Optimizing Parking Fees for Park & Ride Facilities; Recalibrating parking fees to disincentives car usage while ensuring viability for those with limited public transport access

Abstract

The rapid increase in motor vehicle ownership has resulted in significant challenges for city planners. The establishment of Park and Ride (P&R) facilities on the outskirts of cities has proven to be a viable option for alleviating inner-city congestion. However, main road arteries are still congested during rush hour by commuters trying to access these P&R stations. This study aims to extend the benefits of P&R facilities beyond the outskirts of cities by investigating the possibility of encouraging commuters to travel to P&R stations closer to their point of origin. By formulating an optimisation problem and utilizing a Multi-Nominal Logit (MNL) model alongside a Genetic Algorithm, P&R parking fees can be calibrated across the Netherlands with the goal of minimizing the total distance travelled by car. The findings suggest that adjustments to parking fees affect the utility of P&R stations to the commuter. However, the impact is so small that no significant change can be created in the commuter’s P&R station choice, resulting in limited reduction of total driven distance. Future research should integrate dynamic demand models and explore additional factors to further promote earlier transfers onto the public transport network and mainly focus on incentivizing commuters who do not already utilize P&R stations as part of their journey.