Ms Eimear Fox:

There is guidance for two categories of car parking. The first is for assisted and disabled car parking spaces, accessible spaces, which are obviously more generous and tend to be undersized. There is specific guidance for that. In terms of general car parking spaces, the focus for most transport agencies is to reduce the dependence on cars. Where car parking is provided and where there are children or elderly occupants, having space beside the car to get out is a real issue. Our standards for design guidance are aligned with European standards, though not necessarily with American standards, where cars are larger. Rather than making spaces bigger, we should focus on making cars smaller so they take up less space on the road.