ACCESS AND PARKING CRITERIA FOR HOSPITALS

THESE HOSPITALS RANGE IN CAPACITY FROM 52 TO 550 BEDS AND IN EMPLOYMENT FROM 65 TO 1,142 PERSONS. THE MAIN FOCUS OF THE STUDY WAS TO DESCRIBE AND UNDERSTAND EMPLOYEE TRAFFIC AND PARKING NEEDS WITH A VIEW TO DEVELOPING OVERALL PLANNING STANDARDS FOR ACCESS AND PARKING. THE STUDY SHOWED THAT MOST EMPLOYEES LIVE WITHIN 2 MILES OF THEIR HOSPITALS AND THAT NURSES AND TECHNICAL EMPLOYEES TEND TO LIVE WITHIN 1.6 MILES. THE EMPLOYEES OF LARGER HOSPITALS LIVE CLOSER TO THEIR HOSPITALS THAN THOSE AT SMALLER HOSPITALS. ON THE AVERAGE, 58 PERCENT COME TO WORK BY CAR, 20 PERCENT BY BUS, AND 22 PERCENT ON FOOT. PARKING IS INADEQUATE AT MOST HOSPITLS, AND HOSPITAL USERS AND EMPLOYEES PARK ON ADJACENT STREETS. TRIP GENERATION CHARACTERISTICS AND TRAVEL MODE AT EACH HOSPITAL WERE STUDIED IN THE FRAME WORK OF HOSPITAL SIZE, LOCATION, AND LEVEL OF TRANSIT SERVICE. BASED ON SOCIOECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS OF EMPLOYEES, PARKING NEEDS OF THIS GROUP WERE DEVELOPED IN RELATION TO HOSPITAL SIZE AND TRANSIT SERVICE. ACCESS REQUIREMENTS OF HOSPITALS ARE DISCUSSED. FINALLY, VISITOR AND PATIENT REQUIREMENTS DEDUCED FROM OTHER STUDIES ARE USED TO DEVELOP PARKING STANDARDS FOR FUTURE PLANNING. /AUTHOR/