TRAFFIC AND PARKING REQUIREMENTS OF OFF-CENTER MEDICAL OFFICE BUILDINGS

TO OBTAIN MORE APPROPRIATE ESTIMATES OF PARKING REQUIREMENTS FOR MEDICAL BUILDINGS, INTENSIVE STUDIES OF TWO SUCH FACILITIES, ONE IN CENTRAL EVANSTON, ILL., THE OTHER IN NEARBY SUBURBAN SKOKIE, ILL., WERE CONDUCTED TO DETERMINE THE RELATIONSHIPS THAT EXIST BETWEEN THE VARIOUS FUNCTIONS THESE FACILITIES SERVE AND THE TRAFFIC AND PARKING DEMANDS THEY GENERATE. THE RESULTS SHOWED THAT DEMAND VARIED NOT ONLY WITH FLOOR SPACE AND NUMBER OF DOCTORS, BUT ALSO WITH LOCATION, SERVICES AVAILABLE FOR TREATMENT AND DIAGNOSIS, SCHEDULING PROCEDURES, AND OTHER OPERATIONAL ASPECTS OF THE FACILITY. WIDE VARIATIONS ALSO EXIST BETWEEN MEDICAL SPECIALTIES IN THE RATE AT WHICH THE PATIENTS ARE TREATED, RANGING FROM AN AVERAGE OF MORE THAN 3.5 PATIENTS PER OFFICE HOUR IN THE CASE OF PEDIATRICIANS, FOR EXAMPLE, TO LESS THAN 1.5 PATIENTS PER HOUR FOR GENERAL SURGEONS. THE IMPACT OF LOCATION OF THE FACILITY ON PARKING DEMAND WAS APPARENT IN THE GREATER USE OF PRIVATE AUTOS FOR TRAVEL TO THE SUBURBAN CLINIC AS COMPARED TO AUTO USE ASSOCIATED WITH THE OFFICE BUILDING IN CENTRAL EVANSTON. APPROXIMATELY 82 PERCENT OF THE PATIENTS USING THE SUBURBAN CLINIC REQUIRED PARKING, IN CONTRAST TO 67 PERCENT FOR THE EVANSTON MEDICAL BUILDING. AN EVEN MORE PRONOUNCED DIFFERENCE WAS NOTED IN THE MODE OF TRAVEL USED BY EMPLOYEES. ONLY 9 PERCENT OF THE EMPLOYEES INTERVIEWED AT THE EVANSTON BUILDING DROVE TO WORK, WHEREAS 74 PERCENT AT THE SUBURBAN CLINIC USED A CAR. AN INTERESTING SIDELIGHT TO THE STUDY OF THE EVANSTON FACILITY WAS THAT APPROXIMATELY 50 PERCENT OF ALL PATIENTS INTERVIEWED INDICATED THAT THEY HAD SHOPPED, GONE TO THE BANK, EATEN, OR MADE OTHER ERRANDS AS PART OF THEIR MEDICAL TRIP. AN AVERAGE OF 1.8 ERRANDS PER PERSON WAS MADE BY THIS GROUP.

• Record URL:
  • http://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/hrr/1964/49/49-001.pdf
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
• Authors:
  • Shuldiner, Paul W
  • Berry, Donald S
  • Montgomery Jr, James M
• Publication Date: 1964

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: pp 1-12
• Monograph Title: Traffic and operations - general 1963
• Serial:
  • Highway Research Record
  • Issue Number: 49
  • Publisher: Highway Research Board

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Alternatives analysis; Areas; Building; Central business districts; Facilities; Floors; Level of service; Location; Medicine; Mode S; Numbers; Parking demand; Physicians; Scheduling; Suburbs; Travel; Travel patterns; Trip generation
• Uncontrolled Terms: Services
• Geographic Terms: Evanston (Illinois); Skokie (Illinois)
• Subject Areas: Construction; Highways; Operations and Traffic Management;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00224761
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Oct 28 1994 12:00AM