Conclusions from the 8th International Congress of the European Parking Association ‘Parking on the threshold of the Third Millennium’.

In the Barcelona Congress participated parking operators, municipal traffic engineers and politicians, Repräsentatives from automobile clubs, lawyers, town planners and communication experts from 24 countries.

The reports, workshops and discussions have dealt with general aspects in parking such as the role of car parking in the mobility policies of European Cities, the new trends in marketing and customer services as well as more specific issues as municipal measures for managing traffic demand, communication opportunities that may come from the use of optic fibre in the cities, security and responsibility of persons and companies offering parking services and the design of future car parks in relation to the evolution of the characteristics of cars.

The following conclusions and statements can be derived from the 8th International Congress of the European Parking Association held in Barcelona from October 2 - 4, 1997:

1. Cities

1.1. Each city must draw up its own traffic plan, together with all parties involved (public and private). Car parking, both on and off street, is an indispensable strategic element in urban mobility policies.

1..2. Restricting on-street parking, regulating time and price in high demand areas, creating subsidiary policies to encourage investments in underground car parks and taking the necessary actions for protection of public transport and historic city centres form main elements in an adequate traffic plan. Managing the demand based on this plan model is more effective than the use of any other model based on road traffic limitations.

1.3. Adequate parking space should be available for residents. Each city needs to define its policy limits on this issue. Detecting a parking deficit does not necessary imply a demand for paid parking. When this demand does not exist, the promotion of underground car parks will distort the functioning of the market.

1.4. To achieve a sustainable mobility system and, at the same time, make investing in car parks an economically viable activity, it is essential for the municipal authorities to have a firm and determined attitude in relation to traffic discipline and, especially, to strict enforcement of parking rules.

1.5. The foreseeable growth in use of small city-cars should reduce, in principle, the congestion in the urban area. However, we must calculate with the possibility that the product’s accessibility for a greater part of the population may result in a proliferation of this kind of vehicle in the streets of our cities.

2. The parking sector

2.1. Parking companies believe that their customers will be progressively more sensible to the quality of the services they are being offered. The quality of the facilities and its employees assistance, the flexibility of rates and an offer of services which is adequate to the different kind of users, will be essential aspects to generate future demand.

2.2. The co-operation with the local authorities in the use of new techniques like Internet, optic fibre, ITS, etc., will bring about an offer for new services and will guide urban traffic more effectively.

2.3. Management through national parking networks, maybe even European networks, will facilitate the creation and launching of new commercial products. The customers identification and their parking behaviour could be established and the exchange of services for customers among the various networks will become possible.

2.4. With a common effort through the European Parking Association the following aspects should be researched and promoted at a European level:

· Directives that regulate the operators’ responsibility regarding the security of vehicles parked in their car parks and that establish acceptable duties and limitations for the persons providing the parking service and their insurance companies. For consumers, parking operators and judges it is important that the existing ambiguity in Europe on this subject will be sorted out;

· Considering the fact that car parking is currently an absolutely essential public service there should be tax concessions for building and operating parking facilities. There should be no difference in tax regulations for public versus private operations;

· Standardisation of signing to and in parking facilities, predominantly using pictograms, to achieve an easy understanding for European drivers.

· The implication of the Euro as the single European currency will have a great effect on the parking industry. Finding solutions for the problems to come and sharing these with other EPA-members should get full attention within our organization.

3. Car Parks

3.1. The influence of the small ‘city-cars’ (electric or low-consumption vehicles) on the design of built car parks will be relatively small.

3.2. On the other hand, the widely accepted necessity to render a better service is of great influence in designing car parks. Layout, routing, accessibility, good signing, adequate lighting, use of colour, more space and security and safety should be pointed at both cars and pedestrians.

3.3. The European Parking Association aims at an international standard for safety and customer friendliness in car park. Research will be done in close co-operation with the Alliance Internationale de Tourisme (AIT). The mutual objective is to establish the conditions for a recognizable service level in car parks.Car parks that meet the requirements will receive a plaque of recommendation by AIT and EPA.

3.4. Well designed and good managed car parks contribute highly to the qualitative accessibility of a city centre.

3.5. The application possibilities of automated car parks will in the future be found in specific locations, dimensions and way of use.

3.6. As up to now the design of car parks is focused on the car; in the next millennium design and construction will have to be focused on the citizen.

As a consequence, the findings of the 8th International Congress of the European Parking Association held in Barcelona confirm the profound evolution which has taken place in this economic activity, opening new opportunities due to the integration of parking as a strategic instrument in the mobility policies of European Cities.

The presence of both the Alliance Internationale de Tourisme and the Fedération des Centres Villes at the Barcelona Congress stresses the importance of parking for the survival of our city centres. A closer cooperation with these organizations will be aimed at providing better services for the motorists and their city destinations.

European Parking Association
Barcelona, October 3, 1997.

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