Systematic Approach to Evaluate Potential Park and Ride Facilities

Park and Ride (P&R) facilities promote transit ridership by providing an attractive option to car drivers. They enable potential users to drive to their locations where they can park their cars and take transit services to complete their destinations. Although the concept of P&R has been implemented in many cities in the United States and integrated with different transportation modes such as mass rapid transit (MRT), light rail transit (LRT), high occupancy vehicle (HOV), Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), among others, no systematic approach has been developed to assess the feasibility of a potential P&R facility. This thesis proposes a systematic methodology, which consists of the following tasks, to evaluate potential P&R facilities. 1. Site Selection and Location Analysis 2. Bus System Reliability 3. Site Parking Supply Analysis 4. Development of a Park and Ride Choice Model 5. Park and Ride Ridership Estimation 6. Cost Estimation and Economic Impacts Analysis 7. Develop Recommendations These tasks were carried out during a case study of a site in the City of El Paso at the intersection of Joe Battle Boulevard and Montwood Drive. Applying the methodology to the proposed P&R site, this research has estimated P&R riderships of 46 users in 2010 and 87 users in 2035. Based on these riderships, the estimated revenues to the bus operators would be $2208.00/month and $4146.00/month respectively (2012 US dollars). Shops owners surrounding the P&R facility should experience an increase in revenue of $462.06/day and $874.48/day (2012 US dollars) during these two analysis years (2010 and 2035). The estimated cost of infrastructure improvement is approximately $51,000