draft cbd parking plan (incorporating docklands)

P L A N N I N G C O M M I T T E E R E P O R T Agenda Item 5.7 4 March 2008

DRAFT CBD PARKING PLAN (INCORPORATING DOCKLANDS)

Division Sustainability & Regulatory Services

Presenter Gordon Duncan, Acting Manager Engineering Services

Purpose

1. To present to Committee a draft of the report titled CBD Parking Plan (‘the Plan’) and a recommendation that the Plan be released for public comment and consultation. The Plan incorporates the Docklands.

Recommendation from Management

2. That the Planning Committee:

2.1. approve the release of the draft CBD Parking Plan for public comment and consultation; and

2.2. note that the final draft of the CBD Parking Plan will be presented to the Planning Committee for consideration at its September 2008 meeting.

Key Issues

The Parking Limitation Policy

3. Since the Parking Limitation Policy was first introduced by the City of Melbourne 30 years ago, the number of car spaces in the CBD has more than doubled from less than 30,000 to over 63,000. Whilst some of the additional car parking has been provided in compliance with the planning scheme requirements, other car parking has been approved in excess of planning scheme requirements as part of major developments.

The operation of short term parking in the CBD

4. So as to achieve a low-cost, short-stay parking policy, the City of Melbourne has implemented several strategies, including restricted on-street parking time periods and providing below market rate parking at two off-street facilities. Incentives are mostly directed at shoppers. It is a concern that according to user surveys, the majority of car space users are on work related visits where convenience rather than cost is the main motivator. That is, shoppers who are targeted by these incentives are not getting the benefit from them.

5. On-street occupancy rates can be as high as 95% on street in parts of the CBD. The high occupancy rates reinforce a view that there is not enough car parking in the CBD. In turn this builds a perception that the CBD is difficult to access. The short term parking policy in the CBD requires review.

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Further planning for the future 6. By 2020 it is expected that parking demand will increase. The car mode share of all CBD trips is

19%. The demand for car parking will be influenced by changes in mode share. If the car mode share can be reduced, the number of new spaces needed would also be reduced.

7. The on-street parking environment is changing. The City of Melbourne will continue to dedicate space to improving amenity, safety and accessibility in the CBD. Some of these improvements will come at the expense of on-street car spaces. By 2020 it is anticipated that up to 30% of the 4000 publicly available on-street parking spaces will be required for other uses.

8. A trend towards environmental efficiency and rising petrol prices are expected to have an impact on the future availability of on-street parking spaces.

Parking in the Docklands 9. The Plan lists concerns about on-street and off-street parking raised by Docklands residents. It

details new measures to deal with these problems including removing parking restrictions after 7.30pm (except around Telstra Dome), the installation of fee parking in streets where there is high occupancy and the auditing of loading zone spaces. The Plan lists the need to improve compliance with parking restrictions in Docklands particularly at construction sites and areas of short term parking.

Consultation

10. The Victorian Government, major parking operators, VicRoads, RACV, Bus Association of Victoria and Docklands stakeholders were consulted in the preparation of this draft document.

Government Relations

11. A number of the issues raised in this report rely upon collaboration with the Victorian Government for their resolution. This includes the possible preparation of a Memorandum of Understanding as part of establishing a stronger relationship with the State Government regarding how car parking proposals for major projects are assessed.

Finance

12. There are no immediate financial impacts arising from the recommendation in this report.

Legal

13. There are no direct legal implications arising from the recommendation made in this report.

Sustainability

14. The draft plan notes that car travel to the CBD is not environmentally sustainable when many people driving have access to convenient public transport. An increasing number of vehicles within and around the retail core are likely to erode the pedestrian environment. The Plan notes the need to review the City of Melbourne’s short term parking operations. It commits the City of Melbourne to introducing measures that reduce the vehicle mode share.

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Attachment: 1. Draft CBD Parking Plan (Including Docklands)

3

Background

15. This Draft Plan has been prepared to guide the future management of parking in the Central Business District including Docklands. The Plan lists a number of new initiatives to improve the current situation and manage car parking into the future. Finalising the draft will involve rigorous community engagement with carpark operators, retailers, residents, visitors to the CBD and peak bodies such as the Property Council (Victorian Division), Motorcycle Riders Association, the Australian Parking Association, Docklands Community Association and Telstra Dome.

16. The writing of the Docklands part of this Plan follows concerns expressed by some residents and includes discussion of the on and off-street parking conditions in Docklands and the current planning provisions as they affect parking.

17. Of the estimated 97,000 vehicles that drive into the CBD each working day, 70% use off-street parking and 30% on-street parking. 25% stay over four hours in long stay parking and 19% are parked in private parking for an unknown period of time. 16% use short stay on-street parking and 14% use loading zones or free 15 minute parking.

18. Although figures are not available for the weekend, the numbers are a lot less because fewer people travel to work. However surveys carried out in the past indicated that carparks are usually less than 50% full on the weekends despite many carparks offering a flat rate for parking or discount hourly rates.

19. Across Docklands there are 428 on-street spaces for use by visitors. Whilst the parking spots are distributed across Docklands, a concentration of these are located in Bourke Street west of Harbour Esplanade, Aurora Lane and Lorimer Street. The street network in Docklands is now well developed and is unlikely to yield any significant number of additional car parking spaces beyond those already provided.

20. There are currently 25 public car parking facilities within Docklands (with good coverage across every precinct). The City of Melbourne owns one carpark in Docklands in Yarra’s Edge. These facilities provide parking for visitors, usually at rates cheaper than parking facilities in the CBD and Southbank.

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Melbourne CBD Parking Plan

(Incorporating Docklands)

[draft only] March 2008

Attachment 1Agenda Item 5.7

Planning Committee4 March 2008

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Introduction

1. This Draft Plan has been prepared to guide the future management of parking in the Central Business District (CBD) incorporating Docklands. The study area includes the Hoddle Grid and immediate surrounds as well as Docklands bordered by Spencer Street to the east, the Bolte Bridge to the west, Footscray Road to the north and Lorimer Street to the south.

2. The continued and growing popularity of the CBD and Docklands depends upon maintaining and enhancing a high level pedestrian amenity. Sensible parking policy is an important component of an accessible City.

3. The draft Plan lists a number of new initiatives to manage car parking into the future. Finalising the draft will involve community engagement with carpark operators, retailers, residents, visitors to the CBD and peak bodies such as the Property Council (Victorian Division), Motorcycle Riders Association, the RACV Docklands Community Association, Telstra Dome and the Australian Parking Association.

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Mission

4. This Plan has been prepared based upon the premise that measures are required to manage the amount of vehicles travelling to the CBD and Docklands (particularly commuter vehicles) but that overall, vehicle parking, particularly for short periods within the CBD and Docklands, remains economically and socially important to the people of Melbourne and should continue to be supported.

5. In managing parking policy, the mission of the City of Melbourne is that:

parking within the CBD and Docklands will be managed to provide the greatest benefit through ease of access, economic and financial return to the whole community while imposing the lowest possible burden in terms of congestion, impact on amenity and environmental damage.

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Background

Today’s City – A Snapshot 6. The Melbourne CBD is the hub for over 3.8 million Melburnians and over 5 million

Victorians. The CBD has the largest concentration of employment in the State and lies at the centre of the public transport and road networks. The CBD has a daytime business, working and visiting population of over 700,000. The number of weekday visitors to the CBD is expected to increase to one million per day by 2014.

7. Docklands is being developed as an extension to the CBD. It has an estimated 4,000 residents with more than 7,000 people working there. Most residents live in the north at New Quay and the south at Yarra’s Edge. Employment density is highest around Collins Street and Bourke Street. It is anticipated that Docklands will have a population of 20,000 residents and 30,000 employees by 2020. It is also projected to attract 55,000 visitors on the average weekday (and slightly more on weekends) by 2020.

8. Growth in activity in the CBD (particularly in terms of employment and residents) since 1992 and into the future is shown in Table One below.

Table One CBD Activity and Expected Growth (1992 to 2020)

1992 2007 2020 Expectation

Expected Growth

(2007-2020)

Expected Growth (%)

Residents 1,000 13,000 23,000 10,000 77%

Employees 140,000 197,000 278,000 81,000 41%

Weekday Visitors ~500,000 690,000 >1,000,000 310,000 45%

Source: City of Melbourne (2003, 2005) & Booz Allen Hamilton Analysis

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Parking – A Snapshot

Parking in the CBD

9. Of the estimated 97,0001 vehicles that drive into the CBD each working day, 70% use off-street parking. 25% stay over four hours in long stay parking and 19% are parked in private parking for an unknown period of time as shown in Table Two below. Table Two. Type of Parking Demand on an Average Weekday

Parking Type Number of spaces

Users (cars) per

day

%

Long-stay in public parking 28,760 24,000 25%

Short-stay using off-street parking

9,531 25,500 26%

Private parking 18,738 18,000 19%

Short-stay using on-street parking

3,059 15,500 16%

Loading zones or 15 minute free parking

1,489 14,000 14%

TOTAL 61,577 97,000 100%

10. Although figures are not available for the weekend, the numbers are a lot less because fewer people travel to work. Surveys carried out in the past2 indicated that carparks are usually less than 50% full on the weekends despite many carparks offering a flat rate for parking or discount hourly rates.

