BlueOval EV charging scheme is accessible via the Ford Pass app. BlueOval charge network users include owners of the regular allelectric Mustang Mach-E introduced last year, plus Ford Kuga car and Transit/Tourneo Custom van plug-in hybrids.

GeniePoint, the third largest rapid charging network in the UK, has more than 500 rapid chargepoints, which can now be located, monitored and paid for within the Ford Pass app. Last year bp pulse, the biggest

public charging network in the UK, was also integrated.

Tim Nicklin, Ford’s electrification manager, said: “The new Mustang Mach-E, and our plug-in hybrids, are propelling Ford at pace towards electrified engines accounting for more than half of our car sales by the end of 2022.

“Key to this roll-out is providing Ford customers with a supporting infrastructure and now, together with GeniePoint, we continue our commitment to match more electrified vehicles with enough locations to charge them.”

Dee Humphries, managing director of EQUANS’ EV

Solutions business, said: “We’re delighted to be linking with Ford to provide their drivers with access to our rapidly growing GeniePoint network. This partnership reflects our focus at GeniePoint, which is to make it as easy as possible for EV drivers to get a charge whenever and wherever they need it.”

Vauxhall partners with JustPark to boost home charging EQT acquires InstaVolt

InstaVolt has a new owner, with Zouk Capital having sold the charging infrastructure provider to the investor EQT Infrastructure.

Headquartered in Basingstoke, InstaVolt was founded in 2016 and currently operates around 700 DC charging points with 50kW capacity.

Its chargepoints are most often situated at retail, food, beverage and forecourt sites. Current partners include McDonald’s, Costa Coffee and Booths.

Adrian Keen, InstaVolt’s chief executive officer, said: “InstaVolt has set a standard in the UK for driver experience and infrastructure, and now with support from EQT, we are in a unique position to accelerate that target and replicate our model in other geographies, transitioning the business into the next phase of growth.”

Anna Sundell, partner and head of EQT Infrastructure’s UK advisory team, said: “The future is electric and InstaVolt is essential to the roll-out of EV charging infrastructure across the UK, a prerequisite for enabling mass adoption of EVs.”

Vauxhall has entered into a partnership with parking provider JustPark to help people buying its electric vehicles find convenient charging locations near their homes.

The carmaker is encouraging EV drivers without home charging to join the JustCharge Community Charging network, which sees people with a charger on their drive or property rent these out to other EV drivers.

Paul Willcox, managing director, Vauxhall, said: “Charging at home overnight is the most convenient and cheapest charging solution. But, around 40% of households in the UK do not have access to off-street parking and therefore the switch to electric isn’t the same for everyone. Vauxhall is

committed to making going electric as simple as possible –so, we’re delighted to lead the way and partner with JustPark and its new JustCharge Community Charging network.”

Matt Shirley, head of EV networks at JustPark, said: “Having lived with an electric vehicle without a home charging point, I know firsthand the challenges that solely relying on public chargers can bring.”

A Ford Mustang Mach-E and an EQUANS charger

A Vauxhall Mokka-e

Adrian Keen

Europe needs 65m EV chargers by 2035

The transition to electric vehicles will create a need for Europe’s public authorities, electricity utilities, grid and chargepoint operators to work together in order to plan charging infrastructure, says a study produced by Eurelectric and Ernst & Young (EY).

It is predicted that there will be 130 million electric vehicles on European roads by 2035, up from 3.3 million today. The growth in EVs means that 65 million chargers need to be installed to unlock a seamless user experience. Of those, 85% will be residential, while 4% will be on public highways.

Jean-Bernard Lévy, Eurelectric’s president said: “Electrification is now an irreversible megatrend in road transport. The challenge ahead is speeding up infrastructure roll out in a wellcoordinated manner to respond to growing charging needs while ensuring the optimal use of the electricity network.”

Eurelectric represents the interests of the European electricity sector, with members in over 30 European countries. The organisation’s members comprise 3,500 companies in power generation, distribution and supply.

The study focusses on the anticipated surge in EV sales across Europe (the EU 27, plus Norway, Switzerland and the UK) and the charging infrastructure that is required to support it. It analyses different charging needs across six segments: residential – rural and urban, workplace, fleet hubs, overnight stay hubs and highways, and examines the impact on electricity load. It also seeks to articulate the scale of the challenge and the technology solutions that are either available, or under development, to minimise peak load and capture value from flexibility in EV batteries, and smart charging solutions.

Serge Colle, EY’s global energy and resources industry market leader, said: “To accelerate EV uptake, we need to make e-mobility work for the customer. This means delivering a seamless experience with a robust charging infrastructure that allows everyone to charge quickly and reliably. With significant investment needed in the grid and on supporting critical digital solutions, utilities are key to winning customers’ hearts and minds.”

The charging infrastructure roll-out must keep up the EV market growth. The

study flags up an urgent need to tackle existing bottlenecks such as: permitting and grid connection delays of up to 36 months, funding constraints, availability and access to real-estate in strategic charging locations and interoperability restrictions.

The study predicts the existing electricity grid will be able to accommodate the transition to EVs, but advance planning and coordination are needed to ensure that it copes with future peaks in energy demand and increased loads. Once EV penetration reaches 50% on an urban distribution network, uncontrolled charging could lead to voltage deviations and affect the quality of power supply.

In addition to overseeing the installation of millions of chargers, Europe’s utility industry will need to manage an increased load on the grid. Along highway corridors, where drivers will expect fast charging on demand, EVs could increase peak loads by 90%, according to EY’s calculations. Managing these surges will require on-site solar and energy storage systems at charging stations.

In urban residential settings, EY

expects charging demand to surge in the evenings, when drivers return from work, causing potential increases in peak load of 86%. To smooth these peaks electricity providers will need to offer incentives for drivers to charge at off-peak times and to put power from car batteries back into the grid, meaning both homes and cars will need two-way charging capabilities. With such mitigations in place, according to the report, utilities could reduce EV demand spikes by more than a fifth.

The study explores several mitigating solutions to such challenges. While ensuring that chargepoints are situated where they deliver maximum customer convenience and provide the right investment incentives, it recommends to:

• digitalise the grid to understand, anticipate and optimise customer behaviour, grid impacts and network needs

• install smart chargers to manage capacity and prevent the grid from buckling under the pressure of millions of EVs plugging in simultaneously

• integrate energy storage solutions in the charging infrastructure for situations when demand for rapid and high-power charging is heightened.

Eurelectric and EY report sets out scale of challenge

A street charger in the Netherlands

BP chargers land at Gatwick

Chargepoint

Gridserve opens Welsh hub

Gridserve has opened a highpowered electric vehicle (EV) charging hub at Moto Swansea.

Located at junction 47 on the M4, the Electric Hub forms part of the Gridserve Electric Highway charging networks. It will initially host six 350kW high-power EV chargepoints, with the option to add a further six high-power chargers as soon as they are required.

All the chargers will be supplied with 100% net zero carbon energy from Gridserve’s solar farms, accept contactless payment for maximum accessibility, and have the ability to deliver 100-miles of range in less than 10 minutes.

Connecting Cornwall

The Drive EV2 Project is bringing 150 new public access electric vehicle chargepoints to Cornwall. The project, funded by the European Regional Development Fund and Cornwall Council, includes small number of rapid and ultra-rapid chargepoints at locations without adequate rapid-charging capacity.

Wandsworth rolls out EV chargers

Wandsworth Council has commissioned a new tranche of kerbside charging points.

The London council began rolling out the on-street infrastructure in 2021 across 26 sites. The latest installations bring the total number of sites to 35, comprising 65 dual-socket 22Kw chargepoints.

The chargepoints are owned and operated by Liberty Charge.

Electric vehicle charging network bp pulse has opened a charging hub at Q-Park’s Gatwick Airport parking facility.

The hub includes three ultra-fast 150kW charging units that charge an EV to 80% capacity in as little as 10-15 minutes providing a range of around 100 miles.

Using new hardware, these units will be upgraded to 300kW giving compatible EV vehicles an even faster charge. The site also includes four 50kW chargers, providing convenient charging for airport users, taxi drivers, local businesses with electric vehicle fleets, and local residents.

