> > > DemanD for on-street parking is greater than supply

Council has resolved to place the proposed changes in on-street parking management on public exhibition. A public meeting will be held on Thursday 21 June at 6.15pm in the Hutley Hall, 200 Miller Street, North Sydney.

You are invited to make comments on the proposal between 30 May and 27 June 2012.

Submissions must be in writing and will be received up until 5pm on Wednesday 27 June 2012. Send your submissions by:

Post – General Manager, North Sydney Council, PO Box 12, North Sydney NSW 2059

Hand delivery – Customer Service Centre, 200 Miller Street, North Sydney, 9am – 5pm

Email – council@northsydney.nsw.gov.au

Fax – 9936 8177

For more information about how to make a written submission to Council, please refer to the information sheet Making a Written Submission to Council on our website www.northsydney.nsw.gov.au or call 9936 8100.

For more information about the proposed changes contact Council’s Engineering and Property Services division on 9936 8100.

Have your say

Area %

Restricted parking across the LGA 65

North Sydney CBD, metered spaces

86

Crows Nest, metered spaces 87

Neutral Bay, metered spaces 82

Figure 1: Percent of parked vehicles from outside North Sydney LGA

Privacy implicationsCouncil has consulted the Privacy Commissioner in regard to LPR technology. The table below summarises the issues that the Commissioner believes we need to address and our responses.

Privacy Commission concerns Council’s response

Ensure that the information is collected for lawful and relevant purposes.

The data collected will only be used for the purposes of enforcement and traffic planning management, which is a legal function of Council.

Ensure there is not function or scope creep. Any proposed change to the use of the technology would require formal approval by the Council and privacy compliance would be considered at that time.

Ensure that LPR is an appropriate response to the issue being addressed.

LPR is the most efficient and cost-effective way to gather parking data and is an appropriate use of the technology.

Only collect the minimum amount of personal information required.

No personal data is being collected via the LPR system. The only information gathered will be the number plate.

Delete the information once no longer needed.

All penalty-related data will be kept using the current processes. Photos will be deleted as soon as they are no longer required. Council is investigating encrypting licence plate numbers for additional security.

Ensure information needed for traffic surveys should be released by Roads and Maritime Services (RMS).

RMS has previously provided Council with the NSW postcode information in a table and map, outlining the number of vehicles per suburb only. Photos are not required and they will be deleted.

PROPOSED CHANGES TO ON-STREET PARKING MANAGEMENT IN THE NORTH SYDNEY AREA May 2012

Council’s parking meters are due for renewal. Since they were installed in 2003, there have been major advances in parking technology which can improve the way Council manages parking and enforces parking restrictions.

This document outlines: how Council currently manages parking; the benefits of using the new technologies; the advice provided to Council on the privacy issues related to the technologies; and how you can have your say on the proposed changes.

our scarce parking resource

The North Sydney local government area (LGA) has an estimated 64,000 residents. Approximately 57,000 people commute to the area for work each day as well as an unknown number of daily visitors.

There are 22,500 on-street parking spaces, comprising:

- 8,587 restricted spaces, including 2,666 metered spaces

- 1,232 limited use zones (bus, loading, disabled zones)

- 718 restricted zones (clearways, transit lanes)

- 11,963 unrestricted spaces

There are also 946 off-street car parking spaces in Council-owned car parks, of which 311 may be leased to permanent users.

A large proportion of the vehicles parked on North Sydney’s streets during the daytime come from outside the area.

Between 2001 and 2006, car ownership rates (cars/person) increased by 14.3% per annum, which when combined with the increase in population, resulted in an estimated 540 additional cars in the area each year.

The statistics from the 2011 Census aren’t available from the Australian Bureau of Statistics until July, but based on requests for on-street parking and resident parking permits, we are expecting that car ownership will have grown at a similar rate over the past five years.

Impact on parking enforcement

The efficiencies gained by the technology will allow Council to allocate parking officers and rangers to other high priority areas such as school zones and building sites.

surveysCouncil undertakes an on-foot vehicle occupancy survey in metered areas every six months and an on-foot vehicle occupancy survey in non-metered areas every two to four years. We use this data to determine appropriate time durations for restricted areas.

