Transit-Based Smart Parking in the U.S.: An Evaluation of the San Francisco Bay Area Field TestSusan Shaheen, Ph.D. and Caroline Rodier, Ph.D. California PATH, UC BerkeleyITS Americas 2007 Annual Meeting & ExpositionJune 5, 2007

OverviewProblemSolutionProject partners TechnologyFocus groups and final surveyResultsConclusions and next steps

ProblemPeak hour parking is at or near capacity at most suburban BART stations.Expansion of traditional parking facilities can be cost prohibitive.In suburban areas, quick, convenient access to park-and-ride lots is essential to making transit competitive with the auto.

SolutionSmart parking has been successfully implemented in European, British, and Japanese cities to more efficiently use parking capacity at transit stations.Systems typically provide real-time information via CMSs to motorists: number of available parking spaces in lots, departure time of next train, and downstream roadway traffic conditions.

Project PartnersCalifornia Department of TransportationBay Area Rapid Transit (BART) DistrictCalifornia PATH ParkingCarma, Inc.Quixote CorporationIntelMicrosoft

The field test was launched at the Rockridge BART station in December 2004 and ended April 2006.

BackgroundThe field test was the first transit-based smart parking program in U.S. Similar transit-based systems outside of the U.S. provide motorists with en-route information. At the time of field test, we were not aware of any program with both pre-trip and en-route planning and billing.Project received the 2005 Best of ITS America award in the research category.

Background (contd)Operated from 7:30 to 10:00 am50 of 920 spaces at Rockridge BART for the project35 spaces for drive-in15 spaces for advanced reservations5 space bufferUse restriction: 3 advanced reservations every 2 weeks

Focus Groups & Final SurveyTwo interim focus groups held in May 200523 total participants177 web-based final surveys completed by field test participants in early 200636% response rate

Key FindingsDuring 16-month field test, over 13,000 successful parking eventsAttracted new user population to BART49% of respondents would not have used BART to commute, if smart parking were not available.

Key Findings (contd)Smart parking may have increased transit use for non-work travel A significant correlation was found between frequency of BART commute and transit use for non-work travel. Parents used smart parking to meet morning childcare schedules and commute by BART.

Change in Mode ChoiceSizable increases in BART mode share An average increase of 6 and 4 more BART trips per month for on-site and off-site commutes, respectivelyShift from drive alone mode share to BART 31% and 56% diverted from driving alone to on-site and off-site work locations to BART, respectively

Change in Vehicle Miles TraveledThe average participant reduced monthly VMT by 9.7 miles.Approximately 33% of VMT change was offset by an increase in driving to station and driving further to Rockridge instead of a closer BART station. On average, commute time using smart parking and BART was 2.6 minutes shorter.

Changeable Message Signs (CMSs)Operated 7:30 to 9:40 am Monday to FridayCMSs were underused: 39% of survey respondents reported seeing a CMS.Only 12% of focus group participants and 13% of survey respondents used the CMSs in their decision-making process.Key issues from focus groups:Placement, message content & accuracy

Interactive Voice Response (IVR)Facilitated 69% of parking events during project duration Key IVR issues from survey:Noisy environment at transit station made it hard to hear.Long introductory message for repeat usersDifficulty having the IVR system voice (Kate) repeat or confirm informationVerbal commands were difficult numerical keypad option suggested.

Web Site ReservationsFacilitated approximately 31% of parking reservationsSurvey respondents noted difficulty creating an online account.75% of respondents reported that they never encountered a situation where their advanced reservation had been taken by another vehicle.

Parking FeesImplemented in October 2005, 10 months after field test beganAdvanced = $4.50/day; Drive-in = $1.00/day64% of survey respondents did not stop using smart parking when fees were introduced.43% of respondents reported using advanced less frequently than drive-in reservations after fee implementation.

Smart Parking Enhancements Survey respondents recommended:Better fixed signage to designate parking spacesSpaces closer to the entrance Focus group participants suggested:Less restrictions on advanced reservationsIncrease number of smart parking spaces and/or hours of operation; expand smart parking to more stations

ConclusionsField test benefits:Reduced drive alone modal shareIncreased transit modal shareReduced commute travel timeReduced vehicle miles traveled.

