BPA independent research 51% Up to 30% of respondents a 14 per cent increase from 2019 said they found CEOs pleasant to deal with The Only of people prefer paying by card TOP priority for respondents was dealing with pavement parking routine matter. My opinion is at odds with people who want completely clear pavements, but for me the main issue is what constitutes obstruction of the pavement. There is no easy answer, but making pavements clear of any part of a vehicle is at odds with other street furniture. Think of road signs, lamp posts, electric vehicle charging points, telephone exchange boxes. I think it is the displacement that most concerns people. Is cash still king? The relevance of cash in a world that has card, phone and app payments is a regular discussion point in this publication. During the pandemic, more people turned to using card payments and there was a suggestion that coins were a thing of the past. While the percentage of people who say they prefer using cards has risen to 51 per cent, this survey suggests that cash still shades it in terms of popularity and perceived security and convenience. Aside from the convenience of cash, the issue of phone signal and network coverage also continues to play its part, as Keyworth-Wright explains. When I was working in parking services in North Devon, we temporarily suspended all of the cash-based payments to protect the cash collection team from Covid-19 and were able to take cashless payments via machines or mobile phones quite easily. There were some issues in the most remote areas where phone signals were sporadic but generally it was accepted very well by the public. However, when we reintroduced instantly went back to this medium for payment. Planning for the future The key objective of the 2021 survey is to inform those charged with running parking operations on the strategies that will meet the needs of a post-pandemic world. Survey was the impact parking strategies could have on the environment. In Lowes eyes, any hopes of continuing to cajole people out of their cars and onto public transport have taken a massive hit through the pandemic. However, he sees Park Active as a good solution, one that should be promoted among parking providers. It is with a The 3 27% of people feel that their stories are being accurately represented in media most important factors when choosing parking are safety, proximity to destination and cost Taking action The BPA will use this research to lobby government, develop campaigns and provide targeted support to members in order to improve perceptions of and treatment of people who work in the sector, and develop the sectors future. The results also highlight the importance of educating the public about the role of the profession and how it ties into other areas such as preventing antisocial behaviour, reducing carbon emissions and ensuring accessibility for Blue Badge holders. Public perception is important: the fact that the recent government announcement on the Parking (Code of Practice) Act proposals first went to a public-facing newspaper, rather than to stakeholders, is an indication of that. The BPAs head of communications and marketing, Dave Smith, says: This vital research demonstrates the publics true feelings about parking and what our sector, members, and legislators must do to make things better. Since the start of the pandemic, we have been given a glimpse of what the future could look like and we all have a responsibility to use what we have learned and emerging opportunities to create a positive parking experience that works for everyone. The BPA will share the results of the survey at britishparking.co.uk/resource-library in due course. wry note that he adds that the fact all the pilot schemes were in England has made promoting the scheme in Wales a hard sell, although members across the UK will be supported to initial pilots. but with advice that could be applied to parking management and strategy formulation generally, Scott says: Communication and publicity is essential and enforcement must be clear and proportionate. Having blazed a trail by asking the questions, the next step for the BPA is to use its powers of leadership to turn public perceptions to positive action. 16 britishparking.co.uk PN March 2022 pp14-17 Lead Feature.indd 16 22/02/2022 14:34