Parking management, financial subsidies to alternatives to drive alone and commute mode choices in Seattle

This paper develops a nested logit model to examine the impact of parking management, financial subsidies to alternative modes to drive alone, as well as travel demand management strategies on people's commute mode choices in Seattle based on the Washington State Commute Trip Reduction dataset in 2005. The major findings of this paper suggest that commuter's mode choice can be affected by various public policy tools. In particular, we find commuters' drive alone to work rate decreases as a response to higher SOV parking charges, higher HOV parking discount, and lower onsite parking space ratio. When employers provide reserved parking for HOV and HOV fleet vehicles for shared riders, commuters' likelihood to share ride to work also increases. Commuters also respond to direct financial subsidies to alternative modes positively.

► We investigate the impact of parking management and financial subsidies to alternatives to drive alone on mode choices.
► A two-level nested logit model is applied.
► Commuters' drive alone to work rate decreases with higher SOV parking charges and HOV parking discount.
► Lower on site parking space ratio is associated with lower likelihood to drive alone to work.
► Commuters also respond to direct financial subsidies to alternative modes positively.