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Recognising the economic role of bikes: sharing parking in Lygon Street, Carlton

Alison Lee and Alan Marcha, 2010, Australian Planner, 47: 2, 85 — 93, University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Debate over the best allocation of public space, particularly between cars versus other potential users, is intensifying. As attention is increasingly paid to the quality of the public realm for pedestrians, transport modes other than cars are considered more carefully, and the implications of streets' detailed design are recognised more fully, acceptance of consuming space for car parking has diminished. In retail or recreational areas, pedestrianisation has often been a key element of projects to improve to aesthetics, safety, and provision of greater amounts of land for community uses. However, concerns for traders' economic fortunes are often used to oppose reduction of car parking in mixed use areas. In contrast, this study demonstrates that, in appropriate areas, economic benefits may be achieved from replacing car parking with bike parking in public space areas, particularly as intensification of activity occurs as part of urban change, and as transport mode shifts over time. In the inner city case study examined, car users averaged more overall spending per hour than bike riders. However, the small area of public space required for bike parking means that each square metre allocated to bike parking generated $31 per hour, compared to $6 generated for each square metre used for a car parking space. The paper concludes by recommending circumstances where the findings provide a basis for action, and considers potential impacts upon components of a local retail market.
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