Roadways: Park & Ride Facilities

Park & Ride Facilities

Primary Guidance Planned facility size must reflect the anticipated regional growth and its impact to parking space demand, not to exceed 20 years. Evaluate the facility size and design based on factors such as: current space occupancy, design vehicle, transit service levels and ridership, appropriate amenities at the facility, and local area characteristics and issues. Should have good visibility and access, preferably within 0.5 mile of a major roadway.

Discussion Park & Ride facilities are an integral component of the overall transportation system. They are used by local and regional transit riders as well as travelers participating in carpool and vanpool programs (travel demand management). Truck drivers also use designated Park & Ride facilities to rest. Size Consideration The size of a Park & Ride is dependent on several factors including: Existence of improvised parking (e.g. utilization of shopping center lots or road shoulders). Forecasted: Regional growth and demand. Transit service levels. Proposed lot functions, such as: car pool needs, commuter bus, transit connectivity, freight parking, and community purposes (recreational field parking, fairgrounds parking, etc.). Demand for truck parking along a corridor. Additionally, existing facilties with occupancy of 75 percent should be considered for expansion using the above size consideration factors. Structure Considerations Parking garages are typically much more expensive to construct and maintain than at-grade lots. Therefore, at-grade lots must always be the first option considered unless it: Requires prohibitive right of way costs and impacts. Requires significant negative impacts to the natural environment. Foregoes an opportunity for a more desirable land use (e.g. Transit Oriented Development). Component Considerations In order to facilitate safe and effective operations, along with providing multi-modal opportunities, the following components should be considered: Types and placement of transit components, such as bus turn-arounds, benches, shelters, lighting, trash cans, etc. Type and quanity of bicycle facilities. Opportunites for auxiliary components, such as: solar panels, electric vehicle charging stations, Vehicle Emissions Inspection (VEI) Kiosks, etc. Security features, such as: cameras, additional lighting, blue light phones, fencing, etc. Right-of-Way Considerations Using MDOT property and exploring public/private partnerships should be evaluated before acquiring new property.