Reliability analysis of stochastic park-and-ride network

Abstract

Park-and-ride (P&R) facilities can alleviate the traffic burden in central urban areas by enabling car drivers to park at the perimeter of congested areas and continue their journeys with public transportation (e.g., metro and bus rapid transit). Whether a P&R scheme is successful depends on its attractiveness to car users. This paper presents an evaluation method for the reliability analysis of P&R mode. Two indices, P&R reliability and mode reliability, are introduced to represent the reliabilities of a transfer point and an entire trip, respectively. Then, a systematic reliability analysis is conducted for a stochastic P&R network, where travelers can complete their journeys via two options: auto mode or P&R mode. A variational inequality (VI) model is proposed and solved by a heuristic solution algorithm. Numerical results show that the P&R facility reliability is significantly influenced by the capacity of parking facilities, the dispatching frequency of the connecting metro, and the metro fare. In addition, a higher level of total demand in the network has significant negative impacts on P&R mode's attractiveness compared to auto mode. © 2012 JMT. All rights reserved.