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Apparently it’s not just the cost of parking that puts some motorists off car parks but how they smell as well.
A recent poll conducted by car park firm NCP revealed that a third of drivers stay clear of multi- story car parks which cause them to turn their noses up due to smelling of urine. Lovely.
So how does the firm in question plan to reel back such customers? By infusing more forgiving scents such as flowers and fresh bread!
A whole new dinension to the parking experience awaits!
Source: The Mirror 27th Match ‘Park for a few scents’
Heathrow’s Terminal 5, which will open in March 2008, has some rather innovative features planned for its car park, designed to take the stress out of the parking experience which is dreaded by so many.
The dream car park in question is to include the following:
- Electronic guides in the form of arrows (Variable Messaging System) will direct drivers to free bays which in addition will be highlighted with a green light- making hunting down a vacant space a doddle.
- Automatic number plate recognition technology will be in place to give drivers who have pre- booked a space, swift entry and exit to the car park.
- Can’t remember where you parked your car? By inserting your ticket into the kiosk, number plate recognition combined with CCTV will be able to locate your car and tell you which section of the car park to head to.
But- if even with all these features the thought of parking at the world’s busiest airport is giving you a headache- have no fear!- a Valet Parking service is at hand, allowing you to leave your car on the terminal forecourt and retrieve it from just outside the arrivals area on your return.
Source: What Car?
British Airways
Whilst we all know the benefits to be gained from reduced car usage, i.e. environmental- CO2 reduction and health benefits- if opting for cycling or walking as opposed to another petrol burning vehicle, we also know why more people don’t get rid of their cars- their practicality and convenience.
The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and Oxford University have written a report proposing the banning of cars in Central London and outer London to reduce CO2 emissions.* There are extensive public transport links in inner London (not so much in the outer areas) which suit a large proportion of Londoners, but what would service vehicles, medical professionals, taxis and disabled people do- let alone those in the outskirts needing the cars for household chores or even getting to work – for these groups the car makes their mobility needs possible.
Even for people who travel on foot and public transport during the working week, using a car to go and visit grandma on the other side of London is so much easier than taking the kids on the bus, then the tube, then another tube, then the bus- and then the same on the way home. Alternatively, if car banning was taken to the extreme and suggestions were made to apply the rule to regions rather than single cities- the freedom to leave your city without bundling onto an overcrowded train would be ended.**
Another example of the undeniable appeal and socially etched necessity of the car is the uproar arising from calls from city planners in Los Angeles to be allow developers to build apartments without any parking allocated providing their are alternative transport means nearby.***
On the other hand, the benefits of a car free life are being seen in America. A new study titled A Silver Lining? The Connection Between Gas Prices and Obesity highlighted that when petrol prices have risen in the USA, obesity rates have fallen. This is because high petrol prices are either pushing people out of their cars and onto the footpaths and public transport, or keeping them away from calorific restaurants and fast food joints because they need to keep their money for fuel.
Reducing car use where possible by using other types of transport, or by not travelling at all must of course be encouraged in a world where were are facing the problem of climate change, but banning all cars is an impractical solution, which will not be warmly received by the millions of motorists who rely on their cars to go about their daily lives.
Sources: * BBC News
** Taking transit ‘out’ of the city
*** Changing the car culture of Los Angeles
**** The Independent 13/09/07
Parking. Easy for some, not so easy for others, which is why many people have hailed the introduction of technology, which helps the driver negotiate the often tricky reverse park.
However, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) of America is not so convinced. A new report from the government department looks at the role of the reverse view camera in preventing fatalities from people being backed over. On the whole there are few statistics available for this type of incident as the majority happen on private land, but the report took the stance that reversing cameras are ‘expensive, unreliable and give drivers a false sense of security’.
Reversing cameras, like Sat Nav systems (See other blogs on this issue) are not infalable, and as well presented in the response on this issue in www.autoblog.com ‘To put it simply: Nothing is foolproof’. Rear-view cameras do not provide a great field of vision, or very good night-time visability, but if used alongside common sense and attention, can be another useful addition to the safer modern car.
(Source: Autoblog.com)
Councils throughout England and Wales have been told by the Department of Transport to loosen their grip on clamping on public roads, a move which is warmly welcomed by the RAC Foundation.
Cars clamped on the public highway will become a rare sight as the new measures proposed yesterday will cuts through the confusion of local authority red tape and free motorists from overzealous wardens and unfair fines.
Under the new guidelines local authorities ”should not seek to make a surplus” through clamping and are asked to consider clamping as a last resort and in limited circumstances, such as for repeat offenders. Councils are to make sure that parking penalities are proportionate to the seriousness of the parking offence and towing should only be used if the car is causing an obstruction to traffic movement on the highway. Imobolising cars and the impact this has on car parking space availability is also highlighted and parking inspectors are being recommended to give a 15 minute grace period before ticketing vehicles.
This new guidance will come as welcome news to motorists although many local authorities have already adopted the persistant offender-only approach and only a few set ticket collecting targets for revenue generation purposes. Clamping on private land is where the real problem lies and it is disappointing that this has not been dealt with by the guidance.
The RAC Foundation has consistently highlighted the problems associated with the largely unregulated industry of clamping on private land, currently overseen by the Security Industry Authority (SIA). Unfortunately this guidance is a real missed opportunity to provide overall protection to motorists and the Foundation will continue to campaign for a better regime to deal with some of the “cowboy clampers” operating within the law, but with no enforced code of conduct on private land.
Media coverage of yesterdays story as follows;
- http://society.guardian.co.uk/localgovt/news/0,,2150565,00.html
- http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=475676&in_page_id=1770
- http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6948886.stm
- http://www.channel4.com/news/articles/uk/councils+face+wheel+clamp+ban/682992
- http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30100-1280077,00.html?f=rss
