Does Bundled Parking Influence Travel Behavior?

Research Team: Miriam Pinski (lead) and Michael Manville

UC Campus(es): UCLA

Problem Statement: Parking requirements hide the cost of storing a vehicle in housing costs, making driving a more attractive option for vehicle owners than using alternative modes of transportation.

Project Description: This study uses data from the 2013 American Housing Survey to determine if the presence of bundled parking is associated with a household's transportation mode choice. After controlling for differences in socioeconomic and built environment characteristics, the presence of bundled parking is found to be associated with a 27 percent increase in vehicle miles traveled. Bundled households drive approximately 3,800 miles more, spend nearly $580 more on gasoline, and emit 1.4 more metric tons of carbon dioxide per year. Bundled parking is also negatively correlated to transit use, and households with unbundled parking are significantly more likely to be frequent transit users. This provides further evidence for the already strong case against parking requirements.

Status: Completed

Budget: $10,176