Environmental Impact of Parking Measures

Abstract

By submitting a sample in the population of the city of Geel to a self-completion questionnaire, data is gathered regarding their current transport behaviour, mobility options and reactions to five hypothetical scenario's of parking measures. These measures contained two scenario's of a monetary cost increase, two scenario's of a reduction in the amount of parking spaces of a facility and the closure of the parking facility. First an online survey was used by distributing flyers with a URL, then a paper version was used to obtain a total sample of 100 respondents. This data led to the conclusion that road users indeed change their behaviour to evade parking measures, and the reaction to parking pricing is not as strong as a decrease in the number of available parking spaces. Additionally, changing transportation modes, a switch to public transportation or the bicycle, is not as popular as continued use of a private car. Different people have different reactions, but no particular characteristic of individuals was influential across all distinct hypothetical cases and strategies. Included in the report are recommendations for decision makers questioning how to shape their urban environments, as well as a reflection for future research on the topic.