Enabled by UK Power

Networks,

Akira Kirton, chief executive of bp pulse, said: “We want to bring convenient, fast charging where it is needed most. The opening of this latest hub at the UK’s second busiest airport is another important step in our roll out of ultra-

fast charging. Towards the end of last year we installed some of the first ultra-fast chargers on major UK motorways, and now we’re starting 2022 with another industry first.”

Q-Park Gatwick, also known as Purple Parking, is one of Gatwick Airports largest off-site car parks with space for over 3,000 vehicles.

London City Airport offers charging

London City Airport has opened its first electric car charging stations. The airport is initially offering seven new charging stations for use by its passengers, staff and black cabs.

The airport anticipates adding more stations as passenger figures rebound and more people switch to electric vehicles.

The initial installation will include three 50kW rapid and four 22kW fast charging points, of which one 50kW charger will be specially designated for use by the local black cab community.

The remaining rapid and fast chargers will be located in the airport’s car parks and will be available to passengers, staff and minicabs.

The service will be provided by bp pulse, which is part of BP.

The rapid charge for passengers will cost 30p per kWh, with payment possible either by credit card or via the bp pulse app.

The installation was

undertaken by UK Power Networks Services, which manages the airport’s private electricity network.

London City Airport chief executive Robert Sinclair said: “Travel is about more than just a flight and we are committed to encouraging clean journeys, whether by electric car or by DLR, to and from London City.

“As we start to offer connections to more destinations and welcome returning and new passengers

to the airport, I am hopeful that the electric charging stations will help reaffirm our position as the airport with the best sustainable transport links in the UK.”

Aviation minister Robert Courts welcomed the initiative, saying: “As we build back greener from the COVID-19 pandemic, it is great to see London City Airport leading the way in catering for the growing number of people who are switching to electric vehicles.”

the seven chargers allow 10 electric vehicles to charge simultaneously.

operator teams up with Q-Park

The bp pulse hub at Q-Park Gatwick

London City Airport CEO Robert Sinclair with aviation minister Robert Courts

Cllr Kim Caddy and Liberty Charge`s Neil Isaacson

Energy Superhub Oxford takes shape

Redbridge

Oxford will soon be home to the UK’s largest public EV charging hub. Work is progressing at Redbridge park & ride, to the south-west of the city, to connect the site to National Grid’s high voltage electricity transmission network and install an initial 40 fast to ultra-rapid chargers.

The chargepoint station is being developed by Pivot Power and Oxford City Council as part of the wider Energy Superhub Oxford (ESO) project.

With up to 10MW of power available, the P&R site will have the capacity to scale up and meet the need for EV charging in the area over the coming decades.

When the charging hub opens in Spring 2022 it will feature 38 terminals, comprising:

• 10 x Fastned chargers (up to 300kW)

• 12 x Tesla chargers (250kW)

• 18 x Wenea Energy chargers (7-22kW)

The chargers will be open 24/7, with payment possible via a contactless method as well as app-based payments. An on-site café is being planned, so that drivers can buy drinks and snacks, ensuring the charging process is as convenient as possible.

Oxford’s energy vision

The Energy Superhub Oxford is pioneering an integrated approach to decarbonising power, transport and heat to accelerate Oxford’s zero carbon journey.

The ESO project showcases a network of rapid EV charging, hybrid battery storage, low carbon heating, and smart energy management, combining new technologies and financial models to create a blueprint for towns and cities across the UK to cut carbon emissions and improve air quality.

The £41m project is part-funded by the UK government and is being delivered by a consortium of companies which comprises Pivot Power, part of EDF Renewables, Oxford City Council, the University of Oxford, Habitat Energy, Kensa Contracting, and Invinity Energy Systems.

With Oxford having introduced the UK’s first Zero Emission Zone (ZEZ) at the end of February 2022, ESO will support the city’s aims to reduce toxic air pollution levels, tackle the climate emergency, and improve the health of residents, workers and visitors in Oxford and beyond. It is estimated that ESO will save 10,000 tonnes of CO2 a year once fully operational – equivalent to taking over 2,000 cars off the road, increasing to 25,000 tonnes by 2032.

Cllr Tom Hayes, deputy leader of Oxford City Council and cabinet member for green transport and Zero Carbon Oxford, said: “This is an exciting next step in the Energy Superhub Oxford project. Redbridge park & ride will be the UK’s largest public electric vehicle hub. Providing electric vehicle charging infrastructure is crucial to help us achieve a Zero Carbon Oxford by 2040 and to support the uptake of electric vehicles.”

Making connections

The Oxford Superhub will be directly connected to National Grid’s high voltage transmission network, providing the power needed to charge large numbers of EVs quickly without putting strain on the local electricity network. ESO will share this connection with a 50MW hybrid battery, which will combine lithium-ion and vanadium flow technology to enable more renewable power onto the grid.

The network will also have capacity to expand to key locations throughout Oxford to meet mass EV charging needs, from buses and taxis to commercial fleets.

Tim Rose, programme manager for ESO at Pivot Power, added: “Energy Superhub Oxford is creating the power infrastructure needed to supercharge electric vehicle uptake across Oxford and meet the demand for fast, easy and reliable charging for decades to come.”

ESO is one of up to 40 similar sites planned by Pivot Power across the UK to help deliver charging infrastructure for the estimated 36 million EVs by 2040.

Battery energised

The Energy Superhub Oxford features what is the UK’s largest flow battery. The 5MWh vanadium flow + lithium-ion hybrid battery system, manufactured in the UK by Invinity Energy Systems, will combine with a 50MWh Wärtsilä lithium-ion battery to operate as a single energy storage asset.

Tim Rose, programme manager for Energy Superhub Oxford at Pivot Power said: “Energising the vanadium flow battery is an important step towards full commissioning and operation of the system. Once live, this cuttingedge hybrid battery will demonstrate how vanadium flow and lithium-ion technologies can be combined for maximum benefit, to accelerate net zero and power our lives with clean energy.”

Chargepoint hub canopies being erected at the Redbridge park & ride site

CGI rendering of the charging hub

park & ride is being transformed into a mobility and charging hub

Giving drivers real power

Which? calls for major overhaul of electric vehicle charging infrastructure

Which? is calling for a major upgrade to the UK’s electric car public charging system infrastructure. In a report called Building an Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure that is Fit for the Future, the consumer champion has identified a failure to meet disabled drivers’ needs, limited interoperability between multiple payment systems, and poor chargepoint reliability, while if something goes wrong there is not a clear redress system in place.

Which? has also carried out research that reveals that only 13% of electric and plug-in hybrid car charging currently happens via public chargers. The organisation’s annual car survey suggests that most of today’s electric vehicle (EV) and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) drivers are not solely dependent on using public chargers, but that will change in the future.

For those who need a car, switching to an electric vehicle at the right time is an important step in reducing carbon emissions, and will contribute significantly towards meeting the UK’s target to reach net zero by 2050. However, the consumer body says significant work is needed to address consumers’ concerns about switching to EVs and ensure that user-friendly infrastructure is in place to support them when they do decide.

The consumer champion says that the

roll-out of public charging infrastructure is not happening quickly enough, with provision varying significantly across the UK. Those who are unable to charge from home due to a lack of off-street parking face having to pay higher prices on the public network, and some aspects of the public chargepoint network simply are not working well for consumers.

The Competition and Market Authority (CMA) estimates there will be eight million drivers across the UK who do not have the ability to charge an EV from home. As the UK approaches the ban on sales of new petrol and diesel cars in 2030 and drivers switch to electric, the number of people who will be completely reliant on public charging will rise starkly. This is why Which? believes it is vital that access to the public charging network is improved, as well as the experience of using it.

Sue Davies, Which? head of consumer protection policy, said: “Our research shows that few electric vehicle owners currently rely on the public charging network, but this will have to change if millions of people are going to switch from petrol and diesel vehicles in the next decade.

“Improving the UK’s flawed charging infrastructure will support more motorists to make the switch to a zero-

emission vehicle. The current confusing and complex system needs to be quickly overhauled if the network is going to be ready for the ban on new fossil fuel cars in 2030.

“Charging must be easy, accessible and affordable if people are going to make the move to an electric car. To that end, we are publishing our first electric vehicle charging policy paper that sets out our recommendations for the future of public charging infrastructure across the UK nations.”

