British Parking Awards: The parking experts’ expert

Leading international parking consultant Peter Guest has received a surprise Lifetime Achievement Award

Peter Guest has over 50 years’ experience as a transport planner. He is regarded by many as the parking experts’ expert. Over the past half-century, his career has covered all aspects of national transport policy, municipal parking policy and operations, car park design, parking systems and equipment design and specification, parking, law, enforcement and demand management.

His career started at the Greater London Council during the 1970s, where he was involved in the evaluation of urban road schemes including work on the development of an urban form of COBA. He was responsible for the 1977 Through Traffic Survey that measured traffic crossing central London and was involved in studies to investigate road pricing and demand management in London. From 1981 he was involved in the development of strategic parking policies and the development and introduction of new measures to deal with illegal parking. While at the London Strategic Policy Unit (LSPU) during 1986-87, Guest prepared responses to various government consultation papers. He was technical advisor to the London Boroughs’ Transportation Scheme, and he became involved in a study of weigh in motion systems and advised government and industry on parking issues.

Next came a move into consultancy, initially with MVA, then the Hill Cannon Partnership and, for the past 20 years, as an independent. As a consultant he has worked in India, South East Asia, Europe, the Middle East and for American clients.

Guest has published many articles and papers and has lectured in Portugal, Brazil, China, Croatia, the USA, UAE, the Philippines and in the UK. He writes for the US magazine Parking Today, has co-authored a book on traffic engineering, and the Institution of Highways and Transportation’s Parking Strategies and Management, published in 2005.

He was a member of an Institution of Civil Engineers working party redrafting the ICE’s publication Recommendations for the inspection, maintenance and management of car park structures, published in 2018. He was also a member of an European Parking Association (EPA) task group responsible for developing the European Standard Parking Award and was a member of the Institution of Structural Engineers group working to update their car park design manual.

Guest was a member and later chairman of the British Standards Committee responsible for parking equipment and he also led the UK delegation to the equivalent EU CEN committee.
Guest was a member of the executive council of the British Parking Association (BPA) for many years and served as BPA president for 2006-07. He was a member of the EPA Panel of Experts and secretary of the group responsible for the EPA Standard Parking Award. He is also an Honorary Member of the Croatian Parking Association.

For many years, Guest served as judge in the British Parking Awards with special responsibility for the Best New Car Park and Best Car Park Refurbishment awards.

And when not studying and planning parking, he loves driving a classic car as a member of the MG Car Club and owner of a 1955 MG Magnette ZA Saloon. Long may they drive.