Types of conventional Parking systemConventional parking system can be divided into two main parts, namely on street parking and off street parking.

On Street Parking

In this type of parking system, the vehicles are usually parked on the street itself. Generally, these parking spaces are controlled by government whereby parking coupons are provided to park in some of these parking spaces. The current rate is Rs20 for two hours in Mauritius. On street parking system can be further divided into parallel parking, 30⁰ parking, 45⁰ parking, 60⁰ parking and right angled parking.

Figure 1: On street Parking.

Parallel Parking

The vehicles are parked alongside the road. There is no forward or backward movement comprised while parking or unparking. This type of parking strategy has the lowest risk of accidents but consumes a lot of spaces.

Figure 2: Parallel Parking.

30⁰, 45⁰,60⁰, right angled parkingHere, the vehicles are parked depending on the degrees of the parking space to the road. For example, for a 30⁰ parking, the vehicles are parked 30⁰ to the road, in this way for a 45⁰, 60⁰ and right angled parking, the vehicles are parked 45⁰, 60⁰ and right angled respectively to the road. In this system, as the number of degrees increases, the number of parking spaces increases. However, for a right angled parking, there is difficulty in parking the vehicle and also obstruction and accidents can occur.

Figure 3: 30⁰,45⁰,60⁰,right angled parking.

Offstreet Parking:

This consists of areas used only for parking purposes. It is found some distance away from the mainstream traffic and is usually controlled by the commercial organizations.

Figure 4: Offstreet Parking.

Effects of Parking Congestion

On street parking as well as offstreet takes a huge amount of space alongside the road and other areas. This results in a decrease of the road capacity. Hence, the traffic speed is reduced considerably leading to an increase in the journey delay time as well as an increase in the operational cost of vehicles. Moreover, pavements are also blocked by vehicles parked onto them, forcing the pedestrians to walk on the road.

Figure 5: Congestion caused by vehicles being parked alongside the road.

AccidentsAccidents can be caused by inattentive manipulation of vehicles while parking or unparking. Driving in and out a vehicle from the parking lot, incautious opening of doors are among the most common parking accidents. Moreover, due to lack of parking lots, some vehicles are parked on the pavement, giving the pedestrians no other choice than walking on the road and hence this can cause accidents.

Figure 6: Vehicles parked on pavements.

ObstructionEmergency operations involving firefighting, ambulance and police can be obstructed due to the wrong parking of vehicles.

Environmental PollutionParking can also cause pollution such as noise and air pollution due to the redundant stopping and starting of the vehicles. Moreover, parking alongside and near buildings can be an eyesore to the environment as the aesthetic beauty of the buildings is hindered.

SecurityParking is becoming more and more insecure. Vehicles are being vandalized and even stolen. Moreover crimes such as thefts, murders and rapes are increasing in parking spaces such as multi-level parking or underground parking.

References Rathi et al; 2007-2014.Different types of Parking Spaces and Multiple Level Car Parking .

[ONLINE] Available at: http://www.engineeringcivil.com/different-types-of-parking-spaces-and-multiple-level-car-parking.html. [Accessed 30 August 2014].

Rathi et al;2014. Different types of Parking Spaces and Multiple Level Car Parking . [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.engineeringcivil.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/off-street-parking-520x346.jpg.[Accessed 30 August 2014].

Rathi et al;2014. Different types of Parking Spaces and Multiple Level Car Parking . [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.engineeringcivil.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Parallel-Parking-520x294.jpg. [Accessed 30 August 2014].

Rathi et al;2014. Different types of Parking Spaces and Multiple Level Car Parking . [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.engineeringcivil.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Parking-on-Basis-of-Angles-520x459.jpg. [Accessed 30 August 2014].

Menon, G., 2004. Report on Congestion Pricing in Portlouis [online].Mauritius, Ministry of public infrastructure and land transport. Available from: http://publicinfrastructure.gov.mu/English/Publication/Documents/congest.doc. [Accessed 30 August 2014].

REPUBLIC OF MAURITIUS., 2001. Integrated National Transport Strategy Study Summary Report (Final) [online]. Mauritius. Available from: http://publicinfrastructure.gov.mu/English/Publication/Documents/summary.pdf. [Accessed 31 August 2014].