Spatial competition between parking garages and downtown parking policy

This paper looks at optimal parking policy in dense urban districts (“downtown”), where spatial competition between parking garages is a key feature, from the perspective of economic theory. The paper has four parts. The first looks at the “parking garage operator's problem”. The second derives equilibrium in the parking garage market when there is no on-street parking, compares the equilibrium to the social optimum, and examines optimal parking policy in this context. Since parking garage operators have market power, the spatial competition equilibrium is generally inefficient, and parking policy can be used to mitigate the distortion. The third adds on-street parking and considers how its underpricing affects second-best parking policy. The fourth adds mass transit, and considers how economies of scale in mass transit interact with minimum and maximum off-street parking standards.Preliminary draft: Please do not cite or quote without the permission of the author.     

Multiple classification analysis in trip production models

We analyse various Multiple Classification Analysis (MCA) methods to model trip production (generation). We first show that the MCA version most widely used in transport engineering implies a rarely feasible assumption, the transgression of which may drive a significant overestimation of the future number of trips and a systematic bias in its socio-economic composition. To illustrate this effect, we use Monte Carlo simulation and real data from Santiago, Chile to compare the various MCA approaches, concluding that the aforementioned form should be discarded. Our analysis also shows that the MCA method which is more robust to the structure of the underlying model, is the simple calculation of trip rates as averages for each category. Finally, we hint at the need to use more sophisticated formulations than MCA to model trip production.     

铁路客运站配套停车场泊位数量计算模型

铁路客运站配套停车场主要用于停靠接、送旅客的非营运车辆和出租车与其他社会车辆。在考虑接旅客车辆在停车场停留时间、旅客列车到达时刻、乘坐接旅客车辆人数等因素的基础上,构建接旅客车辆所需泊位数计算模型,采用系数法构建送旅客车辆和其他社会车辆所需泊位数计算模型,形成停车场泊位数量计算模型。以计算石家庄客运站停车场所需泊位数量为例,通过模型应用验证,分析模型的有效性。     

Cruising for parking

Suppose curb parking is free but all the spaces are occupied, and off-street parking is expensive but immediately available. In this case, you can cruise to find a curb space being vacated by a departing motorist, or pay for off-street parking right away. This paper presents a model of how drivers choose whether to cruise or to pay, and it predicts several results: you are more likely to cruise if curb parking is cheap, off-street parking is expensive, fuel is cheap, you want to park for a long time, you are alone in the car, and you place a low value on saving time. The model also predicts that charging the market price for curb parking—at least equal to the price of adjacent off-street parking—will eliminate cruising. Because the government sets curb parking prices, planners and elected officials strongly influence drivers’ decisions to cruise. The failure to charge market rates for curb parking congests traffic, pollutes the air, wastes fuel, and causes accidents. Between 1927 and 2001, studies of cruising in congested downtowns have found that it took between 3.5 and 14 min to find a curb space, and that between 8 and 74 percent of the traffic was cruising for parking.     

Determining long-term parking needs at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg

The economic growth and arrival of low-cost airlines in South Africa has led to a boom in air passenger travel. The OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg has seen increased passenger numbers of around 10% per annum. This, combined with FIFA requirements for the Soccer World Cup 2010, has sparked various investments.During the planning of the investment a knowledge gap was identified. A research study by the University of Cape Town has resulted in the development of a long-term sketch planning tool that can assist in exploring future scenarios. This paper summarises the development and application of the tool.     

Policy frames of Park-and-Ride in Europe

Transport congestion and the quality of the air in city centres is a major concern for urban planners. In recent years Park and Ride (P + R) facilities have been increasingly introduced by local authorities as an alternative for or addition to parking supply in the city centre. In this paper we present results of a survey amongst 45 major cities in Europe. We study how deployment of P + R is framed by policy makers within their broader transport policy. This paper offers three things. First, we report on present adoption levels of P + R. The survey outcomes reveal that P + R is adopted fairly unevenly across Europe. We find that a quarter of the responding cities are extensively engaged on implementing P + R, whereas another quarter has little or no engagement. It raises the question, if congestion is a problem present in most major cities across Europe, why adoption is so uneven? Therefore, secondly, we map out diversity inframing of P + R throughout European cities, by revealing current beliefs about it. We show how diversified policy-makers’ interpretation of P + R is. Thirdly, we track the salient beliefs underlying the policy frames that determine P + R implementation. Linear regression analysis suggests that economic implications of P + R, perceived demand for P + R, and organisational learning capabilities are the most important drivers for city governments whether or not to engage in P + R development, explaining 40% of the variance in their actual engagement in P + R deployment.     

Charging parking by the minute: What to expect from this parking pricing policy?

In the days when parking had to be charged by a person or a mechanical device, it made sense to charge by blocks of time. However, these days, computers are capable of charging by the minute (or second if an operator so chooses), so technically there is no need for block pricing and the pricing strategy can be a policy decision. Operators, in one hand, are unaware of the impact of this measure on parking turnover and may believe that daily income will be affected. Businesses, on the other hand, will want to know if the measure has an effect on whether or not trips motivated by non-social activities will be carried out, given that they are spontaneous and are directly related to a client's perception. Finally, practical implications in terms of client response have not been studied, since smaller charging blocks may be considered as a disincentive to make additions to stay duration; this has repercussions on turnover and consequently on wait time at the entrance. This paper covers the abovementioned topics based on a study carried out in Barcelona (Spain).     

A consolidated model of trip distribution

This work analyzes and compares various trip distribution models with spatial aggregation within a common theoretical framework for formulating and solving multi-objective optimization problems. A new model is designed that incorporates the main characteristics of existing ones. These models are then calibrated with a single database at different spatial aggregation levels using maximum likelihood. The results show that with aggregated data the various models differ little, but with disaggregated data the differences are considerable. It is also demonstrated that changing the level of data aggregation can significantly alter the models’ parameter values.     

Where to park? A behavioural comparison of bus Park and Ride and city centre car park usage in Bath,UK

Integrating car parking facilities with public transport in Park and Ride (P&R) facilities has the potential to shorten car trips, contributing to more sustainable mobility. There is an ongoing debate about the actual effects of P&R on the transport system at the subregional level. A key issue is the relative attractiveness of city centre car parks (CCCP), P&R and public transport. The paper presents the findings of a comparative empirical case-study based on a field survey of CCCP and P&R users conducted in the city of Bath, UK. Spatial and statistical analyses are applied. Radial distance to parking, availability of P&R sites in the direction of travel, gender, age, income and party-size are found to be important factors in a binary logistic regression model, explaining the revealed-preference of parking type. Stated analysis of foregone parking alternatives suggests more use of public transport and walking/cycling would likely occur without first-best parking alternatives. The policy implications and possible planning alternatives to P&R at the urban fringes for achieving greater sustainability goals are also discussed.     

Evaluating heritage: tourists and holiday visits to heritage sites

This paper analyses ‘top of the mind’ evaluations of respondents who had visited three cultural heritage sites in New Zealand. Unlike many studies, this paper reports data derived from answers written to open-ended questions. The research sought to assess to what extent respondents are purposeful seekers of knowledge, or alternatively are simply seeking experiences that contribute to an overall satisfying visit and to their holiday experiences. While it may be suggested that the needs for relaxation, social bonding and knowledge lead to an evaluation of sites via the importance tourists attributed to factors such as uniqueness, it is found that, for the majority of tourists, uniqueness is either given little importance or is engaged with in shallow ways. The visit to the site is hence evaluated by the contribution it makes to enjoyable holiday-taking, rather than holidaymaking.