parking charges can climb so high because the town planners and engineers can get away with doing this to a captive audience:
what if fewer and fewer cars started to enter the CBD but tried to rely on public transport instead? that transport system would be totally overwhelmed!

Don't worry about it. In about 6 years time there will be no oil left in Australia and it will be too expensive to import , so there will be no cars on the roads.
Pick a good spot now to park and it will be yours for life soon.

I believe the answer is rapid rail and simply keeping cars out of cities.
Rapid rail, would also make some new cities replete with their own industrial parks, power generation and what have you, very possible and the way forward; as long overdue decentralization, which finally empties out far too expensive cities, and returns housing to the land of the affordable.
If you don't have to travel too far to work, sleep or play, then parking will not be so much of a problem, particularly, when it could then be replaced with a healthy walk or bike ride; and or, not too far for the rechargeable electric scooter!
Rhrosty

Ross, I think the answer is very simple. If you don't like the parking charges, don't take your car into the CBD.

Come on Rhrosty, rapid rail is a long range form of transport. It's not much use if it has to stop every 3 kilometers, as a city commuter train does.

It is also useless at cargo transport. It's loads have to be light. It will not support heavy transport to regional cities.

I agree with you completely about decentralization, but we should start by removing all government offices from any where near CBDs. Move all the public service out to the very periphery of city suburbs & you immediately cut congestion & parking requirements greatly. They will be traveling counter to the existing rush.

As for bikes, no thanks. I can't see mum taking one kid to daycare, one to primary, & one to high school on her bike, particularly bringing them home, after she has the shopping on it

I'm guessing Mr Elliott is a consultant. Hundreds of words, lots of concerns raised, a few figures dotted around here and there, some offhand references to superficially similar issues elsewhere, and a succinct summary...

"There is no easy answer here..."

Well, there's a shock.

"...but I'd suggest that reliance on proven failures like parking taxes or similar pricing policies in the Australian context is not a good option."

So, don't repeat failed policies. Good thinking.

"It might be helpful instead to get a solid grasp on all the factors driving the high cost of parking..."

I know. Let's call in a consultant to look at the problem for a couple of years, then write an (expensive, naturally) report that tells us that "there's no easy answer here".

File under: P for Parking.

Or Pointless.

I agree with Rhosty, rapid rail is practical.
To try to adapt to solve the car congestion/parking problems is like
trying to solve the horse droppings problem in 19th century London.

Actually they did solve it with the Underground !

For starters in Sydney take out two lanes of the cars all the way
along Pacific Highway to lane Cove and replace with short two or
three car light rail where it, could continue on along through Lane Cove
and along Victoria Rd, using one lane each way of the present road.

By the time the politicians recovered from the shock of the proposal
petrol will be approaching the CSIRO's predicted $8 a litre and no one
will be able to afford to drive their car to work.

We will NEVER run out of oil but we will be importing 100% of the fuel.
It is just that it will be unaffordable except to go shopping once a week.
Our usage of the motor car is about to change dramatically and it will
mainly be used for short distance, say 20km +, convenience trips.
Ideal parameters for an electric car.

Boy you are a cynic Pericles, but have to agree with that.

However I can't agree with you Bazz. You only have to look at the developing catastrophe that is the tramway on the gold coast, & the total catastrophe of trying to get anywhere in Melbourne not serviced by a direct connection with their infernal trams, to see that is a dreadful idea.

Remember I have paid for those roads with my fuel tax, & the bloody subsidy necessary to get anyone to ride any form of public transport these last 40 years. I am not interested in giving up some of my road & to pay even more subsidy to another catastrophe, of public transport.

If you are right, & oil becomes unavailable for private cars, the loss of revenue from fuel excise would make the subsidizing of trams, or any other form of public transport, totally unaffordable. Charge the true cost of running the damn things, even without the interest on the cost of building the infrastructure, & no one other than over paid public servants will be able to afford them.

As with Rhrosty's bikes, they will be utterly useless for the child care/school run of working mothers/fathers, & become yet another white elephant. They would be as much use as Brisbane councils bikes, none at all.

Hasbeen,
I know from experience what a pain the trams are in Melbourne.
I cannot comment on the Gold Coast as I have not seen it.
However we are not talking about road sharing with this system.

Also remember there will not be so many cars and trucks involved.
It will not happen overnight but there will be a climb from the present
price up to a higher price by the end of the decade. Like yourself I
think we are in for some really nasty business and employment events
that the politicians do not seem to be ready to tackle.
True, I think that is the fault of the people generally as they are
unable to accept reality.

Very expensive petrol will change everything.

What about parking at the airports and more importantly public hospitals.

Parking charges have become a significant source of revenue for public hospitals, although some sub contract the service out to other parking service providers that serve as a nice little revenue stream for these private companies.

Airports ? Are still in operation ?
I thought they had closed down, or did it move to Badgeries Creek ?