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Parking Cruising Resources

Bringing Understanding to the Cruising Phenomenon

 

By , Tayo Fabusuyi and Ellis Calvin

New FHWA tool to enable cities to measure and ultimately reduce parking cruising

It has been stubbornly difficult for city officials to gain a good understanding of where, when, and why cruising for parking occurs. Often, based on anecdotal evidence, cities have conducted surveys of drivers and/or set up monitoring systems based, for example, on license plate recognition, to study cruising in places where they already believe parking to be a problem. Where a problem is identified, some cities have implemented performance pricing at the curb—raising the meter prices until an available space is almost ensured. Under this policy scenario. the thinking is that no one would have to look for parking but rather would only have to be willing to pay for it. The truth, however, turns out to be more complex.  Read the article. 

cruising webinar

Final Report

Parking Cruising Analysis Report

Motorists circling or cruising for on-street parking that is free or priced below market equilibrium can contribute to additional congestion, air pollution, time wasted, driver frustration, and a potential loss of economic competitiveness at destinations where parking is hard to find and where alternative access modes are limited. With increased sensitivity to the need for curb management, there is a need to better understand the prevalence of cruising for parking.

Big data allows for a comprehensive assessment excess travel from cruising, rather than the proportion of drivers searching for parking. The Cruise Detector tool provides a data-driven way to identify when and where cruising is most prevalent.  Explore analyses for four cities: Washington, DC; Atlanta; Chicago; and Seattle.

Download the complete report here. 

Parking Cash-Out

Parking Cash-Out Resources

Webinar

Free Webinar: Impacts of City Level Parking Cashout & Commuter Benefits Ordinances

For many workers, the decision to drive to work is an economically rational one that minimizes their commute costs.

The vast majority of employers offer free workplace parking, with few in comparison offering benefits for transit, walking, biking, or other means of commuting. In effect, employers are incentivizing a behavior that increases roadway congestion, reduces physical activity, and increases emissions. FHWA researchers examined city-level impacts of parking cash-out ordinances.

Explore results from five core parking cash-out scenarios across nine cities. The analysis shows substantial potential for reductions in VMT, congestion, emissions, and crashes.

Watch the webinar recording here. 

new study

New Study: Impacts of Local Ordinances on Parking Cash Out and Other Commuter Benefits

This project analyzed and evaluated the impact city‑level parking cash‑out ordinances could have on vehicle travel, congestion, Greenhouse Gas emissions, crashes, and equity externalities for a sample of nine cities and five distinct scenarios. The final report describes the scenarios studied; the analysis approach, including inputs, outputs, methodology, limitations, and assumptions; data sources; and results for the sample of cities.  While results vary by city and policy scenario, commute vehicle-miles traveled reductions of between 5 and 25% are projected in two-thirds of cases.   Check out a short video clip on the findings. 

Download the complete report.