Will the State Government's Parking Levy Rise help Cyclist?

[rolandp]

WA Today reports:

“The Perth Parking Management Act requires that money raised by the levy be used within the city to fund or improve the CAT bus system, improve public transport access, enhance the pedestrian environment and bicycle access," Ms Scaffidi said.

However, when speaking about the City of Perth's 2009/10 Budget, the focus is on:

“We will also insist that revenue derived from the levy is applied to improvements in public transport and pedestrian amenity in the city, as legislated.”

The WA Today article also indicates:

Lord Mayor Lisa Scaffidi said the State Government's recent "huge" parking levy increase for commercial parking providers had forced the council's hand and demanded to know what the revenue raised would be used for.

which implies that the Parking Levy is all ready there. If this is the case, then why hasn't the 'bicycle access' improved, I can't recall one single bicycle access improvement in the CBD, and in fact it has gone backwards with the building of the Arena and now the closure of the Entertainment Centre Car Park.

If an additional $16.4M is expected to be raised, how much of this extra revenue will be spent on 'bicycle access'?

[mikedufty]

Cycle access from the Freeway/parliament house path onto riverside drive has also got significantly worse since building the convention centre and mandurah railway.

[Mulger bill]

Expect the govt to form a new authority to determine how the $16 odd million is spent. Annual budget:- $15.5 million.

Classic book fiddling that explains why more and more tax is paid by the Averages and yet spending on the important things that benefit all is dropping off the back faster than me.

Shaun

[rolandp]

The West today reports - Parking levy increase was legal with some quotes:

A parliamentary committee investigating a $16.4 million increase to the CBD parking levy has found the hike was done legally.

Department of Planning team leader of policy and precincts Tim Wyatt told committee yesterday that the only project earmarked for the extra money was seven new CAT buses totalling $6.75 million, which could be spread over several years.
"We don't have a program that fully accounts for that total revenue that's being raised for this year," he said.
Mr Wyatt also stood by a briefing note to Transport Minister Simon O'Brien on May 21 that the first the department heard of the $16.4 million increase was when the State Budget was released seven days earlier.

Hands up, anyone have a suggestion on how the $16.4 million should be spent, given that our Lord Mayor quoted that this levy should include "...enhance the pedestrian environment and bicycle access' (source see first post).

[wintal]

Yeah, it's a bit ridiculous. Perth's CBD has some of the worst cycling access I've ever seen. I work in west perth, and won't ride into the centre because it's faster and safer to walk, than to brave Murray St (especially the last couple of blocks before the malls).

I suggest bike lanes or paths on Murray and Hay st (one each way). Both roads are themselves wide and currently have wide footpaths, plenty of space. Both would I reckon get quite a bit of cycle traffic, and it would intersect the existing PSP giving good feeding of cycles to the CBD and West Perth.

Cheers,
Leighton...

[ColinOldnCranky]

The levy came into effect a couple of months ago - the parking fees went up a couple of bucks a day immediately to cover it.

[fixed]

$16 million per year over four years. $65 million to spend on improving pedestrian and bicycle access, city amenity and air quality.

A central bike hub or other decentralised hubs that can provide lockers, showers, secure parking, mechanical services. These can be outsourced to private contractors.
A centralised secure bike aprking station.
Better dedicated bike lanes along Hay st, murray st, each way either side of the central block.
Copenahgen lanes? which locations
Traffic calming and improved pedstrian facilities.
Identify potentially dangerous pedestrian and cyclist intereactions (City West station frinstance)
Trafalgar Bridge
Central Wellington station
better access over the railway line
Better linkages to inner city areas and an extension of the CAT network.
Improved Perth bike networks and boulevardes on quieter feeder streets into the city.

$65million with the potential to be expanded.
How would you spend the money? At the moment the money is going to sit in a Trust Fund with no program to spend it.

[CycleSnail]

The BTA did

write

to the Treasurer on this topic and got a bland reply

[Pavlova]

I suggest bike lanes or paths on Murray and Hay st (one each way). Both roads are themselves wide and currently have wide footpaths, plenty of space. Both would I reckon get quite a bit of cycle traffic, and it would intersect the existing PSP giving good feeding of cycles to the CBD and West Perth.

Cheers,
Leighton...

Awesome idea. I work at the east end of the city and use the Murray St path from Barrack to Pier St - a short section but a really good example of what the whole city could be like (bell gets a real workout though, pedestrians on mobile phones or with ipods wandering about on the bike lane randomly)

[roller]

The levy came into effect a couple of months ago - the parking fees went up a couple of bucks a day immediately to cover it.

i'm saving $11.20 per day by cycling to work.