We also undertake resident and community opinion parking surveys within designated areas before changes are made to parking within that area.

ComplianceCouncil’s parking officers patrol metered and restricted areas. The frequency of patrols is determined by the demand for parking in each area and the need to ensure turnover of parking in commercial areas. Vehicles in un-metered areas are patrolled by chalking the tyres.

New technologies

There are two technologies that Council is considering for parking management: Licence Plate Recognition (LPR) and in-ground sensors which can be installed in Council owned and managed car parks or linked to our meters.

Licence Plate recognitionA LPR system consists of a camera and software that attaches to a vehicle. As the vehicle drives down the road, the LPR records the number plates of parked vehicles. The system matches recordings taken at two separate times. By providing images of both the licence plate and the close immediate context of a vehicle, it can provide photographic evidence of vehicles that have not moved in the intervening period. This

technology is currently being used by Police, Byron Shire Council for parking compliance, and in some parking stations.

Council intends to use LPR technology for both surveying and compliance in non-metered areas. LPR will make surveying faster, cheaper and allow us to have current data.

When used for parking compliance, LPR will allow Council to gain better compliance in residential areas, where it is currently time consuming to monitor by foot. Better compliance will allow us to finetune restrictions and result in more parking available in residential areas for residents and their visitors. LPR will also have work health and safety benefits for Council parking officers as it will reduce time on foot in isolated areas and reduce bending to chalk tyres.

sensors

In-ground sensors are installed beneath the surface of the road and detect when a vehicle enters and leaves a parking space. This technology is being used extensively in Victoria and Western Australia. In NSW it is currently being used by Lane Cove Council and in some parking stations. Council intends to link sensors to our parking meters.

A linked meter/sensor system will provide Council with more accurate ‘real time’ data, which will allow us to optimise parking durations and meter fees. It will also allow us to offer the first 15 minutes free on meters. The system will provide parking officers with meter data in the field, which means they can check for meter faults before issuing a penalty.

Council will also be able to link the sensor data to parking guidance signage, helping motorists to find parking within village centres or carparks. This will reduce the circling that currently occurs in some shopping areas and in our ground-level carparks, which in turn will reduce congestion and driver frustration. The new meters may also allow customers to make payments and find parking spaces using a smart phone or to top-up their parking via a smart phone app if they have not already used the full time allowed.

Parking issues for residents and businesses

Council’s 2010 Customer Satisfaction Survey showed that while only 10% of residents were dissatisfied with Council’s services overall, parking is a major source of dissatisfaction with around a third dissatisfied with both the policing and management of parking.

The main concerns about on-street parking for residents are:

- they cannot find a parking space in their street or resident parking zone and are forced to park elsewhere and move the car;

- their visitors and tradespeople cannot get a parking space;

- they are forced to pay for parking when they stop at their local village centre to collect dry cleaning or buy the milk. This can effectively double the cost of the item being purchased;

- commuters have parked across their driveway;

- the restricted parking durations are too short.

Similarly, a third of businesses were dissatisfied with Council’s policing of parking and 44% are dissatisfied with the management of parking.

The main concerns about on-street parking for businesses are:

- there is not enough turnover in parking. This is especially a problem for businesses that

require high turnover and short-stay parking such as dry cleaners, newsagents and take-away food stores;

- the restricted parking durations are too short;

- there is inadequate parking for customers.

Current parking management

Council’s aim in managing parking is to improve parking turnover and increase access to parking across the whole of the North Sydney LGA. We currently manage demand for on-street parking spaces by limiting the duration of parking in some areas and charging for parking in high-demand areas.

All but six of our meters are pay and go, which means they are paperless, but cannot offer the first 15 minutes for free. We currently aim for an occupancy rate of between 80% and 90% and parking meter rates are set to balance supply and demand.

