Monthly journal Parking Review has been the definitive source of news and intelligence on the UK and international public and private parking sectors since 1989.

Parking has a key role to play in improving air quality

Parking operators can use technology and smarter thinking to help clean up urban air quality

The Secret Parking Manager
15 June 2017
Just a quick glance at the nasties –diesel particulate matters, nitrogen oxide, carbon monoxide and volatile organic compounds – reveals a list of things that cause a wide range of adverse effects on human health
Just a quick glance at the nasties –diesel particulate matters, nitrogen oxide, carbon monoxide and volatile organic compounds – reveals a list of things that cause a wide range of adverse effects on human health

 

Do you ever get that unpleasant blast from someone’s exhaust when you’re on the pavement or crossing the road?

Air quality, and the effect of pollution on public health, seem to be dominating the headlines. The state of the environment literally affects every one of us and, of course, the generations who are coming behind us. 

Vehicular traffic and the management of its flow and parking is a big factor in the level of noxious and poisonous emissions. Just a quick glance at the nasties –diesel particulate matters, nitrogen oxide, carbon monoxide and volatile organic compounds – reveals a list of things that cause a wide range of adverse effects on human health. Evidence is clearly documenting the increased morbidity of our polluted air.

And let’s not forget that vehicles’ output into the atmosphere precipitate climate change.

As the Secret Parking Manager I often feel deeply conflicted on the issue. On the one hand, I’m organising parking facilities for the hordes of emission-emitting engines that throng our urban centres. On the other, I am seeking ways to mitigate the pollution through a range of measures; although, like a lot of things in the public it feels like a heavily losing battle.

But let’s not feel defeated. One thing about working in parking is that it builds up your resilience. Let’s consider the ways can we improve air quality, directly or indirectly.

The good news is, almost counter-intuitively, that many environmentally friendly ideas actually make good business sense. Changing site lighting to LED (light emitting diode technology) is a great idea. At my council we have changed all the multi-storey car parks to LED lighting, which is delivering energy savings of between 50-80%. An added benefit is that LED allows longer maintenance intervals. You have to applaud NCP for its massive estate-wide switch to LED.

We have also fitted light-sensitive fittings and PIR (passive infra-red) sensors in our stairwells and are looking to retro-fit for sensors for each level as the next improvement. The next step is to have sensors on each level of the multi-storey car park that allows a minimum low level of lux, but doesn’t blaze away when there is no pedestrian or vehicle movement. I’d like to hope that deploying intelligent lighting must be on every parking manager’s agenda. 

The complexities of managing the traffic network is never going to be an easy ride for highways engineers. But the design of street parking controls and off-street facilities should somehow support the ideal of a congestion-free use of the network, encouraging public transport and walking/cycling. Circulating and idling traffic only compounds the chemical soup that we have to breathe in. 

I am a big fan of resident parking zones. Studies show that they cut approximately 30% of circulating traffic that is looking for a convenient piece of free on-street parking.

I look with interest on Westminster’s project to educate drivers of idling vehicles to switch off their engines. Looking forward, technology that helps direc a vehicle to its destination by the optimal route or that automatically switches idling engines off can only help.

Although the government, in all its myopic majesty, have tried to stop solar developments with the deep cut in Feed-In Tariff, I still feel there is scope for the decking out parking structures with solar arrays. We have them on our multi-storeys. I am also attracted by the idea of installing solar canopies for surface car parks. Solar power reduces energy cost, reduces your bills by exporting to the national grid and even generates cash back via the feed-in tariff.

Then there is the electric vehicle (EV). They have certainly been a slow burn, but I can tell by use of our EV charging units that the use of zero-emission cars is gaining a real traction. And look at the range of manufacturers that are now rolling out EV models onto the market. They are a bit pricey, but, depending on your driving requirements, it could work a lot cheaper to run an EV than a combustion engine car. While I won’t be ordering a Tesla in the foreseeable futire, when it comes to operational vehicles EV make sense. I have heard of one parking operation using an electric vehicle for cash collections, why not more?

A bone of contention on the environmental front regarding EVs is that, whilst there are zero emissions when driving, you are just transferring the pollution downstream to the fossil fuel power generators. My research, admittedly that of a layman, concludes that over their whole life EVs deliver an overall environmental improvement. And then there are all the savings on maintenance and parts due to the simplified engine layout. But the real positive kicker is when the power for the EV has come from a renewable source. So, for instance, have EV charging units where you have solar (or possibly wind) generation you are creating a virtuous circle.

Some parking operations have been implementing ‘nudge’ techniques, such as discounted permits and season tickets for low-emission vehicles. I certainly think it helps to move things towards a cleaner future. As for how successful penalising diesel vehicles will be, well, the jury is out on that one.

I can remember not so long back when a diesel option was championed as the best environmental option. But oh how the tables have turned, once the science caught up. Dirty diesel has rapidly become public enemy number one. You can hear enlightened voices such as Manny ‘Mr Parking’ Rasores and others in British Parking Association circles railing against the diesel soot that blights our urban centres. Although the motoring organisations will, no doubt, try and fight the corner of letting the motorist be as free as possible from additional costs.

In the London metropolis, Mayor Sadiq Khan is bringing an extra tax on top of the congestion tax to deter older vehicles entering the centre. London air levels are at critical levels in safety terms, it’s getting as bad, and apparently sometimes worse, as Beijing or Mexico City. As parking people we can play our part in supporting Clean Air Zones. However, a lot needs to come from central government to transition traffic to a low emission model, using cash to support modal shift, vehicle scrappage and so on.

Sometimes it does seem hard to see how much effect parking management can really have on air quality, but if we all make changes and lobby for improvements it can make a difference. But if we, as parking people did nothing, now that would be a real choker. 

After all, air quality really is a question of life and death.

The Secret Parking Manager runs a parking operation in a medium-sized English city. His views are very much his own.

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