11. The Melbourne Central City Users Survey found that 23% of weekday visitors arrived in the CBD by car in 2004. This percentage dropped to 19% by 2006 reducing the number of car trips into the CBD by over 25,000 in two years. In 2006 approximately 131,000 people travelled to the CBD each weekday by car. Based on an average car occupancy rate of 1.2 people these visitors travel into the CBD using 109,000 vehicles.3 Reasons for the fall in car travel are complex and include the introduction of the congestion levy4 and an increase in petrol prices in late 2006 [Currie and Phung, 2006].

Parking in Docklands

12. A 2007 survey found that most visitors to the Docklands arrived by car or tram5. See Table Three over the page for a comparison with the CBD.

1 Mode of CBD access (for drivers) as determined by the City of Melbourne 2006 CBD User Survey multiplied by the average number of weekday visitors referred to in Moving People and Freight (CoM, 2006).

2 As per Retail Strategy. City of Melbourne 2007.

3 This is an estimate based upon available data.

4 The congestion levy is $800 per year for every long-stay car space within a designated area - comprising much of the study area

5 Sweeney Research 2007.

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Table Three. Mode of Access for Visitors to the CBD

Mode of Access

Docklands CBD

Train 17% 51%

Tram 32% 21%

Car 34% 19%

Walk 7% 4%

Other 10% 6%

Source: City of Melbourne (2006a) & Sweeney Research (2007)

13. Some activities only generate demand at specific times. Examples of this increased demand are:

• Football patrons parking in the Stadium Precinct; and

• Weekend activity generated by retail and tourism facilities in New Quay and Waterfront City.

The On-Street Parking Environment - CBD

14. Drivers prefer to park on-street close to their destination. If they can’t find a space, they will park in an off-street parking facility. Restricting on-street parking to 4 hours or less in the CBD has worked well to ensure the maximum number of premium spaces is available for short term parking and has ensured a turnover rate for these spaces of at least 5 users per day. Approximately 70,000 cars can be catered for in the CBD’s short-stay parking facilities.

15. On-street parking can be classified by the type of restriction that is applied to the parking space. The quantity of on-street parking (by restriction type) is highlighted in Figure One below.

Figure One. Short-Stay On-street Parking by Restriction Type

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16. Car parking fees are determined by City of Melbourne based on the time restriction and location of the parking space. These parking fees are the same for the City of Melbourne’s on-street and off-street (ie. at City of Melbourne owned carparks) parking in the CBD. City of Melbourne parking fees are shown in Table Four below.

Table Four - Parking Fees in the CBD

Parking Restriction Type Parking Fee (per hour)

Inside the Hoddle grid $3.50

Outside the Hoddle grid $2.00

Areas without time limits (all outside the Hoddle grid)

$0.60

17. In the CBD approximately 4,192 short-stay spaces are provided on-street. On-street parking occupies almost 20% of the total area available for transport infrastructure in the CBD and is used by 2% of all visitors.

18. Low cost, short term parking in the CBD remains very limited. On average there are 41,000 drivers wanting to use the 4,000 on-street spaces in the CBD each day. Drivers may find a cheap on-street spot but it is more likely they will need to park off-street at a less convenient location and probably a higher price. Large areas of the CBD therefore experience saturation levels of car space occupancy. In particular the area east of Swanston Street is over 90% occupied for much of the typical business day.

Enforcement

19. International studies have shown that without enforcement, adherence with parking restrictions declines until they are disregarded completely. Enforcement is focussed on catching people knowingly flouting parking restrictions.

Time restrictions 20. The most efficient use of CBD car parking occurs when the parking is close to

fully utilised but drivers can still find a space that is convenient to their needs. The City of Melbourne aims to achieve a maximum of 85% occupancy in each parking area during the peak parking period. City of Melbourne also aims to achieve over 50% occupancy across the 12 hours which restrictions operate.

21. The City of Melbourne use a target occupancy range to guide the allocation of parking time restrictions. The range varies by the type of parking and reflects the need to achieve higher turnover of spaces in areas where occupancy rates are high. The target occupancy rates are shown in Table Five.

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Table Five - Target Occupancy for On-street Parking

Type of Parking Target Occupancy Range

Minimum-stay (0.5 - 2 hours) 60-85%

Medium-stay (3 - 4 hours) 30-85%

Maximum-stay (4+ hours) 0-75%

22. City of Melbourne officers analyse parking occupancy and where 2 hour parking is only occupied 50% during the peak parking period, the spaces are converted to medium-stay. This increases the potential demand for the parking supply, while still providing for existing users. If the peak parking period occupancy of a 4 hour space is below 30% then the spaces are converted to maximum stay spaces.

The On-Street Parking Environment - Docklands

23. Docklands does not have the same level of transport infrastructure that connects the CBD because train and tram facilities operate on a much reduced scale. There are 12,531 off-street car spaces in Docklands. Of these around 8,000 are private spaces and approximately 4,500 spaces are available to the public (CoM, 2006b).

24. There are 602 on-street parking spaces in Docklands. These comprise:

• 30 five minute to fifteen minute;

• 280 half hour to three hours;

• 91 unrestricted;

• 57 ticket parking;

• 54 loading zone,

• 17 disabled parking,

• 29 taxi zone.

• 23 permit zone – construction vehicles

• 21 other parking.

25. Across Docklands there are 428 spaces for use by visitors (this doesn’t include the 24 short term spaces). A concentration of spots are located in Bourke Street west of Harbour Esplanade, Aurora Lane and Lorimer Street. The street network in Docklands is now well developed and is unlikely to yield any significant number of additional car parking spaces.

The Off-Street Parking Environment

Comparison with other cities

26. Melbourne CBD has a high number of car spaces per employee compared with other similar cities such as Sydney and Toronto as highlighted in Figure Two.

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Figure Two - Comparison of Car Spaces per CBD Employee

27. There is currently 25 public car parking facilities scattered across Docklands.

(VicUrban owns one carpark in Docklands in Yarra’s Edge). These facilities provide parking for visitors, usually at rates cheaper than parking facilities in the CBD and Southbank. The public car park at 800 Bourke Street was the most occupied with no spaces available at 10am. The open air car park in Yarra’s edge precinct experienced the lowest occupancy across the day and at its busiest was 30% occupied.

28. The off-street parking environment is comprised of short stay, long stay and private parking. Each of these types of parking are discussed below:

Short Stay Parking - CBD

29. Off-street short-stay parking (ie. for less than four hours) is provided in around 75 locations across the CBD. Short-stay parking caters for many users and types of trips requiring parking for less than four hours. Short-stay demand tends to be localised around particular attractions that generate high levels of activity. Demand for some spaces can also be affected by pedestrian access to the location and ease of vehicle access to the spaces.

30. Cost is the most important factor in deciding where to park for only 16% of people using short-stay parking. In contrast, convenience is the most important factor for 72% of people searching for short-stay parking and for 76% of people going shopping for a short period. Of these people 74% are attending work or parking for a work related trip. When considering off-street parking, other features such as lighting, signage and presentation can affect where people choose to park.6

31. The City of Melbourne owns two CBD off-street parking facilities (a total of 500 spaces). Both facilities, in Flinders Lane and Little Collins Street, are located on the eastern side of the CBD near the retail core and are only accessible from an easterly direction in the lanes off Russell Street. The City of Melbourne manages

6 Based upon car park exit surveys undertaken by Booz, Allen Hamilton in September 2007

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these parking facilities with the aim of providing cheaper short-stay parking to complement on-street parking supply.

Short Stay Parking - Docklands 32. Short-stay parking is provided either on-street (by the City of Melbourne) or off-

street by private operators. The average turnover of these spaces means that each space can provide parking for five cars (on average) each weekday. Approximately 25,000 cars can be catered for in Docklands’ short-stay parking facilities each day.

33. Short-stay demand is localised around particular attractions that generate high levels of activity. This includes resident visitors and those attending late night entertainment for which public transport may not be suited. The peak times for on-street parking demand are associated with major events such as football at Telstra Dome, or festivals at Waterfront City.

Long Stay Parking - CBD

34. Long-stay car parking is required to provide for visitors staying over four hours who have travelled to the CBD by car. Long-stay (public) parking demand is used by CBD commuters who are more influenced by cost factors such as the parking cost, petrol prices and automobile maintenance. People will park further from their destination to save money on daily parking charges. Competition keeps prices relatively stable at around $14 for off-street spaces offered under an ‘early bird’ arrangement.

35. There are 29,000 long-stay parking spaces in the CBD7. Most of these spaces are provided in off-street facilities, though within the study area the City of Melbourne provides approximately 200 long-stay spaces on-street for $0.60 per hour for an unlimited stay (minimum 10 minutes and no maximum). There are also around 300 more on-street long-stay spaces located just northwest of the CBD in West Melbourne.

36. Over the past decade most growth in car parking has been unrestricted long-stay car parking. Despite City of Melbourne and State Government objectives to reduce congestion by limiting provision of long-stay car parking in the CBD, approval has been granted for around 15,000 new off-street spaces over the past 15 years.

37. The majority of new parking spaces have been approved as part of major developments deemed to be of state significance. See Table Six.

7 This is based on the Victorian government’s assumption for the purposes of the congestion levy that 75% of all off-street public spaces are used for long-stay parking. It is unlikely that parking operators would refuse to cater for long-stay patrons when the 75% occupancy level is reached in their facility. Therefore there could be as many as 37,000 long-stay public spaces already existing within the CBD.

