More people choose to park and ride

As capacity at park-and-ride facilities across the metropolitan area increases, so too does the demand by commuters who use them.

A recent survey showed that use of the region’s park-and-ride lots grew nearly 7% over the last year, increasing by 1,150 commuters. During the same period, approximately 2,200 parking spaces were added to the system, bringing the total capacity to 26,000.

graph showing use of park and rides growing as gas prices rise

The number of commuters using park-and-ride facilities has grown along with gas prices.

Growth in commuters’ use of the system in the last year slowed slightly in comparison to 2007, when use of facilities grew by 11% over 2006. That growth was due in part to commuters using park-and-ride lots after the collapse of the I-35W bridge.

“The economic slowdown and recent drop in fuel prices appear to have curbed the surge we observed during the previous year,” said Metro Transit Facilities Planner Charles Carlson.

But a spike in fuel prices this past summer may have helped convince a growing number of commuters to park their cars and board a bus or train to get to work or school, leading to the steady growth of use at facilities in 2008, Carlson said.

Despite expansion, some lots are over capacity

Over the past 10 years, regional transit providers have more than doubled parking capacity. At the same time, commuters’ use of the system has tripled, starting from nearly 6,000 in 1999 to more than 18,000 this past year.

In 2008, 11 new facilities were added, including a 1,450-space parking ramp at the 28th Avenue Station of Hiawatha light rail. Two facilities expanded – the Apple Valley Transit Station and the South Bloomington Transit Center – adding more than 400 parking spaces to the mix.

In 2008, 11 new facilities were added, including a 1,450-space parking ramp at the 28th Avenue Station of Hiawatha light rai.

Despite the expansion, demand at some locations is outpacing capacity. “Overall, system use is at 70%, but one-third of the facilities are near, at or over capacity,” Carlson said.

In the next two years, transit providers plan to expand, replace or add eight facilities – including six projects associated with the Urban Partnership Agreement – to help deal with demand. In the next five years, nine additional projects are planned, mostly along the outer edges of the metropolitan region. Additional park-and-ride facilities are included in the region’s 2009-2014 Capital Improvement Program and the Council’s 2030 Transportation Policy Plan in anticipation of future growth.

Commuters driving from long distances

As part of the annual survey, transit agencies, counties and other partners count the number of vehicles in the park-and-ride facilities in late September and early October. In 2008, staff also took the license plate number of each vehicle parked at lots to determine the users’ starting locations.

About three-fourths of the commuters come from inside the transit taxing district, which is composed of communities in which the Metropolitan Council levies a tax for investment in regional transit capital projects. About 15% are outside the transit taxing district but still come from within the seven-county metropolitan area, with the remaining driving in from neighboring counties and beyond – even as far as St. Cloud, Rochester and Mankato.