Levying charges on private parking : lessons from existing practice

Managing parking is a well established mechanism for controlling car use. But in many countries, a significant proportion of parking space is owned or leased by the private sector and so is beyond the direct control of the local transport authority. One solution currently being considered in the UK, is the idea of imposing a levy on businesses for utilising private parking spaces. However, while the legislation enabling local authorities to introduce such a charge was passed in 2000, only one local authority (Nottingham) retains an interest in the measure and it is still uncertain as to whether it will eventually be implemented. This paper briefly reviews the private parking problem and the range of policy instruments currently utilised throughout the world where private parking spaces are controlled by Local Authorities. It then draws on a number of vignettes where private parking levies have been introduced elsewhere in the world examining how the use of such policy options might be utilised more extensively and effectively. Finally the paper offers lessons that can be of use when seeking to implement a private parking levy scheme.