City of Joondalup Wins Outstanding New Car Park Development
The City of Joondalup was awarded the top prize for Outstanding New Car Park Development at the 2016 Parking Industry Awards for Reid Promenade Car Park (RPCP). The new five level multi storey car park that was built on an existing 140-bay open air car park in Joondalup City Centre. Designed by Hames Sharley Architects, and constructed by the Georgiou Group, the car park was officially opened by Joondalup Mayor, Troy Pickard, in February this year.
With the City of Joondalup located in one of Australia’s fastest growing regions and the City Centre recognised by the WA State Government as a major Strategic Metropolitan Centre, this state of the art car park has provided increased public and private parking to meet a growing demand from residents and visitors alike.
The RPCP has 566 parking bays, which includes 530 standard vehicle bays, 27 private access bays, seven disability compliant bays and two electric vehicle charging station bays. The car park can also accommodate six motorcycles and four bicycles.
Ecologically sustainable initiatives have been included in its design with considerable emphasis on the inclusion of a range of energy saving concepts and systems. These include ticketless parking, roof mounted solar panels, and smart sensor controlled lighting with LED fixtures and harvesting of natural daylight and ventilation, which all contribute to minimising the carbon footprint as well as reducing the ongoing operating costs of the car park.
The car park boasts bigger parking bays, state of the art technology and extensive signage for ease of use. The continuous ramped parking design utilises the natural contour of the existing site to create efficient internal traffic circulation with separate up and down travel directions. Multiple entry/exit lanes, at opposite sides of the car park, allow separate ingress and egress pathways and prevent congestion for drivers.
Directional signage was incorporated into wall murals, with bright colours, to make the car park more vibrant and visually appealing for car park patrons. The use of the Romex VMS/LED signs system significantly reduced the number of static signs required and allows multiple messages to be displayed if required. Bright colours, coloured glass panelling and colour coded number icons have been used throughout the car park to identify floor levels and to convey the user friendly message. Exterior LED signs, with real time availability of car bays, reduces travel time and CO2 emissions.
The RPCP features a Romex ticketless parking system that uses licence plate recognition technology to track vehicle entry, fee payment and vehicle exit. The system significantly reduces the entry and exit times for drivers and reduces waiting times at peak periods. Parking equipment offers four pay station machines, all of which accept credit cards, coins and notes, providing a more convenient means of payment options for patrons.
Touch screen operation and on screen display with automatic voice fee prompts allow drivers to easily identify their vehicle and make payments at the pay stations. An event fee can be programmed, that allows pre-payment of the designated fee, to reduce congestion and waiting time for customers at pay stations once the event is finished.
All pay station machines, and entry/exit barriers, are linked to the central licence plate recognition system and can be remotely operated if required. All pay machines and entry/exit barriers have intercom connectivity allowing customers to speak directly with a City staff member in the secure Central Control Room within the car park. On-site staff can assist customers by quickly resolving any enquiries and can also take immediate action to address other issues which may arise.
Regular customers can choose from a variety of monthly fee services that provide a range of parking options. These include E-Permits which allow unlimited multiple entry/exit during normal opening hours, Reserved Bays which offer the same as E-Permits but also includes a reserved parking bay and Premium Reserved Bays which provide a reserved parking bay, in a private secure area, with unlimited 24/7 access.
Cheaper hourly parking fees are offered to encourage people to use the car park, rather than the nearby street parking, thereby allowing better availability for other drivers seeking parking in these on-street areas. Early Bird, Daily and Monthly Fees also provide additional discounted fees to encourage customers to use the new facility for long term parking.
The City provided regular updates to the local and wider community, using newspaper advertising and social media platforms, of the progress of the construction of the car park. Monthly newsletters were also provided to nearby residents to provide advance notification of the various stages of the construction. Near the completion of the construction a wider community advertising campaign was undertaken to notify of the car park opening and its increased parking capacity.
In presenting the award to City of Joondalup the judges commented:
“This facility was well designed and thoughtful from the project’s inception. Design, aesthetics, and functionality play well together, combined with the patron experience, result in an effective, efficient, and well-placed community resource.”
“Overall, this is an extremely impressive facility and a fine example of how parking can provide a positive outcome for the community. Thanks to the City of Joondalup for its leadership and contribution.”
Joondalup Mayor Troy Pickard said the award was well-deserved national recognition for the City and everyone who worked on the “largest infrastructure project Joondalup has ever undertaken”.