Free parking for public transport passengers
Summary
In order to ensure the availability of parking places at the Alexander Park and Ride site for those travelling on by public transport, charges were introduced for car drivers without valid public transport tickets.
Implementing sustainable mobility
Prior to measure implementation, all drivers could park for free at park and ride facilities in the Rotterdam region. The Rotterdam Alexander site is close to a metro/intercity train station and has 535 parking places. Many shoppers and local employees were making use of the park and ride facility without needing to travel further on public transport. People wanting to use the facility for its main purpose, that is, to take public transport into the city, were therefore often unable to find a free parking space.
Progress
A two-year pilot parking management project was introduced in May 2004. People with a valid public transport ticket were able to enjoy free parking, while those without a valid ticket had to pay for parking. Tickets were checked by controllers between 07:00 and 20:00 hours. Outside these hours, and in the absence of a controller, the park and ride places could be used free of charge without a public transport ticket. It was planned to introduce a ticket machine able to recognise a valid public transport ticket.
Prior to the launch of the measure, the car park was refurbished, and residents and organisations situation near the site were informed and consulted.
Outcomes
Monitoring was carried out when the measure was launched in May 2004, after half a year, and after one and a half years. Monitoring of occupancy rates was supplemented with interviews with users, and with monitoring of parking rates surrounding the location (i.e. by those wishing to avoid paying the newly introduced parking fee).
Prior to measure implementation, the occupancy rate was close to 100 percent, and sometimes capacity was insufficient to meet demand. After implementation, occupancy rates dropped to 65 percent. The target group of public transport users clearly benefited from the measure: after implementation around 95 percent of users actually boarded public transport to continue their journey, compared to 64 percent before the measure. Although occupancy rates in nearby car parks did not change, there was no clear modal shift in favour of public transport, and continued monitoring was recommended.