Executive Summary
"The impact of SmartPark at BWI has been tremendous—it has not only made parking easier and faster, but it has improved customer satisfaction and reduced illegal parking."
–Harry Zeigler, Assistant Manager, Maryland Department of Transportation, Office of Transportation and Terminal Services, BWI Airport
Many metropolitan areas have seen explosive growth in the number of visitors and patrons due to urban revitalization, extension of transit services into suburban areas, and the general trend toward increased mobility of our society. As a result, frustration with parking is becoming a major concern. Parking patrons often do not know where the best parking locations are, what the facility operating hours are, what the expected costs are, and, most importantly, whether a parking place will be available when they arrive.
Advanced parking management systems (APMS) help people find parking spots quickly, thereby reducing frustration and enhancing the visitor's experience. Advanced parking management systems include elements from traditional traveler information systems, as well as specialized parking management applications. The applied traveler information concepts cover a wide range of applications, from pre-trip Web-based information systems to navigation systems that provide turn-by-turn directions all the way to an individual parking space.
This study examines advanced parking management systems in three venues: airports, central business districts, and transit park-and-ride locations. Specifically, the systems examined in this study provide directional and space availability information to patrons as they proceed to the parking facility.
This study presents findings from current advanced parking management literature and visits to APMS project sites. Lessons collected from six sites are presented and three sites are profiled in depth. Interviews with planners, deployers, and operators provide insight into the benefits, costs, and issues from differing venues located in different regions of the country.
The study discusses various types of benefits that have been attributed to APMS including the following:
- At Baltimore-Washington International (BWI) Airport, nearly 13,000 hourly and daily parking spaces are served by an advanced parking management system. During an initial test period, the system increased customer satisfaction and improved traffic flow in the hourly facilities. The stakeholders' praise for the system is evident. Says Harry Zeigler, Assistant Manager for the Maryland Department of Transportation's Office of Transportation and Terminal Services at BWI Airport, "The impact of SmartPark at BWI has been tremendous–it has not only made parking easier and faster, but it has improved customer satisfaction and reduced illegal parking."
For the traveler, a survey conducted for this study indicated that over 2/3 of the airport patrons felt that parking at BWI was quicker and easier than comparable parking at other major airports in the region.
For the airport authority, the system has reduced illegal parking and recirculation which block fire lanes and increase congestion in and around parking facilities.
- In San Francisco, advanced parking management increased the probability that commuters would leave their personal automobile and switch to transit.
- In downtown St. Paul, an advanced parking management system demonstrated positive impacts for patrons looking for special event parking and reduced congestion at a key intersection during the period immediately preceding special events. In the time period preceding a major special event, the estimated vehicle delay at the intersection of West 7th Street & Kellogg Boulevard decreased by 10 percent, while the total intersection volume increased by 15 percent.
This study also identifies major lessons learned to help guide others in achieving similar benefits. The following list highlights some of these elements critical to successful APMS deployment.
- It is important to involve all stakeholders in a formal and collaborative manner to ensure that the needs of all stakeholders are met. Advanced parking management systems can benefit many stakeholders including travelers, parking operators, attraction operators, nearby neighborhoods, and the local jurisdiction itself.
- There must be a champion and a formalized stakeholder group. Because APMS deployments are often integrated into urban or neighborhood environments, they take time and involve a very diverse group of stakeholders. Therefore, it is important to maintain the leadership role of a champion and to ensure that the stakeholder group works from a formal charter that binds the member organizations to the effort.
- APMS sign structure and locations require continuity of effort. Coordinating sign appearance and locations with historical preservation organizations, commercial property owners, and local jurisdictions requires continuity of effort over several years. In two of the three sites visited, changes to signage in the latter part of the deployment introduced significant costs and delays.
- Coordination with the regional ITS architecture helps ensure interoperability and helps leverages resources. Stakeholders should consider APMS as part of a developing local ITS architecture. In doing so, it may be possible to leverage funding for the system by sharing costs with other ITS-based traveler information systems, congestion management efforts, and clean air attainment programs. Broader stakeholder support and a wider range of funding options increase the potential for successful deployment.
- System accuracy is a critical factor. System error characteristics can cause the inventory count to be in error in a positive or a negative direction. Under-counting available spaces means a lost opportunity for a patron and lost revenue for the operator. Over-counting available spaces results in extremely frustrated patrons and potential loss of future credibility and revenue for the operator.
- It is important to identify the roles and responsibilities of each agency for system operations and maintenance. It is critical to identify these responsibilities early in the planning process. At one of the sites visited, the effort was delayed for nearly a year as the stakeholder group resolved the funding responsibilities for the operations and maintenance costs. Failure to maintain the systems will reduce credibility and public acceptance will be negatively impacted.
The purpose of this study is to enable those considering advanced parking management systems to benefit from the experience