Abstract
Parking control is increasingly used to restrain traffic and reduce congestion. The use of parking charges as a means of controlling traffic has been studied using a network of roads in a simulated town. Model results indicate that (1) maximizing the revenue from parking could reduce the user benefits by more than half and (2) there is a redistribution of user benefits in favour of those who have no intention of paying for their parking. The present practice in designing parking schemes to restrain traffic may produce undesirable economic effects that are not easily detected.