Australians will spend on average 3,120 hours of their lifetime searching for parking, according to new research from online car park marketplace Parkhound (www.parkhound.com.au). The company that operates an online community where members can easily exchange and lease parking spaces with residents and businesses found that finding parking was the hardest challenge for most drivers.
Over 43% of the 300 drivers surveyed stated that they spend on average over 15 minutes a journey looking for parking. Shockingly, 12% claimed they spend over 20 minutes. The problem is also acutely worse in Australian Capital Cities with Sydney (21 mins) and Melbourne (19 mins) taking the longest.
A typical Australian driver will make more than 300 journeys a year to a location that they do not have an allocated parking space for. All this time looking for parking is not only counter-productive and impactful to the economy but it is also creating more traffic. Robert Crocitti, Parkhound co-founder added, “The number one cause of traffic on our roads is drivers looking for parking. The problem is also only going to get worse with more councils introducing restricted parking for residents only”.
The parking survey coincides with the release of the updated Parkhound website. In an Australian first, drivers will able to find a parking space at the price they want, book in real time and pay for a parking space at their target destination all online.
Parkhound estimates that the new site will save motorists over 40 hours a year in wasted driving, Michael Nuciforo, Parkhound co-founder was excited about the sites new features. “The new site democratises parking for all drivers. Parking is now a choice not a hope. With Parkhound parking spaces generally 50-75% cheaper than traditional on and off-street options, this is a huge win for Australian motorists and better for the environment”.