WORKPLACE PARKING CHARGES

Workplace Parking Charges

Table of Contents

METHODOLOGY3

Research Design3

Questionnaire type, design & structure3

Pilot testing3

Participant characteristics3

Data collection method4

Ethical Concerns5

Reliability6

Validity7

Data Analysis8

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS10

DATA ANALYSIS125

THE MANCHESTER CASE STUDY131

Socio-Economic Factors131

Travel Characteristics132

Travel Behaviour133

Employers Profile134

Congestion Levels134

Environmental Concerns136

REFERENCES137

APPENDIX139

Survey Questionnaire for Workplace parking charges139

METHODOLOGY

Research Design

For this study, quantitative approach was adopted. Quantitative research is research involving the use of structured questions where the response options have been predetermined and a large number of respondents is involved.

Questionnaire type, design & structure

Questionnaires are a common method of implementing research for business, academics, science or any type of research. Respondents completed a variety of 15 single and multiple questions. (Hands 2000:15-20)

The same questionnaire was also submitted to residents of suburban/fringe housing schemes. Fifteen questionnaires were analysed. These data are employed to make tentative comparisons with the Manchester data due to the limitations of such a small sample frame.

Pilot testing

The questionnaire was also pilot tested among a small group of employees outside the working area.

Participant characteristics

The majority of people responding to the survey therefore lived in an apartment (84%), reflecting the much higher volume of questionnaires received from an inner-urban location. Two-bed dwellings, occupied by a single person, represented the most common property by type and by occupier. Parents living with children formed only a very small part of the survey (12% of those responding), so the overall findings are less reliable for drawing conclusions with respect to family houses (particularly in suburban/fringe locations). Two-thirds of the 33 respondents replying were in the age band 26-45. Levels of car ownership did not appear to be influenced by location (acknowledging the small sample for the suburban fringe). The key difference between locations was that levels of multiple (two) car ownership increased with distance from Manchester (rising from 15% in Manchester to 29% in suburban and fringe locations).

Data collection method

Research questionnaires were submitted to employees of a various working offices, at an inner-urban location (Manchester). Data are presented on the 15 completed questionnaires. The findings are thus drawn from this Manchester -based analysis and caution must be voiced before reaching inferences from this data for all housing types or geographical locations.

This location was chosen because it best illustrates the tensions between parking provision and vehicular ownership. Manchester enjoys the highest levels of car ownership per household. Further, inner-urban locations in Manchester are arguably best placed for non-car-based transport use. Would these residents embrace the notion of car-free development in such a sustainable 'ped-shed' location against the background trend of increasing levels of vehicular ownership? Taking statistics for 2007/2008, one and two-bed apartments (the nature of housing occupiers surveyed for the urban sample frame of this work) accounted for 15.6% of all private sector housing completions in England and 53.9% of all such completions in Manchester.

Ethical Concerns

Researcher is fully aware of the ethical issues involved in this work. Responsibility for all procedures and ethical issues related to the project rests with the principal investigators. Research will be conducted in such a way that the integrity of the research enterprise will be maintained? and negative after-effects which ...