Motorists in the US, Germany and the UK spend billions each year in time and fuel searching for parking spots then pay for more time than they need to avoid tickets that would likely cost less, a study released yesterday by traffic data aggregator INRIX showed.
As cities become more congested, the direct and indirect costs of parking become a headache for motorists and policymakers, who often have conflicting goals.
Drivers want cheap, plentiful parking, while governments in many large cities want to discourage vehicle traffic, reduce congestion and cut the air pollution generated as cars hunt for parking.
Meanwhile, automakers and technology companies hope to profit from guiding motorists more smoothly into parking spaces using smartphone apps or technology that automates parking maneuvers.
Kirkland, Washington-based INRIX provides traffic data to parking services and automakers and owns the parking reservation app ParkMe.
The study of parking costs was based on information from the company’s parking database and survey responses from 18,000 drivers in 30 cities in Britain, Germany and the US, the company said.
The study concluded that in the US, the average driver overpays for parking by US$97 per year by buying more time than needed, while average parking ticket costs are US$12 per year.
INRIX estimated that searching for a parking space in major US cities costs motorists an average of US$345 per year in lost time and wasted fuel.
In the UK, motorists pay for excess parking time by an average of ￡209 (US$269), although average parking ticket costs are ￡39 per year, the study found.
The search for parking consumes time and fuel valued at ￡733.
In Germany, INRIX estimated that motorists pay 98 euros (US$112) more than needed for their parking to avoid an average 8 euros in parking fines.
Drivers in Germany waste an average 896 euros a year hunting for places, the study found.
INRIX found that fewer than 10 percent of respondents in the three countries used one of many smartphone apps designed to help motorists find, reserve and pay for a space in advance of using it.
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