managing travel for planned special events - FHWA Operations ...

Parking Demand AnalysisA parking demand analysis functions to determinethe amount of required parking forevent patrons in the vicinity of the eventvenue. A parking occupancy study drivesthe overall analysis and determination ofevent parking areas. This study indicates thelevel of parking spaces occupied, relative tolot capacity, at intermittent time intervals. Italso specifies an estimate of peak parkingdemand, a figure particularly useful formanaging continuous events where parkingspace turnover occurs throughout the eventday.Figure 5-10 presents a parking demandanalysis process used to determine the adequacyof event venue (on-site) parking andthe identification of appropriate off-siteparking areas. The flowchart denotes ananalysis conducted for a one-time interval.Practitioners should perform an iterativeparking demand analysis, over hourly timeperiods as necessary, if considering parkingareas characterized by high backgroundparking turnover.Examination of on-site parking areas mustaccount for spaces lost to the event sponsors,bus staging, limousine and taxi staging, mediaparking, event employee parking, andevent participant parking. Net parking supplyincorporates event staging needs and anybackground traffic that can legally use theparking area during event hours of operation.In order to conceptually measure parkingsupply within a non-striped area, assume150 cars per acre as a rule of thumb. (22) Thetravel forecast analysis yields an estimate ofparking demand by quantifying the anticipatednumber of event-generated automobiletrips. Aside from continuous events, practitionersshould perform a parking demandanalysis that accounts for maximum eventgeneratedparking demand.In evaluating parking supply versus demand,consider as a rule of thumb that 90 to 95percent lot occupancy represents a full parkingarea. (23) This especially applies underscenarios where event patrons must selfpark.When a parking area reaches a nearcapacityoccupancy level, drivers experiencedifficulty locating an empty parking spaceand must circulate through the lot again orseek another parking area. Continuousevents and street use events often utilizeself-park areas.Overflow parking areas comprise both onstreetparking and public/private off-streetparking areas, located off-site but in the immediatevicinity of the event venue. Figure5-11 shows a designated off-street parkingarea, as noted by a light post banner, for theSummerfest music festival in downtownMilwaukee, WI. Identification of off-siteparking areas depends on walking distanceto the event venue. For example, a 15-minute walking time threshold allows considerationof off-street parking areas within3,600 feet of an event venue, assuming apedestrian walking speed of 4 feet per second.Parking areas located further from thevenue would require a continuous shuttleservice.Table 5-17 shows a parking occupancy summaryfor a regional/multi-venue event indowntown Denver, CO. The spreadsheetformat conveniently organizes and presentsoccupancy estimates by time of day and dayof week. A parking demand analysis for aregional/multi-venue event presents specialchallenges. Practitioners must determine thehourly parking requirements for each facilityseparately. Parking areas in this case functionunder shared parking operation, servicingvariable demand rates from differentplanned special events over the course of aday.5EVENT PROFILE POST-EVENT ACTIVITIES DAY-OF-EVENT ACTIVITIES ADVANCE PLANNINGOVERVIEW5-27