Analysis of Cruising Process and Psychological Decision of On-Street Parking

Due to the imbalance between parking supply and demand, cruising for parking frequently brings substantial impacts on road traffic. A concurrent video and questionnaire on on-street parking was conducted in Beijing to address these issues. From a procedural and psychological perspective, a structural equation model was established to examine the relationship between psychological factors and the characteristics of the cruising process. It was concluded that travellers display different cruising characteristics for parking under different conditions. In relatively unsaturated on-street parking occupancy conditions, travellers demonstrate greater variability in their vehicle trajectories and hesitate when making parking decisions. Conversely, in saturated conditions, they exhibit small fluctuations and fear the unavailability of parking spaces ahead. Short-term parkers typically prefer parking as close as possible to their destination and may opt to park illegally if these are full. Psychological and parking-related features play a crucial role in directly shaping on-street cruising characteristics. Additionally, individual differences, parking features and the occupancy status of parking spaces can exert indirect influences on this process through the mediation of psychological factors. Targeted policies can be developed based on different cruising psychology analyses to influence travellers’ parking decisions and mitigate the negative impacts of cruising for parking on road traffic.