How municipalities can effectively reduce parking search traffic: solutions and measures

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In metropolitan areas in particular, parking search traffic has a negative effect on drivers and residents: The search for a parking space costs time and money, and it also contributes to air pollution in municipalities. Cities and municipalities can reduce the time that road users spend searching for a parking space through various approaches. This includes an attractive range of alternatives to private transport and optimised parking space management.

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What does parking search traffic mean?

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Parking search traffic describes the proportion of total traffic that only results from the search for available parking spaces. According to a study from 2017, drivers in German cities spend an average of 41 hours a year looking for a parking space, resulting in 896 euros in additional costs per driver — taking into account lost time, gas consumption and additional exhaust emissions.

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Causes of parking search traffic

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According to the Federal Environment Agency, the number of motor vehicles in Germany has been steadily increasing since 1991. On January 1, 2023, there were 48.8 million cars in Germany. Overall, the number of motor vehicles rose by 21.1 percent between 2008 and 2023. In addition, the spread of larger cars has increased enormously: The number of smaller cars has risen by two percent over the past ten years, that of vans, SUVs and the like by 80 percent. The share of these vehicles in the total inventory thus rose from 18 percent in 2013 to 29 percent in 2023, meaning that not only more parking spaces are required, but in most cases also larger parking spaces.

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Inefficient or non-existent management of parking areas can further aggravate the situation and further increase the share of parking search traffic. If parking on the side of the road and in parking areas is possible free of charge for an unlimited period of time, this creates incentives to park vehicles there permanently. For other visitors and residents, these parking spaces are missing and they regularly have to spend more time looking for a free parking space.

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Parking areas where there is a maximum parking period and drivers must lay out a parking disc in the vehicle can also contribute to more parking search traffic if compliance with the maximum parking period is only patently checked and the parking spaces are used permanently. A similar situation can arise if the authorization cards in residents' parking spaces are only checked sporadically and the parking spaces are also occupied by other parking spaces.

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This also applies to managed parking areas, where a parking ticket must be purchased in advance and laid out in the vehicle if there is no regular inspection and parking users then refrain from purchasing a parking ticket and park permanently free of charge.

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In parking areas that are managed with barrier-based parking space management systems, the probability is very high that all parking users will also pay for their stay, but the barrier systems cause a great deal of effort. In addition to purchase costs, maintenance, repair and repair costs must be included. If the barrier is broken, income is lost. Although such systems help to prevent parking spaces from being permanently occupied excessively, the barrier systems can cause backlogs due to the necessary stopping and pulling and pushing in tickets at entry and exit, which further prolong the search for a parking space.

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Effects of parking search traffic

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In addition to unnecessary stress for car drivers themselves, searching for parking has other negative consequences. For example, constantly stopping and driving off again in search of a free parking space increases the risk of rear-end collisions and traffic jams. The search for a vacant parking space pollutes the air, creates noise and thus lowers the quality of life of residents. Overall, it is therefore not only in the interests of vehicle drivers, but also of all city residents and visitors, when municipalities offer solutions to the problem of parking search traffic.

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Solutions for cities & municipalities

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Municipalities can start at various points to curb parking search traffic. This includes parking guidance systems and improved parking space management, but attractive alternatives to motorised private transport can also positively influence the situation.

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Improving parking space management

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Cities and municipalities can alleviate the volume of parking search traffic if they existing Manage parking facilities efficiently and sign. Visitors then drive straight to free parking spaces instead of wandering around the city looking for a parking space.

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An municipal parking lots, parking garages and underground car parks Is it worthwhile to introduce a digital, barrier-free parking system that works with license plate recognition. By removing barriers, there is no need to stop at entry and exit, which avoids backlogs. With license plate recognition, non-payers can be traced almost completely. In contrast to parking areas, where parking tickets must be purchased in advance, which are only checked sporadically, it is therefore no longer worthwhile to refrain from paying the parking stay. For parking people who permanently occupy municipal parking spaces, they lose their appeal, which frees up more parking spaces and reduces the time spent searching for parking.

