What do we mean by this sharing? The goal is to enable greater use of each parking space through different uses and users. One can think of a company that, during the day, offers its employees the possibility to park and, after closing the site, gives residents of neighboring areas the possibility to park in the unused spaces.
The advantages are obviously numerous:
- Greater optimization of parking space utilization; ;
- Reducing the number of parking spaces on public land, which frees up space for developing green spaces, bike lanes, or public transport lanes; ;
- An additional income for the company, which can then be reinvested in its mobility plan; ;
- Highlighting a fairer system for assigning and using parking spaces, a highly coveted resource!
Pooling is being advanced in the mobility (and parking) management sector as a revolutionary tool that drives positive change for a multitude of stakeholders, and this is indeed the case... with limitations that are often not directly addressed or sufficiently discussed.
Indeed, pooling the use of parking spaces, or any other resource for that matter, adds an extra layer of complexity for which it is necessary to be adequately equipped. The addition of new actors able to access a parking area requires the existence of a solid and collectively built governance structure to ensure the approval of the stakeholders involved.
The allocation and management of the various uses of parking spaces must be supported by a robust tool that can adequately support and optimize resource sharing. This also requires the tool to be agile enough to manage different user groups with varied rules, as well as their use of the spaces (reservations, payments, allocation requests, resource sharing, etc.).
Ultimately, preparatory work is necessary to convince the various stakeholders of the approach's added value, both in the short and long term. Indeed, the pooling of parking spaces causes significant disruption to management and travel habits. Adequate and long-term support must be provided to preserve and evolve the system so that it meets the changing needs of stakeholders.
With over 20 years of experience, mobilidée has helped create various governance frameworks for mobility management systems, ranging from mobility centers in industrial zones to the carpooling program in the Jura Arc. Mobilidée offers its expertise and innovative vision to local governments and businesses seeking to optimize transportation, reduce their carbon footprint, and move responsibly toward the future by promoting mobility that benefits all stakeholders.