A successful 14th European Parking Congress and a new President and Board for the European Parking Association

EPA congress statement

The congress statement published by the European Parking Association (EPA) emphasizes that fundamental changes are under way in how cities are managed and cars and other vehicles are used. Parking policies remain critical to the success of urban policies yet are particularly sensitive as they lie at the interface between public and community aspirations, individual choices and market driven forces.

Case Studies from cities which have already recognized the importance of parking policies underline the importance for all governments at local, regional and national level to give full attention to parking policies, and to use them to help regulate mobility in cities. It is crucial to pay attention to the experiences of other cities and countries throughout Europe in developing policies and strategies, although these investments are often accompanied by some hard choices.

At the same time the congress statement recognizes that if the parking industry wishes to be respected and seen as a key part of city solutions, it must accept its responsibilities to the communities. The parking industry is a service industry as parking is a means to an end not an end in itself.

Turino 2011

The 14th EPA congress 2009 in Vienna has been organized by EPAs Austrian member Fachverband Garagen und Tankstellen. The 15th EPA congress in 2011 will be organized by the Italian Parking Association AIPARK and will take place in Turino, Italy from September 14 to 16 in 2011. The theme then will be Parking- The New Deal.

EPA Award Winners 2009

In Vienna the winners of the EPA Award 2009 were honoured on the occasion of a Gala Dinner in the impressive Festsaal of the Vienna Council hall. The winner of the Category New Car Park was Q-Parks Liverpool One in Liverpool, UK. Opera Broglie operated by PARCUS in Strasbourg convinced the EPA jury in the category of renovated schemes, while Vinci Park in Dundee, UK won the Award in the category of innovative projects. A special Jury Award was granted to the KaDeWe P1, in Berlin, also operated by Vinci Park.

New EPA president and board

The new president of the European Parking association is Nick Lester, from Great Britain. He was elected unanimously from the 19 delegates at the general meeting held during the 14th European Parking Congress in Vienna. Joan Font from Spain former president for 6 years, retired from his office.

Nick Lester, who is Corporate Director of Services at London Councils has been a member of the EPA board for five years and is also a director and past president of the British Parking Association.

Lester said: I am very pleased to be appointed president of the European Parking Association. Getting parking regulations right is essential for making our cities work, and we can all benefit from learning from experiences across Europe. Our challenge is to manage what can never be enough spaces to meet demand in the most effective way and with the highest standards of customer service.

The Members of the new board are:

* Laurence Bannerman, AIPARK, Italy
* Nick Lester, British Parking Association, Great Britain - President
* Philippe Princet, Fédération Nationale des Métiers du Stationnement, France
* Antoni Roig, ASESGA, Spain
* Rainer-Michael Rudolph, Bundesverband Parken e.V., Germany


Also the Policy and Strategy Committee has been elected. Its new members are:

* Michael Kesseler, Bundesverband Parken e.V., Germany
* Edouard Lecomte, Fédération Nationale des Métiers du Stationnement, France
* Peter Martens, VEXPAN, the Netherlands
* Andrea Roli, AIPARK, Italy
* Joseph Toth, HUNGAROPARK, Hungary
* Nigel Williams, British Parking Association, Great Britain


On www.europeanparking.eu the full version of the congress statement, detailed presentations of the EPA Award winners are to be found just as images from the congress, and general information on the association and parking matters.

About the European Parking Association

The European Parking Association is the umbrella organization representing the national parking associations and organizations in Europe. 19 national associations are full members, 24 companies are associate members. Goals of the EPA are the cooperation the exchange of professional experience and mutual support between the professional parking organisations of different European countries. EPA organizes a biannual international congress, the EPA Award is granted biannually for outstanding car parks. EPA publishes quarterly the magazine Parking Trend International.
Since 2009 EPA collaborates with LOGOS Public Affairs in Brussels in order to and link to the EU.
The EPA Secretariat is located in Cologne, Germany. www.europeanparking.eu