Research: how much time are parking spaces empty?

Parking spaces in Belgium and Flanders are unused for a large part of the time. On average, it involves approximately 584 hours per month, which is more than 80% of the time. This is particularly noticeable in urban areas such as Antwerp, Ghent and Bruges: public car parks often only have 30 to 40% occupancy there.

The causes are relatively clear: too high parking standards, a lack of visibility of available spaces and changing mobility patterns, such as less car ownership in cities and more car-free zones. This translates into unnecessary search traffic: it is estimated that around 30% of urban traffic consists of drivers looking for a free parking space. This results in extra travel time, higher CO₂ emissions and inefficient use of space.

With a combination of smarter policies, shared use of parking spaces and digital platforms such as SparkSpot, municipalities, companies and individuals can reduce that vacancy. SparkSpot maps unused private places and makes them easy to book, so that supply and demand are better matched.

Vacancy by type of parking space

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Not every parking lot is vacant to the same extent. The type of location and usage pattern play a major role.

Public car parks are among the worst-occupied infrastructure. In many cities, the average occupancy rate is around 30 to 40%. This means that these garages are vacant 60 to 70% of the time. They are designed for peak times, but many places remain unused outside rush hours and major events.

In private company car parks, the vacancy rate is even clearer. These car parks are mainly used during office hours. In the evening, at night and at the weekend, they remain almost completely empty. On a monthly basis, this quickly means more than 584 hours of unused capacity.

In residential projects, the picture is mixed. Occupancy rates are lower than planned, especially in social housing and some new construction projects. Outside Flanders, there are examples of projects with 29 to 60% structural vacancy, which indicates that parking standards and real demand do not always match.

Street parking in urban neighborhoods usually has the lowest vacancy rate. With an estimated vacancy rate of 13 to 38%, the flow is higher here. The demand for short parking times is higher, so that available spaces are taken more quickly. However, this does not mean that the available capacity is being used optimally; there are often empty garages or private spaces elsewhere in the city at the same time.

Why parking spaces are vacant for a long time

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The high parking vacancy rate has several structural causes, which often reinforce each other.

A first factor is parking standards. Many municipalities still have fixed standards per home or office space. These standards do not always match actual demand, especially in well-accessible urban areas or target groups with lower car ownership. The result is overcapacity, which remains empty for years.

A second cause is the limited visibility and accessibility of certain parking spaces. Corporate car parks and private garages are often closed, poorly marked or unknown to visitors. While residents and visitors drive around in the same neighborhood, those places remain unused.

Changing mobility patterns also play a role. In larger cities, we see a decline in car ownership among young people, more shared mobility and a shift to public transport and bicycles. At the same time, inner cities are becoming more car-free, so that car parks on the edge of the center are used less intensively than expected.

In addition, opening hours contribute to vacancy. A company car park that is only accessible during office hours is ideal for residents, visitors or event visitors in the evenings and weekends, but that often does not happen.

Finally, there is a clear mismatch between supply and demand due to a lack of real-time information. Drivers do not know where free seats are available, while elsewhere they are simply empty. Without digital tools, that hidden capacity and search traffic will coexist.

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How governments can reduce parking vacancy

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Municipalities and cities have various levers to structurally address parking vacancy.

A first step is to make parking standards more flexible. Instead of fixed numbers per function, you can work with bandwidths, lower standards in easily accessible areas and more space for shared use. Research suggests that more targeted parking demand management can lead to approximately 25% less parking space required.

Rates can also be used in a smarter way. The price elasticity of parking is relatively low, but dynamic rates — more expensive in busy streets, cheaper in garages or in peripheral car parks — can spread the pressure better over time and space.

Shared parking is a third important pillar. Municipalities can relax the regulations so that business car parks are more easily accessible to residents and visitors outside office hours. For example, the same infrastructure is used by different user groups.

In addition, consciously reducing parking spaces in public spaces can have a positive impact. By filling out some of the street parking spaces differently — for example as a bicycle park, green area or living area — the demand is shifting towards existing garages and private spaces. Cities such as Utrecht and Amsterdam are already showing how deleting parking spaces can make public space more efficient.

Digital solutions and data are essential in this regard. Without insight into occupancy rates, it is difficult to adjust policy. Platforms such as SparkSpot generate data about usage patterns, reservations and demand peaks, which can contribute to a better substantiated parking policy.

Digital tools for more efficient parking use

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Digital tools make it possible to make better use of existing parking capacity without building new infrastructure.

Platforms that provide real-time insight into available places reduce search traffic. Drivers can reserve a seat in advance, which reduces the chance that a car park will remain empty while there is demand elsewhere. Especially in busy city centers, pre-booking provides more security and a higher occupancy rate.

Filter options play an important role here. For example, more and more drivers are explicitly looking for parking spaces with a charging point for electric cars. By offering such filters, the right user can find the right place more quickly.

Integrated payment systems also make the process easier. Paying via app or platform removes the barrier to physical tickets, parking machines or local parking apps. This increases ease of use and encourages reuse.

SparkSpot fits into this development by making unused private spaces — such as driveways, garage boxes and company car parks — visible and bookable for a wider audience. For example, 'hidden' capacity is actively used.
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Practical advice for car park owners

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Parking lot owners, both companies and individuals, can convert vacancy into an additional income stream.

