The effects on parking in Knoxville's central business district during the 1982 World's Fair

The objective of this research was to determine what effect the 1982 World's Fair would have on parking characteristics in Knoxville's This study utilized 13 parking facilities located in a corridor three blocks wide and extending 4800 feet from Central Business District. the fair site to the Coliseum Parking Garages. It also included one facility located one block from the East Gate which was occupied by World's Fair parkers exclusively.

Data were collected in the corridor before the fair opened and during operation of the fair at each of these facilities for four time observations: 9 a.m., 12 noon, 3 p.m., and 7 p.m. For each facility in the corridor the total number of vehicles and a sample of license plates were recorded. For the parking facility used exclusively by fair visitors, data were collected on vehicle arrival rates, turnover rates. and vehicle occupancy rates.

These data were analyzed and it was determined that parking characteristics in the study corridor did indeed change. The following summarizes the corridor changes:

1. An aggregate increase in total vehicles.

2. An aggregate increase in external vehicles.

3. An aggregate decrease in local vehicles.

4. External vehicles in the corridor for the World's Fair were more prevalent, and replaced seme local vehicles, closer to the fair site.

5. Visitors of the World's Fair were more sensitive to walking time than parking rates.

6. Approximately 75 percent of the local vehicles displaced were commuters.

The above described changes in parking characteristics in the corridor can be attributed to the 1982 World's Fair. In addition, the following conclusions were reached based on data collected at the exclusive World's Fair parking facility:

1. The average vehicle occupancy for this event was as high as 4.0 persons per vehicle.

2. World's Fair patrons began arriving as early as two hours before the opening time of the fair.

3.The most frequent arrival period was between 8:45 a.m. and 9:45 a.m. (The fair opened at 10 a.m.)

4. Turnover rates were minimum, as most patrons stayed twelve hours.