Parking policy in four cities. Birmingham, Canterbury, Copenhagen and Västerås

Planners, politicians and interest groups in Birmingham, Canterbury, Copenhagen and Västerås have been interviewed about local parking policy. The aim has been to identify the necessary preconditions for developing parking into an efficient means in local co-ordinated land use and transport policies in Norway. The cities studied differ from Norwegian cities, as the parking policy is rooted in comprehensive plans for the development of the cities. As a result, the parking policy aims have largely been translated into practical policy. The policy has been most successful in places with a common political motivation, for example the conservation of a historic city centre. Objectives connected to a restrictive parking policy, aimed at reducing traffic, have occasionally had to give way to policies directed at developing trade and employment.