Parking policies in six continents: mixed outcomes and multifaceted barriers to reform

Abstract

Over the past century, the dramatic increase in private vehicles has resulted in a growing demand for parking spaces. Governments have sought to develop and adopt various parking policies to manage and regulate parking, but the results are mixed. Current research studies on parking policies often focus on a single aspect of parking. A comprehensive review and comparison of on-street and off-street parking policies (existing, proposed, and recently adopted) has been missing. This study addresses this gap by surveying 57 parking experts in 18 countries across six continents. In addition to reviewing parking policy measures, we consider implementation outcomes and barriers to parking reform. The results show that the countries have responded to parking innovations differently, and not all novel policies have been successful. Social, practical, institutional, and legal barriers are found to exist throughout the policymaking and implementation stages. Ultimately, there is no one-size-fits-all parking solution. Findings suggest that to achieve success, it is important to include all stakeholders in discussions around parking reform and accompany any parking restrictions by public and active transport improvements. In the medium-term future, it is likely that new technological developments will shift the direction of parking policy.

Keywords

• Parking policy
• on-street parking
• off-street parking
• urban mobility