With changing travel trends and technologies placing growing demands for street and kerb space, parking policies are among the tools that can help reduce reliance on private cars in favour of public transport and active travel.
Join the conversation with #FutureofParking
This project examined existing parking policies, international practice and political and public attitudes, and asked: what next for parking in the capital?
With increasing demand on our roads and deteriorating air quality and public realm, the Mayor and London boroughs are committed to reducing reliance on private cars and to promoting public transport and active travel – and parking policy is among the tools that can be used to achieve this.
Some boroughs have tended to tread very carefully when it comes to parking reform, as some car-owing residents can be resistant to any proposals restricting local parking provision. Yet, those that have tried different options to limit car ownership and usage report that residents tend to support the results of the reforms, once they are in place.
A number of recent developments are prompting a rethink of parking policies and how we use the kerbside. Car ownership is declining, but we are having more goods and services delivered to our doorsteps and using new mobility services, increasing demands for short-stay and drop-off/pick-up space. At the same time, densification is prompting a reassessment of the value of alternative usage of kerbside space and technology offers an opportunity for it to be managed in much smarter and more flexible ways.
Against this background, Centre for London undertook a project that explored London’s current approach to parking and kerbside management and suggests a menu of options for reform. Key questions include:
- How does existing policy differ across boroughs and how has this evolved?
- How does London’s approach to parking compare with that adopted in other cities, and what can we learn from them?
- How do residents view car usage and other transport modes, and what value do they place on alternative street uses?
- How should those responsible for planning and designing new developments approach residential and commercial parking?
- What is needed to ensure reforms are fair and acceptable to Londoners?