National news Round-up of stories affecting the profession across the UK Public backs camera checks Research by road safety charity IAM RoadSmart indicates that the majority of UK motorists would back the use of camera technology to check for insurance, MOT and road-tax offences. Its annual Safety Culture Report states that 89 per cent of more than 2,000 motorists surveyed support the idea of using cameras to spot people who drive illegally on public roads. Law-abiding citizens are in favour of a zero-tolerance approach when it comes to catching those who are a menace to other motorists on UK roads, said Neil Greig, director of policy and research at IAM RoadSmart. Improving air quality Local authorities across England have been granted more than 11m in government funding to deliver projects to improve air quality. The money, from the governments Air Quality Grant, will help councils implement measures to reduce the impact of dirty air on health. More than 42m has been awarded since 2010. Agri-innovation and Climate Adaptation Minister Jo Churchill said: The projects supported by this latest round of funding include innovative local schemes to boost the use of green transport, increase monitoring of fine particulate matter, and improve awareness of the risks of poor air quality around schools and care homes. Scots active e-bike travel The Scottish government has given more than 825,000 to support 36 innovative e-bike projects across Scotland. The latest round of the eBike Grant Fund, delivered by the Energy Saving Trust, has delivered 216 e-bikes, 56 e-cargo bikes and 34 adapted cycles to 36 projects. In total, more than 2.8m has been provided to support more than 170 projects with 996 e-bikes. Minister for Active Travel Patrick Harvie said: Were committed to building an active nation, where many more people choose to walk, wheel and cycle. To support this, we have committed to providing more than 320m a year by the end of 2024/25. ISO adopts APDS spec A global parking data specification, based on vehicle parking and mobility data specifications developed by the Alliance for Parking Data Standards (APDS), has been adopted by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). The ISOs Intelligent Transport Systems Technical Committee voted to adopt the APDS standard as a Technical Specification (TS), which will be published shortly as ISO TS5206-1 Intelligent transport systems Parking Part 1: Core data model. ISO Standards are agreed upon by a global community of experts, so this is a significant achievement for the APDS, which was founded by the BPA, the International Parking & Mobility Institute, and the European Parking Association. The specification will enable the parking and mobility industry to work more effectively with other sectors by providing a common structure and definitions by which to interact. It will: n Make paying for parking easier, enabling parking to be incorporated into convenient, sustainable, multi-modal journeys n Streamline and boost innovation, by reducing costs and making better use of resources n Allow parking and mobility providers to better address sector-specific challenges, such as real-time data sharing and integration of technology platforms n Create a more competitive marketplace by offering products and services that are accepted globally, and allowing more entities to enter new markets n Enable smoother and more efficient operations, reduce congestion, lower technical costs to facilitate data sharing, and faster implementation of new technology. Nigel Williams, chair of the APDS, said: The adoption of the specifications under the aegis of ISO will provide a universal language to facilitate sharing essential data across a multitude of technologies and platforms. n ISO TS5206-1 will be available via the ISO website or national standards bodies. For more on the APDS, see bit.ly/PNAPDS Pavement parking In the BPAs latest round of independent consumer research, conducted by ICM Unlimited, respondents ranked pavement parking as the number one priority that needs to be tackled. The BPA has regularly called for a clear and consistent UK-wide approach to pavement parking that enables local authorities to manage and enforce parking on pavements, with the presumption being that it is not allowed. Kelvin Reynolds, BPA director of corporate and public affairs said: Vehicles parking on the pavement, causing an obstruction and damaging footway surfaces, is an urgent problem. The government must act on its promises to give pedestrians better protection from unwanted pavement parking. n Read the latest BPA research findings at bit.ly/PNApr22res See also March s Parking News at bit.ly/PNMar22LD A government announcement on pavement parking is expected soon. Keep an eye on bit.ly/PNApr22PP 8 britishparking.co.uk PN Apr 2022 pp08-09 News.indd 8 24/03/2022 10:50