Marking parking for 35 years

A magazine about cars that have stopped always keeps moving forward, writes Parking Review’s founding editor Mark Moran

The masthead and the editor may both have been around since issue #1, but the look and feel of Parking Review has evolved over the past 35 years. In the early years the magazine had a large page format and newspaper styling. This reinforced Parking Review’s reputation as the only place where readers could find a completely independent perspective on what was happening in what had been a largely over looked sector

The masthead and the editor may both have been around since issue #1, but the look and feel of Parking Review has evolved over the past 35 years. In the early years the magazine had a large page format and newspaper styling. This reinforced Parking Review’s reputation as the only place where readers could find a completely independent perspective on what was happening in what had been a largely over looked sector

During September my LinkedIn feed started filling up with messages of congratulations on my work anniversary. Many well-wishers were somewhat amazed that I was now marking my 35th year in both publishing and parking!

Having completed a postgraduate journalism course and while starting a part-time Masters in Anglo-American literature at University College London, I joined Landor as a writer and ‘special projects editor’, producing a raft of publications on themes such as passenger transport policy, rapid transit systems and town centre revitalisation.

One of those special projects was devoted to the theme of car parking, built around a set of features exploring the rise of out-of-town shopping centres and measures to better manage the kerbside in towns. When it appeared in back in 1989, the first edition of what had been dubbed ‘Parking Review’ stated that the new title would be a quarterly. However, one wondered, could the theme of parking cars really sustain a regular publication? Well, it turned out the answer was a resounding ‘Yes!’ Reaction to issue #1 was overwhelmingly positive.

Car park managers, traffic engineers, architects, construction companies and property owners had long had to make do with parking being a side bar in magaziners for surveyor or civil engineers. Now they finally had a place in which they could read about their world. Meanwhile, companies producing payment technology, attendant uniforms or emerging ideas like car park renovation services had a dedicated space in which to advertise their wares. A magazine was born.

Issue #2 appeared in January 1990 and 35 years later we have reached 387 editions.

Over the decades Parking Review has chronicled the changing scene, witnessing events and developments such as:

• The launch of Red Routes in London
• The decriminalisation of parking enforcement and moving traffic regulations
• Creation of the Parking Committee for London, PATROL outside London and the independent parking appeals tribunals
• Launch of the Safer Parking Scheme
• Investigations into car park fires and structural collapses
• Growth of the British Parking Association and International Parking Community
• Regulation of parking on private land
• Professionalisation of skills and training
• The key role of women in parking
• The evolution of the Blue Badge scheme
• Introduction of cashless payments
• The National Parking Platform and Digital Traffic Regulation Orders
• The parking sector’s key role in keeping the country moving during the pandemic
• Proposals for a national ban on pavement parking (we are still waiting on that one).

And, yes, we appeared on Have I Got News for You. Twice!

As we mapped and defined the sector, the Parking Review team produced supplements on car park design and refurbishment, parking management, payment systems and debt recovery. And we write more than can ever appear in print, so have developed an online footprint – www.parkingreview.co.uk – as well as EVolution, a pioneering content channel for the emerging world of electric and connected vehicles and infrastructure.

Parking Review has also become a live experience, developing a range of influential events in partnership with our colleagues at Landor LINKS. We have run seminars on street design, park & ride, residential parking and the Blue Badge scheme. The current stable of conferences includes Traffic + Parking, Enforcement Excellence, Car Parks, Mobility Hubs, School Streets and the North East Parking Show.

And then there is the British Parking Awards, which we launched in 2002. The competition is a celebration of best practice, while the annual ceremony is the highlight of the UK parking sector’s social calendar.

Looking to the future, the magazine, its events and social media presence will continue connecting our readers, conference speakers and delegates. We will continue forging a community.

While I am the editor, I never forget publishing a magazine is a collective endeavour, the work of journalists, sector experts, designers, sales people and back office staff – colleagues who have often become good friends.

Mark Moran has edited Parking Review since its launch in December 1989