Stated Preference-Based Analysis of the Impact of Bicycle Parking Fees on the Occupancy and Benefits of Bicycle Parking Stations

Abstract

Bicycle parking management is a strategy to address congestion in cities with high levels of cycling. One approach to tackle this issue is to construct bicycle parking stations that provide weather and theft protection. However, due to their high cost and limited capacity, a pricing strategy to manage occupancy may be useful. Nevertheless, there is a shortage of quantitative studies that analyze improvements in bicycle parking and specifically measure the impact of parking fees. This paper examines the effect of parking fees on the utility of planned bicycle parking stations at RWTH Aachen University using a synthetic population. The study uses a mixed logit model that is based on a stated preference experiment on bicycle parking (n = 2,960). The results suggest that parking fees can reduce parking facility occupancy while generating substantial revenues and profits.