Building an Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure that is Fit for the Future www.which.co.uk

The research

The annual Which? car survey shows the vast majority (93%) of EV and PHEV drivers have the ability to charge their car at home using either a wall charging unit or standard threepin socket. It also shows that 15% of EV charging and 5% of PHEV charging happens using the public car charging infrastructure, or 13% overall.

The figures relating to the amount of charging using public infrastructure and percentage of those who charge at home come from the 2021 Which? Car survey; a UK survey in field from April to July 2021.

48,034 respondents told Which? about 56,853 cars they own and drive, including 2,184 EV/BEV owners and 923 PHEV owners.

Consumers’ advice

The Which? EV infrastructure report sets out a series of strategies that it recommends the UK government and devolved administrations should adopt. These include:

• Setting out a plan to expand on-street charging options. Plans should be set out to work with local authorities and chargepoint companies to ensure that on-street public charging is readily available for those who need it.

• Setting out a plan to expand the en-route charging network, coordinating with the other governments where appropriate. In England, the Rapid Charging Fund (RCF) should be rolled out quickly and used to address cold spots in rural and remote areas as well as to support expansion on motorways and major roads.

• Moving forward with proposals to ensure effective competition between chargepoint operators (CPOs) at motorway service areas (MSAs), in line with the recent Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) market study recommendations.

• Clarifying the responsibilities of local authorities and ensuring comprehensive guidance and support are provided.

• Ensuring funding is targeted at areas where the market is not delivering. Strategies should set out the UK and devolved governments’ plans to work with providers to identify suitable financing, for areas where the market is not delivering chargepoints at a sufficient pace to meet current and future demand.

• Moving forward with government plans to mandate accessibility standards for public chargepoints.

• Moving forward with plans to require CPOs at certain sites to offer open access charging (as opposed to chargers restricted to users of a certain car brand, for example), and these requirements should be extended to all public chargepoints.

Which? calls on the UK and devolved governments to monitor the availability of charging plugs and, if the industry coalesces around a single standard, that this does not unreasonably constrain the ability of users of other types of plug to charge. It urges the simplification and standardisation of charging systems, calling on the UK government to regulate for more and simpler payment interoperability.

Barriers to EV adoption

The customer journey

At Which?, we have made a commitment to bringing sustainability into everything we do, from our work representing consumers through advocacy, to our in-depth investigations and rigorous product testing and advice. We’ve been testing electric vehicles (EVs) for over a decade, and it is clear to us that as well as being vital to tackling the climate crisis and helping us to reach net zero, the transition to EVs is also an opportunity to transform the consumer experience for those who need to own a car.

Our vision of the EV future would see drivers being able to easily find an available, working charger somewhere nearby, park up, and pay using their bank card or via one app/RFID card (radio-frequency identification card, a type of identification card used to pay at chargepoints). Pricing should be simple and fair. Disabled drivers should be both catered for with suitable chargepoints and the means to easily locate them.

Chargepoints should be reliable, but if something should go wrong, adequate support should be on hand and a suitable system of redress for any experience that requires it.

Right now, that’s not the case. It’s a confusing maze of 60 networks with limited interoperability, little consideration for disabled drivers’ needs – and we don’t even know where all chargepoints are located.

There is a lot of great work happening in EV infrastructure being spearheaded by some fantastic companies, and guided by UK and devolved governments. But more needs to be done, and as EV numbers continue to rise and the public charging infrastructure becomes integral to everyday life, the more significant these issues will become.

It is vital that we act now to build the right foundations so that consumers can transition to an EV with confidence and look forward to a seamless, positive and convenient driving experience. To this end, Which? is publishing a report to highlight the weaknesses of the public charging infrastructure as it stands, propose tangible solutions and, ultimately, help get the public charging infrastructure to a place where consumers can truly reap the benefits of a net zero future.

The transition to EVs is an opportunity to transform the consumer experience, writes Rocio Concha

Rocio Concha is director of policy and advocacy at Which?

Organised by:

Supported by:

Event partners:

Creating connected spaces that encourage sustainable travel

Wednesday 25 May 2022 l 15 Hatfields, London SE1

The idea of providing a concentration of mobility services at one place is emerging as a way of creating sustainable public transport systems.

When reimagined as mobility hubs, car parks are no longer just places to store vehicles. Instead they become positive places that offer co-located services such as electric vehicle (EV) charging and shared mobility services.

Mobility hubs also represent the next step in the evolution of park & ride services, which will become genuine interchanges where people can switch from private cars to buses, trains, cycles and walking.

EV hubs offer drivers access to chargepoints in car parks at destinations such as shopping centres or in service area style facilities on major roads. The parallel emergence of service hubs is seeing other car parks acting as bases for logistics services and a range of activities such as ‘dark kitchens’ and ‘dark stores’.

This one-day conference will see speakers and expert panels explore the design, implementation and operation of mobility, EV and service hubs.

Speakers

Confirmed speakers and panellists taking part in Mobility Hubs 2022 include:

l Mark Dickins, Managing Director, Mobilize Power Solutions

l Keith Fiskin, Programmes Manager, SEStran

l Sam Hunn, Commercial Manager, Fonix

l Fiona Jenkins, Associate, Steer

l Matthew Ledbury, Senior Policy and Advocacy Officer, CoMoUK

l Jennie Martin, Secretary-General, ITS (UK)

l Tina Mould, Capital Programme Project Manager, Oxford City Council

l Grace Packard, Mobility Transport Expert

l Fiona Petch, Architect and Director, Fatkin

l Mark Potter, Director, Potter Church & Holmes Architects

More speakers to be confirmed soon www.TransportXtra.com/events

Sponsorship & exhibition

The event’s exhibition provides an excellent opportunity to showcase your systems and services. To find out how your organisation can be part of the day contact Jason Conboy on: jason.conboy@landor.co.uk

As we return to a semblance of pre-pandemic normality, everyday habits are reasserting themselves in the world of driving. The majority of UK adults expect to travel as they did before the pandemic, according to a survey by the Campaign for Better Transport. This means that private cars will remain the vehicle of choice for shopping, leisure, and personal matters, favoured by 50%, 54% and 52% of respondents respectively.

In fact, it may be an understatement to assume that personal cars will merely return to pre-pandemic usage. The latest RAC Report on Motoring found that the pandemic has actually set back attitudes towards public transport by decades: the RAC’s research indicates that almost 60% of car owners consider their vehicle essential, and reluctance to use public transport – presumably in response to COVID-related safety concerns – is at an 18-year high.

With driving set to be a more popular means of getting around than ever, especially in relation to shopping and leisure, it is worth reflecting on the impact this has on parking in cities. In 2020, vehicle hiring firm All Car Leasing used data from the Department for Transport to demonstrate that many cities have a remarkable lack of parking spaces – London, for example, has 24.7 cars for every available parking space, while in Birmingham there is a staggering 51.5 cars for every space.

If cars are here to stay, it is worth exploring the growing technologies that will be increasingly necessary to address these issues as social restrictions continue to ease.

When in Rome…

In May 2021, an AI-enhanced smart parking technology by Sony was trialled in Rome. The trial, which used sensors to monitor parking spaces, was designed to extract metadata – in real time – pertaining to available parking spaces. This exciting step forward in smart parking was marked by Sony’s managing director of corporate alliance, Antonio Avitabile, who noted that smart parking solutions can achieve “more sustainable and liveable cities”.

Clearly, technology like this is the future for smart parking in cities facing more drivers than ever before – but what are its benefits? For one thing, residents of crowded urban areas will find this sensor technology allows them to keep their fingers on the pulse of a living, breathing flow of vehicles, alerting them to suitable spaces as soon as they become available. This also applies to the aforementioned shoppers and similar city visitors: by providing them with app-based parking information informed by smart parking technology, parking will become increasingly frictionless.

Beyond the confines of individual convenience, smart parking will likely have a substantial impact on parking management processes for local authorities. Proximity sensors are able not only to determine whether or not a vehicle is occupying a given space, but also whether or not that vehicle is authorised to be there. Enforcing rules of this sort will

A sense of place

Alternatively, smart parking measures can facilitate greener alternatives without asking anybody to sacrifice their car through integration with electric vehicle (EV) charging bays. By enabling drivers to easily find available EV stations, smart parking technologies can play a vital role in ushering in environmentally friendly vehicles and alleviate issues such as range anxiety which currently present a barrier to the adoption of EVs on a wide scale.

