Implementation of a workplace parking levy: lessons from the UK

The UK government has made its funding contribution towards major local transport investment conditional on introducing some form of complementary innovative Transport Demand Management measures such as road user charging (RUC). It is intended that this will help constrain traffic and generate local funding contributions towards schemes. Nottingham a major UK City has consequently chosen to implement a workplace parking levy (WPL). This paper presents a case study of the project, outlining its development and explaining the public consultation process used and its findings. It presents a summary of the perceptions of the WPL scheme from the consultations undertaken. From this lessons can be learned which will aid other Cities contemplating such schemes. The findings reveal that a communication strategy is vital, that WPL is not perceived as the most equitable of systems by many stakeholders but can be considered as an easy and quick policy to implement where the transport funding needs outweigh the negative aspects. WPL could perhaps be considered as a precursor to full RUC as the costs and technological barriers to RUC are reduced. It is also shown that promoters need to produce complementary strategies in order to assist implementation of WPL at an early stage in scheme development. This includes measures for assistance with employer travel planning and parking restraint. Promoters must have a clear strategy as to where the funding created by WPL will be hypothecated and what the benefits will be both to WPL payers and the general population as a whole.