Thursday, July 30, 2015

How Major Cities Around The World Are Responding To Dwindling Car Parking Space.

How Major Cities Around The World Are Responding To Dwindling Car Parking Space.


By Tom Okure, PH.D
Date: July 30, 2015


The Necessity of Adequate Parking in Urbanized Centers

Adequate parking spaces are a necessity in any modern city.  A modern city requires sufficient parking facilities to accommodate city residents and visitors to the city to park their cars. Cars are an indispensable mode of modern transportation, and a modern city must plan to meet the parking needs vehicle owners. If city workers, residents and visitors cannot find adequate parking facilities or determine that they have to pay too much for parking, some people may decide to find other employment elsewhere or visitors may decide not to return to the city to shop, dine or spend their money in the city.  City residents also need cost effective parking facilities to park their vehicles near their homes and workplace or they may decide to relocate away from the city.

Parking space problems in cities are not necessarily a new phenomenon. Having said that, here are some new and existing trends that major urbanized city centers around the world have been using to respond to their parking space problems.

Automated Parking System (APS)

Many cities are responding to the problem of dwindling space for parking by encouraging the development of “Automated Parking Systems” (APS) as shown in this video.


APS are also referred to by many other names in the parking industry including robotic parking system, rotary parking system, stacker parking and automatic parking etc. An APS is simply a mechanical parking system which moves cars from an entry point to an existing parking space. Cars are stacked vertically in multiple levels purposely, in order to utilize as little land space as necessary so that many cars as possible can be parked in a little space. APS are totally automatic systems and require little personnel to operate

Automatic parking systems are very space efficient and a growing trend in many expanding cities with limited land space. You can simply stack all the cars, and the parking space does not have to be as wide as in a conventional parking lot, which occupies a lot of land space.  The main benefit of an APS is that more cars can by vertically stacked in a compact space by moving the cars by platforms and lifts. There are also no need for ramps or pedestrian areas in the parking facility.

Multistory and Economical Double Deck Lifting Parking Systems.

Many highly congested cities in the USA and Europe have historically relied on multistory and economical, practical double deck and lifting type parking systems to resolve their car parking problems. Visitors to New York City can attest to the difficulties associated with finding adequate cost effective parking in a typical work day week.
Picture Above Shows A Double
Deck Lifting Parking Systems

This can be especially frustrating if you have a major meeting and you have to be on time or a shopping activity in a particular place and you find yourself driving over and over a number of streets and avenues far away from your intended destination just to park your car.

Multistory Parking Facility in New York City





Everywhere you go in the major cities of the world like Tokyo Japan; New York City USA; London UK; Soul Korea; Guangdong China etc. one can easily find multistory and practical double deck lifting type parking systems.







The Growing Trend For Smart Phone Parking Apps

Technological advancements have also increased the use of smart phones and apps to improve customer service and improve parking solutions in major cities.  Smart phone parking apps are becoming a must have item for savvy car owners and a growing trend in many urbanized centers. 

These parking apps allow its users to pay for parking with the use of an (online) application. These mobile applications are implemented by the parking industry in many ways in the parking process. A driver with a smart phone and a parking app can access real time parking information and can be guided or directed through the phone to the nearest parking facility with real time occupancy and pricing information. Some of these smart phone apps can also inform (or message) parking lot users on a real time basis that their time on a parking meter or parking facility is about to expire and provides the user of the app with an option to extend their parking time and avoid packing violation fee penalties.

Online Smartphone App
Major cities in the USA and Europe have been using smart phone apps to guide drivers to where to find the nearest empty parking space. These phone apps have become a vital tool for visitors visiting congested cities with hard to find parking facilities.  Many parking lot developers and owners now have electronic sensors placed in designated parking facilities. Smart phone users with a parking app that is voice controlled, can be guided to the nearest available space.

In November 2012, Ellicott City, MD in the USA started using an online smartphone app which greatly helped busy motorists in the city to find the best available parking spot.  The app directs travelers in real time to open parking spots just like a GPS provides directions to the city itself. The app works by providing real time information on available parking spots in Ellicott City based on data gathered by street level sensors mounted wherever parking spots are available. 

…..Read more 


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All rights reserved by Inter-Continental Mgt. Systems, Inc (ICMS, Inc). The information included in this publication may not be used, reproduced, transmitted, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written permission of ICMS, Inc. Dr. Okure is a writer, author, business/management consultant, economic development and public policy advisor, commentator and change advocate. Dr. Okure is the CEO of ICMS,Inc a New York State based management/business consulting firm and Global Master Servicing Agent (MSA) which provides referral, advisory, training, diagnostic and assessment and speaker services.

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