TDM Toolbox

Mitigation Calculator

Subsector: Parking or Road Pricing/Management
Preferential Parking for Rideshare
VMT Reduction Potential: 3
Cost: 1
ROI: 3
StanCOG Relevancy: 3
Land Use Content: Urban, Suburban
Trip Type: School, Residential, Commute, Recreation
Scale: Community, Site
Timing: Short Term (1-3 years)
Implementors-Private: Developers (Employment), Developers (Residential), Employers, Property Managers
Implementors-Public: Municipalities, Regional Agencies
References: California Air Pollution Control Officers Association (2024), StanCOG 2024 Congestion Management Process, StanCOG StanisCruise Program

Description

This measure involves updating parking facility design to prioritize ridesharing vehicles by placing carpool and vanpool parking spaces near front entrances and more convenient locations. CAPCOA encourages this strategy to prioritize shared vehicle users while discouraging Single Occupancy Vehicle parking near congested areas

Implementation Details

  • Require or encourage preferential parking spaces for carpools and vanpools at major employment centers and large new developments.
  • Work with employers participating in StanCOG’s StanisCruise program to identify opportunities to designate high-quality parking spaces for registered carpool and vanpool vehicles.
  • Prioritize preferential parking near building entrances, employee entrances, and other convenient locations while maintaining required ADA parking and loading areas.
  • Develop standard signage and striping guidelines that municipalities and employers can use to identify shared-ride spaces.
  • Incorporate preferential parking requirements into transportation demand management conditions for major employment and residential developments.

Mitigation Potential

Preferential treatment, free/reduced parking fees, priority parking, or parking located in convenient locations encourages ridesharing, which reduces VMT. The measure’s impact on VMT will vary on existing travel patterns and current parking inventory. While there are not quantification methods for measuring the impact of this strategy alone, this strategy is often provided as part of a package of strategies in Employer Sponsored TDM programs.

Linked Strategies

Equity Considerations

Preferential parking programs should be structured to avoid overburdening delivery drivers and service workers while reducing reliance on Single Occupancy Vehicle trips. Cities should avoid displacing loading and unloading zones or ADA parking spaces.

Funding Sources

Operations and enforcement will most likely be managed by employers or property managers. StanCOG’s Measure L program can provide local transportation funding for eligible transportation improvements, while federal CMAQ funding administered through StanCOG has historically included rideshare/vanpool and telework projects. Employers can also implement preferential parking as a relatively low-cost component of broader commute programs without requiring major capital funding.

Examples/Case Studies

StanCOG StanisCruise Vanpool Program

StanisCruise provides an established regional rideshare and vanpool program serving Stanislaus County. StanCOG’s 2024 CMP identifies preferential parking for shared-commute vehicles as an employer incentive that can be paired with StanisCruise’s commute programs. In 2025, the program supported an average of 95 active vanpools and approximately 16,500 passengers per month, demonstrating an existing local market for shared commuting.