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Table Six. Car spaces Approved since 1992 in CBD

Carpark Spaces Long-stay & “Early bird” offered

QV Building 1,500 Long-stay & early bird

Melbourne Museum 500 Long-stay & early bird

Crown Casino 6,200 Long-stay

Hyatt on the Park 993 Long-stay & early bird

Federation Square 500 Long-stay & early bird

Melbourne Exhibition and Convention Centre

1,750 Long-stay & early bird

Southern Cross Station 800 Long-stay & early bird

Docklands Stadium 5,000 Long-stay & early bird

Long Stay Parking - Docklands

38. There are currently 3,400 long-stay parking spaces in Docklands based on the Victorian government’s assumption for the purposes of the congestion levy that 75% of all off-street public spaces are used for long-stay parking. Demand for commuter parking is highest in those precincts with high office based employment such as Batman’s Hill and Victoria Harbour.

Private Parking - CBD

39. There are over 18,000 private car parking spaces in the CBD. These are located off-street usually in the lower floors of the building where the car user lives or works. Private parking demand is focussed on convenience and is usually provided in a package as part of the purchase or lease of an apartment or office space.

40. Provision of private parking has continued to grow as residential and commercial space has increased in the CBD. These spaces have been supplied in accordance with the Melbourne Planning Scheme which allows for one car space to be provided for every dwelling and one space to be provided for every 200 square metres of commercial floor space.

41. Private parking demand is focussed on convenience and is usually provided to residents or employees in a package as part of the purchase or lease of an apartment or office space. It is the dominant type of parking in most precincts, particularly when associated with apartment buildings.

Private Parking - Docklands 42. There are approximately 8,000 private car parking spaces in Docklands which

represents 64% of the total parking supply in the area. These are located off-street typically in the lower floors of the building where the car user lives or works. Provision of private parking has continued to grow as residential and commercial space has increased in Docklands. These spaces have been supplied in accordance with the Melbourne Planning Scheme.

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Key Issues

43. Discussion of key issues is discussed below under the following headings:

• The Parking Limitation Policy;

• The operation of short term parking in the CBD;

• Further planning for the future;

• Information and data, and;

• Management of On Street and Off Street Parking Spaces in Docklands

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Issue One – the Parking Limitation Policy

Discussion

44. The Parking Limitation Policy was introduced 30 years ago to:

• Reduce pressure on the limited capacity of inner City streets and roads to cater for large volumes of commuter traffic;

• Encourage use of public transport;

• Reduce air and noise pollution and improve quality of living in the inner city.

45. Over this period, the number of car spaces in the CBD has more than doubled from less than 30,000 to over 63,000. See Figure Three below. Based upon future population increases (see Table One), if unchecked, the amount of extra vehicle traffic approaching and moving within the CBD is likely to impact on the amenity and environmental quality of the CBD. This is particularly likely during peak periods. New parking limitation measures are required and measures in support of these will be detailed in this plan.

Figure Three - Increase in CBD Parking Since 1976

Source: Moving People and Freight Transport Plan 2006-2020

46. A majority of the new supply has come through different major developments approved by the State Government. Over the past decade a number of permits for additional parking facilities in the CBD have been issued subject to the parking being made available for short-stay parking (under Section 173 of the Planning and Environment Act).

Restrictive Parking Provision

47. The Melbourne Planning Scheme applies a restrictive car parking provision in the CBD where the provision for commercial buildings is five spaces per 1000 square metres of floor space. In the Docklands, 30 spaces can be provided for every 1,000 square metres of commercial floor space.

48. Other cities restrict the provision of car parking in different ways including: • Sydney limits provision to one space for every 50 square metres of land area;

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• Auckland restricts provision of spaces based on what type of road the car park will be accessible from; and

• London limits provision to one space for every 1500 square metres of new commercial floor space.

49. It is estimated that actual provision of parking across Docklands (excluding the Telstra Dome) is significantly lower at 8 spaces per 1000 sqm of non-residential use. An example is the recent development of the ANZ building which provided car parking at 2.4 spaces per 1000 square metres of floor area which is equivalent to one space for 3.6% of their expected workforce.

50. Effective use and review of current planning scheme provisions will be an important tool to manage Docklands growth and its impact on parking availability into the future.

Parking and Major Developments

51. There are two main concerns with the current planning requirements for assessing parking as part of major developments:

• The existing planning requirements are too easy to circumvent for ‘special circumstances’;

• The process for assessing each request and determining how much parking is appropriate is unclear. It seems that many of the projects have more parking than is necessary for their own patrons8. For example Federation Square, Melbourne Museum, Eureka Tower and QV all offer low-cost early-bird parking rates and all are located in very close proximity to existing high quality public transport services. Venue operators benefit from the original over-calculation of parking demand, because the parking can be used to generate income that wouldn’t be possible if they didn’t have any car parking.

52. Future dialogue regarding specific developments needs to occur early in the design process, because by the time the application has been made to the Minister significant elements of the development design have already been agreed with the proponent. If City of Melbourne can get involved earlier in the process it can try and proactively guide the proponent to meet City of Melbourne’s expectations.

53. The impact of the congestion levy on parking fees and demand is being monitored by City of Melbourne and the State Government. It appears that the fall in demand has lowered off-street occupancy rates reducing the operator’s ability to recoup the Congestion Levy from long-stay users. Moreover, the actual cost of the levy is not yet being passed on to consumers – rather it is being borne by car park operators and owners.

54. Given the oversupply in the market and falling demand, the rate at which parking may be provided in association with a commercial development seems excessive. A more appropriate rate needs to be investigated. This rate shouldn’t disadvantage new development over existing buildings by not being able to provide any parking

8 If they didn’t have more parking than required, operators wouldn’t offer discounted “early-bird” parking rates. Crown Casino provides the best example of this, where early-bird parking is discouraged (through higher rates) because the Casino needs the spaces for their own patrons.

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for tenants. It should be set at a level that reduces the likelihood of new development having spare capacity that can be marketed as publicly available long-stay parking.

Actions

55. A summary of the issues and improvement options related to the failure of the parking limitation policy is shown in Table Seven below.

Table Seven - Recommended Initiatives Related to the Parking Limitation Policy

Issues Initiatives

A1 Decision making guidelines for major projects need to be more prescriptive.

A1.1 Establish a stronger relationship with the State Government regarding how car parking proposals are assessed. This may involve establishing a Memorandum of Understanding that sets out guidelines for assessment.

A2 Planning scheme requirements are too generous and don’t address the balance required between short and long-stay parking.

A2.1 Review the maximum parking allowed as part of non-residential development in the CBD and Docklands.

A2.2 Review parking provisions for residential buildings in the CBD and Docklands.

A2.3 Discontinue the approval of new car parking based on Section 173 Agreements to provide short-stay spaces.

A3 The effect and impact of the congestion levy needs to be monitored.

A3.1 Continue to monitor the impact of the Congestion Levy in conjunction with the State Government.

A1.1 Establish a stronger relationship with the State Government regarding how car parking proposals are assessed.

56. The issues to be discussed with the State Government should cover a full range of development approval issues affecting future major developments located within the State Government’s congestion levy boundary. This is the area within which the Government has declared parking to be a root cause of congestion.

57. Discussions with the State Government shall include their project evaluation criteria which includes discussion of the externalities of each project. This means that broader transport issues can be considered as part of the project evaluation.

A2.1 Review the maximum parking allowed for non-residential buildings in the CBD and Docklands

58. Changes to the planning provisions would help establish a culture in Docklands of using public transport to visit people and get to events. Changes are appropriate given the accessibility of public transport, sustainability objectives and the need to reduce vehicle congestion. One possible approach is to determine the number of car spaces to be provided per 1000 square metres of floor-space based upon a mode share target for employees. In the CBD, 6% of employees have access to a private car space (usually within the building they work in). The City of Melbourne could aim to reduce this percentage to 5% by 2020. The need for changes to planning provisions require review.

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59. As the Minister for Planning remains the “Responsible Authority” for development approvals in the Docklands Area, the City of Melbourne is limited in the extent to which it can influence off-street parking outcomes in the area.

60. The planning provisions for Docklands envisaged a more sustainable community than other communities being built in 1998. Docklands provisions aimed for a transport mode share of only 50% of all trips being made by car, rather than 85% as occurs across the rest of Melbourne. Currently, only 34% of people travelling to Docklands do so by car and not all of these are drivers. Under this mode share it is estimated that to meet the parking demands in Docklands only eleven spaces per 1000 square metres would be required for new office development.

61. The next steps to implement this initiative are to resolve the appropriateness of a mode share target approach to setting parking allowances and investigate the preparation of an amendment to the Melbourne Planning Scheme.

A2.2 Review parking provisions for residential buildings in the CBD and Docklands.

62. The parking requirements for residential dwellings in the CBD and Docklands should also be determined by mode share targets and be informed by availability of alternatives to parking within each building.

63. The current allowance in the CBD is one space per dwelling. A more efficient outcome in the CBD would result if less than one space per dwelling is provided. This would mean future apartment owners need to consciously choose whether or not to own a car space. It could result in lower costs for apartments in that owners and tenants would only pay for the parking spaces they need and the cost of constructing the spaces would be borne by those choosing to build the spaces.

64. For residential buildings in Docklands the maximum parking provision is 2 spaces per dwelling (including any visitor parking). This may be higher than is required in Docklands where there are alternative transport modes.

