Building a
parking facility isn't as straightforward as it sounds, even in the busier
cities where space is at a premium. Certainly, getting people to come and use
your lot isn't going to be the primary issue. When you choose to open up a
parking area, there's a huge potential for profit. The investment you make is
practically the definition of a passive income. However, designing a parking
garage for people to use safely and efficiently can be tricky. To ensure things
go smoothly over the long term, you want the layout and parking systems for
your lot to be reliable with an emphasis on safety. By spending wisely versus
miserly upfront, you'll see the payoff at the backend.
There will also
be a degree of oversight required to manage a well-run car park. You need to
maintain parking systems in working order, clean the area, keep prices
competitive, and stay knowledgeable of the conditions in the neighborhood such
as construction. Installing an advanced
parking system can be critical to the ongoing success of
a parking lot. You can control the number of vehicles as well as the safety of
the people and cars already in the lot. But then, how exactly does a parking
system avert or mitigate the common problems inherent in parking areas?
Population Control
The strides in
technology have affected nearly every aspect of our lives, and activity as
mundane as parking is no exception. Gone are the days when drivers have to
guess whether spaces are available in huge parking garages, relying on
overworked attendants, or just taking their chances and circling floor after
floor searching for that elusive spot while dodging the other risk-takers. Parking systems offer varying levels of sophistication to monitor the vehicle
population in garages. Whether the tracking is limited to the number of cars
that have entered the lot compared to the total spaces, or is as detailed as
indicating the available spaces by floor, there's a parking system suited to
your needs.
Many garages are
beginning to install colored lights over individual spaces to indicate whether
or not it's vacant. While convenient, they, in fact, serve as additional safety
measures that allow motorists to concentrate on maneuvering their way through
the garage and be more mindful of other drivers, rather than having to focus
too much attention to whether or not there's an open spot.
Tracking
With a
mechanized parking system, you can easily keep track of how long a vehicle has
been parked in your lot. This can be especially helpful when you want your
business to charge by the hour or day. Rather than settling for the ease of
having people pay a one-time fee for an unlimited period of time, you can
efficiently add to your profits by creating a usage-based business model.
Parking structures have relatively low overhead and maintenance compared to the
typical office building. Coupled with the tendency for car parks to endure over
the long haul, it makes financial sense to consider automating the operation.
Parking systems
have even accounted for the possibility of drivers misplacing their vouchers.
Advanced tracking systems like those in airports can now identify when cars
enter a facility based on footage taken when tickets are issued. In these instances
where security is a factor, technology is in place to keep track of the
vehicles on site. Although this may be a disturbing development for many
people, the elevated threat levels over the past few decades have necessitated
additional security features. Those who are diametrically opposed to such
intrusion are welcome to bypass the public parking venues in favor of
ride-sharing or taxis.
In fact, many
garages are adding strategically placed kiosks that not only allow drivers to
pay before leaving to speed up their exit, but also offer drivers help to find
the location of their car based on the make, model, and other parameters. Minimizing
the number of pedestrians wandering around the garage in search of their
vehicle will dramatically reduce the potential for accidents.
Multipurpose
Parking areas
aren't always for public use. Oftentimes, they can be leased for the exclusive
use of businesses, so their workers and clients have a reliable location to
park. In areas that aren't conducive to public transportation, businesses need
to ensure their employees can get to work without having to worry about parking
fees, competition for limited spaces, or long walks to the office. Although it
may seem like a necessary perk that should come with the job, sufficient
parking is essential in regions that rely on personal vehicles. Leveraging
parking systems will ensure that only authorized employees can enter into the
garage.
Non-working
hours can be a boon for leased garages. Whether this pertains to evenings, holidays,
or weekends, empty garages are typically opened up to the public to generate
additional fees. Many businesses tend to be located in areas with activities
centered on cultural, social, and athletic events, so there's usually a steady
stream of visitors to utilize the available parking garages. Parking systems
have the flexibility to be programmed to differentiate between the workday
authorizations and the after-hours parking charges.
A healthy profit
isn't the only indication of a successful parking lot venture. Too many
accidents or reports of an unsafe environment indicate that it's time to
revisit your strategy. Examine the layout and the number of spaces to ensure
it's the most favorable setup. Check the lighting and the signage in the car park,
along with the width of the driving lanes. Naturally, you want to accommodate
as many vehicles as possible, but you have to be realistic. Unlike squeezing
the masses into a crowded subway, these are large hunks of expensive metal that
are easily dented and scratched that can do some serious damage to other cars
or even people. Peppering in technology like parking systems makes it easier to
manage the space and understand the way it's being utilized. Not only will
technology enhance your operation, but it will also continue to add value by
providing ongoing insight into the nature of the business.