Parallel Parking Vehicle Alignment Strategies

Abstract

The alignment of vehicles within parallel parking spaces influences the efficiency of street parking. We numerically model the effect of vehicle-alignment strategy on the packing density over a range of block lengths. We investigate the effect of four strategies: a) front of available space, b) either end of available space, c) middle of space and d) randomly within the space. The findings quantify the advantage of aligning vehicles at the ends of the available space and underscore the decrease in efficiency when the block length is decreased, for example by frequent curb cuts or parking restrictions. All strategies offer efficiency advantages compared to pre-marked spaces.