The IVR and web site reservation systems facilitated over 13,000 reservations. When fees were implemented, the number of advanced reservations decreased, while drive-in reservations increased.

Next StepsSmart parking located along the San Diego Coast Express Rail (COASTER) routeThree-year pilot project funded by Caltrans, PATH, and FHWA at 5 stationsValue pricing componentRFID project at a BART station in Bay AreaPartnership among Caltrans, PATH, BART, SoftLogistics, and ParkingCarma, Inc.Vehicle and handheld RFID tags will register parking events

AcknowledgmentsCalifornia Department of TransportationBay Area Rapid Transit (BART) DistrictCalifornia PATH ParkingCarma, Inc. & Quixote CorporationIntel & MicrosoftLinda Novick, Elliot Martin, Charlene Kemmerer & Megan Smirti

www.innovativemobility.org

In suburban areas, quick convenient auto access to park-and-ride lots can be essential to making transit competitive with the auto. Most people will only walk about one quarter of a mile to transit stations or stopsMoreover, fixed route bus or shuttle feeder services can be expensive to provide and inconvenient. In the Bay Area, peak hour parking is at or near capacity at most of the 31 suburban BART stations.It is well known that the cost of expanding traditional parking facilities can be very expensive.These smart parking systems typically provide real-time information via Changeable Message Signs (CMSs) to motorists about the number of available parking spaces in park-and-ride lots, departure time of the next train, and downstream roadway traffic conditions (e.g., accidents and delays). To evaluate the feasibility of the smart parking concept in a transit context, public and private partners jointly launched a smart parking field operational test on December 8, 2004.

The Rockridge BART station is located in Oakland in the East San Francisco Bay AreaThe smart parking field test involved 2 user interfaces: CMSs that display parking information on Highway 24 to downtown Oakland and San Francisco and A centralized reservation system that permits commuters to check parking availability and reserve a space via telephone, cell phone, or Internet BART enforcement personnel ensured that those parking in the smart parking lot either had advanced reservation parking permits, For en-route reservations, license plate numbers that match the numbers provided via PDA. This is the first transit based smart parking program implemented in the U.S. Two our knowledge, this smart parking system, which integrates real-time traffic sensor data from a transit-station parking lot, with a web-based reservation system and two CMSs on adjacent highway, is the first of its kind. Similar systems in Europe and Japan provide motorists with en-route information about available parking at transit stations, but the authors are unaware of any that currently enable both pre-trip planning (via a web-based reservation system) and en-route planning (through real-time parking information on CMSs on the highway.) This is the first transit based smart parking program implemented in the U.S. Two our knowledge, this smart parking system, which integrates real-time traffic sensor data from a transit-station parking lot, with a web-based reservation system and two CMSs on adjacent highway, is the first of its kind. Similar systems in Europe and Japan provide motorists with en-route information about available parking at transit stations, but the authors are unaware of any that currently enable both pre-trip planning (via a web-based reservation system) and en-route planning (through real-time parking information on CMSs on the highway.) Using a paired sample T-test for dependent samples, it was determined that this is a statistically significant difference (p=0.002).

2 CMSs located on Highway 24 near the Rockridge BART stationMany focus group participants indicated that the CMSs were not located on their commute route and were unclear for potential or first-time users. Others reported fearing that all the spots would be taken by the time they pulled into the parking lot.

In addition, both survey respondents and focus group participants would have liked the ability to speak with a live operator.

Survey respondents generally reported less problems with the web site reservation system than with the IVR system.

Advanced reservations decreased while drive-in reservations increased after fees were introduced.Nearly 75% would no longer use smart parking if prices equaled or exceeded $5.00/day.

45% of final survey respondents reported that they would use BART more frequently if smart parking were expanded to include other BART stations.

The smart parking project in San Diego will involve expanded CMS messages, the use of smart cards or transponders, variable pricing, and an expanded number of spaces available for the service.