Parking Recommendations | Beijing Municipal CPPCC Member Proposes: “Five Synchronizations” Between P+R Parking Facilities and New Rail Lines

Beijing’s special plan for P+R parking facilities aims to build 20,000 P+R parking spaces by 2020. However, as of the end of this year, only 9,530 spaces have been completed, leaving a shortfall of more than 10,000 compared with the target.

Recently, the Committee on Human Resources, Environment, and Urban Development of the Beijing Municipal Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference conducted an inspection of the construction status of P+R parking facilities. The committee members recommended revising the planning, land-use, investment, and construction procedures for P+R parking lots to be developed in conjunction with new rail lines, and suggested that such parking facilities should be approved concurrently with the corresponding rail‑line projects. Ensure that approval, investment, construction, acceptance, and commissioning are carried out in parallel with the main project.

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On-site: The P+R parking lot reaches full capacity before 7 a.m.

Around 9 a.m. yesterday, the reporter arrived at Xierqi Station, where the Changping Line and Line 13 intersect. The station’s P+R parking lot is located just outside Exit B. This parking lot beneath the bridge has only one empty space—reserved specifically for people with disabilities—while all the other spots are completely filled.

The parking lot was eerily quiet, with no vehicles coming or going. A parking lot manager told reporters that the lot is usually full by around 7 a.m. each day, with most vehicles parked for the entire day and not leaving until evening rush hour.

According to a responsible official from Beijing Infrastructure Investment Co., Ltd., the operator of the parking facility, this P+R lot was built in 2011 as part of the Changping Line subway project. It covers an area of 7,400 square meters and offers 182 parking spaces. From January to July this year alone, the parking facility has facilitated a cumulative 31,000 vehicle‑transfers, with an average of approximately 196 vehicles parked per weekday and a utilization rate of 107%.

At the P+R parking lot on the south side of Zhuxinzhuang Station, where you can transfer between Metro Line 8 and the Changping Line, there are still a few parking spaces available. There are two P+R parking facilities here, located on the north and south sides of the station, with a total area of 17,200 square meters and 336 parking spaces. Both were completed and put into service at the end of 2011. From January to July this year, the facility has provided parking services for a cumulative total of 46,000 vehicle trips, with an average daily occupancy of approximately 302 vehicles on weekdays and a parking space utilization rate of 90%.

Current situation: We’re still halfway short of the 20,000-unit planning target by the end of next year.

The Municipal Transportation Commission briefed the committee members on the development of P+R parking facilities in Beijing.

Beijing’s first P+R parking facility was put into operation in 2008. In 2012, the Beijing Municipal Commission of Transport, in collaboration with the Municipal Planning and Natural Resources Commission, formulated the “Special Plan for Park-and-Ride Facilities (P+R) in Beijing (2013–2020),” which set a target to establish a total of 71 park-and-ride facilities along rail transit lines by 2020, providing a combined capacity of 20,000 parking spaces.

Eight years have now passed, and a responsible official from the Municipal Transportation Commission admitted that the development of P+R parking facilities has fallen short of expectations. At present, only 24 out of 71 parking facilities are operational, offering a total of 7,869 parking spaces, for an implementation rate of just 34%. Including the nine P+R parking facilities beyond the planned 71, as well as the 357 spaces at the Tundian Station on Line 16 currently under construction this year, Beijing will have only 9,530 P+R parking spaces by the end of this year—less than half of the target of 20,000. Meanwhile, of the 71 planned P+R parking facilities, 46 still have no construction plans as of now.

According to statistics, in the first half of this year, the 21 rail‑station parking facilities operated by Beijing Infrastructure Investment Co., Ltd. and Gonglian Co., Ltd. provided a total of 6,127 parking spaces, which accommodated 674,000 vehicle trips. The average daily parking volume, including weekends, was 3,724 trips, with some stations experiencing weekday utilization rates that exceeded saturation levels.

Investigating the cause: Why is the construction of the P+R parking facility behind schedule?

What is causing the delay in the construction of the P+R parking facility? Following their field investigation, members of the Municipal Political Consultative Conference concluded that the primary reason is that, since the issuance of Beijing’s special plan for P+R parking facilities, demand for such parking has not been incorporated into the detailed control plans for individual land parcels, resulting in difficulties in securing suitable sites for P+R projects. Even among the P+R parking facilities already in operation, only the Huoying Station P+R lot is designated as planned parking‑lot land; the remaining sites are either temporary rail‑transit parcels, under‑bridge spaces, or leased areas. Due to these land‑use designations, it has been impossible to secure separate funding for either the construction of new P+R facilities or the expansion and renovation of existing ones. Meanwhile, the planned construction of a P+R parking facility was originally intended to coincide with the development of new rail‑transit lines. However, because approval of the transportation‑interchange plan lagged behind the commencement of the rail‑line project, even after the main rail‑transit works had largely been expropriated and constructed, a second round of land acquisition and relocation became necessary to secure the site for the parking lot—posing significant challenges.

Members of the Municipal Political Consultative Conference also pointed out that the principle set forth in the Special Plan—that “land use should, as a general rule, be integrated with other land uses; where such integration is not feasible, independent land parcels may be designated, subject to considerations such as three-dimensional development”—has effectively become a mere formality. Given the high commercial value of land near rail transit stations, districts lack the incentive to rezone such sites into standalone P+R parking facilities, and there is likewise insufficient planning‑level support for the integrated development of P+R parking lots.

Suggestion: P+R parking facilities shall be implemented in “five simultaneous steps” with new rail lines.

In response to the challenges in developing P+R parking facilities, CPPCC members recommend that P+R lots, bus shuttle services, and cycling infrastructure be planned and constructed in tandem with rail transit lines, ensuring coordinated development so that subway stations do not become “islands” cut off from public transportation.

In light of the needs for new line infrastructure, supplementary construction on existing lines, and the renovation and expansion of already operational parking facilities, the special plan for P+R parking facilities should be revised, and districts should be encouraged to incorporate these plans into their respective area-level control regulations. With regard to the approval of land use for P+R parking facilities supporting new rail lines, the planning, land‑use, investment, and construction procedures for such facilities should be streamlined and approved concurrently with the new rail line projects, ensuring that they undergo simultaneous review, investment, construction, acceptance, and commissioning alongside the main project. At the same time, drawing on the successful experiences of other cities, we will promote intensive land use and three-dimensional development for P+R parking facilities. For example, we could make the provision of P+R parking a prerequisite in the development of other commercial sites, or leverage the underground spaces beneath rail transit stations.

A small-scale survey conducted by the Municipal Transportation Commission indicates that approximately 40% of P+R parking users live within just 1 to 3 kilometers of a subway station entrance. Committee members recommend improving the design of sidewalks and bike lanes connecting subway stations to residential areas, providing residents with comfortable and safe travel conditions to encourage them to choose walking or cycling. Additionally, they suggest allocating more P+R parking spaces to commuters traveling longer distances—such as 5 kilometers or 10 kilometers.

Source: Beijing Daily