65. Developers are not compelled to provide parking spaces by the City of Melbourne and may provide an amount of car parking that is below the maximum restriction. The provision of spaces is therefore a commercial decision for each apartment developer.

66. One further option would be for the City of Melbourne to introduce a requirement for new residential buildings of sufficient size to provide space for car share vehicles to be parked. This would help to ensure that the price of dwellings is not inflated by the additional cost of providing car parking in each building. It would also help to establish a market for services that cater for people without ready access to a car. Innovative solutions such as this one require further investigation.

A2.3 Discontinue the approval of new car parking based on Section 173 Agreements to provide short-stay spaces

67. The cost of parking is unable to be influenced by the agreements under Section 173 and therefore the conditions are unable to achieve their purpose. The City of Melbourne should therefore discontinue the practice of trying to regulate the price of parking through these types of agreements.

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A3.1 Monitor the impact of the Congestion Levy

68. The Congestion Levy (combined with other factors) appears to be successful in reducing congestion on access roads to the CBD and in CBD car parking facilities. However, the government and the City of Melbourne need to continue to monitor demand, in order to close the feedback loop and determine if the levy needs to be increased or decreased.

69. The Congestion Levy is increased every year based on CPI. This limits effective response to changing demand patterns. The Levy should be adjusted if necessary to meet changing congestion impacts and future road space availability.

70. The City of Melbourne will work with the State government to develop a monitoring regime that can provide insight into the affect of the congestion levy and allow for an assessment of whether there should be changes to the levy charging boundary or the scale of the charge itself.

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Issue Two – The Operation of Short Term Parking in the CBD

Discussion

71. So as to achieve a low-cost, short-stay parking policy, the City of Melbourne has:

• Restricted on-street parking within the CBD usually to a time period of three hours duration or less;

• Kept charges for on-street parking at below comparable off-street rates;

• Provided below market rate parking at two off-street facilities, and;

• Established a shoppers discount scheme operating on weekends that includes cheaper parking fees

72. It is in the City of Melbourne’s interests to continue to provide off-street short term parking because:

• Off-street parking prices steadily increase once the first hour has passed. Our small involvement in the market helps to set an example of a reduced cost structure;

• We have heard of people coming to the City by car for the first time to shop, getting ‘caught’ by higher cost structures and resolving not to return. There may also be a latent demand for cheap parking where more people would visit the City if it was available. City of Melbourne subsidised, cheaper parking offers an alternative for these people;

• Travelling by car to the CBD for short periods is convenient for some people and there are still a percentage of people concerned mostly about parking cost.

73. Working against this view are the following issues:

• Car travel to the CBD is not environmentally sustainable when many people driving have access to convenient public transport;

• An increasing number of vehicles within and around the retail core will erode the pedestrian environment;

• It could be argued that the privilege of parking at the retail heart of Melbourne demands a premium parking payment;

• The City of Melbourne is a small player in the parking market, providing very few short term, off street parking spaces.

74. The provision of short term car parking by the City of Melbourne is an example of its effort to straddle two potentially competing goals – to promote environmentally sustainable practice and remove obstacles to the entry of visitors into the CBD particularly outside of morning and afternoon peaks.

75. The majority of car space users are on work related visits where convenience rather than cost is the main motivator. Therefore shoppers who are targeted by these incentives are not getting the benefit from them. This may be because shoppers are mostly content to access the CBD using public transport especially on weekdays.

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There are also likely to be people who would choose to visit the City and drive in if parking was cheaper. Businesses would also claim to need car parking for short term visits – without it being on offer for their clients they may not locate their business in the CBD.

76. Convenient short stay City of Melbourne parking is part of the mix of parking availability. However given that the City of Melbourne parking subsidisation is not reaching the targeted shoppers on weekdays, this issue needs to be reviewed.

On-street parking occupancy rates need to be reduced in some areas of the CBD

77. Occupancy rates can be as high as 95% on street in parts of the CBD. The high occupancy rates reinforce a view that there is not enough car parking in the CBD. This builds a perception that the CBD is difficult to access.

78. The most effective way of improving on-street car parking to meet the needs of short-stay users is to make sure the occupancy rate of on-street car parking never exceeds 85%. At this occupancy rate the average driver can find one in every seven available spaces. The City of Melbourne aims for this occupancy rate mainly through use of time restrictions. This is only partly effective. It can also reduce convenience for motorists (eg. making time restrictions too short).

79. International studies have shown that increasing on-street parking fees can reduce the amount of time it takes to search for a space, park and walk to your actual destination by up to two thirds (Shoup, 2005) simply because occupancy rates fall and premium parking becomes more available. This also reduces congestion, pollution and greenhouse gas emissions because the average search time for a car space can be reduced by many minutes.

80. A combination of changes to time restrictions and pricing is likely to be more effective in reducing occupancy rates in areas of parking saturation. However, this combination of measures would be very unpopular with motorists, could prove to be a disincentive for motorists to visit the CBD and its introduction is not recommended.

On-street signage and parking guidance can be improved

81. The public needs easy access to information about prices and occupancy rates if they are to make more informed decisions about parking in the CBD. The City of Melbourne operates a network of overhead signs that display parking availability of participating public car parks in the Central City, Carlton and the Southbank area. These direct motorists away from car parking facilities which are fully occupied and towards those with available capacity. The majority of signs only provide information about the number of spaces available. Experience in recent years indicates that there are multiple possibilities for the signs to fail or to fail to display the correct information. The continued use of the signs needs review.

82. Street parking restriction signs need to be simple enough to be read from a car moving along the street. These signs conform to the standards, use the standard terminology and layout and are clear in their meaning. However they display too much information to be read easily from a moving car.

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Some variations in parking prices need to be reviewed.

83. There are also instances where the price of parking varies along a length of street only because decisions have been made about where parking fee boundaries should be located. For example:

• Wellington Parade South costs $0.60 per hour close to Flinders Street and $1.30 per hour further away from Flinders Street; and

• Lansdowne Street costs $0.60 per hour next to Treasury Gardens and $2 per hour next to Fitzroy Gardens (across the road and further from the CBD).

Shopper Incentives

84. The City of Melbourne offers people reduced parking for making certain purchases in the City after hours and on weekends. As stated earlier, the vast majority of visitors (across all user groups) arrive in the CBD during business hours by public transport. There may be an opportunity to extend this scheme by provide shopper incentives for public transport users as a way of making more short-stay parking available and reducing the environmental impact of travel into the CBD.

Initiatives

85. A summary of the issues and recommended initiatives related to short-stay parking is shown in Table Eight below.

Table Eight. Recommended Initiatives Related to Short-stay Parking

Issues Initiatives

B1 Short stay parking cost incentives are mostly not reaching the intended market.

B.1.1 Review the provision of short stay parking incentives.

B2 On-street occupancy levels are too high.

B2.1 Ensure that City of Melbourne’s off-street spaces are charged at the same price as on-street spaces.

B2.2 Use time restrictions to keep on-street car park occupancy below 85% in each city block.

B2.3 Extend current shopper incentive schemes to offer incentives for short-stay parking users to use public transport.

B2.4 Review loading zone operation times and monitor occupancy rates for disabled spaces.

B3 Parking information can be difficult to access.

B3.1 Improve the clarity of parking restriction signs.

B3.2 Assist people to identify where they can park in proximity to their CBD destination.

B4 City of Melbourne parking is being provided in conflict with objectives (to discourage long-stay parking).

B4.1 Charge escalating rates in off-street car parks after four hours.

B4.2 Convert all unrestricted on-street weekday parking in and around the CBD to a maximum limit of 4 hours.

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B1.1 Review the provision of short stay parking incentives.

86. This work should be undertaken as part of completing this draft Melbourne CBD Parking Plan. The review will involve an analysis based upon who is benefiting from the short stay subsidies and the level of value offered.

B2.1 Ensure that City of Melbourne’s off-street spaces are charged at the same rate as on-street spaces.

87. On-street spaces are the premium parking product in the CBD and demand for the product is high. Charging the same for parking off-street than on-street would send a clear message to users regarding the City of Melbourne’s support for providing short-stay parking in well located off-street facilities.

B2.1 Use time restrictions to keep on-street car park occupancy below 85% in each city block.

88. This requires increased monitoring of occupancy rates to find out if the optimum rate has been achieved. Parking restrictions should then be changed and reviewed every six months to make sure, as much as possible, the occupancy rate in the peak parking period is below 85% in all precincts of the CBD.

B2.3 Extend current shopper incentive schemes to offer incentives for short-stay parking users to use public transport as well.

89. Short-stay parking is in high demand between 12noon and 3pm. There is capacity on the public transport network during these off-peak times which could be used by people who are currently driving and using short-stay parking.

B2.4 Review loading zone operation times and monitor occupancy rates at disabled parking spaces.

90. Loading zones should have a low occupancy rate because it is important that delivery vehicles are able to park close to their destination. A target occupancy rate of 30% would result in every third loading zone space being available at all times. In conjunction with the industry, the City of Melbourne should investigate whether the times allowed for loading and deliveries should be restricted to outside peak times, in order to reduce peak period traffic congestion.

91. Occupancy rates for disabled spaces are unknown and need to be monitored in order for decisions about the adequacy of the numbers of these spaces can be made.

B3.1 Improve parking availability signage.

