What role for park and ride

[#Metro]

 

Something interesting. Should we charge for commuter carparking? 

http://transporttextbook.com/?p=1224

[Otto]

I beleive the old Coro Drive Park n Ride ( late 70's-early 80's ) charged a fee for parking which also included a ticket to travel via bus into the City..

[ozbob]

Interesting article.

This comes up from time to time.  Charging fees for park and ride obviously presents some logistic issues.  One way it could be achieved is through a go card.  We have received reports of car-poolers using some park and rides as well (5 cars park, they all leave in one car). This is not a bad thing as such but restricts the spaces available to true public transport commuters.  One way of controlling would be to use go card to access and leave the car park.  If public transport not used then a fee payable.  The extension of this is to charge a parking fee?  Not sure if that would be acceptable but the park and rides do cost.  Charging for them though would just force folks out on the streets.  Restricting them to true public transport commuters would be of value though.  Until there is a reliable feeder bus/station bus setup it is difficult to see them charging.

Some jurisdictions overseas charge eg. Ireland   http://www.irishrail.ie/your_journey/carpark_information.asp

[BribieG]

Even with the regular station car parks you still see heaps of people parking on the street through choice, because in certain locations like Bald Hills if you can get there early enough you can still score a park on Bald Hills Road or Cullimore Street right next to the pedestrian overbridge while there are official carpark spots vacant in the newly expanded car park. On your return, hop in the car, vroom vroom and off up the street at the speed of light without having to navigate out of the station car park itself.

[HappyTrainGuy]

One way it could be achieved is through a go card.

I've always liked that idea. You don't always have to charge them to park there. All they would have to do is write some code that recognises swiping the go card at the gate with the connecting train/bus trip. If there isn't a connecting fair maybe then charge the person for parking there. Only problem with this is for paper ticket users but since they are trying to get everyone to go onto go cards its quite possible.

[Golliwog]

I don't think the current paper tickets would take going through a ticket reader well, but if they changed the paper tickets to something like what they have in Paris with a magnetic strip, then they could insert that. Or they could do what other parking lots do sometimes and employ someone to check for a ticket on the way out. It is a flaw in the system but they can just leave the gate open after hours.

[Gazza]

^^As with everything, how about just copying the Perth method?

http://www.transperth.wa.gov.au/Default.aspx?tabid=362&id=276

http://www.transperth.wa.gov.au/UsingTransperth/CarParking/tabid/119/Default.aspx

[ozbob]

The problem is though Gazza,  TransLink sees funding Park n' rides as viable but not regular feeder/station buses. 

Transperth puts a lot of effort into providing a fully integrated public transport network. This means that where there is demand, bus services will connect to major train stations and interchanges to provide a one-stop connecting journey.

I feel deep down though there is an unspoken intention to charge for the parking at the park n' rides, just hasn't hit the streets yet ...

[Gazza]

I feel deep down though there is an unspoken intention to charge for the parking at the park n' rides, just hasn't hit the streets yet ...

Its funny how at the GC line stations the car parks have clearly been designed for future boom gates.

[ozbob]

Ditto Oxley ...




I think feeder/station buses might be a bit easier ... 

[#Metro]

New Parking Vending Machines
Transperth is installing new Parking Vending Machines (PVM's) at all stations from Monday 15 February 2010. Once the new machines are working at your station you can continue to pay for parking using your SmartRider, however funds will be deducted from your SmartRider straight away. Please ensure you have sufficient credit to pay for parking.

New PVM's will be in use at Edgewater, Greenwood, Stirling and Warwick stations on Monday 22 February and it is expected that all stations will have new machines by July 2010.

Please click here to download the Pay 'n' Display brochure.

$$$ for more feeder buses paid by the car park! You could even do differential charging! More for peak, less for off peak.

[BribieG]

Last visit to the UK, many compact and popular small cities like York and Brighton have park n rides that are the default method of getting into town. For example at York there's no way you would be able to drive into the centre and that's accepted by everybody - so you by default go to the park n ride which is free, on the understanding that you will hop on the bus there. And at most of them there is a dedicated little bus station with frequent service.

Now in Australia there aren't really any York sized cities as such, but if the CBD in Brisbane were to be restricted to cars in the same way as York etc then we could probably have similar park n rides at places like Bowen Hills, South Brisbane, Newstead etc. There is still enough land available due to demolitions and urban blight such as at Bowen Hills but I expect, cynically, that any spare land has been booked with construction megacompanies to build apartments etc. 

[Gazza]

at places like Bowen Hills, South Brisbane,

Lolwut?
So if people are driving that far into the city then that's not really solving congestion is it? To get to South Brisbaane you'd be grappling with roads like Coro Drive or the South Eastern Freeway.

I expect, cynically, that any spare land has been booked with construction megacompanies to build apartments etc.

Problem?

What's better? Building apartment buildings close in to the city, so people lots of people can actually live close to work etc and travel less total kilometers...Or giving the free land over so people can drive most of the way to the city and park their cars?

[#Metro]

So if people are driving that far into the city then that's not really solving congestion is it? To get to South Brisbaane you'd be grappling with roads like Coro Drive or the South Eastern Freeway.

But that is the carpark Gazza. Stagnation Drive Carpark and South East Freeway Carpark.