EVALUATION OF THE SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION OF ACTIVITY CENTER PARKING FACILITIES

Many existing and proposed activity centers, such as research complexes, university campuses, and commercial and industrial centers, have large numbers of employees, clients, and visitors who drive automobiles and compete for desirable parking spaces. Most drivers tend to base the desirability of parking spaces on their proximity to an ultimate destination; that is, they attempt to minimize walking distances. As the activity center grows, additional parking facilities must be added; however, locations for new parking facilities that will minimize walking distances for all or selected groups of users are not easily selected. Decisions on the best locations for additional parking facilities for a large activity center are, therefore, difficult. An algorithm describing traveler choices of available activity center parking spaces was implemented in a simulation model and applied to a typical case study. Survey data describing actual traveler parking choices and walking distances were collected and compared with simulation predictions before the simulation was used in the decision process.