With its dual capacity for addressing more drivers in a post-pandemic world and mitigating elements of their environmental impact, the future of smart parking is entwined with the future of the planet itself.

become a far smoother undertaking, as these insights are swiftly transformed into action, creating a positive impact on residents and disabled spaces.

Emissions, EVs and the environment

Though these use cases suggest an enormous amount of convenience for individuals and a streamlined future for local authorities, another significant benefit and impact of smart parking in the coming years will be felt in its relationship to the environment.

The above data regarding cars’ continued and growing popularity comes with the caveat of pollution and other environmental concerns.

Rod Dennis, data insight spokesman for the RAC, said that reliance on personal vehicles is at odds with cities’ desires to “improve air quality and make urban centres cleaner.”

In this light, smart parking technology represents an important intervention: if the public can’t be persuaded to give up cars en masse, then why not reduce their emissions? Integrating parking information into apps will not only make it easier for drivers to park, but it will also ensure that drivers aren’t producing excess emissions through idling or hunting aimlessly for that vital free spot.

Emma Mahy is chief executive and co-founder of IoT Solutions Group. With offices in Watford and Bournemouth, it works with clients in areas such as parking, waste management, social care, housing maintenance and compliance. www.iotsg.co.uk

The post-pandemic predominance of personal vehicles will create a need for truly smart parking, says Emma Mahy

Smart parking measures can facilitate greener alternatives through integration with electric vehicle charging bays Emma Mahy

Emma Mahy

Sensor technology allows residents to keep their fingers on the pulse of a living, breathing flow of vehicles, alerting them to suitable spaces as soon as they become available

Private parking code published

The government has published its new code of practice for parking on private land. A package of measures announced by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities on 7 February will see parking fines cut by up to 50% in the majority of cases. The proposals include a maximum cap for parking fines, a 10-minute grace period before a late fine can be issued, and a requirement for parking firms to clearly display pricing and terms and conditions.

In England outside of London and in Wales, charges will be reduced from £100 to £70 or £50, depending on the seriousness of the breach.

A new appeals process is also being created with the aim of making it easier for disputed fines to be challenged.

Neil O’Brien, minister for levelling up, said: “Private firms issue roughly 22,000 parking tickets every day, often adopting a system of misleading and confusing signage, aggressive debt collection and unreasonable fees designed to extort money from motorists. The new code of practice will set out a clear vision with the interests of safe motorists at its heart, while cracking down on the worst offenders who put other people in danger and hinder our emergency services from carrying out their duties.”

Private firms that breach the new code could even be barred from collecting fines from motorists at all. The department said: “Currently, private parking firms are able to hide behind non-specific, pseudolegal and aggressive language when pursuing motorists. The code of practice will provide new higher standards.

“Rogue firms which break these rules could be barred from requesting Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) data, making them unable to pursue motorists for their charges through the post. The measures will be a major boost to millions of motorists in England, Scotland and Wales and will help to draw people back to their local high streets by eliminating the fear of being unfairly caught out.”

The Parking (Code of Practice) Act became law in March 2019 and builds on action the government has already taken to tackle rogue private parking firms, including banning wheel clamping and towing and stopping over-zealous parking enforcement by councils.

Fresh measures proposed in the new code and framework include the creation of a mandatory single appeals service and

Social messaging by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and Conservative Party (right) stressed the way in which the reforms will tackle the activities of ‘rogue parking operators’

appeals charter for motorists to turn to if they are unfairly fined. Under options set out in the appeals charter, motorists could be able to appeal their fine and see it cancelled entirely if:

• they have a mitigating reason for overstaying their parking ticket such as their vehicle breaking down

• they have made a genuine innocent error, like keying in a digit in their number plate incorrectly

• they have a valid ticket, permit or Blue Badge but failed to display it correctly.

The code also states:

• New parking charge levels which will mirror the local authority system for publicly accessible car parks, halving parking charges for millions of motorists to £50. It will keep the current £100 cap in some circumstances such as abusing Blue Badge bays or if a motorist is trespassing on private land.

• Motorists will be offered a 50% discount if they pay within 14 days.

• Parking debt collectors will be banned from adding additional excess fees to the level of the parking charge, currently as much as £70.

• A compulsory 10-minute grace period before firms can issue a late fine.

• A compulsory 5-minute cooling-off period in which a motorist can consider the terms and conditions and change their mind about parking.

• A crackdown on parking firms using aggressive or pseudo-legal language to intimidate motorists into paying fines.

• A requirement for parking firms to clearly display pricing and terms and conditions of parking, contact details and how to appeal a charge.

Private parking companies who do not follow the code by the end of 2023 could be banned from accessing Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) data via approved operator schemes run by the UK’s two parking trade associations – the British Parking Association (BPA) and the International Parking Community (IPC). Each has a code of practice that their members are required to abide by, but there is no single set of rules, so motorists are vulnerable to bad private parking practices such as deliberately poor signage and unfair parking fines.

Government hopes that unified code and new appeals charter will make regulation of parking on private land fairer

Neil O’Brien

Parking reforms welcomed

Unified code and new charter have

welcomed by motoring bodies

Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, said:”The new provisions will protect drivers from unfair and extortionate charges, with a new code of practice to help keep cowboy private parking firms in check. Currently, private parking firms are able to hide behind what the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities calls ‘non-specific, pseudo-legal and aggressive language when pursuing motorists’.

“The code is another welcome step on the long road to creating a fairer system. No one wants a parking free for all, but equally there has long been a suspicion that many parking firms are too quick to issue fines in dubious situations. The government has agreed and this new code of practice helps define what is reasonable.”

Nicholas Lyes, the RAC’s head of roads policy, said: “The RAC has campaigned for years to end the sharp practices in the private parking sector, so we welcome the new national code that will usher in higher standards and will introduce a lower cap on parking charge notices, an independent appeals system and an end to rip-off debt collection fees. This will undoubtedly make drivers’ experience of using private car parks

fairer while at the same time force rogue operators to clean up their acts once and for all.”

Edmund King OBE, AA president, said: “These much needed upgrades to private parking rules will give better protection to drivers. For too long, those caught by private parking firms simply pay the charge to get rid of it. Thankfully these days are numbered.

Drivers should feel confident that having a single code of practice and a new appeals charter will give them confidence to appeal and be properly heard. We are also pleased that honest mistakes, like mistyping the car registration into the machine, will now be automatically cancelled.”

Xxx Knight’s quest completed

Xxx

The Parking (Code of Practice) Bill was a Private Members Bill introduced by Sir Greg Knight MP, supported by the Government and given Royal Assent in March 2019. It covers England, Wales, and Scotland, creating consistency for motorists everywhere in Britain.

Sir Greg said: “Some car park providers are honest and fair but a number of unscrupulous rogues have undermined the sector with bad practice. I warmly welcome the government’s action which will prevent motorists being unjustly treated in future and will make parking a vehicle a fairer experience for all.

“Action is needed because many dodgy operators are still engaging in unacceptable practices whilst using a threatening and intimidating process to fleece motorists.”

been

Sir Greg Knight MP

RAC

Let ’s embrace the new code

The Parking (Code of Practice) Act 2019 provided a clear direction of travel and the onus is now on the private parking sector to adapt and deliver the changes embodied within the government’s new unified code as smoothly, quickly and effectively as possible. I believe the industry has made significant progress over recent years in helping to drive up standards and improving the parking experience for motorists. But, the introduction of new legislation in 2019 has shown that more needs to be done.

Confirmation of the details of the new code has now provided the certainty and clarity to enable us to do just that. The decisions have been made. It is now up to everyone in the private parking sector to embrace the new code and accept collective responsibility to adjust their working practices and make the required changes to fulfil the new requirements. To coin a phrase, ‘we just need to get the job done!’

It will be challenging and there are likely to be some challenges along the way as we move towards full implementation by the end of 2023. However, I know just how resilient and progressive the industry is and, judging by the steps we have already taken and the comments from many of our members, I have every confidence the adoption of the new code will be achieved with minimum delay and upheaval. Through collecting and sharing

data, constantly monitoring progress and harnessing a close working relationship with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC), we can also look ahead with real confidence.