92. The City of Melbourne should change the purpose of parking guidance signs from displaying information about all available car spaces to only displaying information about short-stay spaces considered to be of low cost. In this way the signs could direct drivers seeking short-term parking to those facilities offering the lowest price four hour parking (or those spaces adhering with a pricing policy agreed with City of Melbourne).

B3.2 Assist people identify where they can park in proximity to their CBD destination.

93. MetLink has used a journey planner (developed for use on the Transport for London website) which assists people to travel in the metropolitan area. This type

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of web based system could be used to assist people select a parking facility that is close to their final destination while enabling consideration of other factors such as price, amenity and internal car park layout.

B4.1 Charge escalating rates in off-street car parks after four hours.

94. Auckland, Hobart and Sydney all use a different pricing method to send clear signals to the market regarding the purpose of specific parking facilities. The City of Melbourne should charge users of off-street parking in a way that encourages short-stay parking and discourages long-stay parking. Parking for eight hours in designated short-stay facilities should cost double the market (not early bird) rate. A separate fee for 4.5 hours could be applied to lessen the burden on those accidentally staying over four hours.

95. The next step to implement this initiative is to research the appropriate escalating fee structure that would continue to provide a similar income stream for City of Melbourne. The fee changes should be advertised broadly to ensure the community is aware of the changes and reasons for them.

B4.2 Convert all unrestricted on-street weekday parking in and around the CBD to a maximum limit of 4 hours.

96. The 500 spaces in West Melbourne and the CBD could provide short-stay parking for another 2,500 visitors. They should be restricted to a stay of less than four hours and charged at the same rate as other spaces nearby ($2 per hour). This process should start with Lansdowne Street and La Trobe Street and following on to King Street and Wellington Parade South. This is the easiest way for the City of Melbourne to increase the supply of short-stay parking.

97. If this type of parking gets more popular in the future, existing unrestricted meter parking along Alexandra Parade (on the south side of the Yarra River) should also be converted into four hour maximum and advertised as half priced parking within walking distance of the CBD.

98. Advertising this initiative is particularly important to ensure that users make an informed choice about where they park. Occupancy of spaces outside the Hoddle grid should continue to be monitored to confirm the impact of the lower cost on demand.

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Issue Three – Further Planning for the Future. Discussion

99. Future parking needs in the CBD will be affected by residential, employment and visitation growth. See Table Nine. Based on all future developments including the maximum number of car spaces, the supply of private car parking is expected to increase by 2020 with an extra:

• 5,500 private residential spaces, and;

• 10,000 private commercial spaces1.

100. This anticipated increase in private car space supply is greater than the expected future demand by more than 5,000 spaces.9

Table Nine. Various Factors affecting Future Parking Demand

Affect on Future Parking Demand

(Change in Demand by 2020)

Factor (Change to 2020)

Private Long-stay

Short-stay

Assumptions

Residential growth in CBD (10,000 new residents).

5,000 (600) (3,000) • Every new dwelling has two residents & one car space.

• Half new residents expected to work in CBD and those driving (12%) expected to no longer require long-stay parking.

• 60% expected to no longer use a car.

Commercial growth in CBD (81,000 new employees).

5,000 6,700 2,200 • Private spaces based on existing rate (6%) of employees having access to private parking.

• Long-stay parking based on current mode share for journey to work and proportion of long stay spaces used by employees (67%).

• Short-stay spaces based on percentage of visitor trips related to work (61%).

Increase in trips to CBD (excluding those above) (129,000 new trips).

- 3,300 1,400 • Private car spaces assumed not to be required by other visitors.

• Long-stay trips based on percentage of trips (33%) not related to purposes other than employment.

• Short-stay spaces.

Total Additional Demand

10,000 9,400 600

Notes: Estimate of employment growth based on CLUE data and annual growth rate of 1.025% Increase in trips excludes commercial growth Short-stay spaces assume existing turnover rate of 5 cars/space per day All figures assume car mode share of 19% and driver mode share of 14%

With the car mode share of all CBD trips being 19%, the demand for car parking is more influenced by changes in mode share than in future development. If the car mode share could be reduced to 10%, the expected development growth to 2020

9 The calculations in Table Nine assume that demand for private vehicle travel as a proportion of all travel to the CBD will remain at 19%.

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would require 11,000 fewer long-stay car spaces than current demand levels. A more realistic mode share target for Docklands should also be set that takes account of recent growth in public transport mode share and future improvements in public transport. This could be as low as 20%.

The City of Melbourne’s parking stock of short-stay spaces will continue to decline

101. By 2020 it is anticipated that up to 30% (929) of the 4000 publicly available on-street parking spaces will be required for other uses listed below. Some of these improvements will come at the expense of on-street car spaces. The likely future impacts on the provision of on-street parking are:

• Higher pedestrian volumes generating demand for wider footpaths;

• More CBD bicycle and bus lanes as future bus and cycling movements increase. (eg, the City of Melbourne has recently dedicated bus lanes along Lonsdale Street and Queen Street);

• More accessible tram stops. The tram network must be made accessible to people with disabilities by 2022. This will require raised platform stops to be constructed along all tram routes in the CBD;

• The further needs of traders for delivery vehicles. As the CBD grows, greater on-street space will be required to meet the demands of delivery vehicles.; and

• Spaces for specific users such as car-share schemes. The City of Melbourne currently provides some parking spaces for car-share vehicles.

The Likely Impact of Environmental Factors

102. A trend towards environmental efficiency is occurring with some parts of the world embracing alternative fuel cars. Some cities around the globe are now designating specific spaces for the use of hybrid, electric and low emission vehicles to encourage their use or to provide for recharging (eg. Covent Garden, London).

103. The impact of increasing fuel prices will continue to reduce demand for parking in the CBD (all other things being equal). In late 2006 a fuel price spike generated an 18% increase in train passengers and a significant (15-20%) decrease in commuter parking demand in the CBD.

104. Climate change is also expected to have an impact on car usage with people more likely to drive when there is inclement weather. Drier weather in Melbourne has resulted in lower car parking usage through the last three successive winter seasons.

105. The State government is investing $8 billion into the public transport network over the next ten years. This is expected to significantly increase capacity of the rail network (particularly the inner core) and encourage more people to access the CBD on public transport.

Changing tenure and management situations

106. Recently, institutional investors have been buying car parks within the CBD and giving the management rights to specialist operators. This is placing greater emphasis on continually increasing the net yield per space. It has contributed to car parks becoming more efficient through the use of technology and targeted

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marketing to diverse market segments. This helps to minimise costs and maximise the revenue generated from each user.

107. This change in market dynamics is also expected to result in a greater disparity between the higher value facilities (featuring better design, safety and amenity) and those of lower value. Understanding this segmentation can assist the City of Melbourne to better plan and manage its parking infrastructure.

Motorcycle parking spaces will need to increase

108. It is lawful to park a motorcycle on the footpath, provided certain conditions are met, including that it doesn’t pose an obstacle to other users. In some parts of the CBD pedestrian traffic is very high, making it difficult to provide motorcycle parking on footpaths in accordance with the regulations. The proportion of workers riding motorcycles (or scooters) into the CBD more than doubled (to 2% of all workers’ trips) between 2004 and 2006. The continued growth in motorcycle popularity will increase demand for motorcycle parking spaces. These spaces could be provided by City of Melbourne on-street or by private operators in off-street facilities.

Provision of spaces for car share schemes

109. The City of Melbourne has provided car parking spaces free of charge to car share operators, recognising the businesses need to be supported in a start-up mode. As the businesses gain critical mass they will have greater demand for car spaces and will also have the ability to pay for the spaces used by the business. The City of Melbourne should consult with providers about whether or not to charge for dedicated use of the parking space in the future.

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Table Ten - Recommended Initiatives Related to Planning for the Future

Issues Initiatives

C1 On-street parking supply is going to decrease as demand for space from other modes increases.

C1.1 Plan for a reduction in spaces in some locations to cater for other modes.

C1.2 Investigate the acquisition of off-street spaces for short-stay parking.

C2 Dedicated motorcycle parking will need to increase.

C2.1 Provide more on-street motorcycle parking in areas with high pedestrian volumes.

C2.2 Increase the planning scheme requirements for motorcycle parking.

C3 Car share schemes will increasingly need spaces to be in public areas.

C3.1 Establish a protocol for supplying spaces to car share scheme operators.

Improvement initiatives are discussed in more detail below.

C1.1 Plan for a reduction in spaces in some locations to cater for other modes.

110. The next step to implement this initiative is to identify other areas where car parking is likely to be converted for use by other transport modes and document the number of spaces likely to be affected in each CBD block.

C1.2 Investigate the acquisition of off-street spaces for short-stay parking.

111. This acquisition may become necessary to protect the City of Melbourne’s parking revenue stream which is likely to diminish through a future reduction in on-street spaces. A carpark near the top of Little Collins Street reverts to City of Melbourne ownership in 2042. These spaces could be used for short term parking depending upon the conditions at that time. The City of Melbourne may need to acquire off street car spaces located around the retail core and dedicate them to short-stay parking before 2042. These spaces could be purchased, leased or acquired through arrangement with a commercial entity. This acquisition should be considered as part of the review proposed in B1.1.

112. A number of parking facilities are expected to become less viable as demand for CBD parking continues to fall or stagnate. Each of these presents an opportunity to reinvigorate part of the CBD. For example, a facility that requires vehicle access from a high volume pedestrian area may be better suited to an alternative use. This requires further analysis.

