Conference Papers 2023

Seminar
Day 1 (6 Sep 2023), Session 2, Reducing Traffic Demand, 14:00 - 16:00

Status
Accepted, awaiting documents

Submitted by / Abstract owner
Bruno Ville

Authors
Bruno Villé, MINT
Jan De Coster, MINT
Annelies Verheijen, MINT
Ann Vanclooster, MINT
Kurt Verlinden, Significance

Short abstract
In the urban Ghent model a choice and assignment model is developed that simulates all aspects of parking, including competition between visitors and inhabitants, on-street parking versus public parking within temporal and spatial dimensions.

Abstract
Cities and urban authorities traditionally use local parking policies as an efficient tool in their mobility schemes. Availability of parking spaces, both private and public, and the respective costs offer a mechanism for controlling car use and volumes and even car ownership in the urban environment. Parking permits for inhabitants, dynamic parking regimes and the overall availability of on-site parking spaces all influence the choice for use or ownership of car. As such a logical need exists for modelling tools to assess and evaluate parking schemes and scenarios. Traditionally an abstract approach using average parking costs and little limitations on parking availability is used in strategic transport models, even so in the more agent-based modelling framework. With regards to the highly variable character of parking for different users, time periods and areas, this clearly falls short of correct modelling of the problem at hand. As a result, the standard models cannot offer solid support for parking policies that require much more detail in the approach.
The 4th generation modelling framework used in Flanders however offers a detailed micro-simulation design of all choice models and can as such handle all varying circumstances that determine choices related to parking: all agents are individually simulated considering their respective characteristics. In so, information on availability of local parking permits, temporal use of the car, potential on-site parking facilities can be taken into account. The design of the model therefor is not limited to an approach via average costs and availability. An ambitious new parking model using all the potential of micro-simulation is designed and implemented within the urban model of Ghent as it offers a rich platform with both specific focus on parking policies as well availability of elaborate data on all parking facilities in the urban area.

At its core, the parking model addresses all visitors and inhabitants of a selection of urban zones that have some parking limitations in the form of cost or limited availability. All types of car parking are taken into consideration, including on-street parking for visitors or inhabitants and the possible costs and regulations, public parking with cost and available spaces as well as on-site private parking spaces at offices, shops or recreational facilities that offer space for visitors. On a micro-level all households in the modelled area are simulated on their needs of parking their cars, if any, including parking permits for on-street parking as well as private in-house parking spaces, as this greatly influences parking availability for on-street parking for visitors. Furthermore, all agents are also modelled with regards to their specific availability of on-site parking at their destination: some work-tours can easily use an dedicated private parking lot, frequently larger supermarkets or stores offer parking space for their visitors, … In this way, the total demand for parking spaces can be quantified for all separate hours over the day, making use of the temporal dimensions in the modelling setup. In the heart of the demand model the mode car then addresses the full cost including potential parking options: all feasible parking options ranging from on-street parking or public parking at or near the destination zone are accounted for in a composite cost, as well as potential on-site parking if applicable. As the full model operates on consecutive individual hourly periods, use of parking spaces is tracked over time and availability or lack thereof, translates to additional costs or unavailability for certain parking options in the following periodes. The complete demand model confronts the total car utility with other modes and simulates final car use and the shares of separate parking options on every agent’s level. Correct information is then transferred to the assignment model to provide correct routing to the destination or parking locations.

The proposed micro-simulation parking model has been implemented and tested for the Ghent model during 2022. Required parameters for the submodels are extracted from local data or transferred from other parts of the total demand model, and data on parking facilities is gathered in close co-operation with the Ghent authorities. First tests of the parking model show great dependence on correct and consistent data: given the nature of the demand model and all small details that are taken into the choice model, the stress on the data is clearly higher than observed with traditional parking models. By incorporating a wider range of explanatory variables the assessment of parking schemes can be tackled with greater confidence.

Programme committee
Transport Models