Moreover, I am convinced that the implementation of the unified code will finally help us to address the doubt and scepticism that has plagued the industry’s public perception for far too long. The general public and the vast majority of motorists recognise the importance of effective and fair parking enforcement to ensure safety, compliance and accessibility. There is now a clear directive –supported by motoring organisations and our elected representatives – to reassure everyone that balance and fairness are truly at the heart of everything we do. That all amounts to a

BPA: Reduced deterrence could damage economy

Responsible motorists to lose out under government proposals

The British Parking Association (BPA) says it is “deeply concerned” by unintended consequences for motorists, landowners and parking operators of the UK government’s decision to cut the level of the private parking charge from £100 (reduced to £60 for early payment) to £50 (reduced to £25 for early payment).

The BPA argues that the new lower parking charges will reduce the effectiveness of parking enforcement and see more people take the risk of ignoring the parking rules which are for everyone’s benefit. The association says that motorists who do comply with the parking rules will find it more difficult to park, see free parking reduced and are more likely to pay higher tariffs.

BPA chief executive Andrew Pester said: “We welcome the Parking (Code of Practice) Act and measures to introduce a single code, standardssetting body, and an independent appeals service. However, for this package of measures to be sustainable, there needs to be an effective deterrent to encourage compliance with parking rules and deter anti-social parking. Without

effective parking management, places would become congested and inaccessible. We call on government to urgently reconsider its proposals given the unintended consequences for our sector, landowners, and motorists.”

The BPA is worried about the removal of the debt recovery fee, which is currently capped at £70. “The use of a debt recovery agent is extensively used and accepted within many industries,” said Pester. “In the parking sector it is used to help engage with the motorist, especially after the appeals processes have been exhausted. The

wonderful opportunity for all corners of the industry – from landowners and parking operators to retailers, employers, transport providers and leisure venues – to show just how far we go to maintain the highest standards in a service area that plays such a key role in so many lives.

The IPC stands ready to work with DLUHC and other key stakeholders to move through the next stage of the process and to provide the framework and clarity operators now need to adopt the new code.

Will Hurley is chief executive of the International Parking Community (IPC), which is an accredited trade association serving the parking industry www.theipc.info

removal of this service, including the provision of payment plans and the ability to deal sensitively with vulnerable people, may trigger an increase in the number of cases proceeding to the County Court stage, which no one wants to see.”

The association warns that a quarter of currently managed private parking spaces will no longer be managed. Mazars, an audit, tax and advisory firm, conducted an impact assessment on the effect of the government proposals to reduce the level of parking charges. The BPA cites research analysing footfall in towns and cities that showed the closure of prominent car parks could lead to a dramatic decline in footfall of between 5% and 7%.

There could be also significant job losses throughout the parking sector, according to separate data commissioned by the BPA. This found that parking operators could lose up to 40% of their income should the government reduce parking charges and risk thousands of job losses.

Looking ahead, Pester said: “The BPA will continue to work closely with key stakeholders and seek opportunities to engage with Neil O’Brien MP, to push for a positive outcome that benefits those whose livelihoods depend on a vibrant retail economy and the vast majority of motorists who comply with parking rules.”

www.britishparking.co.uk

Will Hurley gives the International Parking Community’s response to the new unified code of practice

Andrew Pester

Will Hurley

The new code is a wonderful opportunity for the parking industry to show how we maintain the highest levels of service

Q-Park adopts ParkBee booking service

Parking operator adds over 50 UK locations to ParkBee’s inventory

ParkBee, an off-street parking booking platform, has reached agreement with Q-Park in the UK. ParkBee offers drivers access to underutilised off-street parking locations. Drivers who book spaces via ParkBee are granted access to the car parks they choose.

Q-Park is an important addition, as it operates a portfolio of over 50 public car parks in the UK’s biggest cities and towns.

ParkBee was launched in the Netherlands, but has been building up its presence in the UK, where ParkBee has now signed partnerships with parking apps such as Connect, JustPark, PayByPhone and RingGo.

Car park owners that appear on ParkBee have their spaces promoted to a pool of 47 million users signed up to these apps, while the app providers can offer drivers access to ParkBee’s network of affiliated car parks.

Drivers also benefit by being able to use their preferred app when entering a ParkBee garage.

Over the past year, ParkBee UK claims to have expanded its locations by 350%, now offering more than 6,000 off-street spots across the country.

Unity 5 expands developer team

Parking IT company Unity 5 has expanded its team, strengthening a number of different departments.

It has appointed two new developers, a junior developer, assistant product owner, customer experience and support specialist.

The developer team is now 16 strong and has plans for further recruitment later this year.

Tim Coleman, head of product, said: “Investing in people on the product and development areas of the business, allows us to ensure continuity of the current products whilst also supporting the

implementation of new technologies and approaches. This continuing investment in our overall team is the only way to drive forward our extremely ambitious roadmap.”

Celina Herbert, director of operations at ZatPark said: “We are delighted to be able to start 2022 on such a positive note with this announcement of our new team members, all of whom bring valuable experience with them. With so much to offer our clients, in terms of both people and product features, we’re looking forward to another successful year ahead.”

Angelique de Rauville, managing director of ParkBee in the UK, said: “Q-Park is a highly respected operator and this partnership provides our users with access to some of the best parking locations in the United Kingdom. ParkBee has estab-

lished itself as a tech platform and is also set for further high growth following a string of new partnerships with major players in both real estate and parking apps in the past year.”

John Denton, head of sales and marketing of Q-Park UK & IE, said: “Q-Park is delighted to be able to welcome ParkBee users through their platform into the safe and secure parking locations that Q-Park offers. This collaboration supports our digital strategy to increase connectivity via our innovative Q-Park PaSS solution giving parkers a truly seamless experience.”

Q-Park is one of the three leading providers of parking facilities in West Europe, whether wholly owned, leased, managed or in a hybrid business model. Q-Park is notable for its quality approach and has a portfolio comprising over 570,000 parking spaces in over 3,000 parking facilities across the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, Great Britain, France, Ireland and Denmark.

Celebrating inspirational people

The winners of the People in Parking Awards have been revealed by the British Parking Association.

The annual competition recognises inspirational stories of teams and individuals who have stepped up to take on new roles, learn new skills and supported their communities.

The 2022 winners were revealed in a virtual awards event held on 8 February.

The association also presented its annual Ernest Davies Award to Rod Williamson, city services team leader at City of Lincoln Council. The Ernest Davies Award is presented to a parking professional who has advanced parking knowledge

via articles or research. Craig Taylor, strategic parking manager at Cornwall Council was highly commended.

People in Parking Awards: Winners

• Team Leader Award: Brett Edmund, Nottingham City Council

• Colleague Award: Jon Turner, NSL

• Community Award: Androw Hawk, Cornwall Council

• Long Service Award: Gary Osner, ZZPS

• Outstanding Contribution: Marcus Hall, Nottingham City Council

• Inspirational Woman in Parking: Rebecca Maisey, PayByPhone UK

Angelique de Rauville

The ZatPark team

Wood takes on new role

Persistent evader champion joins Just

Alan Wood has joined debt recovery company Just as strategic account director to the public sector. Wood moved to Just from Penham Excel.

Wood has been in enforcement for over 21 years working on a variety of debt types. A winner of six British Parking Awards, he has developed a reputation as an industry expert on tackling nuisance and unlawful vehicles.

Via a nuisance vehicle working group, he has been working with the British Parking Association, Highways England, DVLA, Transport for London and the Department for Transport.

Wood is also one of 15 fellows of the BPA as well as the vicechair of both the Midlands and Central regional groups.

Nick Georgiades, managing director at Just, said: “At Just, we have successfully built a team of highly regarded specialists, helping our clients get dedicated support tailored specifically to

their sectors. Alan is yet another example of this trend, and we cannot wait to get started.”

Victoria Oliver, director of client development at Just, said: “It is with great excitement that we welcome Alan to the Just team. His expertise is second to none, and a plethora of industry awards and successes can attest

to that. Alan joins our existing team in giving the public sector a tailored and specialist service to ensure the best possible outcomes.”

