Repairing and Maintaining Airport Parking Structures While in Use (2013)

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20 The Highway Capacity Manual (TRB 2010) (21) provides a definition of quality of service for transportation facilities. The following paragraph is quoted from that guidance document. Quality of service describes how well a transportation facility or service operates from a traveler’s perspective. Quality of service can be assessed in a number of ways. Among them are directly observing factors perceivable by and important to travelers (e.g., maneuverability), surveying travelers, tracking complaints and compliments about conditions, forecasting traveler satisfac- tion by using models derived from past traveler surveys, and observing services not directly perceived by travelers (e.g., aver- age time to clear an incident) that affect measures they can per- ceive (e.g., speed or arrival time at aircraft departure gate). Factors that influence travelers’ perceived quality of ser- vice have been found to include: • Travel time, speed, and delay • Number of stops incurred • Travel time reliability • Maneuverability • Comfort • Convenience • Safety (actual or perceived) • User cost • Availability of facilities and services • Facility aesthetics • Information availability (e.g., wayfinding signage, route and schedule information). Many of these factors also pertain to quality of service for airport parking and are of interest to airport parking managers. Survey respondents revealed that quality of service is ranked high in priority for airport parking management, because: • Parking facility operation is a significant revenue source for the airport. • More expensive and close-in airport parking structures compete with less expensive on- and off-site parking. • Airports compete with other nearby airports for travelers. • Airport travelers and visitors demand high quality park- ing services. Survey participants stated that if the areas closed dur- ing construction are not adequately maintained or perceived as too much of an inconvenience, the patrons may consider alternatives that might become permanent choices. Alterna- tives to on-site parking include: • Parking at remote airport lots • Parking at independent off-site facilities • Cab, shuttle, and limousine service drop off/pick up • Public transportation to/from the airport (bus and light rail) • Lower-priced remote parking • Family or friends taking the patron to the airport. planning to minimize parking patron disruption Maintaining a quality level of parking services during repair construction involves planning to minimize patron disruption and engaging interested parties and stakeholders. Tracking the peak travel days of the week and the peak travel months of the year allows airports to schedule repair and maintenance during periods of lower parking demand. The goal is to avoid the peak parking demand periods when scheduling major repair construction that impedes parking entry/exit, limits access to parking spaces, or lowers the num- ber of spaces needed to accommodate demand. Airport parking managers identified stakeholders that need to be included for maintaining airport parking services as follows: • Airport managers • Airport parking operators • Airport engineers, including architectural/structural, mechanical, and electrical workers • City, county, or state managers and involved departments • Airlines or concessionaires • Ground transportation managers • Maintenance groups • Information technology departments • Marketing and public relations • Planning committees • Financial managers • Contractors. Involving all stakeholders in the planning for airport park- ing structure repair allows early identification and response chapter five maintaining QualitY oF serViCes during reneWal oF airport parking struCtures

