ExpressPark - An Intelligent Parking Management System for Downtown Los Angeles

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1 ExpressPark - An Intelligent Parking Management System for Downtown Los Angeles Daniel Mitchell, P.E., PTOE and Peer Ghent, P.E. Abstract Partnering with Metro and Caltrans, the City of Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT) has been awarded a $15 million USDOT grant for the development and implementation of an intelligent parking management system for Downtown Los Angeles. This project, which is known as ExpressPark, is part of the $210.6 million Los Angeles Region Congestion Reduction Demonstration (CRD) Initiative. ExpressPark is proposed as a comprehensive strategy to relieve traffic congestion, to reduce air pollution, and to improve transit efficiency by applying the principles of demand-based parking pricing to develop operational policies. ExpressPark will employ vehicle sensors and a real-time parking guidance system to optimize the utilization of public on- and off-street parking in the Downtown Los Angeles Area, thus reducing the significant traffic congestion and pollution associated with drivers searching for parking. Similar to congestion pricing (e.g. high occupancy toll lanes), demand-based parking pricing will also encourage a modal shift to carpooling, bicycling, and public transportation. To support the new parking pricing and policies, new meter technologies will be deployed to provide motorists with alternative payment options and improved convenience. This paper will discuss the design challenges of ExpressPark and how LADOT is meeting these challenges for this High-Risk ITS Project. Project Description ExpressPark is proposed as a comprehensive strategy to relieve traffic congestion, reduce air pollution, and improve transit efficiency in Downtown Los Angeles through the implementation of demand-based parking pricing and operational policies. This demonstration project is funded by a $15 million USDOT grant and local matching funds through a partnership with L.A. County Metro and Caltrans. ExpressPark will utilize the latest parking meter technology and wireless vehicle sensors to manage approximately 6,000 on-street metered parking spaces. Based on data from these meters and sensors, the intelligent management system will recommend changes in meter policies (pricing, time limits, and hours of operation) designed to achieve between 10% to 30% available on-street parking spaces on each block. This in turn will reduce the estimated 30% of Downtown traffic comprised of drivers searching for parking. An integrated parking guidance system will guide motorists to available on-street spaces and City-owned off-street facilities by providing real-time parking information through the following methods: On-street Dynamic Message Signs (in select areas) Internet web site Mobile phones using Metro s 511 s interactive voice recognition technology Smart phones, such as iphone, Android, and BlackBerry In-vehicle navigation systems (pending industry support)

2 When not in use for active traffic management, LADOT will utilize existing Dynamic Message Signs (DMS) to provide parking information. In addition, LADOT will implement a limited number of smaller block-level signs to guide motorists to available parking in the immediate vicinity. After the implementation of preliminary phases in late 2011 and early 2012, the project is scheduled to be fully operational in April The demonstration phase will continue for at least one year through March Risk Mitigation The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has designated this project as a High-Risk Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) Project. As such, the project must be designed and implemented utilizing systems engineering principles. The Systems Engineering Management Plan (SEMP) must document the process and be approved by FHWA. At this point, LADOT staff has completed the SEMP through high-level design. For this project to be successful, LADOT and its contractors must mitigate the following risks: All of the equipment must function reliably. o Parking meters should record time paid. o Parking meters must report all transactions, including outages requiring maintenance. o Vehicle sensors must detect vehicle presence accurately. o Parking meters and vehicle sensors need to communicate with the parking management system in a timely manner. The parking management system must be able to process the data to provide: o Recommendations for revising meter policies o Output for the parking guidance system o Support for parking enforcement o Management of the meter collection process o Performance measures for LADOT management Systems Engineering Management Plan (SEMP) LADOT has completed drafts of four sections of the Systems Engineering Management Plan (SEMP): Systems Engineering Base Document; Concept of Operations; Project Requirements, and the Configuration Management Plan. These have been approved by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) as a condition for the obligation of funds for ExpressPark. LADOT and its contractors will continue to apply sound systems engineering principles throughout the life of this project to reduce risk. The prime contractor will be responsible for completing the pertinent parts of the SEMP through Operations and Maintenance, using the familiar Vee Diagram shown in Figure 1 as a guide.