Wood said: “I am genuinely excited to be joining such a forward thinking team, and look forward to showing what can truly be achieved for our clients.”

BPA’s O’Kelly takes up healthcare role

Julian O’Kelly has left the British Parking Association, where he was head of technology, innovation and research. O’Kelly joined the parking association in 2018 after a career in healthcare research.

While at the association, he worked on projects such as Park Active and TRO Discovery.

O’Kelly has now joined NHS Surrey Heartlands CCG as transformation programme manager. He said: “After three-anda-half years at the BPA, I’m returning to healthcare with a role focussed on improving a range of services in my local community. Exciting challenges lie ahead.”

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Julian O’Kelly

Alan Wood

Lessons learned in the neighbourhood

Old Bethnal Green Road was choked with more than 8,000 vehicles per day in 2019 when Project Centre started to work with residents and businesses to design a new-look neighbourhood and remove the rat-running vehicles. The work is part of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets’ Liveable Streets programme to reduce through-traffic, improve air quality and encourage more active travel in several neighbourhoods. The borough boasts the highest traffic flows in the UK and some neighbourhoods suffer from very poor air quality, with some children suffering from reduced lung capacity as a result.

As a key street within the wider Bethnal Green neighbourhood, Old Bethnal Green Road links residential areas to a green space, two schools and a local parade of shops and a café. The street was dominated by vehicular traffic, which inhibited the local community from using or enjoying this vital community asset.

The key aim of the scheme was to strengthen and improve the connection between the green space and retail area, thereby redefining the area as a place for people. This connectivity was achieved by removing traffic and providing infrastructure for sustainable travel modes.

Engagement and consultation took centre stage in the development of the scheme. After early engagement surveys to establish local trends and issues, co-design workshops helped shape a series of proposals. A public consultation received more than 2,300 responses to more than 10,000 information packs sent to local properties.

More than two-thirds of respondents supported the proposals, and their feedback shaped the detailed designs, which also

benefitted the bustling Columbia Road flower market area. Following two years of community outreach, a parklet was introduced to reduce through-traffic on the road, with filters and oneway access introduced on residential side streets as well as a segregated bike lane.

Thousands of children of all ages attend schools on the street and benefit from the quieter, safer environment with a 69% reduction in traffic across the area and a 4mph reduction in average vehicle speeds, which helps reduce road danger.

An assistant headteacher at a nearby school said: “The road changes are very positive. Staff move between sites on foot as the changes have vastly reduced traffic and made this much more pleasant for staff and also for students walking to school. It is also far less challenging to safely get students across the road at the end of the school day.”

The programme team is working with social enterprise Bikeworks to provide free basic repairs and maintenance to encourage residents to dust off old bikes and bring them back into use as well as support regular commuters to cycle safely.

Road closures are not the only key feature of this scheme and wider low traffic neighbourhood; wider pavements and continuous crossings help vulnerable residents and visitors get around, improving access for those using mobility aids or walking with pushchairs or prams.

More greenery was planted to improve air quality, drainage, biodiversity and the overall look of the area. Extra seating offers an opportunity for rest or relaxation to allow everyone to enjoy fresh air or open space in such a built-up neighbourhood with

Chris Harrison explains how the re-design of a once busy, polluted and noisy main road in east London has won widespread approval among local residents

Wider pavements, cycle tracks and more greenery have been installed on Old Bethnal Green Road

businesses introducing tables and chairs to allow customers to enjoy a drink or lunch al fresco. Enhanced street lighting and CCTV is planned to tackle fears of crime and anti-social behaviour following feedback from residents.

Balancing the needs of residents and businesses is a challenge, with loading and parking bays a priority for traders in an inner London borough of just eight square miles where road space is at a premium.

Several cycle hangars have been introduced in residential roads and estates. Additional cycle stands have been installed near the shops to help people support local shops hit by pandemic restrictions. A shopkeeper in Columbia Road said: “We have been here for 24 years. I was a keen cyclist but found cycling in London just too terrifying and dangerous so during those years I cycled less and less. With the Liveable Streets initiative, I suddenly feel confident to get back on my bike. We are now thinking differently about how we deliver in London. For example, because of the reduced traffic on the roads we were able to do many of our deliveries within London on bike.”

The programme team will continue to monitor the longer-term impact on local roads as commuters return to their workplace more regularly. Other schemes include similar interventions have been implemented in Barkantine, Wapping and Bow.

Chris Harrison is technical director at Project Centre. He spoke at the Landor LINKS Traffic + Parking conference. chris.harrison@projectcentre.co.uk www.marstonholdings.co.uk/projectcentre

Balancing the needs of residents and businesses is a challenge, with loading and parking bays a priority for traders

Chris Harrison

Planters

Vehicle space has been converted to public space

Cycling infrastructure

Buckinghamshire trials enforcement cameras

are using these areas so that we can address particular issues and introduce measures to help improve safety and accessibility for all.”

Buckinghamshire Council is trialing the use of number plate recognition cameras at bus gateways and on a bridge. The trials will help it prepare for the adoption of new moving traffic regulation enforcement powers.

Yunex Traffic has supplied and installed enforcement cameras at three locations in the county. Two of the company’s LaneWatch automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras at locations in High Wycombe and one on a bridge in Marlow.

The three sites were selected for the trial in response to multiple complaints to the council from residents and road users. The sites in High Wycombe are bus gateways, which have been reported to be frequently used by car drivers. Meanwhile, at Marlow Bridge vehicle drivers regularly overlook the weight restrictions which are in place to protect the structural integrity of the historic bridge.

Contraventions at the sites have caused significant disruptions and raised safety concerns for other road users and pedestrians.

Cllr Steve Broadbent, cabinet member for transport, said: “We are looking to install these temporary cameras to give us a better idea of the number of vehicles currently breaking the rules and causing a danger to others and

damage to our roads and highways infrastructure.

“We want to make our roads and towns as safe as possible for everyone who uses them. This exercise will help us to better understand the way motorists

Heras enhances barrier range in UK

Access control system manufacturer Heras has launched a new sliding gate and upgraded its flagship turnstile as part of a plan to strengthen its core product range of permanent perimeter protection and entrance control solutions.

The Doncaster-based company recently announced a move to a simplified range of solutions. The introduction of the Delta sliding gate and enhancements to the B700 turnstile are the first changes to its product portfolio to be unveiled.

Heras is targeting sales of both the Delta gate and B700 turnstile to sites such as warehousing hubs, data centres, food processing and distribution centres, healthcare facilities, and manufacturing plants that need secure access points to their sites.

Product manager Jonathan Broughton said that Heras has acted quickly following its Europe-wide product review last year to identify sales growth opportunities.

Broughton said: “Delta is one of the best-selling sliding gates across Europe, and its introduction into the UK will be a great platform from which to work closely with site owners and operators who want

to improve the opening and closing speed of sliding gates, cut costs for repairing gates that have been struck by vehicles and reduce unauthorised site breaches at entrance points.”

The Delta sliding gates comes in two models and has opening widths ranging from 3 metres to 9.5 metres for single gates or 6 metres to 19 metres for the double-gate option. Its gate heights range from 1.8 metres to 2.5 metres. It has an opening rate of up to 0.5 metres per second for each gate, providing a possible speed of 1 metre per second on double gates.

Heras said the Delta is designed to be

The trial is taking place in advance of changes to the Traffic Management Act which are expected to be implemented in June 2022. The government has said that regulations giving councils in England the power to enforce certain moving traffic offences under Part 6 of the Traffic Management Act 2004 are planned to come into force on 1 June, with local authorities able to apply for the appropriate powers from May this year.

A wide range of offences will be covered, including School Streets, bus lanes, weight restrictions and yellow box junctions.

Currently, outside London and Cardiff, these regulations are enforced by the police, but after Part 6 is introduced, local authorities will be able to issue fixed penalty notices to those caught contravening restrictions, with the revenue generated invested in further road improvements.

Wilke Reints, managing director, Yunex Traffic in the UK, said: “We are working with Buckinghamshire to help it quantify the scale of the problem through our camera technology.”

fully compliant with safety standard EN 12453:2017+A1:2021.

