Methodologies
Parking flows analysis
Firstly, an analysis was made concerning the existing places
available for parking, their location and characteristics. Next, the
inflow and outflow of vehicles was computed in order to assess
the quantitative dimension of the potential parking problem at
the UC campus.
The supply of parking places
The results of an ad hoc computation process concerning the
available parking places within the study area can be found in Table
1. The figures are displayed according to the various types of
parking places identified.
These data show that more than 45% of the parking places (TA1
and TC) do not involve any kind of parking charges. On-street paid
parking places (TD), all located at Padre António Vieira Street, are
managed by the Coimbra City Council. Parking places with conditional
access to UC staff are managed by the university administration.
Access cards, which are generally subject to the payment of an
annual fee (160 € in 2010), in spite of being issued on an over-thebooking
basis, are largely insufficient to meet the current demand.
The demand for parking places
The previous figures allow a quantification of the supply of
parking places at the UC campus. The parking supply is mainly a
function of the physical conditions and the existing infrastructures.
On the other hand, the demand for parking computation is not so
straightforward. Vehicles that circulate and park at the campus
should be considered to explain the corresponding demand for
parking. Accordingly, the empirical approach selected to describe,
and quantify, the parking demand at the UC campus is the counting