Park and ride

Signs for passenger parking in France and P + M facilities on a federal highway in Germany

Sign 316-50: the traffic sign for "parking and driving", which has been in effect since 2017

Parking and driving or P + M for short (also Park and drive or P + D for short ) is a linking principle in traffic planning . Here, travelers meet at a junction point (for example, a free passenger parking space) so that they can then continue with a car in a car pool. In contrast to the other common linking principles (such as parking and travel or bike and ride ), the parking-and- ride principle does not change the traffic system .

This linking principle is a practicable solution for avoiding traffic in traffic planning, but for various reasons there are limits to the spread of parking and car sharing (see section “Advantages and disadvantages”).

use

Surveys have shown that predominantly people of younger age make use of this linkage principle. The age group between 26 and 40 years makes up the largest proportion of P + M users. However, the entire transport capacity of a car is rarely fully utilized. Most car pools that meet at a P + M parking lot consist of two people. The predominant purpose of the trip is the way to the place of work ( commute ) or (subordinate) the way to an educational establishment (mostly school, university or vocational school).

Passenger parking

Motorway junction with a passenger parking space in a driveway (top left)

Initially, there were no special parking spaces available for the users of this linking principle. The vehicles were parked at junction points or on trunk roads . In order to enable orderly parking and at the same time to increase the attractiveness of this principle, a planned system of passenger parking spaces (also known colloquially as commuter parking spaces) was started in the 1980s. In 1986, for example, the state of Baden-Württemberg already had 75 P + M spaces with a total of around 2,400 parking spaces. The State of Hesse has continuously maintained an online map since 2008, on which all P + M places in Hesse are listed and on which detailed information such as the usual parking space utilization and lighting can be viewed.

Advantages and disadvantages

Using the park-and-ride principle has various advantages and disadvantages. The travelers benefit from a reduction in travel costs and protect the environment by participating in a car pool, as the degree of occupancy per car is increased. In contrast to normal carpooling, this type of link can also form groups in which the individual people do not have a common place of residence.

In particular, parking the vehicles at the connection point proves to be problematic. For example, there is not a passenger parking space at every motorway junction or the existing passenger parking space is already fully utilized. Due to limited space or a lack of financial resources, it is not possible to create passenger parking spaces at all connection points or to expand existing parking spaces. The result is often a wild parking next to the road, under bridges or on the edge of forests and agricultural areas. In addition to the insufficient availability of parking space, vandalism and theft can also be a problem, as these are usually unguarded parking spaces in a secluded location.

Furthermore, organizational and interpersonal aspects can limit the spread of the P + M principle. The meeting at the connection point as well as the common return to the connection point require a previous appointment and, if necessary, a renewed agreement in the event of subsequent changes to the agreed times, as well as compliance with them. This interdependence leads to a reduction in flexibility (a major advantage of using a car).

Individual evidence

1. ^ Research Society for Roads and Transport: Notes on P + R in small and medium-sized towns . FGSV Verlag, Cologne 1998, p. 8 .
2. ↑ ^{a b} Tom Reinhold: Park & ​​Rail - An individual and macroeconomic view of interfaces between motorized individual transport and long-distance passenger rail transport . Berlin 1996, ISBN 3-7983-1713-5 , pp. 24 .
3. ↑ Dr. Stefan Köhler: Parking-and-Ride (P + M) on federal freeway entrances in the Franconian region . Regional Association Franconia, Heilbronn 1994, p. 10 ff .
4. ↑ Dr. Stefan Köhler: Parking-and-Ride (P + M) on federal freeway entrances in the Franconian region . Regional Association Franconia, Heilbronn 1994, p. 3 .
5. ↑ P + M | About this page. In: Parking and taking away in Hessen. ivm GmbH (Integrated Traffic and Mobility Management Region Frankfurt RheinMain), October 1, 2016, accessed on October 20, 2018 .