Placement of Rapid Transit Park-and-Ride Facilities

Abstract

This study assessed the state of the practice in figuring out the placement of new rapid transit park-and-ride facilities and whether the existing body of literature was still in harmony with today's practice. The analysis was based on free-form interviews and a survey of transit professionals. The results revealed several emerging differences that had not been discussed in the literature. First, the cost of the park-and-ride facility was of critical importance to transit planners, as the pressure to deliver projects on budget was of the utmost importance. Second, the relationship between land use and park-and-ride demand as placement factors was one of the most important considerations of planners in the location of park-and-ride facilities. Contrary to the situation in larger metropolitan areas, land use compatibility may have superseded potential park-and-ride demand for determining park-and-ride facility locations in midtier cities, where light rail was most prevalent. Third, the survey indicated that individuals in a transit organization may have perceived the value of land use compatibility versus park-and-ride demand differently. Planners and engineers tended to prioritize land use over park-and-ride demand, in contrast to those in managerial positions. Finally, of the factors that transit planners considered when they located park-and-ride facilities, the analysis indicated that considerations aligned with convenience, such as highway access and adjacency to a congested highway, were more valued by transit planners than those that were aligned with economics, such as proximity to a residential area and relationship to primary activity centers. The reverse applied to larger cities.