C2.1 Provide more on-street motorcycle parking in areas with high pedestrian volumes.

113. A clear advantage of motorcycles over cars for the user is the ability to park close to your actual destination. The next step to implement this initiative is to identify locations for dedicated motorcycle parking within the retail core.

C2.2 Increase the planning scheme requirements for motorcycle parking.

114. The Melbourne Planning Scheme requires motorcycle parking to be provided in all car park developments at a rate of one space for every 100 car spaces. In the CBD,

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this provides for a motorcycle mode share of 0.2% of all trips. Motorcycle mode share has doubled in the past two years to almost 2%. Therefore the Planning Scheme currently requires spaces for just 10% of the motorcycle parking demand. The City of Melbourne should amend the planning scheme to require motorcycle parking at a rate closer to the current mode share or provide motorcycle parking as a proportion of the overall development floor area.

115. The next step to implement this initiative is to draft an amendment to the planning scheme.

C3.1 Establish a protocol for supplying spaces to car share scheme operators.

116. A protocol should be documented which illustrates how private businesses which meet City of Melbourne policy objectives may be supported through the allocation of dedicated car parking bays. This will ensure future requests are made and assessed in a transparent manner. The next step to implement this initiative is to draft the protocol document and discuss the draft with key stakeholders.

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Issue Four - Information and data Discussion

117. The City of Melbourne needs to have accurate data on car parking supply so as to influence future decisions about additional parking needs and to effectively manage its own parking assets.

118. The City of Melbourne maintains an extensive record of on-street parking facilities with digitised and hard copy plans, asset registers (for parking meters and signs) and colour coded hand drawn maps of the CBD. The City also collects data relating to on-street parking demands and compliance levels. Data is collected every two hours from 8am through to 6pm on a regular basis.

119. City of Melbourne’s two off-street CBD car parks provide data relating to occupancy and duration of stay to City of Melbourne on a monthly basis. The format of this data differs between the two facilities. The City of Melbourne monitors some aspects of parking through the Census of Land Use and Employment (CLUE) database. The information provided in the database differentiates between public and private parking and doesn’t include on-street spaces.

120. Information from a broader number of carparks is needed to evaluate future strategies and provide better information to the public. This data resides with various operators including City of Melbourne. The City of Melbourne has 14 agreements with car park operators under Section 173 of the Planning and Environment Act. It is understood that all include provisions that require operators to regularly provide data to City of Melbourne regarding the vacancy rate and number of short-stay parking spaces available to the public.

121. Geographic information systems should be used to organise and analyse this data in a more systematic way. A comprehensive and centralised digital resource should be built up over time. While on-street parking is analysed at a local level in terms of supply, occupancy and compliance, the City of Melbourne doesn’t include analysis of it’s off street car parks into this data set.

122. Occupancy and compliance data is required in order to set prices and effectively manage the supply of on-street parking in the CBD. This will assist City of Melbourne to set the most appropriate price of on-street parking in each area of the CBD. Given that short-stay parking demand is derived locally (on a block by block basis) there is a need to analyse occupancy rates at this level.

Information provision in Docklands

123. Because of the newness of Docklands, information needs are stronger than in the CBD. Information should be provided to residents on parking and transport options for visitors (for example, there seems to be a lack of knowledge of tram services by visitors). This information should highlight that for some visitors catching the train to Southern Cross Station or catching a tram may be faster than driving and then walking from the public car park to the apartment.

124. City of Melbourne should ensure that messages about Docklands parking policy is conveyed consistently to existing and prospective residents via City of Melbourne’s website and direct contact. This will encourage people to make fully

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informed decisions about their lifestyle needs when choosing where to live. Anecdotally, it has been reported that some residents in new apartments have relocated from one building to another based on the ease with which visitors can access their apartment. The City of Melbourne should make future residents aware of this issue and encourage them to consider whether visitor access is an issue that should influence their choice of location.

125. The City of Melbourne collects data relating to on-street parking demands and compliance on a regular basis, but has not yet collected comprehensive data for the Docklands area. Occupancy and compliance data is required in order to set prices and effectively manage the supply of on-street parking in Docklands.

Initiatives 126. A summary of the issues and recommended initiatives related to information and

data is shown in Table Eleven.

Table Eleven. Recommended Initiatives Related to Information and Data

Issues Initiatives

D1 Data collection.

D1.1 Monitor the stock of car parking facilities to ensure knowledge of supply remains accurate.

D1.2 Regularly collect and analyse occupancy and compliance data.

D1.3 Enforce S173 Agreements for operators to provide data.

D2 Data management.

D2.1 Use a Geographic Information System to manage and analyse parking data.

D2.2 Develop a standard format for data to be collected and analysed.

D3 Sharing of data.

D3.1 Make a short-stay case study available regarding City of Melbourne’s off-street facilities.

D3.2 Inform the public about parking occupancy and costs on a regular basis.

D1.1 Monitor the stock of car parking facilities to ensure knowledge of supply remains accurate.

127. A comprehensive and centralised digital resource should be built up over time using all relevant data that City of Melbourne has access to. Information should be collected on an annual basis and be tracked over time so that long term trends can be analysed.

• Parking in the CBD needs to be monitored with the assistance of the state government to ensure that future decisions are based on accurate information. This includes decisions about how to manage the parking resources owned by the City of Melbourne.

128. The next step to implement this initiative is to determine how much of this information can be collected through the CLUE process and what it will cost to collect the other information required.

D1.2 Regularly collect and analyse on-street occupancy and compliance data. 129. Data is required at the “block” level recognising that the typical search for a car

space involves driving around the block with a series of left turns. The data should also be separated by any restrictions that apply to the spaces, including time and user group restrictions. Compliance data should specify what type of non-

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compliance has occurred (if any). This is important to determine whether drivers are avoiding payment or paying but staying in the space too long.

130. This data should be collected regularly for all on-street spaces in the CBD and Docklands from 8am to 10pm. This data should be collected on at least one day every month and once per year data should be collected across a longer time space (such as one week). The City of Melbourne should ensure that occupancy data is collected for a full week every month in any area and time period where occupancy is expected to exceed 80%.

D1.3 Enforce Section 173 Agreements for operators to provide data.

131. The next step to implement this initiative is to analyse each of the agreements to ascertain what compliance issues exist and develop a format for information to be provided to City of Melbourne. The City of Melbourne should then write to the operators informing them they will be made to comply with the agreements and requesting they submit the information required.

D2.1 Use a Geographic Information System to manage and analyse parking data

132. Use of a GIS to analyse parking information will result in faster analysis of trends and more precise understanding of local variations across the CBD. The main objective of using GIS to analyse parking in the CBD is to generate a map of car space occupancy and cost which can be used to set future restrictions.

D2.2 Develop a standard format for data to be collected and analysed.

133. There is no standard format for data collection or analysis. Providing a standard format will reduce the time required to analyse the data and enable the efficient use of computer software to assist in the analysis process.

D3.1 Make a short-stay case study available regarding City of Melbourne’s off- street facilities.

134. Through this Plan, City of Melbourne is expected to change the way its two off-street facilities are managed in order to decrease the proportion of long-stay parking occurring in both facilities. This presents an opportunity for a before and after analysis of the impact of implementing the escalating rate for long-stay parking. This analysis could then be used as a discussion tool with commercial operators to explore whether other parking facilities could be tailored to the short-stay market.

D3.2 Inform the public about parking occupancy and costs on a regular basis.

135. The City of Melbourne has a number of tools that enable the public to be informed about parking availability and cost. For example the City of Melbourne could provide parking information through City of Melbourne’s website including better visibility on key search engines and better explanation of the cost and accessibility factors associated with various parking options.

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Issue Five –Management of On Street and Off Street Parking Spaces in Docklands

Discussion

136. Residents of Docklands have raised a number of concerns with Councillors and staff since Council assumed the management of Docklands in 2007. A summary of these issues is below.

Visitor parking

• Visitor parking is perceived to be scarce – made worse when events are held at Telstra Dome.

• There is an imbalance in the provision of off-street parking spaces between commercial parking and residential/ residential visitor parking.

• Visitor parking in residential buildings is being used as commercial parking.

General parking issues

• Many on-street restrictions are inappropriate. This mainly relates to the high number of parking spots that operate for 24 hour periods (despite low demand for parking) – ie. if the parking spot is for two hours during the day this restriction is also applied at night. This restricts the length of time visitors can stay in parking spaces. In other places within Docklands, there are well utilised parking spaces where users don’t pay a fee. This inflates demand and reduces turnover.

• That the current on-street parking limits are too short.

• Commercial off street car parking facilities close too early in the evenings. This is the case with smaller carparks when evening demand isn’t strong enough for them to remain open.

Enforcement concerns

• A concern that construction workers are using on-street parking spaces across Docklands while on street parking restrictions around construction sites are being ignored, creating enforcement problems and a shortage of short term parking.

• Resident owned off street spaces are being used illegally.

Addressing the Problems

The need for changes to on-street parking conditions

137. Visitor parking is scarce when compared with the CBD. Relative to the CBD, there are very few on-street parking spots so visitors are more likely to have to park off-street and pay higher off –street fee charges than in the CBD. Perceptions about visitor parking are made worse because on and off street parking in Docklands is not as conveniently placed as in the CBD with visitors having to walk greater distances from carparks to visit apartments and restaurants.

