Published

20-8-2026

Type of Work

Dissertation, exegesis or thesis

Abstract

Parking dynamics directly influence land use and transportation efficiency. While conventional vehicles remain stationary for roughly 95% of their operational lifetime, private autonomous vehicles (AVs) can actively reposition themselves using strategies such as empty cruising, returning home, or seeking cheaper peripheral parking. This shifts space occupation from parking stalls to the active road network.

Using a high-fidelity microscopic simulation dataset for the City of Melbourne, this thesis examines the spatiotemporal trade-offs between parking dynamics and traffic flow across heterogeneous Traffic Analysis Zones (TAZs). Experimental results show that at a 30% AV adoption rate, alternative parking strategies decrease network-wide parking search distance by 41% and free up approximately 4,179 central parking bays. However, these parking gains cause substantial traffic externalities, increasing average travel duration by up to 443% due to heightened road occupancy and empty-vehicle travel.

To mitigate these impacts, the research evaluates policy and curb-space interventions. Findings indicate that distance- and time-based road pricing can effectively curb idle cruising, while reallocating 0.3% to 0.7% of existing parking bays per 1% AV adoption into dedicated pick-up/drop-off (PUDO) zones restores curb equilibrium without disrupting conventional vehicles. Ultimately, this work provides practical frameworks for transport planners to balance roadway capacity and curb utilization during the transition to autonomous mobility.

Citation

Bagha, H. (2026). The Implications of Autonomous Vehicle Adoption for Parking Dynamics and Traffic Flow [Unpublished Dissertation, SAE University College]. Creo.

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