Categorising car parking spaces and policies

TLDR: A taxonomy of car parking spaces that are based on the level of demand, location type, ownership, motivations, users, potential user restrictions and type of technology is proposed in this article.

Abstract: This paper discusses how car parking policies play a major role in managing car use. The paper proposes a taxonomy of car parking spaces that are based on the level of demand, location type, ownership, motivations, users, potential user restrictions and type of technology. The paper categorizes the supply and demand side of car parking policies by type of instrument used and means of delivery. The paper points out that in many areas there is an oversupply of parking. Privately-owned spaces have been particularly ignored by researchers, practitioners and policy makers because monitoring and control activities are very hard to undertake. The paper recommends that the parking sector adopt to be more holistic when considering parking; collect more detailed information on car parking supply, utilization patterns and impacts. The paper seeks to better understand how car parking provisions and policies integrate into the wider transportation system and society in general.