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138. Visitor parking is affected by occupancy rates. Based upon surveys, on-street occupancy rates in Docklands are generally high. The free parking provided in areas such as Batmans Hill Drive, Aurora Lane, Village Street, Pearl River Road, Harbour Esplanade and Bourke Street has frequently been observed to be occupied at 90% or more. These streets are located within various precincts within Docklands. While occupancy rates are lower in the evening, they are still high.

139. The availability of on-street parking for visitors and residents is made worse because:

• When major events are staged at Telstra Dome (for five hours duration about 50 times per year) car parking demand increases significantly and at these times there can be an acute shortage of spaces for the public;

• The area is still being built out. This means that construction vehicles take up more space than would be usual and it is more difficult for the City of Melbourne to make firm, long term decisions about the duration and type of parking space.

140. The City of Melbourne should introduce the following on-street measures to deal with these problems:

• Remove parking restrictions after 7.30pm. This allow for more certainty and would deal with the problem of parking restrictions ending at varying times for no known reason (for example in some areas, parking restriction cease at 11pm and at others midnight). It would also mean that residents and visitors wishing to stay longer than two hours for an evening meal or to visit friends will not have to move their car or make alternative arrangements. The exception to this rule will be when demand requires restrictions to be applied later into the evening. For example, on streets in the immediate vicinity of Telstra Dome. Unfortunately the restrictions in these streets will have to apply seven nights per week so as all events are covered;

• Install fee parking in streets where there is high occupancy as a tool to improve turnover of spaces and improve parking opportunities for short term visitors. This will reduce occupancy rates during the peak parking period to 85% or lower. The City of Melbourne has recently approved installation of one and two hour limit meters in Bourke Street, Doepal Way and Collins Street Bridge and extra loading zones in Aquitania Way and Caravel Avenue. There are no other opportunities for the immediate installation of parking meters. The need for further parking machines will be monitored.

• Audit of loading zone spaces. In areas of Docklands that are now built out, an audit would allow for more accurate decisions to be made about the need for loading zones. The number of loading zones required in any area, reduces the amount of visitor and resident parking. However there are particular circumstances in Docklands that lead to a higher number of loading zones being required than would be required in similar streets in the CBD. This is due to the high turnover in residential properties (eg. New Quay). This has been confirmed in discussions with building managers and resident representatives;

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• Continue to review on-street traffic flows with a view to introducing one-way streets and other measures that increase the amount of on-street parking.

141. There will still be some uncertainty until the Docklands area is built out. This makes parking management difficult in some areas. The mix of on-street parking uses will take time to settle down as construction, servicing and delivery needs change with the build out.

142. In the CBD, it is City of Melbourne policy not to provide preferential access to on-street parking for residents or their visitors. This is because in the CBD there is not enough on-street parking to cater for these demands. On-street parking is therefore made available to all potential users with time restrictions and fee charges being used to manage demand in the context of local supply.

143. As a general principle, there are so few on street spaces in Docklands, that these should be signed to encourage short-term visitors, servicing and delivering activities. Longer term parkers such as residents should be encouraged to park off-street and longer term visitors to use more sustainable transport. Parking priorities should be determined according to a ‘hierarchy of need’ that places possible kerbside uses in a priority order (as detailed in ‘Part One of this document – the Melbourne CBD Parking Plan’).

A concern has been raised by residents that some public car parking facilities close in the early evening limiting after hours car parking.

144. An off-street occupancy survey revealed that average occupancy across Docklands is less than 70% at the expected peak parking time of 1pm but varies greatly across the different Docklands precincts. The total average off-street occupancy across Docklands is heavily influenced by Telstra Dome which accounted for over 60% of the off-street spaces in the study.

145. Occupancy rates drop outside business hours (except during major events) and therefore there isn’t enough demand to keep them open. However there are several car parking facilities in Docklands that are open 24 hours such as in Digital Harbour, Telstra Dome, 700 Collins St and Yarra’s Edge and others such as 767 Bourke Street are open until 2am on weekends. Unfortunately, for some residents these are some distance from their apartments. As demand for parking in Docklands increases it is reasonable to expect more facilities will expand their operating hours.

146. As stated earlier, parking in Docklands is a lot scarcer during football games and other events at Telstra Dome. For those that drive, the planning provisions state that at these times the additional parking demands of Docklands should be met by the available facilities in the CBD rather than through additional parking in Docklands itself. This is not proving to be the case. The current transport plans for these special events should be reviewed to ensure these policies are being reflected in practice.

Visitor parking in residential buildings is being used as commercial parking. Residents have also asked if commercial off street car parking spaces might be used by after hours visitors to Docklands, thereby ensuring off street parking spaces do not lie dormant between 7pm and the next morning.

147. Resident parking spaces were part of the package offered to prospective buyers. In building Docklands, there was generally less emphasis on visitor parking

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provision in residential blocks than employee parking in commercial blocks. Apartments with visitor parking spots are available at Docklands at a premium price.

148. Typically some visitor parking should be provided on-site within each apartment building. Many bodies corporate provide enough visitors’ parking for their residents, and those residents pay a premium to know that visitor parking is available. If the provision in a particular building is inadequate for the resident’s needs then the body corporate is the most appropriate organisation to fix the issue. For example, bodies corporate could purchase car parking within the building for communal use.

149. Some residents have raised concerns that visitor parking is now being sold as public parking in some residential buildings. This issue is not one that City of Melbourne can effectively enforce as it is likely to result from building managers making a legitimate decision to reduce visitor parking.

150. Consideration of the provision of visitor parking should be part of planning assessment. Enforcement can then require visitor parking required by the planning permit to be available. There appears to be no point in designating off-street car park space for visitors because it usually won’t be convenient to their needs. That is they would need to walk from the off-street space to an apartment anyway. Where nearby off-street spaces are available, it becomes a market demand issue. With occupancy rates dropping in off-street carparks after 7pm, extra parking is available in the evenings for a fee.

Enforcement

151. Car parking restrictions and fees are imposed to ensure a high turnover of spaces which enables more people to have use of the premium parking spaces in Docklands. Without adequate enforcement, the restrictions become ineffective at achieving turnover of spaces.

152. Surveys have found non-compliance with parking restrictions in Docklands. This included an abuse of existing on-street restrictions especially disabled parking and taxi parking. Loading zones were being used for visitor parking and users were overstaying time limits. A stronger enforcement presence is required in Docklands.

153. Construction workers place unique demands on geographical areas being developed. Most construction workers drive to their place of work. Within the CBD this doesn’t impact as much on overall parking because development is scattered but in Docklands where there is large concentrations of development, it limits the availability of the more limited on-street spaces. Major construction in Docklands will continue for the next decade in specific areas as each part of the area is developed. This activity is different from construction in the rest of the CBD in that it is usually: • Further away from existing public transport services;

• Concentrated in large areas of construction with no other activity present, and;

• Being managed directly by the estate developer who also has control over the roads and vacant parcels of land nearby.

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154. Vehicles associated with construction activities have been observed parked in on-street spaces and flouting the on-street time restrictions. Owners of these vehicles need to be educated about the City of Melbourne’s program for issuing permits10 to use spaces exclusively and should then be fined if they continue to flout the time restrictions.

Resident owned off street spaces are being used illegally.

155. Residents have raised concerns about the lack compliance within private off-site parking and further that this could lead to anti-social behaviour if not addressed. This is particularly relevant in relation to major events held at Telstra Dome. Residents have reported that attendees gain unauthorised access to the residential car park and then use any space at random.

156. The City of Melbourne already uses Part 7A of the Road Safety Act to enforce parking restrictions at commercial premises in Clarendon Street, South Melbourne. This enables City of Melbourne officers to issue parking infringement notices to parked cars that are not complying with parking restrictions in the nominated area. This part of the Road Safety Act could also be used to enforce restrictions in car parking facilities located within an apartment building. In order to work effectively a protocol for working with the bodies corporate should be developed.

157. The participation from City of Melbourne could range from being on-call to regular patrols of the specific car parking facility. The City of Melbourne could declare the area under Part 7A of the Act and post the required signage at the entrance to (and within) the car park. This would be a deterrent to would-be offenders. If this is not successful, the City of Melbourne could agree to attend the facility on an as needed basis when a complaint is made through the body corporate or building manager. The highest form of City of Melbourne participation would be for City of Melbourne officers to regularly patrol the parking facility.

10 This scheme enables permits to be purchased at rates well above market rates ($88 per day for one space), as a specific space is then available for the exclusive use of the purchaser.

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Table Twelve. Recommended Initiatives Related to On-Street and Off-street Parking in Docklands

Issue Initiatives

5.1 On-street parking conditions need to be change to operate optimally.

5.1.1 Remove parking restrictions after 7.30pm. 5.1.2 Review loading zone numbers and occupancy rates across

the CBD. 5.1.3 Install fee parking in streets where there is high occupancy. 5.1.4 Continue to review on-street traffic flows with a view to

introducing one-way streets and other measures that increase the amount of on-street parking.

5.2 Resident owned off street spaces are being used illegally.

5.2.1That the City of Melbourne use Part 7A of the Road Safety Act to manage compliance issues.

