Ecological Analysis of Parking Prices and Active Commuting in US Cities, 2009.
We conducted an ecological study to determine whether parking prices are associated with active commuting across US cities. We obtained parking prices for 107 US cities from the Drexel University Central Business District Public Parking Survey, obtained city prevalence of walking and bicycling to work from the American Community Survey, and used weighted least squares linear regression to explore associations between parking prices and active commuting. After adjusting for several covariates, walking to work was 3.1% higher for every additional dollar charged for off-street daily parking, but only among more densely populated cities, and no such association was detected for bicycling to work. These preliminary results hint at the potential for parking policies to influence commuting mode choice, a link that city planners and public health officials could consider when evaluating parking policies and active transportation behaviors.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Healthy Community Design Initiative, 4770 Buford Hwy NE, MS F-58, Atlanta, GA 30341-3717. Email: xdh5@cdc.gov.
Geoffrey P
GP
Whitfield
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Healthy Community Design Initiative, Atlanta, Georgia.
Arthur M
AM
Wendel
Drexel University School of Public Health, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Amy H
AH
Auchincloss
D000328:Adult; D001642:Bicycling / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002947:Cities; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D010299:Parking Facilities / Q000191:economics* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014186:Transportation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014481:United States; D016138:Walking / Q000706:statistics & numerical data