3 Figure 1. Systems Engineering Vee Diagram - A life cycle model for system development and implementation Technology Demonstrations Parker for iphone App For the past four years, LADOT has conducted many tests and pilot projects to identify the best solutions for building an effective intelligent parking management system. Most recently, it launched the first mobile phone app to give drivers real-time parking information and a fast, convenient way to find open parking spaces at meters and nearby garages. Now available for Hollywood, the new Parker for iphone App uses real-time parking information from 800 wireless sensors located in metered parking spaces. Users can see block availability: blocks with more than four, two or three, or less than two open spots; as well as the closest areas with ample open spaces referred to by the app as rock star parking. The app also delivers information about parking space time limits, pricing, and payment options. It also will direct drivers to the nearest parking garages as an alternative to street parking. Directed Parking Enforcement Pilot Figure 2. Parker for iphone Screen Shot Combining the sensor data with payment information from parking meters allows for the identification of potential meter violations in real-time. Existing parking meters were equipped with a special network card to return payment information over the same mesh network, and LADOT launched a directed enforcement system for over 500 metered spaces in Hollywood to improve enforcement efficiency. Enforcement officers in the area were provided a ruggedized iphone with a special application that identified the potential meter violations and tracked enforcement activity in real-time. From February through May 2010, LADOT conducted an evaluation of this technology and found that the enforcement officers in the pilot outperformed the general population by over 250% on average for citation issuance. The return on investment

4 analysis suggests that the initial investment is recoverable within the first few months of deployment from increased revenue and savings in staff time. Other Field Tests In addition, LADOT has field tested several types of vehicle sensors, the latest models of multispace parking meters, and has installed over 22,000 enhanced single-space parking meters. Through this experience, LADOT believes it has mitigated most of the equipment risks. The largest remaining risk is the systems integration of all of the components to yield an effective intelligent parking management system. Baseline Data for Project Evaluation USDOT has a team of consultants who will evaluate the overall effectiveness of the project over the one-year demonstration period. This team is currently evaluating USDOT-funded congestion reduction demonstration projects throughout the United States. In order to facilitate the evaluation of ExpressPark s TM effectiveness, LADOT pre-deployed wireless vehicle sensors and advanced parking meters in approximately 10% of the spaces within the project area (see Figure 3) and began gathering sample data in September Figure 3. Parking Sensor Locations inside the ExpressPark zone

5 The data are gathered and stored continuously. They provide the baseline for evaluating the effectiveness of ExpressPark TM policy changes. Interpreting the data will require careful analysis to ensure an accurate reading of trends. For example, someone who looks at the overall data for one day in the Historic Core District (Figure 4) may conclude that there is plenty of available parking and parking rates should be lowered to encourage better utilization of the parking spaces. 100% 90% 80% 70% Percent Occupied 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% 300 Los Angeles St. (West) 351 Los Angeles St (South) 500 E 3rd St. (South) 300 Los Angeles St. (East) 400 E 3rd St. (South) 351 Los Angeles St (North) 300 E 2nd St. (South) Block Group Figure 4. Meter Occupancy by Block in the Historic Core District However, the overall data are an average of all hours of the day, including non-metered hours. A glance at the hourly data for one block on the same day (Figure 5) paints a much more varied picture in terms of demand. From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., the occupancy is between 58% and 82%, which is actually close to the desired occupancy. 100% 90% 80% 70% Percent Occupied 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% 12:00AM 1:00AM 2:00AM 3:00AM 4:00AM 5:00AM 6:00AM 7:00AM 8:00AM 9:00AM 10:00AM 11:00AM 12:00PM 1:00PM 2:00PM 3:00PM 4:00PM 5:00PM 6:00PM 7:00PM 8:00PM 9:00PM 10:00PM 11:00PM Time of Day Figure 5. Meter Occupancy by Hour on the 400 Block of E. 3rd Street (South Side)

