this post was submitted on 07 Dec 2023
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Parking isn't as important for restaurants as the owners think it is (theconversation.com)
submitted 11 months ago by Zagorath@aussie.zone to c/australia@aussie.zone
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[–] Zagorath@aussie.zone 24 points 11 months ago (1 children)

When restaurants complain about a lack of parking, they really mean a lack of access

The real problem is that they grossly overestimate how much of their patronage comes via driving currently. So they actively fight against improved access in the form of things like bus lanes, light rail, and bike paths.

The data says that restaurant owners think over half their patrons currently drive, but that in reality it's less than one in five.

There was a similar article about store owners last year (or maybe early this year) that said they make the same mistake. That was specifically done in the context of the installation of some fairly mediocre bike paths in the Brisbane CBD (the "CityLink Cycleway"). Many had petitioned against the cycleway at first because of their misunderstanding.

Educating business owners, or disregarding their feedback entirely when they're stubbornly arguing against their own best interest, is the direction we need to be moving in.

[–] hobovision@lemm.ee 11 points 11 months ago (1 children)

The owners also think that people who drive spend more per person than those who walk or take public transit, but the reality is reversed.

[–] Zagorath@aussie.zone 5 points 11 months ago

If I'm reading the data right, they actually thought public transport users spent the most per person (they thought they were 15% of customers but made up 19% of revenue, or 1.27% of revenue per percent of customers, versus cars which had 1.13% rppc), but their gross underestimate of public transport patronage meant an underestimate of overall revenue despite this.

For fun, the rppc stats in reality were:

  • Cars: 1.05
  • Walking: 1.09
  • Bikes: 0.57
  • Public transport: 1.00

Which is interesting, because it does differ from what other studies have said, which is that cyclists and public transportation users tend to spend more than drivers, where in this study they spent less per person. I wonder how quality of infrastructure and service would impact that. Pedestrians still spent the most per person, though.