Many apps can provide street directions or transit travel times, or even let you reserve a public garage parking spot. However, for many Virginia commuters, there is a missing link—reliable, real-time information about the availability of parking spaces in commuter lots.
Northern Virginia offers dozens of lots where commuters can park before taking more sustainable modes of transportation such as rail; commuter bus; or a shared ride via slugging, vanpool, or carpool. RM3P’s Commuter Parking Information System (CPIS) plans to close that information gap to ensure Virginians know all their options. To provide insight into the benefits of the CPIS and how it can work to improve transportation, the RM3P management team interviewed three executives with expertise in parking management from the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), George Washington Regional Commission (GWRC), and Fredericksburg Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (FAMPO).
“Knowledge is power,” says Ian Ollis, Director of Transportation Planning at FAMPO and an incoming member of the RM3P Executive Committee. “If you have knowledge about what [parking] is available around you, you have the power to improve your transportation choices and make use of more modes of transportation than perhaps you would have if you didn’t know what was out there.”
Linda Millsaps, the outgoing Executive Director of GWRC, agrees. With the CPIS, she says, “We’re trying to remove barriers. If I know there’s going to be a parking spot at a commuter lot near the VRE, then I’ll be more likely to park my vehicle and take some type of transit.” She pointed to the Courthouse Road Park & Ride in Stafford County as an example of a lot that would greatly benefit from the CPIS. It quickly filled up pre-pandemic, resulting in frustrated commuters who tried to park there too late in the morning rush.
The primary goal of the CPIS is sharing parking availability data with third-party developers, who can then transmit the information directly to commuters. “Users will be able to get real-time information off of third-party apps that will help guide them in their [parking] decisions,” says Bill Cuttler, District Construction Engineer for VDOT and a member of the RM3P Executive Committee.
Not every parking lot has the infrastructure to count cars and available spaces. Ollis notes, “What infrastructure there is will be leveraged as best we can to provide that information. One hopes in the future we can add that technology to provide more and better data to the public.”
CPIS will leverage private industry innovations to avoid installing counters at every single parking space. The program could also draw on artificial intelligence (AI). A Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) grant recently awarded to the Commonwealth will help fund the deployment of AI technology that will enable the CPIS to predict near-future parking conditions.
“The base plan says what spaces are available right now, but if you’re leaving your house, the spaces might not be available by the time you get to the lot,” Cuttler says. That could all change with the support of the grant. “We’ll be able to enhance communication and predict what [parking conditions] will look like in 30 or 60 minutes, in the time it may take to finish getting dressed and head out the door,” he adds.
By allowing commuters to have more certainty over travel times, the CPIS will be a game changer. “If people don’t want to spend hours of their lives stuck in traffic, they have to think about their transportation alternatives and look for better options in their particular area,” Ollis says.
Beyond the expected benefits to commuters, the CPIS will help policymakers use construction money more efficiently. “We currently don’t have, in our region, the best connections between where some of these lots are and where public transit is,” says Millsaps.
This all results in an environmental benefit. “We’re looking at potentially reduced congestion, which would also reduce our carbon emissions and vehicle miles traveled, all of which helps us improve our carbon footprint,” says Cuttler.
For questions, contact us at RM3P@vdot.virginia.gov.