Support Strategies

Preferential Parking

Reserved parking in a desirable priority location is referred to as preferential parking. This is a low-cost, easily-implemented incentive to increase employee participation in ridesharing.

The policy can be implemented anywhere desirable to employees, such as near a building entrance, in a covered garage or in a guarded lot. Employers commonly give out stickers or “hang tags” to identify eligible vehicles and they designate preferred spaces with signs or pavement markings. These spaces can be reserved as a group or they can be assigned individually to specific people. Leaving a few extra spaces open for future reservations often encourages program growth in the future.

Instituting preferential parking requires some planning about the exact number and the location of the spaces that will be reserved. For an even more successful program, you should start a registration process, monitor space usage, and enforce restrictions by ticketing or towing.

How can preferential parking benefit employers and employees?
Providing preferential parking can:

• Make ridesharing more convenient
• Bestow “status” on eligible employees
• Reduce demand for more parking
• Remind non-participating employees of the program’s benefits
• Reduce an employer’s cost of providing parking

Where can preferential parking be used?
While preferential parking can be implemented anywhere, it is most effective where parking is limited, where the parking area is large and available spaces are far away or where many spots are considered undesirable by employees.

How can employers set up this program?
The local Transportation Management Association (TMA) can help you:

• Select the number and location of preferred spaces
• Define policies concerning eligibility, registration, etc.
• Develop systems of monitoring and enforcement
• Mark preferred spaces (painting, signs, etc.)
• Promote the incentive
• Register eligible ridesharers and assign spaces