The Implications of Parking Search Behaviour for Parking Demand Management

Abstract

Policies designed to influence parking behaviour are an important element in effective traffic management. Such policies must be based on a sound understanding of parking behaviour and the factors that influence it. Parking search influences the behaviour of the transport system at two levels. On a behavioural level, the driver takes into account the expected costs of parking search in the decision to use the car, thereby affecting the modal split. At a system level, the way in which the search is conducted has important consequences for overall levels of traffic congestion. The first part of this paper presents new results from a number of European cities on the search behaviour of car drivers. The central issue discussed is the idea of `parking search strategies' adopted by car drivers. The search strategies are shown to depend on trip purpose, planned duration of stay and other factors. The second part of paper will discuss the implications of these empirical results for the design of parking guidance and parking management systems. In particular, the interaction between the driver population, their search strategies and the design of parking guidance will be discussed.