Remember that post we did a few weeks ago, about how European capitals had become some of the world's most expensive places to visit? It turns out that at least some of those costs come from the sheer, banal, joyless routine of having to rent a car, drive it into the city, and then find somewhere to park it. So says the Colliers International Parking Rate Survey, which is apparently a real thing and not something we made up.
Bike-obsessed Amsterdam came in only at number nine on the survey, costing a mere $57.71 per day for parking. At the very top of the list was Oslo, where securing a spot for 24 hours will set you back $89. For parking for a day. The survey results were a little different for monthly rates than for daily rates though. On the monthly chart the top two slots are held by London City and London West End, clocking in at $1,083.59 and $1,014.32 respectively. Have we mentioned this is for parking?]]>
Anyone who has attempted to park on the car-congested streets of San Francisco knows that the task can best be described with a four-letter word: Fine. We'll admit it; we've been ticketed many a time for letting our car linger too long in one of those rare, coveted street spots. The safer alternative is finding a lot, where charges upward of $20 await. Adding to this list of aggravations is the headache-inducing search for parking, period. What's a Prius-driving San Franciscan to do?
The good people of GottaPark.com—dubbed "Your Community Parking Network"—are attempting to make the ordeal less of a pain-in-the-parking-meter for members of the Zipcar generation. We recently gave the site a whirl, with results that were so-so. ]]>
The German town of Duisburg in the Ruhr Valley, central-western Germany, has already been getting some attention recently--despite its industrial feel (some call it the Unromantic Road), the region has been designated Europe's Capital of Culture for 2010, so everybody's jumping on the touring bandwagon.
But our big tip for Duisburg is to visit the car park. Really. Apparently lots of Germans already do: it's a multi-storey construction that has been renovated to look and sound like a beach, with:
fake palm trees, real sand and coastal scenes painted on the grey concrete walls. And giant speakers have been added to broadcast the cries of gulls and the crashing of waves on the beach.
And the Germans are so friendly, they say you don't even need to have a car to go in.
Related Stories:
· Duisburg Tourism [Official Site]
· Hotels in Duisburg [HotelChatter]
[Photo: foxypar4] ]]>
If you decide that train problems are a good enough reason to drive your own car to London's Heathrow Airport, you might be interested to know more about the new Q-Park secure car park that's just opened up, offering secure long term parking with a shuttle bus to all Heathrow terminals.
They're proud of it being a car park that returns your car just as you left it:
Upon arrival passengers' cars are photographed from multiple angles before being valet parked.
We'd like to get a nice poster-size print of our beautiful car included with the parking fees (which, like everything in London, are pretty expensive, but get cheaper the longer you leave your car there).
Related Stories:
· Heads Up on Heading to Heathrow [Jaunted]
· Hotels in London [HotelChatter]
[Photo: Tim Caynes] ]]>
We nearly got a massive shopping complex built at Sydney's International Airport, until too many people freaked out at the possibility it could get hit by a plane. Now building enthusiasts are getting ready to start a new A$65 million car park instead.
With 10 million people flying through Sydney International a year, it's a busy place, and that's why they've now got 3000 additional parking places coming. Travelators and lifts will connect the car park directly to the Terminal 1 Departure Lounge. For international visitors who don't really need this car park, it might seem a far cry from the previously proposed shopping mall, but there are still plenty of duty-free shops (complete with grotesque anti-smoking ads) where you can hand over your last Aussie dollars.
[Photo: superciliousness]
Related Stories:
· Airport's $65m Car Park Plan [Daily Telegraph]
· Australia's Grotesque Anti-Smoking Ads [Jaunted] ]]>
We already knew about parking places for women only in Germany, but now you'll be pleased to know (half of you, anyway) that there are also these extra-safe spots in Swiss carparks. Unfortunately there's a problem: too many Swiss men are parking in these spots, so the whole plan of women having a shorter and safer distance to walk to their car at night just hasn't worked out.
But if you're hoping to drive and park safely around Switzerland soon, things might be OK. The city of Bern has decided to decorate these women-only spots with flowers and paint them pink, hoping that men will then be too embarrassed to park there. Well, maybe some men...
[Photo: harry harris]
Related Stories:
· Pink Parking Spaces [ABC2]
· Achtung, Men Verboten [Jaunted] ]]>