Parking Summit offers new solutions to old problems

Minister for Digital and Minister for Customer Service Victor Dominello and Minister for Transport and Roads Andrew Constance launched the summit in Western Sydney, aimed at improving customers’ parking experiences in Greater Sydney.

“This Parking Summit presents a real opportunity to make changes to how people in NSW go about locating, accessing and paying for parking - making it easier for them get on with the rest of their day,” Mr Dominello said.

“By bringing everyone into the same room, we make sure everyone is thinking about how we can work together to solve the parking problems which affect us all.

“Based on today’s feedback we will now build out our eParking platform to make sure it not only makes parking for motorists easier but enables stakeholders to show their products and services.”

Some of the measures announced at today’s Parking Summit include real time monitoring of curb side parking, using artificial intelligence to bust congestion, savings for customers at parking meters through only paying for what they use, and streamlining the payment process at commuter carparks.

“How long does a person spend cruising the streets looking for parking? Studies suggest a lot longer than most people realise – around half of the population spends at least 15 minutes looking for a parking spot. And that time adds up – on average, we’re wasting 130 days of our lives trying to find somewhere to park our car,” Mr Constance said.

“If we can streamline the process and make it easier for drivers to leave their cars where they need to, we’ll not only give people back 3,120 hours in their lifetime, we’ll be busting congestion and boosting the economy. That’s because people will have more time to spend in the cafes, restaurants and shops they’re heading to, and less time in their car looking for a park.”

The Parking Summit also looked at accessibility issues to parking for people with a disability, tradies using loading zones and unnecessarily complex parking signs. 

“Access to real-time parking data allows us to not only see where the problems are but to also hone in on the solutions,” Mr Dominello said.

Speakers and panelists at today’s summit include:

Emma Harrington, CEO Motoring & Membership, NRMA

Margy Osmond, CEO, Tourism and Transport Forum

Christopher Brown, Chairman and Founder, Western Sydney Leadership Dialogue

Gabriel Metcalf, CEO, Committee for Sydney (Sydney.org)

Ed Parsons, Geospatial Technologist, Google UK

Amanda Swan, General Manager, Public Sector, Google

Ian McPherson, JPAC Head of Industry Solutions, Google

Ashleigh Cormack, Public Policy Manager, Uber

Lisa Qi, Co-founder, Share with Oscar

Mosstyn Howell, Founder and CEO, UbiPark

Neil Brener, Head of Operations, Secure

Paul Sidwell, Chief Technology Officer, Wilson

Trent Loebel, CEO, Duncan

Alex Helderman, Parking Services Coordinator, Liverpool Council

Craig Sawyer, Executive Manager, Transport and Civil Infrastructure, Northern Beaches Council

Jamie Barclay, Unit Manager, Economic Development and Property, Central Coast Council

Councillor Linda Scott, President, Local Government NSW

Karen Appleby, Senior Policy Officer, Council on the Ageing

Tara Russell, Executive Officer, Community Transport Organisation

Claire Madden, author, social researcher and expert in interpreting social trends, demographics and implications of generational change

Eamon Waterford, Chief Adviser, Investment NSW

Simon Hunter, Executive Director, Department of Planning, Industry and Environment

Carmel Meznaric, Director, Engagement and Business Development, Service NSW

Greg Wells, Chief Information and Digital Officer, Department of Customer Service

Ed Debenham, Executive Director, Customer Strategy and Experience, Transport for NSW

Simone Roberts, Executive Director, Advanced Analytics & Insights, Transport for NSW