Traffic issues related to vehicle parking, including vehicles parked illegally on the street, have come to be recognized in recent years as serious automotive transportation concerns particularly in the downtown areas of cities. One factor that can be cited as a cause of such problems is the over-concentration of parking demand in commercial areas at certain times. An effective measure for dealing with these parking-related problems is to install parking guidance and information (PGI) systems that are useful in dispersing or leveling parking demand. Various research studies have been conducted over the years on ways of operating PGI systems more effectively, focusing in particular on how the provision of traffic information affects driver behavior. However, it seems that methods for effective implementation of such systems have yet to be fully established. In order to implement more effective PGI systems in the future, it will be necessary to conduct broader research on such aspects as how their installation changes overall traffic flows. It is thought that there is a need to enhance the capabilities of PGI systems with respect to traffic flows, including traffic management in the entire service area. This paper presents a study of a PGI system that focused on the following two aspects: an examination of a PGI system that takes into account through traffic and traffic restrictions, and a simulation of such a PGI system with respect to traffic flows and an estimation of its potential effects. The results presented here show the effectiveness of implementing a PGI system that takes into account the traffic conditions in the entire area served by the system. (A*)
Abstract