An Animated Simulation Model for Analyzing On-Street Parking Issues

Abstract

This paper describes an animated simulation model which was used to assess several strategies for improving urban on- street parking systems. Built in ARENA, the model tracks six key performance measures including the probability of finding a parking space, the time spent searching for a parking space, and the total amount of money put into parking meters. Sensitivity analyses performed with the model revealed that a driver's chances of finding a parking space increase at about the same rate as decreases in the mean actual parking time. The model was also used to assess the effects of various degrees of enforcement of the one-hour time limit on system performance. Finally, experiments were performed with the model to determine how newer meter technologies might affect parking revenues collected by city management. Specifically, when existing meters were replaced by resetting meters which zero out any time left after a car pulls out of a space, parking meter revenues rose by 23 %.