Parking facilities are a critical part of a transportation system: vehicles are typically parked about 23 hours per day and require parking at every destination. These facilities impose various economic, social and environmental costs. This report describes how to estimate the number of parking spaces that exist in an area, their total costs, and optimal pricing. This information is important for many policy and planning decisions. Recent surveys indicate that typical North American communities have three to eight parking spaces per vehicle, including many seldom-used spaces. Considering land, construction and operating expenses, their total annualized costs per space typically range from about $600 for a basic surface lot on inexpensive land to more than $5,000 for high-amenity structured parking. Overall, their costs are estimated to average about $1,000 annually per space or $5,000 per vehicle-year, totaling more than a trillion dollars per year in the U.S. For every dollar a motorist spends on their vehicle somebody typically spends about a dollar on parking for its use. Most parking costs are external, resulting in higher taxes, rents and retail prices, plus significant environmental damages. These external costs are economically inefficient and unfair since they increase total parking and traffic costs, and force households that drive less than average to cross-subsidize higher-mileage motorists. More efficient parking management can provide larger savings and benefits than previously recognized.

Few cities' central corridors uses less space for parking than San Francisco.

The changes to parking space standards have not kept up with the explosion in vehicle sizes.

West New York’s Parking Deck Project will begin this month, the Parking Services Department announced. Phase I will entail the redevelopment of the 51st Street Lot, creating over 300 new spaces. The 51st Street Parking Lot closed on June 27 and will remain closed for about a year. The town said it “wholeheartedly understands that […]

Hartford city councilors on Wednesday advanced a measure that would impose major fee hikes on downtown parking lot operators, despite fervent opposition from major center-city investors, and Mayor Luke Bronin, who called the policy "misguided." Members of a city council subcommittee voted 6-1 -- with Councilor Shirly Surgeon voting against -- to put the measure on the full council's Jan. 25 meeting agenda with a favorable recommendation for passage. But city councilors added the caveat that the higher fees will not kick in until Jan. 1, 2022, rather than immediately.

The largest parking lot in the world has nearly 20,000 places, and can be found at the West Edmonton Mall in Edmonton, Canada.

Shopper numbers in city centres are falling, leaving car parks empty – and councils are finding innovative ways to repurpose the space