“The influence of paid parking on congestion in an urban environment”

For most people, the car is considered a piece of freedom, the car provides you with a way to go wherever you want whenever you want. This belief is what makes people addicted to their cars, even in situations where driving is beyond rational, people keep on driving their cars. In large urban areas, driving a car can be a hassle due to heavy congestion and parking problems. Both congestion and parking problems are harmful to society, as they produce a loss in time and money, also they add to pollution and environmental problems. The problem of congestion tends to get worse, as the amount of traffic still increases, the peaks get higher and last longer, and travel predictability decreases. To stop this trend research has to be conducted in order to find out what causes it, and how the increase of congestion can be put to a halt. One possible solution to reduce the amount of congestion is by a system of paid parking. It is believed that the payment for a parking spot influences the amount of congestion. By providing an overview of existing literature, the aim is to determine the influence, paid parking has on congestion. The focus lies upon an urban environment.