titlepage/contents pg 1-16 - British Parking Association

Funding and the Parking Business Plan 163a way that the local authorityloses control over charge levelsand tariff structures.Experience has tended to showthat parking charges rise fasterunder private sector control thanthey would have within localauthority control. Many localauthorities are fearful of raisingcar park prices to realistic levelsdue to the outcry that oftenoccurs. By passing theresponsibility to the privatesector they no longer get thebacklash that can occur. One ofthe prime objectives of the localauthority, however, is to managetraffic levels and to maintain theviability of their town and citycentres; both objectives thatbenefit from retaining controlover charge levels and regimes.There may be a middle way, asin Manchester where a board, onwhich the City Council isrepresented, sets charges.On occasions the private sectorcan release asset values that thecouncil would not, on their own,have been able to realise, oftenthrough land deals. Improvedmanagement practices andefficiencies of scale can also bebeneficial.The importance of LocalAuthority controlA number of authorities that soldoff their car parks have from timeto time regretted that action asthey no longer have sufficientinfluence on charging policy andhence cannot influence eitherthe economic viability of theircentres or congestion levels. It isnow good practice that localauthorities retain control ofIn 1999 Manchester City Council promoted a partnership with private car parkcompanies. However, this proposal was referred to the Monopolies and MergersCommission due to the perceived lack of competition that would remain in thearea. The legal challenge greatly extended the period of contract negotiations, buteventually the partnership went ahead on the basis that Trafford and Salford wereimmediately adjacent and hence there was not a monopoly of spaces by a singleoperator.NCP Manchester Ltd. is a Joint Venture that has provided for £13 millioninvestment in over 40 car parks including:● Installation of digital CCTV;● State of the art 24 hour Control Centre;● Variable message signage on arterial routes and the inner relief route;● Installation of modern control equipment.The Joint Venture has a turnover in excess of £16 million providing an integratedparking system within the City Centre Management Plan, Local Transport Plan andCommunity Safety Plan.The Joint Venture believes that residents, businesses and visitors have allbenefited from the arrangement in a number of ways. To date these include:● Cost reduction and improved Council net income;●●●●●Upgraded car parks which allow customers to park safely when going abouttheir normal daily business;High quality parking provision that enables Manchester to maintain its positionas the Regional Centre despite threats from the “out of town” alternative;Real-time information on parking options for occasional users of the CityCentre;A vital role in supporting new commercial development; andSupport for, and explicit links to, the Local Transport Plan and the CommunitySafety Plan for the City Centre.charge levels and tariffstructures, even if managementand operation is transferred tothe private sector.There is also an important landuse planning reason for keepingcar parks within local authorityownership. A private car park ismore difficult to remove, shouldurban design or regenerationplans require it to be removed orreplaced. It is noticeable in manycities that otherwise welldesignedpedestrian priorityareas are compromised by theneed to maintain access to carparks constructed before suchimprovements were conceived.In deciding whether and in whatways to involve the privateTable 10.2 The do’s and don’ts of private sector involvement in car parks.✔● Local authority owned and ● Private control of tariff structuremanaged car parks● Private control of charges● Private management of car parks ● Unregulated private control ofunder contract to the local authority conditions of use and enforcement● Privately owned car parks with● Private ownership withlocal authority control over tariffunregulated management andstructure and charges, and regulation operationof conditions of use and enforcement● Private ownership with managementin partnership with the local authority✘Parking sign for private car park –Birmingham.