ABSTRACT
The estimate of nearly 1 million Vehicle Miles Travelled a year for cruising in Westwood Village may seem high, but it covers only 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays. To estimate how much of the traffic flow on one street in Westwood was cruising, the people observed the curb space occupancy rate and whether the first car that approached a newly vacated space parked in it. The percentages in column 5 overestimate the share of traffic that was cruising when the occupancy rate was less than 85 percent because there is no reason to cruise when more than 15 percent of curb spaces are vacant. The share of traffic that is cruising depends on both the number of cruisers and the number of travelers. Cruising introduces unpredictability into the traffic flow, and the drivers who are focused on spotting a curb space may fail to notice bicyclists and pedestrians.
