SFpark Evaluation

Share this:

Pilot Evaluation

SFpark was a federally-funded demonstration of a new approach to managing parking. It used better information, including real-time data where parking is available, and demand-responsive parking pricing to help make parking easier to find. As a federally-funded demonstration of a new approach to managing parking, the SFpark project collected an unprecedented data set to enable a thorough evaluation of its effectiveness.

Evaluation findings

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) evaluated the SFpark pilot project to see how effectively this approach to managing parking delivered the expected benefits. The evaluation showed that after SFpark, San Francisco saw:

  • Average parking rates were lower
  • Parking availability improved
  • It is easier to find a parking space
  • It is easier to pay and avoid parking citations
  • Greenhouse gas emissions decreased
  • Vehicle miles traveled decreased

The SFMTA produced four documents as part of the evaluation, available online:

 

San Francisco Urban Partnership Agreement: National Evaluation Report (PDF, 26.7 Mb) — This document presents the final report on the national evaluation of the San Francisco Urban Partnership Agreement (UPA) under the United States Department of Transportation UPA Program.

Evaluation data

To evaluate the SFpark pilot project, the SFMTA collected an unprecedented amount of data, including some from never-before available data sources. This data enables a thorough evaluation of the pilot project and should be useful for other areas of transportation research. The SFMTA used a survey deployment plan developed in conjunction with the Federal Highway Administration Congestion Management and Pricing Team and other experts in parking and transportation planning and research to collect SFpark evaluation data.