The Delta has an aluminium under beam with a steel frame and steel bars, making it a lightweight solution compared to other gate systems – this means there is no heavy lifting equipment required to install Delta. For example, it can be easily installed in less-accessible areas, such as underground car parks.

Component parts of the sliding gate can be replaced instead of having to replace a complete unit in the event of being struck and damaged by vehicles entering or leaving sites such as warehouses and distribution hubs.

Once installed, the modular design enables the Delta gates to be serviced or upgraded, as most components can be individually replaced.

The Delta gates can be included in Connect, a cloud-based portal that offers real-time insights into the status of entrance control systems, with remote monitoring of user access and automatic alerts and notifications via smartphone, tablet or PC.

Connect also enables users to open access systems via mobile phone, as well as enables Heras to provide remote and proactive monitoring of the systems.

ANPR pilot will help council plan for new moving traffic powers

Marlow Bridge

COURTESY OF BUCKINGHAMSHIRE COUNCIL

Parkopedia joins global mapping data body

Navigational Data Standard Association plans worldwide map

Connected vehicle service provider Parkopedia has joined the Navigation Data Standard (NDS) Association, the worldwide standard for map data in automotive ecosystems.

The NDS Association aims to provide a worldwide map standard for automotive-grade use that can be widely used in the navigation industry and be globally adopted by leading suppliers of navigation maps, as well as being interoperable between navigation platforms and deliver ‘live’, up-to-date maps.

To support the adoption of the navigation standard and reach its goals, NDS supports projects by providing tools and support, while constantly developing the technical standards involved and growing the association.

Parkopedia’s data collection technology includes proprietary software, computer vision and AI (artificial intelligence) to provide detailed parking information such as cost, opening hours, parking restrictions and electric vehicle (EV) charger status, for more than 70 million parking spaces in 89 countries.

The company’s staff, including PhD researchers, carry out modelling research to create the company’s dynamic service, which predicts real-time parking or charger availability at the driver’s estimated time of arrival, while an integrated payment platform allows drivers to pay for parking, as well as EV charging, fuelling and tolls, all via a single sign-on account through their vehicle’s infotainment screen.

Parkopedia also creates highdefinition indoor parking maps

and the associated technology to enable map-based end-to-end navigation within parking facilities and accurate indoor service locating, such as EV charging stations, as well as automated valet parking (AVP) in the future – all without GPS requirements.

The navigation experience for drivers currently ends at the entrance of any indoor or underground parking facility due to the lack of GPS.

Parkopedia’s indoor mapping service provides both the navigation and localisation data needed for connected and automated services, such as nextgeneration driver convenience and Mobility as a Service (MaaS) services.

In 2020, Parkopedia successfully demonstrated AVP with HD maps of indoor car parks using vision-based localisation techniques based on artificial landmarks (fiducial markers). Now, the company uses natural landmarks to guide drivers to the most likely available parking spot, as well as minimising the overall journey time by optimis-

ing a multi-modal route and enabling navigation to ‘hidden’ EV charging stations and findmy-car applications.

Localisation of vehicles within indoor parking facilities also allows for more than just parking. Industries such as car-sharing and repurposing of sections of the car park for multi-usage, covering green last-mile delivery networks, ghost kitchens, and e-commerce applications, such as straight-to-trunk delivery, will thrive with the mass introduction of indoor localisation.

Martin Schleicher, chairman of the NDS Association, said: “A global and well-adopted map data standard is essential to collaboratively drive innovation and share data securely and reliably. We are delighted that Parkopedia is now on board to achieve this important goal as we move towards the mobility of the future.”

NDS evolves with the market needs because it is designed for the automotive industry, by the automotive industry. NDS maps work worldwide covering North

RingGo launches in North Warwickshire

North Warwickshire Borough Council has appointed RingGo to provide its cashless parking services. The collaboration coincides with the council introducing off-street parking charges in some of its car parks for the first time.

North Warwickshire will not be applying a ‘convenience fee’, meaning paying with RingGo will be the same cost as paying at the machine.

RingGo branding is being rolled out across the borough, with stickers and signage being installed in anticipation of the launch.

The RingGo brand already has a footprint in the area, with the service established across Warwickshire, Warwick, Stratford-onAvon and Birmingham.

Cllr David Wright, leader of North Warwickshire Borough Council, said: “Our recent collaboration with RingGo signifies our commitment to providing more convenient ways to make payments and utilising the development of modern technology.

“We hope that residents and visitors will find the app to be a quick and easy way to

America, EMEA, and APAC –including China, South Korea and Japan. NDS Association has currently 43 members: Automotive OEMs, system and solution vendors, as well as map data suppliers. A data standardisation such as NDS creates broad consensus in the industry supported by the best engineers and experts.

Dr Brian Holt, chief technology officer at Parkopedia, said: “Every car journey begins and ends with parking. Parkopedia’s services can help minimise driving time, costs, hassle, and worry. At the same time, parking remains a critical element of incar navigation systems, therefore, parking remains a top priority within the NDS Association.

“Unfortunately, the current navigation experience ends at the entrance to parking facilities, leaving drivers short of their intended end destination. Parkopedia’s HD maps will extend the navigation experience indoors, and provide the bridge to autonomous parking and its associated benefits in the future.”

Parkopedia’s HD maps will now comply with NDS global specifications, such as data model, storage format, interfaces and protocols, allowing for simple adoption by automakers for in-car navigation, ADAS and e-horizon safety systems.

As a member of the NDS Association, Dr Holt said that Parkopedia can now make use of NDS tooling, and technologies in all upcoming parking and charging innovation projects.

Parkopedia’s connected car services are used by organisations such as Audi, Apple, BMW, Ford, Garmin, GM, Hyundai Kia, Jaguar Land Rover, Mercedes-Benz, Peugeot, Sygic, TomTom, Toyota, Volkswagen, and others.

pay for parking without the need to carry cash.”

Peter O’Driscoll, managing director of RingGo, said: “The expansion of the RingGo network in North Warwickshire will keep drivers front-of-mind for convenience, safety and accessibility. We want to make sure that all motorists have the right tools to not only make journeys easier, but also safer. The RingGo app enables drivers to effortlessly manage all parking services from their smartphone device in a convenient way.”

RingGo is part of the global EasyPark Group.

Dr Brian Holt

York Castle redevelopment plans unveiled

City of York Council has unveiled plans to transform the Castle car park, Eye of York and the wider area into a new public space. The scheme includes replacing the car park, next to the 13th Century Clifford’s Tower, with an open space including a new water feature.

The plans have been designed by landscape architects at BDP and include proposals to transform the Castle Gateway area.

The design follows the open community brief produced in 2019 which set out ideas submitted by residents on the future use of the space. The design concepts and evolving ideas were tested with the public throughout 2021.

The plans include:

• a new open space for people to gather, play and enjoy the fountains and also host large scale events

• a park on the Foss riverside and a link behind the Castle Museum into Castle Gardens and the new bridge to Castle Mills

• a path around the base of Clifford’s Tower that will allow

people to walk around the motte, and also serve as an act of remembrance to commemorate the 1190 Jewish massacre

• The Eye of York retaining the central oak tree and lawn, whilst increasing biodiversity, providing seating and a performance space for music, theatre and public speaking

• a route through the former car park area that will reinstate the historic Castlegate approach that linked the city with the castle area

• Tower Street becoming a shared space for pedestrians and cars, with Blue Badge parking provided.

Cllr Keith Aspden, leader of City of York Council, said: “We are grateful to those who have helped shape the plans through their feedback over the last few years, to make sure this space is what the community and city needs.

“Castle Gateway is a part of our plans to make York an even better place to live and visit, creating a world-class public space for everyone to enjoy and attracting high quality events on our residents’ doorsteps.”

Cllr Nigel Ayre, executive member for finance and performance, added: “The feedback from businesses and residents

is at the heart of these plans, so I hope as many people will continue to engage as the project progresses to ensure it delivers a world-class space that is right for our communities.”

However, an opposition leader said the issue of replacement parking had still not been addressed. Conservative group leader Paul Doughty said replacement parking must be in place before the closure of the 268bay Castle car park.

Approval for a new multistorey car park at nearby St George’s Field has been granted, but was put on hold in 2021 to allow a review of demand in the city.

