Using big data to adjust kerbside parking controls
Harry Barber provides his insights into a project run by Phillip Boyle & Associates (PBA) for the City of Yarra, providing evidence of parking behaviours that can be used to adjust parking controls so that the best outcome is achieved for the centre.
In what might be the most comprehensive kerbside parking management method in Australia, PBA are trialling a process on Richmond’s Bridge Road, a once-popular centre that is emerging from hard times. Recognising that flat fees are probably too high in some circumstances, and too low in others, the City of Yarra has sought a new approach.
The process developed by PBA has allowed the City of Yarra to make transparent, evidence-based decisions to adjust parking controls. PBA has developed a process that gathers ‘big data’ from the parking system and other sources. Data is compiled into information and presented with an online analysis tool (Tableau) that is available to Council staff and potentially to the public. Several performance metrics have been developed, including how many people come to the centre, how long they stay, how often they return and whether there are bays available for people who arrive in the centre. This approach turns the standard use of parking data upside down, using the information to optimise visitation to the centre, rather than guide enforcement.