Analysis of Factors that Affect the Frequency of Truck Parking Violations in Urban Areas

Abstract

It has been estimated that the illegal parking of parcel delivery vehicles is the third leading cause of urban nonrecurring congestion, behind vehicle crashes and construction. However, little has been done to investigate the causes of illegal parking by trucks and to develop mitigation strategies. As an exploratory step toward addressing truck parking problems in urban areas, this study analyzed data on truck parking citations in Chicago, Illinois, to identify factors that affected the high density of violations. A geographic information system was used to analyze hot spots. The analysis showed that parking problems were generally worse in or near downtown and became less prevalent toward the outer perimeter of the city. However, truck parking did not seem to be a serious issue in the part of the city that had been home to industrial sites for a long time. Regression analysis revealed that truck parking problems could be exacerbated by concentrations of food businesses in newly developed neighborhoods with a low density of vehicles owned by residents. This finding underscored the importance of land use plans and urban and streetscape designs that took into account trucks in neighborhoods that might not seem to generate intense truck activities. The study also found that alleys could alleviate some truck parking problems.