The role of parking pricing and parking availability on travel mode choice

This research examines the impact of parking pricing and parking availability on potential travel mode substitution among current drivers, in four case study areas in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). It serves to evaluate opportunities to decrease private vehicle usage among the GTA’s workforce. More specifically, the objective of this study is to analyze whether and to what extent parking pricing and parking availability alter drivers’ willingness to change their mode of transportation. Results from ordered logit models demonstrated that a driver’s willingness to change their mode of transportation was statistically correlated with parking cost and parking availability. Parking availability also impacted the correlation between parking pricing and drivers' willingness to change their mode of transportation. The results from this MRP suggests that interventions focused on reducing driving for commuting purposes may focus on changing parking pricing, but depending on the availability of parking, the impacts of such policy/ program may be different.