Overspill parking

Overspill parking is the parking of vehicles beyond the main area provided for the purpose. It can occur because provided parking spaces are insufficient for demand or considered unsatisfactory for some reason. The availability of parking may be limited because the urban form historically made little provision for the parking of private vehicles or because the transport authority zoning policies consciously limit the provision of parking spaces to discourage car use. In some situations additional official parking may be provided for an event or at some distance from the intended destination.

Unauthorised car parking may take the form of double parking, parking of on verges or sidewalks and can on occasions create difficulties for others in the vicinity of shops, schools, hospitals, sports grounds and train/metro stations and at other location that attracts people and vehicles. It may conflict with other road users including other motorists, emergency vehicles, cyclists, pedestrians and members of various vulnerable groups including the blind, wheel-chair users and people with small children.

Vehicles parked on grass, whether authorised or not, can turn the area to mud in wet weather and parking of sidewalks can cause damage and additional maintenance/repair costs. Authorities may install physical measures including bollards, street furniture and a variety of parking restrictions.^[1]

Causes

Overspill parking generally occurs where the available parking is insufficient, unsuitable or otherwise undesirable (on the basis of cost for example). Policy makers may choose to accept overspill parking as a problem that must be accepted,^[2] they may choose to provide more parking spaces or may introduce legislative or physical measures to control the places where vehicles can be parked. In a referendum in Amsterdam in 1992 the population voted for reducing the level of parking provision in the city.^[3]^[4]

Possible interventions

Provision of addition parking spaces

The relevant authority will sometimes attempt to provide additional parking opportunities and direct users to those facilities. For consideration was given to the requirement for overspill parking when Chelsea Football Club was developing the 'Chelsea Football Club Academy' on days when the reserve team were expected to play there^[5] and the popularly seaside town of Southwold creates additional parking during busy summer periods.^[6]

Introduction or enforcement of parking regulations

Parking restrictions can be used to limit parking to particular times of day, for limited periods of time. Examples include residential zoned parking, disabled parking bays, metered bays, Residential zoned parking and no-parking restrictions.^[7]

Commuters prevented from parking for the day close to train stations due to such restrictions may resort to parking elsewhere, for example on side streets, verges or other locations.

Physical measures

Authorities can use design elements, such as Bollards, high kerbs, railings, benches and other Street furniture including raised planters to prevent overspill parking on footways.^[1]

Information campaigns

Many transport authorities run campaigns to highlight the costs and inconvenience of overspill parking.^[8] ^[9]

Living Streets in the United Kingdom runs a 'Campaign for combat pavement parking' suggesting various things that people can do to reduce the problem.^[10]

Voluntary or compulsory 'Car Exclusion zones' around schools at school drop-off/collection times are used to create a more attractive environment for pedestrians and discourage parents from using cars to schools where there is insufficient space to accommodate them.^[11]^[12]

Streetfilms, based in New York produce a number of videos highlighting the issues, highlighting the benefits to pedestrians if the issue is addressed and approaches that can be adopted.^[13]

Regional issues

United Kingdom

The House of Commons Transport Select Committee published a report on 'Parking Policy and Enforcement' in June 2006.^[2] The report acknowledged that the problem of parking on pavements and in particular parking outside schools, hospital entrances and on corners, junctions and bus stops was a large one and that a major effort would be required to enforce the law". It criticised the Department for Transport for what it saw as a 'do-nothing' attitude to the problem and said that the government "must grip the problem of pavement parking once and for all and ensure that it is outlawed throughout the country".^[2]

References

^ ^a ^b "Pavement parking". Department for Transport. Retrieved 2009-07-25.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Transport (seventh report)". Parliament. Retrieved 2010-03-30.
^ "Amsterdam - Politics of Sustainability?". Ecoplan. Retrieved 2010-04-09.
^ "Green urbanism: learning from European cities". Retrieved 2010-04-09. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |Publisher= ignored (|publisher= suggested) (help)
^ Chelsea Football "Club Academy Supplementary Transport Statement". Spelthorne council. Retrieved 2010-04-01. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
^ "Car parks". Southwold Tourism. Retrieved 2010-04-01. An overspill car park, is opened up on the grass land surrounding when the town is busy
^ "Possible kerb-space management solutions". Dartford Borough Council. Retrieved 2009-07-25.
^ "Parking on pavements". Lewisham Council. Retrieved 2010-04-09.
^ "Pavement parking safety". Cumbria Council. Retrieved 2010-04-09.
^ "Campaign to combat pavement parking". Living Streets. Retrieved 2010-03-10.
^ "STP Initiatives - Schools". Coventry City Council. Retrieved 2010-04-01.
^ "School run exclusion zone". This is London. 2007-10-10. Retrieved 2010-04-01.
^ "Cars and parking section". Streetfilms. Retrieved 2010-03-30.