5.3 There is non-compliance with parking restrictions at Docklands.

5.3.1 Institute a stronger enforcement presence in Docklands

5.4 The Docklands vision isn’t supported by the current planning provisions.

5.4.1 Review the maximum parking allowed for non-residential buildings. 5.4.2 Review maximum parking allowed for residential buildings. 5.4.3 Further support for car-share schemes, motor cycle

parking and bicycle facilities that reduce the need for car ownership are required.

5.5 There is an overflow of traffic parking in Docklands from Telstra Dome events

5.5.1 The current transport plans for special events at Telstra Dome should be reviewed to ensure these policies are being reflected in practice.

5.6 Further information provision to residents on parking is required. 5.7 The City of Melbourne has not yet collected comprehensive data for the Docklands area

5.6.1 Monitor the stock of car parking facilities to ensure knowledge of supply remains accurate.

5.7.1 Regularly collect and analyse parking occupancy and compliance data.

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Conclusion

158. This Plan recommends City of Melbourne reconsider its approach to parking requirements in the planning scheme, to the management of its own parking resources and to the analysis of data relating to parking in the CBD including Docklands. It discusses the need to plan for future parking provision demand and supply. The strategy has been developed to allow the City of Melbourne to better meet the parking needs of its consumers and set out a plan to respond to emerging challenges for future parking.

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Appendix One

Policy Context 159. In 1974 the City of Melbourne released a Parking Limitation Policy in the CBD

with the aim of reducing congestion on arterial roads leading to the city. This policy continues to be supported by the City of Melbourne.

160. The Moving People and Freight Transport Plan for 2006-2020 (City of Melbourne, 2006) asserts that Council planning policy will continue to discourage long-term parking and encourage the conversion of long-term commuter parking into affordable short-stay parking.

161. Parking policy is linked to transport planning. The City of Melbourne’s Transport Plan states that there are three reasons why an integrated and sustainable transport system is required. These are:

• To aid in the efficient attraction and retention of business;

• For sustainable, equitable and convenient personal access;

• To meet the challenge of having up to one million more people living in metropolitan Melbourne by 2030 and increasing numbers of people living and working within the City of Melbourne.

162. The Melbourne Planning Scheme (Clause 21.06-4) commits the City of Melbourne to only locate short-stay parking in and around the Retail Core, except for residential uses, ensuring that any parking provision does not adversely impact on pedestrian amenity and movement.

163. The City of Melbourne’s Retail Strategy (2007) states that maximising accessibility both into and around the city is essential to the commercial success of the city’s retailers. The Plan asserts the importance of providing consumers with better parking options at off-peak times and weekends.

164. Melbourne 2030 aims (in Policy 4.2) to strengthen Central Melbourne’s capital city functions and its role as the primary business, retail, sport and entertainment hub for the metropolitan area.

165. The City of Melbourne’s Delivering for Docklands Plan (2007) emphasises the need to “improve on-street parking opportunities and promote off-street parking availability”11 committing the City of Melbourne to:

• Use the preparation of the City of Melbourne’s Melbourne Parking Plan 2007 as an opportunity to review on-street parking management at Docklands;

• Develop options to increase visitor and short-term car parking;

• Work with private parking providers to promote parking access and availability in Docklands; and

• Identify and create bus parking opportunities in the precinct.

11 City of Melbourne. Delivering for Docklands. Op. Cit. P 16

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166. The stated aim of VicUrban’s ‘Docklands Ecologically Sustainable Development Charter’ is for Docklands to be developed as a project of ecologically sustainable excellence. This results in several references in the Charter to transport and reducing car dependence. The Charter notes the importance of promoting alternative transport opportunities through:

• reducing the need for car use, through provision and encouragement of quality transport options, including walking and cycling, public transport and water-based transport, and;

• Maximising integration, links and continuity with existing transport infrastructure and the CBD.

167. The City of Melbourne (and the State Government) has established policies in relation to Docklands including:

• That Docklands will be a model of sustainable development, encouraging inner city living and greater use of public transport (VicUrban, 2006a)

• The need to provide for an integrated strategy for the use of car parking spaces provided within the Melbourne Docklands area and adjoining areas, in particular the need to promote shared use of car spaces provided in the Melbourne Docklands and Central City areas to cater for events at the Major Sports and Recreation Facility (VicUrban 2006a).

168. The State Government aims to reduce the demand for long-stay parking and congestion through the Congestion Levy Act which applies equally to the CBD and the Docklands study area (Victorian Government, 2005).

169. These policies are converted into action through the Melbourne Docklands Area Planning Provisions (September 2006) which governs the use and development of land in the Docklands area.

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Appendix Two - The Road Hierarchy

170. Any decision about use of on-road space is considered using a hierarchy of on-street parking provision. This hierarchy (see Table Thirteen below) guides City of Melbourne officers in their consideration of which needs should be met at each particular location.

Table Thirteen - Hierarchy for On-street Parking Provision

Priority Type of Kerb Space Uses

Definition of Kerb Space Use

1 Safety Clearance required for safe operation of streets including for fire hydrants, pedestrian crossings and sight lines (includes footpath widening to cater for large pedestrian volumes)

2 Sustainable Transport Typically tram & bus stops, taxi ranks and cycling facilities

3 Servicing properties Short-stay parking for drop-off/pick-up (e.g. 5 & 15 minute loading zone) typically associated with commercial activities

4 People with Disabilities On-street parking bays provided in locations suitable for people with disabilities

5 Emergency Vehicles Police, Fire and Ambulance requirements

6 Clearways (including Bus Lanes)

Space is provided for through traffic (e.g. typically during peak hours)

7 Short-stay parking Typically 1P or 2P parking for visitors

8 Medium-stay parking Typically 3P or 4P parking for visitors

9 Commercial Using road space for commercial activities (by widening the footpath) such as ‘al fresco’ dining

10 Long-stay parking All day provision of parking for employees and residents

Other Road Users

171. Other road space users and the operations governing their management are listed below.

Public transport 172. City of Melbourne aims to provide all bus parking on the departure side of

intersections or in mid block locations. The location of a bus stop flag designates the no standing area. In the CBD this area is often increased to cater for more or longer vehicles.

173. There are 180 taxi spaces in the CBD which are orientated to avoid passengers entering the taxi at the back of the queue. Taxi ranks are generally located close to large generators of demand for taxi services (such as large office buildings and train stations). Taxi ranks are provided and extended based on observed needs in the area. City of Melbourne officers undertake a review of taxi parking every three months to monitor changes in demand and needs. If ranks aren’t long enough taxi drivers tend to queue back from the rank in any space they can find (including double parking). City of Melbourne has pioneered provision of safe city taxi ranks and other ranks which have a call button.

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Loading Zones 174. Loading zones 12 metres in length are usually provided immediately before

or after an intersection so that delivery vehicles can use the space easily. City of Melbourne officers avoid designating single loading zones, as delivery drivers need to know that there is a high probability of getting a space. Placing two loading zones beside each other also ensures that other drivers are less likely to use the space – as their car would look conspicuous.

175. The City of Melbourne aims to achieve 50% occupancy of loading zones in the peak loading times. City of Melbourne also requires all new development of significant size to have loading docks on-site so that the existing loading zones remain adequate for the area.

Construction and film crews 176. Construction and film crews often need access to very specific parking

spaces to minimise the cost of their business and maximise the efficiency of the CBD. The City of Melbourne enables anyone needing this sort of parking to purchase a “reserved parking space”on the day of issue.

Medical Practitioners 177. Some hospitals close to the CBD are part of a City of Melbourne scheme

that entitles doctors to park in proximity to the hospital they are attending. The hospital must verify that each application has been made by an eligible doctor. City of Melbourne provides on street parking signposted for doctors as close as possible to the Hospital entrance.

People with Disabilities 178. There are 110 spaces in the CBD which are dedicated for use by people with

a disability. It is estimated that 2-3% of drivers to the CBD have a disabled parking permit. This parking permit system is operated across Victoria. All drivers with a disabled parking permit may use the normal parking for double the normal amount of time, they aren’t required to pay for parking tickets (as the return to the car would be too great an impost for some) but must pay for metered parking.

179. The City of Melbourne operates a special system for people with a disability who cannot operate parking meters. People may call City of Melbourne officers and obtain a one-off parking permit for the specific time and their destination.

Special Uses

180. To meet specific user needs, some spaces are made longer (for loading and buses) or wider (for people with a disability). City of Melbourne also provides parking for users who need parking in a specific place. These users pay above market rates for permission to have exclusive access to specific road space.

Motorcycles

181. Current planning scheme provisions require motorcycle parking to be provided at a rate of 1 for every 100 car spaces

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Car-share Spaces

182. In an effort to reduce the reliance on car ownership for its residents, the City of Melbourne has supported local car-share companies which offer low cost rental vehicles to their members. Continued provision of these spaces will assist car-share schemes become more popular and viable. The scheme reduces the need for residents to own a car (owning one less car will save residents more than $5,000 per year). However as the schemes become more popular, more spaces will be required.

Acknowledgement This Plan has been adapted from work prepared by Booz Allen Hamilton.

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Agenda Item 5.7 Planning Committee

4 March 2008

FINANCE ATTACHMENT


There are no immediate financial impacts arising from the recommendation in this report Joe Groher Manager Financial Services

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Agenda Item 5.7 Planning Committee

4 March 2008

LEGAL ATTACHMENT


There are no direct legal implications arising from the recommendation made in the report.

Legal advice will be provided as required.

Kim Wood Manager Legal Services

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draft cbd parking plan (incorporating docklands)

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