Park and ride is an integral part of the Calgary Transit bus and CTrain services. Currently, Calgary Transit provides 14,126 parking spaces at 33 locations that include both LRT and bus. Parking at CTrain stations accounts for 12,152 of this total and this generates about 20 percent of total weekday LRT ridership.

Park and ride facilities compliment public transportation by providing an option for those people wishing to travel by transit but who need a car for some portion of their trip. Most park and ride users are traveling to the downtown for work. To intercept auto commuters at the earliest opportunity and discourage continuation of the trip by private automobile, park and ride lots are generally located beyond a minimum distance of 5 kilometres from downtown. When viewed in this context, park and ride facilities perform an important role as a substitute for downtown parking and as a tool for managing roadway congestion and helping to preserve the environment of established inner city communities.

Since park and ride appeals to only one segment of the transit market it must be planned in concert with the other transit access modes (i.e. feeder bus, walking, and passenger drop off). Transit service and Calgary Transportation Plan goals are focused on minimizing auto travel, therefore, priority is given to providing service and facilities that favour access to LRT by feeder bus and walking.

The challenge with park and ride is to determine an appropriate balance of these facilities relative to other transit access modes. Too much parking can detract from the goal of reducing auto use. As well this lowers the ridership required to sustain feeder bus services which also serve local community destinations such as schools, shopping and recreation facilities.

Park and ride lots require a significant investment of capital and annual operating funds. Land required for park and ride limits opportunities for transit oriented development adjacent to CTrain and major bus stops. Finally, the traffic generated by park and ride can negatively impact local community streets.

Too little parking merely restricts the transit market in the corridor and may result in excessive overspill parking pressures in adjacent communities and businesses. The appropriate balance of this option relative to other access modes is important in maximizing overall system efficiency.

The determination of park and ride requirements over the past 20 years has been based on consistent application of Council approved LRT access guidelines. These guidelines specify that sufficient park and ride facilities will be provided at CTrain stations and along major bus corridors (e.g., BRT) to accommodate approximately 15 to 20 percent of expected peak period ridership from the downstream communities. Calculation of the park and ride supply considers the population of the transit service area, the number of transit trips external to the community, percentage of transit trips accessing the station by auto and the efficiency of the parking lot.