Making the Most of Curb Spaces in a World of Shared Autonomous Vehicles: A Case Study of Austin, Texas

With the recent developments of connected and autonomous vehicles (CAVs) as well as technologies in traffic and transportation systems, CAV applications – like shared autonomous vehicle (SAV) systems - will have the ability to radically change the urban grid system and challenge urban planners to repurpose existing public infrastructure. As CAV technology matures and shared autonomous vehicles (SAVs) account for higher proportions of the operating traffic, parking demands are likely to fall greatly in central business district centers. Curbside parking spaces may be given back to pedestrians, repurposed for active transit users, or removed entirely to create additional roadway capacity. This paper researches Austin’s parking supply and offers case study examples for curb-parking repurposing. The potential implications of SAVs enable more utilitarian uses of curb-parking and offer an empirical study into repurposing this public area, providing municipalities the ability to develop the means to eventually liberate this public land from parked vehicles and repurpose it for a larger community benefit. The supply and demand for these alternative spaces is provided here for developing the decision support system, as well as their physical location, attributes, and pricing regimes. This analysis offers recommendations for future usage of existing curb spaces and ways to ensure curb-parking is ready for SAV-using settings. The suggestions offered here may serve as a model for other cities and may be valuable in long-term city development and planning.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • This paper was sponsored by TRB committee ADA20 Standing Committee on Metropolitan Policy, Planning, and Processes.
• Authors:
  • Ma, Qinglu
  • Kockelman, Kara
  • Segal, Marc
• Conference:
  • Transportation Research Board 97th Annual Meeting
  • Location: Washington DC, United States
  • Date: 2018-1-7 to 2018-1-11
• Date: 2018

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Figures; Photos; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 14p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Case studies; Connected vehicles; Curb side parking; Decision support systems; Intelligent vehicles; Parking demand; Supply
• Candidate Terms: Shared-use vehicle systems
• Geographic Terms: Austin (Texas)
• Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Planning and Forecasting; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01659532
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: 18-01266
• Files: TRIS, TRB, ATRI
• Created Date: Feb 7 2018 1:41PM