How Many and Where to Locate Parking Lots? A Space–time Accessibility-Maximization Modeling Framework for Special Event Traffic Management

Special event traffic planning and management needs to accommodate high traffic demand volume and special distribution patterns with dramatic structural deviations from the normal conditions. To provide sufficient transportation service supply that matches non-typical demand needs, this paper explains how to systematically optimize the locations of park-and-ride stations, the number of additional parking lots, and the bus rapid transit schedules. The goal is to maximize the number of travelers who can complete their activity tours within a reasonable travel time budget. Based on a space–time network construct, this paper formulates a network design problem to maximize the system-wide transportation accessibility from different origins to activity locations at special event sites. A linear integer programing model is proposed to formulate the joint optimization of the location and capacity of parking lots associated with mega-event sites. Illustrative and real-world examples are used to examine the effectiveness and practical usefulness of the proposed modeling framework.