$11.20!! it seems not that long ago i was paying $4.60

[rolandp]

The BTA did
write
to the Treasurer on this topic and got a bland reply

CycleSnail, given that BTA initially wrote to the Treasurer back in May 2009, maybe a polite reminder is required asking for confirmation on where the funds will be spent, and pointing out that you have been waiting 6 months for this information. Every day that these funds aren't being spent, doesn't help to improve the journey and safety of those using the cycling infrastructure.

[pickle]

Looks like labor reckons the Parking Levy is funding the northbridge link works:

http://www.wa.alp.org.au/news/1109/14-01.php

[CycleSnail]

The BTA did
write
to the Treasurer on this topic and got a bland reply

CycleSnail, given that BTA initially wrote to the Treasurer back in May 2009, maybe a polite reminder is required asking for confirmation on where the funds will be spent, and pointing out that you have been waiting 6 months for this information. Every day that these funds aren't being spent, doesn't help to improve the journey and safety of those using the cycling infrastructure.

We did write to responsible Minister (if there is such a thing, this could be an oxymoron) mid-November. Seeing that the last letter took six months to answer, I am not holding my breath.

Regards,
Heinrich

[mikedufty]

Yeah, it's a bit ridiculous. Perth's CBD has some of the worst cycling access I've ever seen. I work in west perth, and won't ride into the centre because it's faster and safer to walk, than to brave Murray St (especially the last couple of blocks before the malls).

I quite often ride in from west perth down Murray Street. I thought it was quite a nice road except when you get a red light right at the bottom of the hill. The traffic tends to be a bit slow, but it means you can take the whole lane safely, and I'm usually not it too much of a hurry there.

[rolandp]

Given an article in today's The West, not much will be spend on cycling infrastructure:
Documents obtained by the State Labor Opposition under Freedom of Information show that the Barnett Government's prime motive for jacking up parking fees in the City of Perth was to raise revenue not provide more public transport options.

CycleSnail, did you ever get a response to your letters?

[CycleSnail]

CycleSnail, did you ever get a response to your letters?

I got a vague reply indicating that the money was to be spent on the areas covered by the act. I subsequently asked for details. No answer so far.
Regards,
Heinrich

[casual_cyclist]

CycleSnail, did you ever get a response to your letters?

I got a vague reply indicating that the money was to be spent on the areas covered by the act. I subsequently asked for details. No answer so far.
Regards,
Heinrich

As one of the people who write letters answering letters to a minister perhaps I can shed some light on why it takes so long to get a response. Quite often, people write to the wrong minister, in which case the letter is registered into the system, sent to the wrong department and finally allocated to the wrong person. When they finally get time to look at the correspondence, they realise it has been sent to the wrong place and send it back. All of this takes quite a lot of time. Next time round it may not be allocted correctly and the process starts again

After several weeks or months, when the correspondence finally arrives at a person who can write a response, in my experience, the person's workload will prevent them from preparing a response within a reasonable amount of time. Once prepared, there is a convoluted approval process which seems to require at least 4 or 5 people give the approval to the correspondence. This all takes a long time.

[wintal]

As one of the people who write letters answering letters to a minister perhaps I can shed some light on why it takes so long to get a response. Quite often, people write to the wrong minister, in which case the letter is registered into the system, sent to the wrong department and finally allocated to the wrong person. When they finally get time to look at the correspondence, they realise it has been sent to the wrong place and send it back. All of this takes quite a lot of time. Next time round it may not be allocted correctly and the process starts again

After several weeks or months, when the correspondence finally arrives at a person who can write a response, in my experience, the person's workload will prevent them from preparing a response within a reasonable amount of time. Once prepared, there is a convoluted approval process which seems to require at least 4 or 5 people give the approval to the correspondence. This all takes a long time.

Maybe we should get all the ministers onto Twitter, that forum seems to have no such restrictions (at least, judging by the ones I've looked at)

Cheers,
Leighton....

[casual_cyclist]

As one of the people who write letters answering letters to a minister perhaps I can shed some light on why it takes so long to get a response. Quite often, people write to the wrong minister, in which case the letter is registered into the system, sent to the wrong department and finally allocated to the wrong person. When they finally get time to look at the correspondence, they realise it has been sent to the wrong place and send it back. All of this takes quite a lot of time. Next time round it may not be allocted correctly and the process starts again

After several weeks or months, when the correspondence finally arrives at a person who can write a response, in my experience, the person's workload will prevent them from preparing a response within a reasonable amount of time. Once prepared, there is a convoluted approval process which seems to require at least 4 or 5 people give the approval to the correspondence. This all takes a long time.

