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To park or to develop is always a key question for transit station area planning. Planners are interested in a hybrid option: siting park-and- ride (P&R) facilities at the periphery of development around transitway stations. However; the literature offers little evidence on how far a P&R lot can be located from transitways while maximizing ridership and revenue. Using a stated preference survey of 568 P&R users in the Twin Cities; this study conducted several experiments to illustrate their walking tolerance and identify built environment attributes that influence the walking distance. Walking distance is much more important than intersection safety; pedestrian infrastructure; and building appearance in affecting P&R users' choice. The average walking distance is three city blocks when the minimum walking distance is set as two blocks in the experiments. Intersection safety; pedestrian infrastructure; and building appearance help mitigate the disutility of walking distance. If all three characteristics are adequate; it seems that P&R users are willing to walk 1.8 blocks farther than their existing facilities. A further analysis shows that the effects of these four dimensions vary by transit type. The analysis of stated importance illustrates that when determining how far P&R users are willing to walk; they value snow clearance; street lighting; and intersection safety the most. In general; the quality of sidewalk network connecting transit stops and P&R facilities is the most important; followed by safety and security attributes associated with the walking environment. However; the aesthetic quality seems to be the least important for P&R users.

The Minnesota Interstate Truck Parking Study was undertaken to help Mn/DOT develop the information necessary to support decisions regarding future approaches to the truck parking issues in Minnesota. The issues examined by the study effort include determining what the state's role should be in the provision of truck parking; which provisions of long term truck parking will provide the greatest support to the state's economy, and what actions will provide the greatest impact on traffic safety, while taking maximum advantage of effective technology and available federal programs. The Minnesota Interstate Truck Parking Study examined the supply and demand of public and private commercial vehicle parking along Minnesota’s three primary interstate corridors: I-90, I-35, and I-94. The study was conducted through three primary tasks: 1) An inventory of Minnesota's Interstate Truck Parking Supply; 2) Truck Parking Demand Analysis; 3) Survey Results of Trucking Company Practices and Attitudes Regarding Truck Parking.

Transitways such as light rail transit (LRT) and bus rapid transit (BRT) provide fast, reliable, and high-capacity transit service. Transitways have the potential to attract more riders and take a portion of the auto mode share, reducing the growth of auto traffic. Park-and-ride (PNR) facilities can complement transit service by providing a viable choice for residents who are without walking access to transit or those who prefer better transit service such as LRT or BRT. In this study, we conducted two research tasks on Transitways services in the Twin Cities region in Minnesota; 1) to examine the impact of the operation of the Green Line LRT on the annual average daily traffic (AADT) of its adjacent roads, and 2) to estimate a PNR location choice model in the Twin Cities metropolitan area.

In 1992 the ABC Ramps were completed in downtown Minneapolis as part of the I-394 construction project. The purpose of the ramps is to have programs that support efforts to reduce congestion and improve air quality by reducing SOV trips from the I-394 corridor. At the time the ramps were built; the ramp goals were aligned with the city of Minneapolis' parking system goals and the I-394 Corridor Management Plan. Since that time; however; the transportation modes; technologies; and plans surrounding the ramps have changed as well as the travel behaviors of the users. As the ramps reach the midpoint of their design life; this study examined the programs; policies; and goals developed for the ramps to ensure they continue to address current transportation challenges and align with regional stakeholder's goals and emerging trends; behaviors; and technology. The project culminated in a series of recommendations with implementation strategies for the ABC ramp management to improve its practice towards reducing congestion and improving air quality in downtown Minneapolis through innovative programming and marketing.

This Technical Summary pertains to report 2021-03, Impact of Transitways on Travel on Parallel and Adjacent Roads and Park-and-Ride Facilities.

This Technical Summary pertains to Report 2017-29, “Exploring Walking Tolerance of Transitway Users,” published August 2017.