titlepage/contents pg 1-16 - British Parking Association

136 Chapter 8being subject to possible politicalhostility, it is important that theseshould be treated as open publicmeetings and managed by thepoliticians.2. ForumsSometimes a suitable forum willexist; otherwise local authoritiesshould consider setting up aforum that can deal with parkingand other transport matters.Forums can be set up to engagea wider set of interests than juststakeholders, and this may beparticularly useful in developingand reviewing schemes. Forummeetings can be held to build aconsensus on the type ofscheme required that wouldmeet the objectives set out in theparking strategy or otherdocuments. The widercommunity can be kept informedof the deliberations through anewsletter circulated within thecommunity.Once a scheme has beendeveloped with the involvementof the forum, it can be put out forpublic consultation, in line withstatutory obligations.3. Focus groupsFocus groups are speciallyrecruited groups of people,usually with some commoninterest, who are broughttogether to discuss policy issues.They are frequently used inmarket research and can providevaluable insights into publicreactions. They are not usuallyused in developing parkingschemes and proposals, wherebroader representation isnormally needed, but they canbe useful where innovativeschemes are being proposed.Focus groups were used, forexample, to explore reactions toa proposed City Car Clubinvolving the use of dedicatedon-street space for club vehicles.Focus groups need to beplanned and moderated byprofessionals trained in the useof such groups.4. Stated Preference surveysStated preference surveys areoften used in transport planning,mainly as a means ofestablishing coefficients tocalibrate mathematical transportmodels. The surveys use indepthinterviews where thesubjects are required to maketrade-offs between differentoptions. They are an importantpart of building models of parkingbehaviour and require specialistadvice to plan, administer andinterpret.It is important that respondentsunderstand the range ofpropositions being put to them. Ifa proposed scheme involvesaspects with which respondentsare unfamiliar, such as the firstresidents’ parking scheme in atown, it is unlikely that people willgive answers that will reflect theiractual behaviour once a schemeis introduced. Proposedschemes may initially attractadverse comment, but receivefirm support once the benefitshave become clear afterimplementation.5. Structured questionnairesand interviewsQuestionnaires are oftenincluded in leaflets for generalconsultation on parkingschemes. They can also beused in a targeted way either toget responses from specificgroups of people, such as localtraders, or to achieve responsesthat are statistically robustthrough the use of structuredsamples, for example 10% ofresidents in a scheme area.Because of typically lowresponse rates from postalquestionnaires, achievement of astatistically significant samplewill normally require door-to-doorinterviews.6. Consultation leafletsThe commonest form ofconsultation on parking schemesis a leaflet distributed toresidents and businesses in thearea concerned, usually with aquestionnaire for return to theCouncil. Use of such leaflets is