Policies for Performance-Based On-Street Parking for CBD Areas of Developing Economies

Abstract

On-street parking is a key issue in both developed and developing countries as the burgeoning gap between available parking spaces and demand for parking has resulted in unmanageable on-street parking situations, especially on major streets in central business district (CBD) areas. The current global trends of managing on-street parking are geared toward performance-based pricing. The formulation of such demand management measures warrants benchmarking of on-street parking efficiency, in addition to a microscopic assessment of on-street parking scenarios. To understand this objective, CBD areas in four major metropolitan cities in western India were selected. A microscopic assessment of on-street parking accumulation at the study sites was carried out by collecting data at 10-min intervals using license plates during peak parking hours. The collected data were then analyzed at different data intervals, varying from 10 min to 60 min. Microscopic assessment of accumulation revealed that the data-monitoring interval affected on-street parking characteristics. Turnover (equivalent two-wheeler spaces per hour per bay, E2WS/h/bay), which signifies efficiency of parking space, was evaluated for different monitoring intervals. To benchmark parking efficiency, turnover was segregated into different levels to represent parking efficiency levels (PELs). Optimum PELs to facilitate the formulation of performance-based parking policies in CBD areas of developing countries were derived. In the context of the PELs developed and optimal PELs, subsidized parking and space-restrained, time-restrained, and dynamic pricing policies were suggested as possible on-street parking policies.