Description
Developing park-and-ride lots offers designated areas for commuters to park and transfer to transit or carpool services, reducing private vehicle usage.
Implementation Details
- Identify underutilized parcels adjacent to major arterials as candidate park-and-ride locations, especially near express route stops and CV Link access points.
- Design facilities to include shaded waiting areas, lighting, bike racks, Electric Vehicle (EV) chargers, and secure lockers to support mode shift from Single Occupancy Vehicles to transit or shared modes.
- Integrate wayfinding and branding consistent with SunLine and regional corridors, and promote lots through community outreach campaigns and travel training.
- Partner with tribal governments and school districts to jointly develop shared-use facilities in community areas.
Mitigation Potential
Park-and-ride lots increase the availability of non-Single Occupancy Vehicle options for commuters. Either through transit or carpooling, VMT can be reduced from the mode shift. While not the same strategy, park and ride lots are now more commonly planned for as part of mobility hubs, which is a more efficient use of land and more effective at reducing VMT.
For more details, see Victoria Transport Policy Institute – Mobility Hubs for VMT reduction quantification.
Linked Strategies
Equity Considerations
Equity considerations for park-and-ride facilities include ensuring access in rural and disadvantaged communities that lack frequent transit service. Lots should be placed to benefit lower-income commuters, and partnerships with tribal governments and schools can increase access for residents without nearby transit. Design elements such as bike parking and lighting also enhance safety and access for non-drivers.
Funding Sources
Requires staff time to implement. Funding sources include the Surface Transportation Block Grant & Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Programs (Southern California Council of Governments), the Sustainable Transportation Planning Grant Program: Sustainable Communities: Competitive and Technical (Caltrans), and Measure A (Riverside County Transportation Commission) which is half-cent sales tax funding for transportation improvements across Riverside County.
Examples/Case Studies
Caltrans Park-and-Ride Program
Caltrans manages over 280 park-and-ride facilities statewide and offers site planning resources emphasizing lighting, bike lockers, and shared mobility connections
Coachella Valley Tribal and School Partnerships
Riverside County and local tribes collaborated on shared-use facilities, such as school-adjacent lots that double as community mobility hubs
(example cited in CVAG’s Active Transportation Plan and SRTP planning outreach reports).