Autonomous vehicles (AVs) are expected to improve mobility, safety, and parking accessibility. It is estimated that AVs will be available on the market in the next decade. As car-parks are closed environments, they are among the first locations to expect influenced by AVs. AVs can be stacked in multiple rows like valet parking due to their self-parking capability. To release blocked vehicles, car-park operators relocate certain vehicles in driverless mode to create a clear pathway for cars that need to leave the facility. The problem of finding the optimal car-park layout design is investigated that minimizes relocations to fit a given number of vehicles. Results show that AV parking facilities can decrease the need for parking space by an average of 62%. The operation of AV parking facilities is also investigated, and policies for choosing a parking spot for each vehicle are proposed based on the arrival and departure time information. AVs will not only change the car-park facilities, but also where travelers park. AV users can exit from their vehicles and send their vehicles to park in a strategic location. AVs can park farther from destination in cheaper parking lots or cruise for the whole activity time. Results show that while the same parking price across all the locations would exacerbate the congestion by motivating more AVs to cruise, a toll for zero- occupant AVs would decrease the congestion.

Sina Bahrami is a Postdoctoral fellow at University of Michigan. He received a B.S. and an M.S. in Civil Engineering from Sharif University of Technology, and a Ph.D. from University of Toronto. Sina’s research is focused on the parking policy in the era of Avs.