A first step is to make unused places visible via a platform such as SparkSpot. Business car parks can be made available outside office hours; individuals can offer their driveway or garage when they are not parking themselves, for example during working days or holidays.

Flexible availability is an important asset. By aligning periods with local demand — busy office hours, shopping Saturdays, nearby events — the occupancy rate is rapidly increasing. SparkSpot lets owners choose when their place is bookable.

Facilities can make a difference. Places with charging stations for electric vehicles are more attractive and can often be offered at a higher price. The same goes for covered areas or locations close to the center or a station.

Pricing also deserves attention. In cities like Antwerp, places are often available via SparkSpot that are up to 40% cheaper than street parking, depending on location and time. Owners would do well to mirror their rates to the local level and offer clear added value.

A quick response to booking requests and clear instructions upon arrival increase the chances of positive reviews and repeat bookings. Using a reliable platform with integrated payments and communication, such as SparkSpot, makes management easy and transparent for owners.

Indicative examples of daily prices and provisions:
- a garage box with a charging point (for example 3.7 kW) can fetch a higher daily rate than a regular open-air spot;
- a car park with an 11 kW charging point is interesting for those who park longer and want to charge during their stay;
- a simple driveway without extra facilities can be attractive due to its lower price and good location.

The exact amounts depend on location, demand and type of user, but the principle remains: the better the combination of price, location and facilities, the lower the chance of vacancy.
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Case: how sparkspot reduces parking vacancy

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SparkSpot is an online platform that connects owners of unused parking spaces with drivers who are looking for a place in Flanders. The platform mainly focuses on ease of use, transparency and flexibility.

Using a simple search function, users can find places by address or neighborhood. Filters make it possible to select the type of location (garage box, parking space, driveway, motorcycle parking) and facilities such as charging points for electric cars. Each location shows practical information, such as distance from the city center or key points in the area.

The booking and payment system is completely digital. Drivers reserve and pay in advance, ensuring their seat. Owners get a clear overview of future bookings, income and availability. This reduces misunderstandings and ad hoc agreements.

Owners are in control of price and availability. They can adjust the calendar, temporarily block it, or just offer extra capacity at events in the area. The platform shows in real time how many places are available, which ensures transparency for all users.

In cities such as Antwerp, SparkSpot often offers cheaper alternatives than street parking. This makes it interesting for drivers who want to cut costs, while owners get extra income from space that would otherwise remain empty. SparkSpot usually only charges a commission for successful reservations, which keeps the threshold low to get started.

By opening up existing private infrastructure, SparkSpot contributes to a more efficient use of the total parking capacity in Flanders. This is a concrete alternative for building new car parks, with benefits for owners, users and cities alike.
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Summary and next steps

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The available figures show that parking vacancy is not a detail problem. Car parks, company car parks and private spaces are often empty most of the time, while parking pressure and search traffic remain high in the same neighborhoods. Causes include excessive parking standards, limited visibility, changing mobility and strict opening hours.

Reducing parking vacancy offers clear benefits: less search traffic, lower emissions, more efficient use of space and a budget advantage for drivers and owners. By using existing infrastructure in a smarter way, space is also created for other functions, such as greenery, bicycle facilities or places to stay.

Digital platforms such as SparkSpot make it possible to match supply and demand without major infrastructure investments. They map unused private places, offer reservations and payment in one system, and generate data that helps cities and municipalities refine their policies.

Concrete next steps per target group:
- policy makers can revise parking standards, make shared use possible and include digital solutions in their parking policy;
- urban planners can integrate parking strategies into broader mobility plans and provide space for flexible, shareable parking capacity;
- parking lot owners can make their unused capacity visible via platforms such as SparkSpot and thus convert vacancy into income;
- Flemish cities and municipalities can work with such platforms to reduce the pressure on street parking without adding extra concrete.

A structural approach requires continuous monitoring of occupancy rates and usage patterns. By linking data to policy and using digital tools, a forward-looking parking policy in Flanders becomes more feasible and efficient.

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FAQs

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Why are car parks and company car parks so often empty?

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Car parks and company car parks are usually designed for peak loads, for example during rush hours or large events. Outside those times, demand is much lower. In addition, company car parks are often closed outside office hours and are not visible or accessible to residents and visitors. As a result, a large part of the capacity remains unused, while there is parking pressure elsewhere in the city.

How does SparkSpot help reduce parking vacancy?

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SparkSpot maps unused private parking spaces in Flanders and makes them bookable for drivers looking for a place. Via the platform, users can quickly find a spot, filter for charging points, for example, and reserve and pay immediately. Owners determine price and availability themselves. In this way, hidden capacity becomes visible and the vacancy rate decreases without additional investments in new infrastructure.

<strong>What can municipalities do to optimize the use of parking spaces?</strong>
Municipalities can make parking standards more flexible, focus on shared use of private parking spaces and support digital reservation systems. By differentiating rates between street parking and garages, they control demand for more efficiently used locations. Combined with data on occupancy and usage patterns, they can thus better align the total parking supply with actual demand while freeing up space for other urban functions.

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