Residential Off-Street Parking Impacts on Car Ownership, Vehicle Miles Traveled, and Related Carbon Emissions

Abstract

Parking is a key element of the street and highway system. Parking supply affects driving demand by changing the underlying cost structure associated with mode choice decisions. It also affects levels of auto ownership by changing the cost of auto ownership. These two facts combine to make parking management an important and powerful tool for both traffic and air-quality management. A pilot analysis of demographics, highway and transit access, and off-street parking in two New York City neighborhoods strongly suggests that the provision of residential off-street parking affects commuting behavior. Moreover, the type of parking provision plays a strong role in determining mode share. Accessory parking that is adjacent to a home, in a garage or driveway, seems more likely to generate auto commutes than does parking in commercial centralized lots. This analysis, which was followed by testing plausible development scenarios, shows that the city's residential off-street parking regulations will undermine its own vision for a sustainable future.