This year's Parkex exhibition at London's Earls Court showed the parking industry going through a period of rapid change. Stand after stand displayed new applications that are going to change both management practices and the customer experience.
In this issue we look at some of the latest innovations with a particular emphasis on payment systems. Pay-by-phone is now being trialled, and anything that gets cash out of the system looks to be a good thing. It's inconvenient, expensive and risky for operators to handle but the key will be to come up with alternatives that customers find equally convenient and reliable.
Parkex also saw the launch of the BPA's new code of practice on clamping. For conventional shopping centre car parks this probably isn't an issue. But it matters a lot to out-of-town retail parks and standalone stores.
The BPA's avowed intent is to "drive out the rogues" by encouraging a common stance on signage, fee levels and so on. The problem is the rogues - by definition - are the sort of people that won't take a blind bit of notice of an industry code of practice. Licensing is the only viable solution long-term.
Owners of surface car parks out-of-town need clamping and removal as the ultimate deterrent against abuse of their facilities and responsible owners employ responsible contractors, who will undoubtedly comply with the code. But the image of the industry will continue to be sullied by the rogue element until they're driven out, probably by legislation.
And on the subject of out-of-town the Castlepoint saga rumbles on. Contractor Kier has finally conceded what many observers felt from the outset - that the decked car park is so fundamentally flawed that demolition is the only sensible solution.
Managing this process is going to be a massive challenge for the Castlepoint Limited Partnership and their team. The retailers and their customers have already suffered enough with the loss of trade over Christmas and the January Sales. It remains to be seen whether the demolition and rebuild can be phased in such a way as to maintain access and continuity of trade. But it looks difficult given that the stores are accessed off the top deck of the car park.
This one, as they say, will run and run.
Graham Parker Editor
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