ABSTRACT
This chapter outlines the parking policies and directions taken in Melbourne. It focuses on local issues with little co-ordination at an urban level. Parking policy can have a considerable influence on where and why people travel and a co-ordinated approach to parking policy will have a considerable impact on the performance of an urban area. Melbourne's land use and transport policies state a desire to consolidate urban development and increase the use or public transport. Transport, land use and parking policy combine together to encourage decentralisation. The decentralisation has results in an urban form where most trips concentrate in particular Local Government area. In most Australian cities this decentralisation is continuing, it is not stopping. New tracts of land are developed on the outskirts of cities attracting new residents and placing increased demand on infrastructure and removing high quality farm land from this market. Parking policy's role in this process is generally one of supporting decentralisation.
