The role of on-street urban parking schemes for power two wheels in sustainable mobility

摘要

In order to improve the provided level of urban mobility, transportation planners are trying to implement measures and their associated infrastructures which are placed along the urban environment. The main objective of these measures is to force daily trips, mainly for work and entertainment purposes, to alternative modes of transport which do not aggravate the environmental conditions so much and, in general, can lead to a more efficient operation of the urban transport system of a city. Local authorities have already understood the importance of this fact and are trying to ensure, in a more organised way, the attractiveness of this alternative choice along the trip chain (from the origin point to destination point). The Municipality of Thessaloniki, Greece, has quite recently constructed a number of parking sites for Power Two Wheels (PTW) in the city centre, in order to support the use of alternative, less polluted means of transport as motorbikes and mopeds. The research presented in the framework of this paper has attempted to determine the advantages and disadvantages of this PTW parking scheme related to its operation. The methodology followed includes on site observations in twenty five (25) organized parking sites for PTW all over the city centre and at the same time includes the assessment of demand and supply in each site. The results of a stated preference survey are also presented, investigating the responses and expectations of motorcyclists as far as parking facilities are concerned in the central area of Thessaloniki.