摘要: |
Parking presents a ready-made policy tool by which people's trip-making choices can be influenced. It happens all over the country, affects most people who drive and sometimes affects those who don't even more. Rules and charges around parking are already established and accepted. Greater use of maximum car parking standards, which limit the amount of car parking provided at new developments, is already used as an essential part of creating 'human-scale' places for us to live and work in. Remove parking and things can be closer together, meaning it is easier to walk and cycle, and of course, somewhat more difficult to drive or own a car. Unfortunately, the reality is that some draconian shift in the amount of parking we provide for new build homes doesn't align with over 40 years of out-of-town and suburban developments and lifestyles effectively reliant on a car to access goods and services. One way forward is for new developments to be built with much lower in-curtilage or private parking, ready for a future landscape where travel habits have changed. In the meantime, there could be the offer of parking supply bridging through parking areas that remain owned by the local authority and while available now for parking, can be re-purposed for other uses over a reasonable future timescale. |