Empirical Evidence on Cruising for Parking

The literature on car cruising is dominated by theory. This is the first article that examines cruising for parking using a nation-wide random sample of car trips. We exclude employer-provided and residential parking. We demonstrate that cruising time is, on average, 36 seconds per car trip. Car drivers appear to choose their cruising time in line with economic theory: cruising time increases with travel duration as well as with parking duration, but falls with income. We also find that cruising is more common with shopping and recreation than for work-related activities. Cruising has a distinctive pattern over the day with a peak in the morning, so the order of arrival is essential to parking