I liked the imagery of this story in the Economist:

In one small way, the new suburbs have already failed. By putting houses close together and insisting on good public transport, planners hoped to wean people off cars. That hasn’t happened. Parking spaces may be restricted, the roads deliberately narrow, but people insist on driving. In Ravenswood, even before all the houses are sold, cars are beginning to sprout on the fringes of roads, like weeds.

So much for planning. Clearly loopholes exist in the development regulations and if anyone will find loopholes it will be automobile drivers desperate for free parking places. Wonder why these people are unwilling or unable to give up the automobile? Is it pride or status? That would suggest a suitable replacement can not be public transportation, since there is nothing to be “owned” and “paraded”. I wrote a long message about the false economy of parking the other day, and how it makes people deluded into buying large vehicles and causing road congestion. I was trying to explain the weird nature of people who drive big cars and yet complain about the lack of parking they think they are owed. Perhaps I should dig it out of my email and post it on the blog.