To be truly comprehensive, transportation planning studies require consideration of terminal and transfer facilities, one of the most important of which is vehicular parking in the central business district of an urban area. The adequacy of parking can have a major effect on travel patterns and even on the continued vitality and existence of central areas, and the demand for parking is an essential element in evaluating this adequacy. This paper describes procedures by which parking demand can be determined from the origin-destination data normally collected as part of the travel pattern survey phase of a comprehensive transportation planning study. Results obtained by applying these procedures in five urban areas in southeastern Massachusetts are presented. The accuracy of the parking demand computed through use of these procedures is evaluated by comparisons with both supply and usage, and the appropriateness of the procedures for determining parking needs is indicated. (Author/publisher)
Abstract