A Simulation Study of the Efficiency of Unmarked On-Street Parking and Vehicle Downsizing

Does unmarked on-street parking accommodate more cars—because smaller cars take less space? One would intuitively think so, but because of the mismatch effect of very small cars, unmarked spacing may not be more efficient. This study uses computer simulation where queues of randomly generated vehicles are assigned to marked and unmarked spaces. Simulation results show that unmarked parking is only more efficient when the curb is more segmented, or significantly different from the integer times of the optimal length of one marked space. Otherwise, marked parking or shorter marked parking under high demand is better. Unmarked parking also has higher requirement for considerate behavior. This simulation study also finds that vehicle downsizing only significantly improves parking efficiency when the vehicle is downsized to two-seaters that can vertically park. The study also proposes a new type of “blockbased” parking that achieves some of the flexibility of unmarked parking while keeping mismatch-effect relatively low.

• Record URL:
  https://ncst.ucdavis.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Xu-Dissertation-Project-Information-Sheet.pdf
• 
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Dissertation embargoed until August 2020

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Completed
• Funding: $25000
• Contract Numbers:

  DOT 69A3551747114

• Sponsor Organizations:

  National Center for Sustainable Transportation

  University of California, Davis
  Davis, CA  United States 

  Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology

  University Transportation Centers Program
  Department of Transportation
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Managing Organizations:

  National Center for Sustainable Transportation

  University of California, Davis
  Davis, CA  United States 

  University of California, Davis

  Institute of Transportation Studies
  Davis, CA  United States  95616
• Project Managers:

  lacobucci, Lauren

• Performing Organizations:

  National Center for Sustainable Transportation

  University of California, Davis
  Davis, CA  United States 

  University of California, Davis

  Institute of Transportation Studies
  Davis, CA  United States  95616
• Principal Investigators:

  Xu, Tongxin

• Start Date: 20181001
• Expected Completion Date: 20190630
• Actual Completion Date: 20190630
• USDOT Program: University Transportation Centers

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Compact automobiles; On street parking; Optimization; Parking demand; Road markings; Simulation; Size; Traffic queuing
• Subject Areas: Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Planning and Forecasting; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01708762
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: National Center for Sustainable Transportation
• Contract Numbers: DOT 69A3551747114
• Files: UTC, RiP
• Created Date: Jun 26 2019 2:06PM