Possibilities for the implementation of park and ride scheme in Vilnius city

Abstract

The annually growing number of vehicles headed to the centre of large cities of Lithuania makes a negative impact on the operation of transport system, and on the quality of life of local inhabitants causing traffic congestions, air pollution and traffic-generated noise. In order to eliminate those negative effects essential measures are necessary to decrease the need of inhabitants for using private cars to travel to the city centre. Currently, in large Lithuanian cities, namely in the capital city Vilnius, park and ride scheme is still in a planning stage. A transport network of Vilnius City (540 000 inhabitants) has no park and ride scheme yet which would help to avoid traffic congestions and to increase the number of passengers in public transport. The level of car ownership in Vilnius is 570 cars/1000 inhabitants. The existing bus and trolleybus routes account for 40 percent of urban journeys, the private cars - for 60 percent. The Vilnius Gediminas Technical University has developed a databank of public transport passenger flows, traffic loads on streets and intersections and road accidents. Comprehensive researches and analysis of Vilnius City transport system have showed that it is advisable to implement nine park and ride lots at the main suburban entrance roads to Vilnius City.