Research of Park and Ride Parking Spaces Tiered Pricing Methodology Based on Subway Ride Distance

Park and Ride (P&R) as a demand management tool has the effect of reducing traffic congestion in urban centers, saving energy and reducing pollutant emissions. Since 2000, many cities in China have been constructing P&R facilities, which have partially alleviated urban traffic congestion and provided a time-reliable mode of travel for commuters heading to urban centers. However, in recent years, due to the pricing policy of the P&R facility, there has been an insufficient supply of P&R facilities in many places. In fact, the P&R system prefers to welcome travelers who make long-distance subway rides and does not want those who make short-distance subway rides to occupy more parking spaces. To address this, this paper proposes a tiered pricing strategy that considers charging parking fees based on the distance traveled by commuters after switching to public transportation, to improve the utilization of P&R. That is, charge less for parking for long-distance subway riders and more for short-distance subway riders. Firstly, based on questionnaire data from SP surveys, a fixed pricing mixed logit model (FP model) and a tiered pricing mixed logit model (TP model) for P&R facilities are constructed. Utilizing two models, we explored the mechanisms underpinning traveler’s mode choice influenced by daily habits and travel considerations through the comparison of the two models to validate the effectiveness of the tiered pricing for P&R facilities. The study found that the implementation of a tiered pricing method for P&R facilities increases its attractiveness to long-distance subway ride travelers, resulting in a higher proportion of long-distance subway riders among P&R commuters. In the study’s last section, a marginal effect analysis was conducted on the per-kilometer cost (Pkm) within the P&R model. This analysis determined the optimal Pkm for three subway travel distances within the P&R model. Consequently, it calculated the corresponding P&R parking fees for these three subway travel distances. Additionally, we have predicted the implementation effects of the tiered pricing scheme.