Doughty said: “Despite that planning application having gone through some time ago, it has all gone suspiciously quiet and there has to be concern that is now being kicked into the long grass.”

The council has previously said the Castle car park would not be closed until replacement parking was agreed.

As part of the planning process, these plans are now available for viewing and comments. Events have also been held to provide an opportunity for residents to learn more about the planning application.

Colchester car park renovated

The upgrade is a response to the increasing size of modern vehicles. St Mary’s car park was built in the late 1970s, when cars were significantly smaller. The works will make the car park easier to use and more accessible for residents and visitors.

The St Mary’s car park in Colchester has been refreshed to provide an improved parking experience and extra Blue Badge holder parking. Colchester Borough Council undertook the works as part of a larger investment project to improve the car park for customers.

The car park now features wider entrance and exit lanes

with a new welcome mat. The ground floor parking bays have also been widened and a fresh coat of paint applied to brighten up the walls and pillars.

Two extra-wide Blue Badge holder bays have also been added on the ground floor to increase the provision for disabled parking in the town centre.

Cllr Simon Crow, portfolio holder for environment and sustainability, said: “It’s great to see how the new bays have refreshed the look of the car park, and widening them will make it so much easier for residents and visitors to park with larger cars. The bollards used to make it a tight squeeze to enter and exit the car park, so I’m glad much easier access can now be enjoyed with a modernised look.

“We are looking at funding options to extend the bay widening throughout St Mary’s and other council car parks. It’s important that our car park facilities provide a positive parking experience for all our customers.”

A multi-storey car park has been approved to meet shopper demand at a designer outlet shopping centre less than a year after it opened.

There is currently space for 1,822 cars at the McArthurGlen Outlet West Midlands in Cannock, Staffordshire. The planning application said more spaces were needed as shoppers were spending more time there than had been anticipated.

The new car park will increase the outlet’s overall capacity to 2,500 vehicles.

Cannock Chase Council approved plans on the condition 58 electric vehicle charging points are provided.

The majority of the car park will be 24.5 metres high with two taller roof features reaching up to 34 metres, although detailed plans will not be revealed until later.

Cannock retail outlet MSCP will meet demand

Surface car park will make way for new public space

Artist’s impression of the new public space

Cllr Simon Crowe in the revamped car park

COLCHESTER BOROUGH COUNCIL

Tube car park to become housing

build new homes at Cockfosters station

Transport for London (TfL) has been given the go-ahead to a controversial housing development on the site of Cockfosters Tube station car park.

Enfield Council approved the plan for 351 new homes proposed by TfL and developer Grainger Plc, despite strong opposition to the schemes.

There were more than 2,800 written objections during consultations. Opponents of the plans have said it will make it harder for residents to access Cockfosters Tube station and claim it will have a negative impact on local services.

The development will contain 40% affordable housing, with homes available for discounted market rates as well as London Living Rent and London Affordable Rent. It will also provide open space, commercial space and public bike parking.

Ben Tate, head of property development at TfL, said: “This scheme has been designed to provide not only the new and

affordable homes that are urgently needed in the borough and across London, but also create new areas of open space and play space that can be enjoyed by the local community and residents alike and re-provide car parking facilities to support the local area. It will contribute around £4.5m to help improve local infrastructure and services.”

In November last year, Chipping Barnet MP Theresa Villiers led a protest against the scheme outside City Hall ahead of a Mayor’s Question Time meeting. Villiers said building on the station car park would make life

harder for commuters trying to get to work.

She also raised concerns about women’s safety as they would be left “waiting in the dark at a bus stop or trying to find a taxi” instead of being able to pick up their own car.

She said: “There is a reason why many suburban tube stations have car parks. They serve a much wider area than inner London stations meaning that many people live well beyond walking distance of their nearest station. The mayor’s plans show that he does not understand the suburbs.”

Leeds project features 478-bay multi-storey

A plan to build apartments, offices and a hotel in Leeds features a new multi-storey car park.

The Whitehall Riverside scheme will see the construction of two build-torent blocks, housing 532 apartments and two office blocks.

The build-to-rent buildings will have commercial space on the ground floor.

The scheme also includes a 478-space multi-storey car park and a 108-room aparthotel.

Local property investor Town Centre Securities (TCS) and property company Glenbrook submitted the plans across two applications to Leeds City Council this week.

TCS development director Craig Burrow said the mixeduse approach would unlock the potential to develop the whole site. TCS has already completed an office block and Premier Inn hotel on the wider three-acre site that will house the new buildings.

TfL gets permission to

Artist’s impression of the new housing

TFL

Residents in an area of Great Yarmouth are calling for action to be taken against flocks of starlings that are leaving a mess on their homes and cars.

People living in Kent Square and surrounding roads say that Great Yarmouth Borough Council needs to do more to deter the birds.

The council has deployed a laser device to try and scare off the flock nesting in trees in Kent Square, but this does not seem to have driven them away. The council said it will review the situation to see what steps can be taken next.

Local man Paul Burton set up the Facebook group Gt Yarmouth Kent Square Area Residents Against Starling Faeces to highlight the problem. “The laser is obviously not working but it seems there is nothing else on the table,” he said.

“I am going to ring environmental health and see if they can get a hawk out, I can’t see why that couldn’t be an option.”

A statement from the borough council said: “The trial of a humane bird deterrent to stop the birds from roosting at dusk is still ongoing. We know the disruption that large bird flocks can cause to residents but as

Why

starlings are protected by the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 they cannot be forcibly removed. We are continuing with regular enhanced cleaning of the area and we will review next steps once the trial has been completed.”

Brandon Lewis, MP for Great Yarmouth, has contacted the borough council about the prob-

just flock

lem. In a letter to residents he said: “Residents have explained that although beautiful in the area, the murmurations have resulted in consistent unpleasant scenes of bird guano covering the streets and caking cars. This is not only unpleasant, it is unsanitary.

“Appreciating that many residents are finding the current

thank her for choosing me for an act of kindness. It had a big impact on my day.”

The mother-of-two said she thought the ticket might have blown over when she shut the door. She plans challenge the fine and she would “keep sharing the love” and make someone else’s day as happy as hers was.

A stranger left money on a woman’s car to help pay for a parking notice issued in a Nottingham car park.

Selena Mills said she bought a ticket from the machine in a car park in Mapperley that allowed her to stay free for two hours. But on return, she found a £25 charge notice has been issued to her car. However, she also found £20 and a note stating it was gift “from one mum to another”. She said the note moved her to tears. “I think she has restored my faith in humanity,” she said. “I felt really overwhelmed, happy, and my heart felt full. I just want to

Mills posted the tale on the Mapperley People Facebook page to say thank you, hoping the stranger would see it. Sonia Robinson spotted the post and confirmed she was the kind stranger

The mother-of-three said she noticed Mills buy a ticket ahead of her and, after returning from the shops 20 minutes later, saw her car had been fined. Robinson, who is a yoga teacher, said: “I have been in that position myself and have contested it and got nowhere. I started to drive away but I thought no, I will make her day a bit better. Hopefully it can send the message that we can all spread a little bit of love.”

An estate agent has deployed dance and space metaphors when trying to promote interest in a parking space in Glasgow. Fergus Lindsay, who works for estate agency Slater Hogg & Howison in the city’s central districts, posted a £19,000 car parking space within a multi-storey car park on Rightmove.

The listing said: “You have to, albeit grudgingly, admire the uncanny efficiency of the Traffic Warden with their almost supernatural ability to materialise from thin air as if beamed from the Parking Enforcement Deck of the of the USS Enterprise.

situation intolerable, I have been corresponding with Great Yarmouth Borough Council which has increased the level of cleaning in the area.

“Additionally they are exploring options to try and displace the starlings to a new location. I hope that this trial is successful and will continue to liaise with the council.”

“If you are tired of neck stretching and swivel heading, dancing the parking fandango, misdialling RingGo or searching down the back of your passenger seat for loose change then this secure, gated, undercover and CCTV observed private parking space is just the solution to your travails.

“Perfectly positioned in Merchant City central this is the prime garage to rest your four-wheeled friend.”

The pictures that accompany the listing for the space at the Albion Street car park include a photo of the current owner’s Jaguar sports car.

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