BOSTON REGION METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION HOME CONTACT US SEARCH SITE MAP
About Us
Metropolitan Planning Activities
Programs
Resources
Meetings and Events
Get Involved
Links
Mobility Monitoring – Park-and-Ride – MBTA Station Parking
OVERVIEW • REGIONAL TRENDS • ROADWAYS • INTERSECTIONS • TRANSIT
BICYCLE/PEDESTRIAN • HOV LANES • TRAVEL DEMAND MANAGEMENT • PARK-AND-RIDE
Overview • MBTA Station Parking • Park-and-Ride Lots for Bus, Car, Vanpool
Park-and-Ride Lots at Transit Stations
The MBTA system is served by park-and-ride facilities, which play a key role in attracting riders and reducing vehicle-miles traveled. Park-and-ride lots are especially appealing to commuters in suburban locations, which often have residential neighborhoods that are too far from stations for walking.

During the fall of 2005 and winter of 2006, MMS staff inventoried MBTA, private, and town-owned parking lots at 107 commuter rail stations, 29 rapid transit stations, 3 ferry terminals, and 2 express bus lots.
Findings
Of the 107 MBTA commuter rail park-and-ride lots, 63 (59 percent) filled to 85 percent or more of capacity (the level defined as “full” in this inventory). At rapid transit stations with parking, 16 out of 29 lots were full (55 percent). Hingham was the only commuter ferry terminal to fill, and Woburn the only express bus terminal. All findings can be downloaded at right.
Comparison with Previous Inventories
An inventory of park-and-ride lots at MBTA stations was conducted as part of the Congestion Management System (CMS), now called the MMS, in the fall of 2002. Only park-and-ride lots located the MPO municipalities were inventoried. Data for stations outside the MPO area were gathered from an inventory conducted in 2000.

In the 2005 / 2006 inventory, compared to the earlier data, fewer park-and-ride lots at MBTA stations filled during the morning peak period, and the percentage of parking utilization has also decreased. In the 2005 / 2006 inventory, 63 commuter rail stations were full, while in the 2000 and 2002 inventories, 72 were full. The parking utilization percentages at 8 of the 11 commuter rail lines have decreased since the inventories in 2000 and 2002.

Results were similar for park-and-ride lots at rapid transit stations. The lots at 16 stations were full before the last peak-period train in the 2005/2006 inventory, as compared to 22 stations in the 2000 and 2002 inventories. All four rapid transit lines also saw decreases in parking utilization.

The decreases in parking utilization are likely due to several factors, including:
  • Expanded parking at several stations, including Lawrence, Fitchburg, and Woodland
  • Increased parking fees
  • Transit fare increases in 2004 and 2007
Despite the decrease in the percentage of parking utilized and in the number of park-and-ride lots that fill to capacity, some stations experienced higher demand for parking, including Haverhill, Worcester, and Route 128 stations. A few commuter rail stations filled to capacity in 2005/2006 but did not in previous inventories.

Back to Top