Carsharing and Public Parking Policies: Assessing Benefits, Costs, and Best Practices in North America

At present, local jurisdictions across North America are evaluating how best to provide parking spaces to carsharing vehicles in a fair and equitable manner. Some have initiated implementation of carsharing parking policies, and many continue to evolve as the demand and need for carsharing grows. Many others are seeking guidance on carsharing parking, based on the fledgling experience of other cities. This study documents the state of the practice with respect to carsharing and parking policies in North America. The study begins by providing background on the evidence of carsharing benefits and an overview of carsharing and parking policy internationally. This is followed, in Section Three, by a more detailed description of carsharing parking policies in North America that highlights key policy attributes, including parking allocation, caps, fees and permits, signage, enforcement, public involvement processes, and impact studies. In Section Four, in-depth case studies are presented for more advanced carsharing parking policies in the United States, including Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Portland, Oregon; Washington, D.C.; and the San Francisco Bay Area and the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) District. In Section Five, the results of a survey exploring the public’s opinion about the provision of on-street parking for carsharing in the San Francisco Bay Area is presented. Finally, in Section Six, key results are summarized to provide policy guidance to local governmental agencies considering the implementation of carsharing parking policies.