6 Demand-Based Pricing Like high occupancy toll lanes, demand-based pricing is based on rudimentary supply and demand principles. If meters are priced too low, more drivers will wish to park there. Conversely, meters that are priced too high will deter a significant number of drivers. The goal of demand-based pricing is to locate a balance throughout the day. If meters are properly priced according to demand, fewer cars will cruise for spots, while the spaces will be well utilized. The Parking Management System will accommodate three successive phases of demand-based pricing development and implementation as follows: Phase I Base Hourly Rate. Using baseline data, the system will iteratively refine base hourly rates to influence demand toward the project goals. Phase II Time of Day. Building upon the demand balance achieved in Phase I, the system will identify peak periods and establish hourly rates by time of day. Phase III Adaptive. In select areas, the system will adjust rates per block in real-time based on current demand. The data that the LADOT have already collected help to illustrate how the demand model will ultimately work in practice. For instance, the block shown below in Figure 6 reveals occupancy of between 90% and 100% during the middle of the metered day. Occupancy levels this high will lead drivers to search surrounding streets for open spaces, thus adding to congestion. With demand-based pricing, the meter prices would increase during these peak hours to ensure the block has at least 10% vacancy. Likewise, at a low-demand metered hour (e.g. 5:00PM in Figure 4), the meter price would drop to increase block occupancy toward the 70% goal, thereby improving parking utilization. 100% 90% 80% 70% Percent Occupied 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% 12:00AM 1:00AM 2:00AM 3:00AM 4:00AM 5:00AM 6:00AM 7:00AM 8:00AM 9:00AM 10:00AM 11:00AM 12:00PM 1:00PM 2:00PM 3:00PM 4:00PM 5:00PM 6:00PM 7:00PM 8:00PM 9:00PM 10:00PM 11:00PM Time of Day Figure 6. Meter Occupancy by Hour on the 400 Block of W. 4th Street (North Side)

7 Conclusion Over the past five years, LADOT has implemented many exciting applications of new technology for improved parking management. Through the deployment of wirelesslyconnected sensors, parking meters, and pay stations in select areas of the City, parking management staff is routed directly to maintenance and enforcement needs, and customers can find the closest available parking, all in real-time. This new parking technology is now set to blanket all of Downtown Los Angeles, and, combined with an intelligent parking management system, become an innovative congestion management tool through demand-based parking pricing and a comprehensive parking guidance system. The ExpressPark project is providing an opportunity to test the premise that parking utilization can be improved by managing parking demand through pricing and by guiding motorists effectively to available spaces. In addition, demand-based parking pricing in Downtown is also expected to encourage a modal shift to carpooling, bicycling, and using public transportation to an area rich with these travel options. LADOT looks forward to implementing this exciting suite of technology applications through April 2012 and measuring the results over the one year demonstration period that follows. Author Information Daniel E. Mitchell, P.E., PTOE is a Senior Transportation Engineer for the City of Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT), where he currently leads the Meter Operations Division. He has over 14 years of experience in traffic and parking management with expertise in traffic signal operations. Mr. Mitchell earned a bachelor s degree in Civil Engineering from Loyola Marymount University and a master s degree in Transportation Systems Engineering from the University of California, Irvine. He is a licensed Civil and Traffic Engineer in the State of California, as well as a certified Professional Traffic Operations Engineer (PTOE). Dan has been a member of the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) since In 2004, he received the ITE Traffic Engineering Council s Outstanding Paper Award, and he was recognized by the ITE Southern California Section with the Young Transportation Engineer Award in Mr. Mitchell s contact information is: Dan Mitchell, LADOT Meter Operations Division, 555 Ramirez Street, Space 315, Los Angeles, CA 90012; Dan.Mitchell@lacity.org; Telephone and Fax Peer Ghent, P.E. joined the City of Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT) in October 2008 as a Senior Management Analyst in the Meter Operations Division. He is the project manager for ExpressPark. He has over forty years of business, government and academic experience. A registered civil engineer in the State of Louisiana, he received a Bachelor of Civil Engineering degree from Cornell University and a Master in Business Administration degree with high distinction from Harvard University. In 2009, he was appointed to the Board of Governors of the LA County Arboreta and Botanic Gardens. Mr. Ghent s contact information is: Peer Ghent, LADOT Meter Operations Division, 555 Ramirez Street, Space 315, Los Angeles, CA 90012; peer.ghent@lacity.org; Telephone and Fax