titlepage/contents pg 1-16 - British Parking Association

Defining Parking Objectives 61which we live and work shouldbe seen as a priority. Improvingurban design in highways,transportation and parking policyand practice can have a pivotalrole to play in the economic,social and environmental wellbeing of our villages, towns andcities. But it needs to be seen incontext, as part of a biggerpicture, and balancing a range offrequently conflicting interests.This often requires a multidisciplinaryapproach to designwhen changing the street sceneand parking environment.Changing and managing thehighway and parkingenvironment are primarily aboutcreatingsuccessfulcommunities. It is important,therefore, to recognise theinteractions between the variouselements and the necessarypolicy interventions that combineto create and maintain betterplaces.“By Design” (12) states “Urbandesign is the art of makingplaces. It is not just about makingplaces visually attractive, but iscrucial to how places function, tomaintaining and enhancing thevitality and viability of towncentres, to regenerating rundownareas and to creating safecommunities where people feelsecure.” Thinking about gooddesign from the start of theplanning and developmentprocess is the best way topromote successful andsustainable regeneration,conservation and place making.A significant factor in the qualityand success of a newdevelopment is on how sensitiveit is to the local context, includingits connections to existing areasand the convenience, safety andcomfort with which people areable to get to and move throughit. New development presents anopportunity to create places thatpromote and encouragemovements through all modes oftravel, rather than on aconcentration upon vehicles. Asuccessful parking strategy will,therefore, embrace the principlesof good urban design.Further guidance on thefundamental principles to gooddesign and how these may beapplied is set out in “By Design”,whilst “Better places to live” (13),the companion guide to PPG3,sets out the attributes whichunderlie well-designed,successful residentialenvironments.Relevant objectives might,therefore, include:● To minimise visual intrusioncaused by parked vehicles;● To encourage travel bymodes other than the car, asa means of reducing theenvironmental impact ofmotor traffic;●To design and maintainparking areas and structures,signs and markings so as toblend with and not detractfrom the surroundingenvironment;● To create high quality urbandesign within retail andcommercial areas (with lesson-street parking);● To enable a X%improvement in air quality inkey locations; and● To locate and design parkingprovision and access roadsso as to avoid environmentalconflict with the activitiesserved.Suitable policies are set out inChapter 6, but measurabletargets might include:●●On-street parking provisionin new developments to beprovided in bays andlandscaped, implemented asplanning policy withimmediate effect;On new residential accessstreets, developers tocontribute X% of the cost ofparking alongside adoptablestreets;● Single bay meter control tobe converted to pay-anddisplay(reduced meters)within three years; and● Parking control signingimprovement schemes to bedrawn up within two years