Study of parking and traffic demand. 3. The effects of parking control strategies in Bristol

Abstract

This paper is the third in a series of three, which describes work by the Department of Transport (DoT) to investigate the relationship between parking and traffic demand. It describes the results of tests of a series of parking control strategies, using the Traffic Restraint Analysis Model (TRAM). It first outlines the parking supply in the English city of Bristol in 1990, with respect to parking spaces, charges and enforcement. It then uses the 1990 parking situation as the base case, against which to assess each of three main strategies for more control of parking in Central Bristol. The strategies were: (1) Do-minimum, refining current local policies; (2) Do-something, building on (1) and including more radical control policies, but still using existing legislation; and (3) Do-maximum, building on (2) and including even more radical control policies, some of which would require new legislation. The Public Transport Promotion and Capacity Reallocation strategies were devised, with the intention of complementing the parking control strategies. The results of tests of all these strategies are discussed. Parking strategy (3), with extra measures to deter traffic through the centre, would significantly reduce trips and traffic levels in Central Bristol.