Paid parking at Stations - What do you think?

[08 XDi]

There seems to be next to no press I can find about the aftermath of this (at least from over in my neck of the woods).

Has there been a lot of angst or outrage about this or is it settling down?

[TRS-80]

I'm a fan, it means I can sleep in a little bit and still get a park at my local station rather than it filling up by 7:20am. I saw a guy going around giving tickets this week, the licence plate reader appears to be an iPhone.

[tbc1983]

Yes, this new paid parking system gets rid a lot of the free-loaders. Maybe, for the Smart Parkers, the PTA could give a day's free parking for every, say 10 day's paid parking to encourage PT use?

Just thinking out loudly...


Cheers!

[soennecken]

There seems to be next to no press I can find about the aftermath of this (at least from over in my neck of the woods).

Has there been a lot of angst or outrage about this or is it settling down?

Some serious deficiencies have arisen. For example, the $2 payment for "the whole day or any part of it" expires at midnight. So, if you work night shift, you pay for your parking, take the train to work, then your parking payment expires at midnight. You can't get back to the station to pay for the next day's parking, because you are at work all night. Transperth's website won't allow you to pay for the next day's parking. In the morning (say, at 8am), when you have finished work, you take the train home and return to a $50 fine for illegal parking.

Transperth could easily fix this by changing their parking terms and conditions. They could levy the $2 payment "for 24 hours" instead of "for the whole day or any part of it". Or they could allow a parking payment to be made online via the website.

Either way, Transperth needs to learn that the world doesn't stop at midnight and restart at 4am. Even Transperth has employees (or contractors) who work through the night, and they too have to be able to get to work somehow.

[900 series]

Perth’s Public Transport Authority only issues fines at eight train station car parks - Perthnow
David's comment seems to not fit with the story

~~

PTA have published patronage data for July 2014: trains are up over 400,000 compared to last year (Shutdowns) but down 200000 over 2012, Given the general decrease of 2013-14 (including after the disruptions were over) the paid parking doesnt seem to have had that much impact so far. Buses were steady over the three years (though again perhaps slightly inflted last year due to the shutdowns?)

Of course this is just one month so we'll get a better picture as more data is released

[900 series]

Nearly six months in and the car parks are emptier, but the trains apparently are not. And some stations are still filling completely (such as Edgewater, Fremantle, Warnbro)

Even excluding the impact of the shutdowns last year the recent patronage declines have slowed since July (and patronage is up using raw figures) plus OCtober 2014 saw a new high for that month, though a new station may have helped that

Cycle cages are being used more instead.

[900 series]

Murdoch station parking will require a SmartRider (but will still allow Pay n Display) from 1st July 2015

[Mr OC Benz]

Sounds like its been done intentionally to further deter non-PT users from using the car parks (in the same way that Fremantle Station is also Smartrider only).

[simonl]

Sounds like its been done intentionally to further deter non-PT users from using the car parks (in the same way that Fremantle Station is also Smartrider only).

Probably. But you'd think that they would put up the price at the stations which still fill up too early. That would further encourage other methods of accessing the station.

[Mr OC Benz]

How is that related though? It is no doubt in relation to the opening of Fiona Stanley Hospital next door, so people are parking for cheaper at the station carpark instead of at the dedicated Hospital carpark. Same reason in Fremantle where people visiting nearby retail and commercial were parking in the station carpark, thus reducing capacity for those who actually need to use it to catch PT.

[Shoudy Chen]

I have found the article on the Transperth website. This talks about SmartParker as well as Pay 'n' display and what you need to do about this.
http://www.transperth.wa.gov.au/Service ... nges-11502

[simonl]

How is that related though? It is no doubt in relation to the opening of Fiona Stanley Hospital next door, so people are parking for cheaper at the station carpark instead of at the dedicated Hospital carpark. Same reason in Fremantle where people visiting nearby retail and commercial were parking in the station carpark, thus reducing capacity for those who actually need to use it to catch PT.

Because if people who use it for PT who have reasonable options of other access methods are encouraged onto those other access methods, then there is more room for people to park who have less reasonable access methods.

And it also reduces the effect you mention.

[Mr OC Benz]

But I don't get your point? This change will deter non-PT users. That's all this is about. Encouraging other access methods FOR PT users is another story, which if that's what you were getting at, then you probably shouldn't of quoted my post in this thread.

[simonl]

That is what I am getting at.