21 to otherwise unanticipated issues during repair construction. More information is presented in Appendix A: Survey Ques- tionnaire and Results. leVel oF serViCe LOS is defined by the Highway Capacity Manual as a quan- titative stratification of a performance measure or measures that represent quality of service (TRB 2010) (21). For the pur- poses of this report, level of service and quality of service are used interchangeably. There are three main areas that affect the parking level of service (22, 23): • Number of available parking spaces to satisfy demand • Surrounding conditions during repair • Signage and wayfinding. numBer oF aVailaBle parking spaCes to satisFY demand Parking operations records provide detailed information on the parking supply and demand at any particular time of the year. The number of spaces that can be taken out of service without adverse impact is the difference between the parking space demand during the selected renewal construction time period and the available parking supply, with some allow- ances for vehicle maneuvering and poorly parked vehicles that take up additional space. Traditionally, 85% occupancy is considered at capacity (12). The time required to locate an available parking space is also a major factor. Interviews with parking managers indicated that when parking space demand reaches the 85% capacity, the time required to locate a space increases significantly. Parking operators can help by providing additional staff to direct traffic or use electronic and lighted parking guidance systems to identify available spaces. Areas requiring closure during construction may change for different repair items. For instance, when a parking structure is undergoing concrete slab repair, the parking level immediately below the repair area and additional spaces for equipment and materials and maneuvering need to be vacated for safety rea- sons. Other demands include staging and storage areas for the repair contractor and the temporary traffic routes needed for vehicular access to parking spaces. Conditions during repair There are different concerns during parking structure repair relating to parking patrons and repair contractors. Designated repair construction areas are best shielded from the public for safety reasons, shielding patrons from injury while walking through the construction work zones. Typically, the construc- tion areas are enclosed to screen messy conditions; this also limits the amount of dust and noise impacts on the surround- ing environment. Construction requirements are generally spelled out in the contract specifications and are the responsibility of the repair contractors. Survey interviewees offered some effective methods of preventing cars parking in construction zones, including advance communication through signage and use of heavy barriers, such as water-filled barriers instead of fencing, yellow tape, or workhorses. It is best to use reflec- tive materials because of the potentially low light levels within parking structures. Vehicles are sometimes found improperly parked inside the work zones even after the fencing has been erected and installed. Removal of those vehicles is necessary for safety reasons and protection of property. When vehicles do need to be relocated, it is important to have established protocols to notify the vehicles’ owners, either through the airport’s police or other 24-hour emergency/information services, so that they can retrieve their vehicles. signage and WaYFinding Information availability is important to parking patrons’ per- ceived quality of service. Repair construction removes selected parking stalls and maneuvering areas from service and then returns these areas to service after completion of the repair. It is important the temporary signage always be displayed in key locations to direct traffic around the areas under construction and to provide directions for the modified ingress and egress of the parking facilities and airport terminals. Six of the 12 surveyed airports reported assigning the responsibility for providing temporary signage during repair construction to the repair contractors. However, airport man- agers usually retain the right to approve the signs in advance. In other cases, outside wayfinding consultants or an in-house signage department may assume the responsibility. Louis- ville International Airport, for instance, assigns responsibil- ity for the temporary signage during repair construction to its in-house signage department. The Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) for Streets and Highways (24) provides a compendium of signs, signage specifications, and recommended sign layouts and may assist airport parking managers in relaying wayfind- ing information. ACRP Report 52, Wayfinding and Signing Guidelines for Airport Terminals and Landside (25), provides an additional resource on laying out airport signage. Airport parking manager interviewees reported that tempo- rary signs need to be seen by parking patrons both in advance and during repair construction, but also be consistent with the layout and style of airport signage standards. Airport parking signs (21) should designate: • Airport entry or roadway • Entry to airport parking structures

22 • Directional signs within facilities • Pedestrian directional signs • Exit(s) from airport parking structures. During repair construction, airport entry or roadway signs such as the one shown in Figure 15 should show current infor- mation on parking availability. Within each parking facility, availability signs direct traffic to open parking spaces. A typi- cal parking availability sign at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport is shown in Figure 16. additional serViCes Depending on the length of time parking spaces are unavail- able, surveyed parking managers sometimes provide incen- tives, such as discounted fees or shuttles to other parking locations; or make available additional services such as valet parking to parking patrons during repair construction. The purpose is to lessen the impact of inconvenience and the negative effect of a lower level of service. Survey respondents reported that many airports have remote surface parking lots to handle long-term or economy parking or volume overflow. When parking spaces at structures next to the terminals are taken out of service, customers may be directed to the remote parking structures or surface lots, which typically have less expensive rates. Additionally, remote parking facili- ties at the airports typically have free shuttle buses, electric trains, or people-mover services to take patrons back to their respective airside terminals. However, if the parking opera- tor intends to use remote parking to offset the loss of close- in terminal parking, early communication to the public allows patrons to set aside extra time to park their vehicles. Valet services are available at some airports, but patrons may be deterred from using the service by the established fee. Airport parking managers can offer valet parking with reduced fees during repair construction if capacity allows. FIGURE 15 Entrance sign showing current information and parking availability (25) (Source: ACRP Report 52). FIGURE 16 Sign in the parking structure directing traffic to open parking spaces (25). (Source: ACRP Report 52).