Park and ride: leaving your car outside and entering the city

At present, the idea of allowing visitors arriving in Tashkent to leave their cars at parking facilities outside the city and enter the center is being actively discussed by the public. This system is known as Park and Ride.

Park and ride (also called incentive parking or a commuter lot) is a parking facility connected to public transport, allowing travelers heading to the city center to leave their cars there and continue the rest of their journey by bus, rail transport (metro, light rail, or suburban trains), or taxi.

The car is usually left at the parking lot for the day and picked up when the owner returns. Park and ride facilities are typically located in suburban towns and districts around large cities or along the outer boundaries of megacities. If such a parking area serves only carpooling and is not connected to public transport, it may be referred to as park and pool.

In some countries, park and ride facilities are marked on road signs with the abbreviation “P+R,” and in marketing materials they are often written as “Park & Ride.”

How did the system emerge?

In Sweden, if an employer provides an employee with free or discounted parking and the employee would otherwise have to pay for parking, this benefit is subject to taxation. This tax reduced the number of people driving into city centers and significantly increased the use of park and ride facilities, particularly in Stockholm. Later, the congestion tax introduced in Stockholm further strengthened the use of the P&R system.

In Prague, park and ride parking lots were established near metro and railway stations. By 2011, there were 17 such facilities in total, located near 12 metro stations and 3 railway stations. These parking areas are offered at relatively low prices.

Key advantages

Park and ride facilities help drivers avoid congested city-center roads and the stress of searching for expensive and limited parking spaces. By encouraging the use of public transport, they can contribute to reducing traffic congestion.

This system is especially useful for commuters who live too far from railway or bus stations to walk comfortably. It is also convenient for owners of alternative-fuel vehicles with limited driving range. Park and ride areas often serve as permanent meeting points for car-sharing and carpooling. In some cities, these parking facilities include waiting rooms, restrooms, and informational materials. Larger complexes may also offer travel offices, shops, car washes, or cafés.

Bus-based park and ride

Bus-oriented park and ride systems first appeared in the United Kingdom in the 1960s. The city of Oxford was the first to introduce such a system. Today, there are five large park and ride parking facilities around Oxford with a combined capacity of more than 5,000 cars. There are also examples worldwide of parking facilities connected to railway stations that include bicycle storage.

Is entering major cities paid?

In almost all major cities around the world, there is some form of “leave the car outside and enter the city” policy. For example, entering central London by car is subject to a fee. This system is called the Congestion Charge and involves a daily charge for driving a vehicle into a designated central area of the city. It was introduced in 2003 and is considered one of the most well-known urban transport management models in the world. The system is operated by Transport for London (TfL).

The charge applies to central London (approximately 21 square kilometers). The paid zone is clearly marked with road signs and maps. The system operates from Monday to Friday, from 07:00 to 18:00. It does not apply on weekends or public holidays. Currently, the congestion charge is £15 per day. Regardless of how many times a vehicle enters the zone in one day, the fee is paid only once. Electric vehicles are exempt, as are taxis, motorcycles, and emergency services.

Similar approaches exist in other major cities such as Paris (where car traffic is restricted in central areas), Madrid (with environmental restriction zones in the city center), Istanbul (which has major transport hubs at city entry points), Singapore (where entry into the center is managed through electronic tolling), and Stockholm (where high taxes on parking encourage drivers to avoid entering the city center and instead use park and ride facilities).

It is worth noting that on 16 December it was announced that conditions would be created for visitors arriving in Tashkent to leave their vehicles at checkpoints and enter the city using public transport.