Maybe we should get all the ministers onto Twitter, that forum seems to have no such restrictions (at least, judging by the ones I've looked at)

Cheers,
Leighton....

You might get a quicker answer

[Thoglette]

CycleSnail, did you ever get a response to your letters?

I got a vague reply indicating that the money was to be spent on the areas covered by the act. I subsequently asked for details. No answer so far.
Regards,
Heinrich

Well, it's not being spent on improving bike access - indeed as I've wailed and gnashed away in this thread it continues to get worse under this government, with Transperth chipping away at getting those pesky cyclists off their trains.

[rolandp]

12 months on and I'll ask the question again, 'Will the State Government's Parking Levy Rise Help Cyclist?'. City of Perth'sbudget announced today which includes:
“The City will deliver on its commitment of $25.5 million to The Link project which will connect the CBD with Northbridge.”
The City will undertake a capital expenditure program estimated at $68.6 million, which will include:
• Completion of Stage 2 of the Forrest Place redevelopment ($11 million)
• St Georges Terrace streetscape enhancement ($7.9 million)
• Parliament Place street enhancement ($3.4 million)
• Footpath construction and replacement ($3.4 million)
• Hay Street streetscape enhancement ($3.1 million)
• Reconstruction of the river wall, near the Old Swan Brewery ($2.8 million)
• An affordable rental housing project in East Perth ($2.8 million)
Nothing cycling related.

So what has happened to the $16.4M raised last year?

[CycleSnail]

City of Perth had a cycling officer for a few months last year. When he left, I suggested to them that the BTA could do their cycling integration strategy, and also pointed out that some of the 16 million could be used to double the width of the City West to Harbour town PSP to allow for the separation of pedestrians and cyclists on that stretch. They felt that they were quite capable to do it themselves.

Perhaps it is just a question of the timeframe

[rolandp]

Noticed that the City of Perth's 2010/11 Annual Plan includes:
Liaise with the State Government to provide additional CAT buses and for the projects identified for the Parking Levy funds.

Is this a confirmation that the Parking Levy is being spent, and if so, where is it being spent on cycling infrastructure? This article indicates that the Parking Levy will generate $100m over the next 4 years, which would purchase a lot of dedicated cycle lanes. Come on State Government, that's $25m a year, use it wisely.

[fixed]

Extract from Hansard
[COUNCIL - Wednesday, 22 September 2010]
p7039c-7040a
Hon Alison Xamon; Hon Simon O'Brien
[1]
PERTH PARKING LEVY AND FUND
731. Hon ALISON XAMON to the Minister for Transport:
I refer to the Perth parking levy and fund.
(1) How is part of the funds from the $26 million a year Perth parking levy being spent to prioritise the
bicycling environment in the central city area?
(2) Why are funds from the Perth parking fund not utilised to improve the safety of the City West station to
Perth Arena section of the principal shared path?
(3) What are the funding priorities of the Perth parking fund for the 2010–11 financial year?
Hon SIMON O’BRIEN replied:
I thank the honourable member for some notice of this question.
(1) The Perth Parking Management Act 1999 requires that revenue from the parking licence fees be spent
within the central Perth area. To date, these funds have been spent on the central area transit—CAT—
bus system and travel within the free transit zone. There are a range of significant new funding
pressures in the Perth central area relating to public transport and pedestrian and cycling infrastructure.
Many of these works have been identified in the Perth City Streets strategy, which has recently been
developed between the City of Perth and the transport agencies. I have asked for advice from the
Department of Transport on the funding options for this infrastructure, including the scope to fund some
of these works from the Perth parking licensing account. The improvements to bicycle access in the city
area include end-of-trip facilities, expansion and improvement of shared paths and completion of
missing links.
(2) The section of the principal shared path network past City West station to the central business district
has been identified as a strategic priority by the Department of Transport. Work will commence shortly
to complete a concept design, and this will provide the basis for the government to consider a funding
allocation for the project.
(3) The 2010–11 state budget provided an additional $2.4 million per annum to address increased passenger
demand in the Perth CBD and to improve CAT operating hours and frequencies. As stated in my
response to (1), I have asked for advice from the Department of Transport on the funding options for
infrastructure works in the CBD, including the scope to fund some of these works from the Perth
parking licensing account. This will need to be considered by the government as part of its budgetary
process.

[pickle]

Hmm.. looks like something might get done at city west.. might.

Seems as though a lot of the funds are going towards CAT buses. Is it practical to cram more buses on the roads in the CBD? I mean, I hardly ever ride through the CBD for obvious reasons.. is traffic pretty bad? Should they be pushing walking/cycling more rather than CAT buses?