Perc

ent s

pace

s oc

cupi

ed

Parking AreaFigure 2: Percent of parking spaces occupied when last surveyed (by area)

> > > DemanD for on-street parking is greater than supply

Council has resolved to place the proposed changes in on-street parking management on public exhibition. A public meeting will be held on Thursday 21 June at 6.15pm in the Hutley Hall, 200 Miller Street, North Sydney.

You are invited to make comments on the proposal between 30 May and 27 June 2012.

Submissions must be in writing and will be received up until 5pm on Wednesday 27 June 2012. Send your submissions by:

Post – General Manager, North Sydney Council, PO Box 12, North Sydney NSW 2059

Hand delivery – Customer Service Centre, 200 Miller Street, North Sydney, 9am – 5pm

Email – council@northsydney.nsw.gov.au

Fax – 9936 8177

For more information about how to make a written submission to Council, please refer to the information sheet Making a Written Submission to Council on our website www.northsydney.nsw.gov.au or call 9936 8100.

For more information about the proposed changes contact Council’s Engineering and Property Services division on 9936 8100.

Have your say

Area %

Restricted parking across the LGA 65

North Sydney CBD, metered spaces

86

Crows Nest, metered spaces 87

Neutral Bay, metered spaces 82

Figure 1: Percent of parked vehicles from outside North Sydney LGA

Privacy implicationsCouncil has consulted the Privacy Commissioner in regard to LPR technology. The table below summarises the issues that the Commissioner believes we need to address and our responses.

Privacy Commission concerns Council’s response

Ensure that the information is collected for lawful and relevant purposes.

The data collected will only be used for the purposes of enforcement and traffic planning management, which is a legal function of Council.

Ensure there is not function or scope creep. Any proposed change to the use of the technology would require formal approval by the Council and privacy compliance would be considered at that time.

Ensure that LPR is an appropriate response to the issue being addressed.

LPR is the most efficient and cost-effective way to gather parking data and is an appropriate use of the technology.

Only collect the minimum amount of personal information required.

No personal data is being collected via the LPR system. The only information gathered will be the number plate.

Delete the information once no longer needed.

All penalty-related data will be kept using the current processes. Photos will be deleted as soon as they are no longer required. Council is investigating encrypting licence plate numbers for additional security.

Ensure information needed for traffic surveys should be released by Roads and Maritime Services (RMS).

RMS has previously provided Council with the NSW postcode information in a table and map, outlining the number of vehicles per suburb only. Photos are not required and they will be deleted.

PROPOSED CHANGES TO ON-STREET PARKING MANAGEMENT IN THE NORTH SYDNEY AREA May 2012

Council’s parking meters are due for renewal. Since they were installed in 2003, there have been major advances in parking technology which can improve the way Council manages parking and enforces parking restrictions.

This document outlines: how Council currently manages parking; the benefits of using the new technologies; the advice provided to Council on the privacy issues related to the technologies; and how you can have your say on the proposed changes.

our scarce parking resource

The North Sydney local government area (LGA) has an estimated 64,000 residents. Approximately 57,000 people commute to the area for work each day as well as an unknown number of daily visitors.

There are 22,500 on-street parking spaces, comprising:

- 8,587 restricted spaces, including 2,666 metered spaces

- 1,232 limited use zones (bus, loading, disabled zones)

- 718 restricted zones (clearways, transit lanes)

- 11,963 unrestricted spaces

There are also 946 off-street car parking spaces in Council-owned car parks, of which 311 may be leased to permanent users.

A large proportion of the vehicles parked on North Sydney’s streets during the daytime come from outside the area.

Between 2001 and 2006, car ownership rates (cars/person) increased by 14.3% per annum, which when combined with the increase in population, resulted in an estimated 540 additional cars in the area each year.

The statistics from the 2011 Census aren’t available from the Australian Bureau of Statistics until July, but based on requests for on-street parking and resident parking permits, we are expecting that car ownership will have grown at a similar rate over the past five years.

Impact on parking enforcement

The efficiencies gained by the technology will allow Council to allocate parking officers and rangers to other high priority areas such as school zones and building sites.