by Innovative Mobility Research | Mar 31, 2020 |
Authors: Susan Shaheen and Charlene Kemmerer Date: January 2008 Abstract: Rising demand for parking at suburban transit stations, such as the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) District in California, necessitates strategies to manage traveler demand. To better manage parking supply, researchers implemented a smart parking field test at the Rockridge BART station from 2004 to 2006 to evaluate the effects of smart parking technologies (changeable message signs (CMSs), Internet reservations and billing, mobile phone and personal digital assistant communications, and a wireless parking lot counting system) on transit ridership and response to service pricing. Researchers employed expert interviews, Internet surveys, focus groups, and parking reservation data to conduct this analysis. Survey data indicated that the field test increased BART trips and resulted in 9.7 fewer miles per participant per month on average. Key lessons learned include that it would have been beneficial to anticipate additional time for project scoping and permitting, and fixed wayfinding signs were beneficial in both directing vehicles from the highway to the smart parking lot and addressing resident concerns about increased traffic. Additionally, the majority of participants continued to use the service when fees were implemented. However, the CMSs were not widely employed in users’ decision making processes in this application. Finally, the wireless counting system worked well, with the exception of the in-ground sensors, which were prone to miscounts. This paper provides an overview of the project and key literature, behavioral effects of the field test, and lessons learned. View...
by Innovative Mobility Research | Mar 30, 2020 |
Authors: Caroline Rodier and Susan Shaheen, PhD Date: April 2010 Abstract: This paper presents an evaluation of the first transit-based smart parking project in the US at the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) District station in Oakland, California. The paper begins with a review of the smart parking literature; next the smart parking field test is described including its capital, operational, and maintenance costs; and finally the results of the participant survey analysis are presented. Some key user response results are: (1) most participants used the smart parking system 1–3 days a month for commute travel and (2) 37% of respondents had seen the changeable message signs with parking information, but only 32% of those used this information to decide whether to continue driving or take BART. Some key changes in participant travel behavior include: (1) increases in BART mode share, (2) reductions in drive alone modal share, (3) decreased average commute time, and (4) an overall reduction in total vehicle miles of travel. View...
by Innovative Mobility Research | May 30, 2019 |
Authors: Susan Shaheen Published: 2012 Abstract: The number of senior citizens is expected to double by the year 2020, representing 18% of the nation’s population. After age 75, driving performance begins to decline due to changes in health and medication effects. Indeed, one quarter of seniors over 75 are expected to require alternative transportation services in the future. This chapter examines transit and innovative mobility options to better meet the needs of the growing older population in the near (2011) and more distant (2021) future.Barriers to transit use among older adults include anxiety and confusion about using transit; inconvenience; cost and payment; safety; and physical discomfort. Emerging intelligent transportation systems (ITS) technologies can help to overcome these barriers and provide alternative mobility options, such as real-time information, simpler payment, demand-responsive door-to-door services, carsharing, and smart parking linked to transit. Other approaches include user training, smaller and more comfortable vehicles, and low-floor buses. While the scaling and cost reduction benefits of ITS are exciting, there are several obstacles to wide-scale deployment. One of the most significant is coordination among health and human service and transportation providers, particularly in suburban and rural locations. Some operators already struggle to provide services, and many staffers have limited experience with ITS technology. Thus, a concerted effort is needed across many different types of transit agencies to share information and compatible technologies. In the future, coordination strategies and ITS technologies will play a critical role in providing more flexibility, convenience, and choice for older travelers. View...
by Innovative Mobility Research | Sep 14, 2015 |
Authors: Susan A. Shaheen, Ph.D, Caroline J. Rodier, Ph.D Published: August, 2007 Abstract: The United States is experiencing dramatic growth in commercial vehicle truck travel on our nation’s roadway system as well as critical shortages in truck parking. California ranks first in the nation’s overall (private and public) commercial vehicle parking shortage. Recent estimates of the demand for truck parking in California indicate that demand exceeds capacity at all public rest areas; this is the case at 88 percent of private truck stops on the 34 corridors in California with the highest truck travel volumes. Nationwide, shortages of public truck spaces, however, are considered to be more severe than shortages, but only 16 percent report private shortages. The truck parking shortage in California and the U.S. has a number of serious consequences that threaten our roadway safety, public health, and economic productivity. This study begins with a literature review of the commercial vehicle truck parking problems in California and the United States, available evidence on the truck drivers’ parking preferences, and a description and evaluation of the current and future approaches to the truck parking problem. Next, the results of a statewide trucker survey conducted in 2006, which included questions related to truck parking information services–a promising solution to the truck parking problem suggested in the literature–are presented. The study concludes by summarizing key findings....
by Innovative Mobility Research | Sep 9, 2015 |
Authors: Caroline J. Rodier, Ph.D, Susan A. Shaheen, Ph.D, Charlene Kemmerer Published: October, 2007 Abstract: This report presents an evaluation of the first transit-based smart parking project in the U.S. at the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) District station in Oakland, California. The report begins with a review of the smart parking literature; next the smart parking field test is described including its capital, operational, and maintenance costs; then the results of the participant survey analysis are presented; and finally lessons learned from the institutional, user, and operational perspective are documented. Some key changes in participant travel behavior include increases in BART mode share, reductions in drive alone modal share, decreased average commute time, and an overall reduction in total vehicle miles of travel. Key lessons learned include that it would have been beneficial to anticipate additional time for project scoping and permitting, and fixed wayfinding signs were beneficial in both directing vehicles from the highway to the smart parking lot and addressing resident concerns about increased traffic. Additionally, the majority of participants continued to use the service when fees were implemented. However, the CMSs were not widely employed in users’ decision-making processes in this application. Finally, the wireless counting system worked well, with the exception of the in-ground sensors, which were prone to miscounts....
