Traffic congestion is one of the key problems confronting many cities in Europe. Growing levels of congestion pose a threat to both the economic and social wellbeing of cities and the quality of the urban environment. Parking congestion is an important contributing factor to the overall level of urban congestion. There is evidence to suggest that much parking congestion is caused not by shortfalls in absolute capacity but by drivers being unaware of prevailing levels of occupancy in key car parks or alternative parking opportunities. Systems designed to provide drivers with improved information on the parking system may therefore bring about significant reductions in parking congestion. However, the success of any such systems will depend crucially on the behavioural response of drivers and on the ability of system designers to tailor systems to the requirements of the key audience groups. For the past two years Nottinghamshire County Council, in collaboration with local radio stations, have been running an experimental broadcast parking information service during the Christmas period providing drivers with up-to-the-minute information on occupancy, queues and parking alternatives. This paper presents the results of a study designed to investigate the impact of the service on motorists parking behaviour. The study was carried out as part of the DRIVE project EURONETT. The study involved a mailback survey distributed to drivers at City Centre car parks, on-street parking areas and peripheral park and ride sites. The first part of the paper discusses the background of the Nottingham experiment and describes the form of the parking information service provided to drivers. The paper then presents the results of the study concentrating on three central issues, (I) the penetration of the information service amongst different groups of drivers, (II) the attitude of drivers towards the service and the format of the information provided, and (III) the effect of the information on drivers' travel and parking behaviour. The implications of these results for the design of broadcast information services and parking management are discussed. In the light of current developments in Road Traffic Informatics (RTI) and moves towards the deregulation of broadcasting, the paper also discusses the wider potential for the use of the media as a means of influencing travel behaviour.
Samenvatting