Suggested Citation:
Rodier, Caroline J., Susan A. Shaheen, Tagan Blake (2010) Smart Parking Pilot on the Coaster Commuter Rail Line in San Diego, California. Institute of Transportation Studies, University of California, Davis, Research Report UCD-ITS-RR-10-31

Public transit authorities increasingly are harnessing advances in sensor, payment, and enforcement technologies to operate parking facilities more efficiently. In the short term, these innovations promise to enhance customer parking experiences, increase the effective supply of existing parking with minimal investment, and increase ridership and overall revenue. Over the longer term, these systems could further expand ridership by generating revenue to add parking capacity and improve access. This report describes the Smart Parking Pilot Project on the COASTER commuter rail line in San Diego (California, USA), which builds on the transit-based smart parking field test research conducted at the Rockridge San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) District station. The report begins with a discussion of the relevant background of the pilot. A feasibility analysis follows, and includes a literature review of parking management and pricing strategies and parking problem assessment at each of six northern COASTER stations based on ridership trends, observed station parking demand, and focus groups with COASTER commuters. Finally, alternative and implemented smart parking management programs are described. Key recommendations drawn from the pilot research and implementation process are then presented.

Keywords: parking pricing, value pricing, public transit, parking management, parking technologies