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In most cities, there are parking spaces that are completely empty at certain times, such as supermarket parking spaces at night, on Sundays and public holidays, as well as underground car parks in office buildings, which are only used by employees during the day from Monday to Friday. With a digital parking management system, these parking spaces can be rented out at night and on weekends to residents, for example, who do not need a parking space themselves during the day, for example because they drive their car to work themselves and park it there.

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If a municipality has several parking spaces and houses, the utilization of these - and thus also the parking search traffic - can be controlled via the tariffs: The fewer parking spaces are still available in a parking lot, the more expensive it becomes to park there. In an underground car park where there is still plenty of space, there are correspondingly lower rates. A digital parking management system provides information on parking space utilization. This allows prices not only to be set based on average occupancy, but tariffs can also be dynamically adjusted.

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Through integration with a parking guidance system, parking users can then be directed to less busy parking areas even without detours and unnecessary search for parking spaces.

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Promoting alternatives to private transport

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In addition to introducing digital, barrier-free parking space management solutions and parking guidance systems, municipalities can curb parking search traffic by promoting alternative means of transportation. In addition, it is worthwhile to create parking areas in so-called Mobility Hubs convert. Various mobility offerings meet at these hubs, making it possible to switch to more sustainable forms of mobility and reduce traffic congestion.

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This goes hand in hand with promoting cycling. It can also be worthwhile to establish car sharing offers and to identify special parking offers for these vehicles. Finally, expanding the public transport network can help curb parking search traffic. Park and ride offerings in Mobility Hubs enable citizens and visitors to switch between modes of transportation.

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Best practice examples

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One example of which a digital, barrier-free parking space management system has been successfully introduced to curb parking search traffic is provided by the municipality of Bodman-Ludwigshafen on Lake Constance. In August 2022, the municipality introduced a barrier-free digital parking system in four parking spaces in order to make parking as quick and easy as possible and to relieve local residents. The solution is part of a comprehensive traffic digitization project. It was particularly important for the tourist community to curb search traffic, which caused congested roads and noise in the village, because the travelers did not know where parking spaces were located, how many parking spaces were still available there and at what price they could park there.

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Signs at the entrances to the town now indicate the various parking options in the village. Interested parties can also find the current occupancy rate of parking spaces on the municipality's website, in the navigation device, and they can use their smartphones to find out where parking spaces are still available.

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With the introduction of the digital parking management system, the municipality has also adapted its tour program to make cheaper parking spaces located outside more attractive. In the past, all tours started in the town center, but now they start at the less central parking lots, which also equalizes search traffic.

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The municipality is satisfied with the result: The new parking guidance system and the ability to check availability in advance reduces search traffic and thus reduces the resulting CO2 emissions. Drivers can now specifically drive to the parking areas and — without waiting in front of barriers — drive directly.

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Even in the City of Miltenberg in Bavaria is launching a digital parking management system used in four parking areas, prevents backlogs in parking spaces and saves paper, waste and costs.

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conclusion

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Searching for parking costs drivers a lot of time, increases the risk of accidents in city centers and creates environmental pollution that has a negative impact on the quality of life of residents. Avoiding this is therefore a goal of many municipalities. There are various starting points for them. For example, they can strengthen alternatives to motorised private transport, such as cycle routes and public transport. Promoting car sharing offers in conjunction with mobility hubs, which serve as central transfer points between different modes of transport, can also avoid traffic looking for parking. Another key means is the introduction of a digital, barrier-free parking space management system to efficiently use existing parking spaces. For example, parking spaces in supermarkets or shopping centers and office buildings that are vacant at night when stores are closed and offices are vacant can be rented by residents.

Integrating such smart parking management systems into traffic management systems, which display the utilization of space, can help parking seekers navigate directly to vacant parking spaces, as examples from Bodman-Ludwigshafen and Miltenberg show.

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