“Most people in transportation focus on the five percent of the time that cars are moving. But the average car is parked 95 percent of the time. I think there’s a lot to learn from that 95 percent.” Donald Shoup when asked why he studies parking.

…So what?

First, I have confirmed that Shoup’s estimate of 95% does seem widely applicable. Across the world cars seem to be parked at least 92% of the time and typically about 96% of the time, according to the 1995 data mentioned above. I doubt more up to date or accurate data sets would change this number much. 

But why should we care?

One reason to talk about this is to highlight the importance of parking. It is what cars do the vast majority of the time.

It highlights a crucial inefficiency of mass private car ownership. It points towards huge parking space savings (an enormous land bank) that shifts away from mass car ownership might open up, if only we could massively improve the alternatives including making car-sharing and other ‘metered access to shared cars’ (MASC) more of a mass market phenomenon.

read more: reinventingparking, 22.02.13.

we need more carshare and rideshare. (in addition to changes in parking policy, transportation policy, etc..)

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    interesting observation that’s often overlooked. what are some of the potential uses of parked cars? could parked...

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    Reasons I love policy: While doing a project about parking for school I got so many sympathetic looks and condolences...

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    … and therefore, why not collaboratively consume car usage?

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