Lowell Parking Garage/Commuter Survey
Analysis
The Greater Lowell Transportation Management Association (GLTMA), responding to a request by its board of directors to identify potential solutions to the increasingly limited parking available in downtown Lowell, conducted a commuter survey in conjunction with the City of Lowell Division of Planning and Development. The survey was distributed and collected by the parking staff at the Ayotte, John Street, Lower Locks, and Market Street garages and the Davidson Street parking lot during the week of November 15, 1999 through November 19, 1999. The survey was designed to gather information regarding the origin, destination, and commute habits of the individuals utilizing the above parking facilities. Additionally, the survey was viewed as an opportunity to begin gathering baseline data for current carpoolers and to identify the receptiveness of current commuters to shared-ride options such as public transportation, carpools and park and ride lots located along commuter routes.
A combined survey response of 373 people was achieved. The following is a breakout of responses by location: Ayotte - 15%; Davidson Street - 20%; John Street - 31%; Lower Locks - 5%; and Market Street - 18%. Most survey respondents (79%) indicated that they drive to Lowell five days a week. The majority of those surveyed (89%) noted that they always park in the same garage.
Fifty four percent (54%) of respondents reside in a town served by LRTA fixed route public transportation. While 9% each of those surveyed commuted from southern New Hampshire or the Merrimack Valley respectively. The remaining 28% of commuters originated from scattered locations throughout eastern Massachusetts. The survey indicated the majority of commuters to Lowell (75%) travels 30 minutes or less and commute to Lowell for the purpose of work (68%) or school/college (26%).
Approximately 2% each of the remaining respondents commuted to Lowell for shopping, sight seeing or another unspecified purpose. The survey results identified the top three generators to the downtown area as Middlesex Community College - 33%; Lowell High School - 13%, and various employment locations for the City of Lowell - 7%. Additional downtown destinations include: Boott Mills - 5%; Saints Memorial - 4%; Department of Transitional Assistance - 3%; Enterprise Bank - 3%; and UMass Lowell, the Lowell Sun, and the Lowell Five - 2% each. Commuters to Lowell traveled to the City along the following roadways: Lowell Connector - 31%; Route 38 (Rogers Street) - 13%; Route 110 (Chelmsford Street) - 13%; Unspecified routes - 48%. The survey also indicated that 83% of commuters to Lowell arrive at their destination during the peak commuting hours of 7:00am and 9:00am. The departure time for commuters leaving Lowell is spread fairly consistently throughout the afternoon. Survey results indicate that commuters depart Lowell at a rate of 9% to 16% per hour between noon and after 6:00pm.
Only 12% of survey respondents indicated that they carpool on a regular or an occasional basis. Of those commuters who do carpool, 30% commute with one other person, while 49% carpool with two other people, and 19% commute with three or more people. Sixty-two percent (62%) of respondents specified that if the parking garages were consistently full or the cost of parking was prohibitive, the would opt for some form of shared-ride alternative: public transportation - 23%; carpooling/vanpooling - 21%; and shuttle service from a park and ride lot - 16%. Forty five percent (45%) of those surveyed stated that providing one of the following: a Guaranteed Ride Home program, tuition credit/book store discount, or pre-tax bus/train passes would serve as an incentive to participate in a shared-ride program.
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