How many fully automated car parks are you aware of in the USA?

There are fewer than 10 now, with several under construction. 

What do you think are the major issues stopping building owners/developers from adopting this technology?

We have had an abundance of land to develop for typical ramped garages in the past, so the advantages of more parking in a smaller “envelope” weren’t really needed.  Now, however, both owners and developers are understanding the rewards of using less ground or volume to meet their parking needs, and having more convenient parking as well.  Also, virtually all of the examples of automated garages were in foreign countries, and (for better or worse) individuals felt if there weren’t any here in the US to easily go and see, these garages couldn’t be all that good!  Another issue that arises is the fact that there are no universal building codes for the new automated designs, and so each facility has to be “negotiated” with the local code administrators until the facilities and technology are addressed more broadly.

What is the additional efficiency in terms of capacity against a traditional car park?

That is difficult to answer simply.  It all depends upon the design of the car park and the design of the automated garage.  But, as an example, under an apartment building in Washington, DC, the typical number of spaces they could have achieved was 25, but with automated parking they were able to build 74.  As a general rule of thumb, on a typical site, at least twice the number of spaces can be created with automated parking.  But it is good to remember that on an irregular site, in air rights, or within a building envelope, automated parking can allow the addition of parking when no other method would be able to do that.

Here are a couple of photos of the Washington car park (please note that the damage on the car door was caused by the driver not by the system!)

Do the costs of an automated car park “stack up” compared to traditional car parks?

This is a bit of a moving target, as the suppliers of automated systems are constantly improving their products to be able to compete in the market.  There are two elements to consider.  First is the equipment, which is very competitive in price.  Second is the building or structure into which the equipment is installed.  There can be a great deal of variation here, as in façade treatment for a typical ramped garage.  But the prices we have recently been quoted are definitely competitive with above ground ramped garages, and are an improvement over the costs of underground garages.

Tell me a bit about “The Lift” - Philadelphia’s automated car park

“The Lift” has just opened to the public this summer.  It is the first US automated garage that is open to any transient patron, as well as serving monthly patrons.  All of the other existing automated garages serve only monthly patrons.  The Lift has 224 spaces, and can accommodate regular and oversized vehicles (on the top floor).  The equipment was retrofit into an old valet garage – the type that had an internal elevator into which valets drove a vehicle, took it up to an available floor, drove it into a space, and then took a “man-lift” back down to the ground floor. 

Although it was a bit unusual to retrofit this building, it had the advantage of having been zoned as a “mechanical garage” back in the 1960s, so the owner did not have to go through the zoning process to obtain permissions for the development.  In addition, the City and the neighborhood were delighted to have the corner property improved and turned from an eyesore into a showplace.

The site prior to redevelopment

Development under way

Development under way

Access/Delivery Area (2 separate lifts)

Lift interior

Finished exterior

Parking Charges

Check out the website!

What were some of the issues encountered in the project?

Retrofitting very sophisticated equipment into a concrete structure built decades ago had its interesting moments.  The correct tolerances for automated equipment are finite and mandatory, and it was time consuming and difficult to achieve those in a building built for different purposes and with less specificity.  A second issue was getting the PARCS (Parking Access and Revenue Control System) software and the APS (Automated Parking System) software to “talk” to each other and make the handoffs from the entry process to the equipment process and then to the exit process.  The garage uses RFID entry and exit for monthly customers, and credit card in/out for transients.

What would you do differently in hindsight?

It probably would have been better to start with a vacant piece of ground and build from scratch.  The process for resolving software issues is too complex to answer in this manner. 

What is the feedback so far from the owner?

The owner is delighted to have the garage completed and open to the public.  It has been a “soft” opening so that any issues discovered can be resolved.  This garage is one end of the development spectrum – the retrofit into an existing building.  The owner now wants to move to the other end, constructing a new garage on a clean site.  The company believes in the viability of automated garages, and in their continued growth in the US market. 

What can be done to improve the perception of automated car parks going forward?

Having more garages operating, and more people parking in them, will help to alleviate the fears that some have about this technology.  In some ways it is ironic that many people believe it is “new technology”.  In fact, it is quite old technology, but used in a new way.  Automated freight movement has been used in ports for decades.  Automated product manufacturing and storage is used every day for items ranging from medications to ice cream.  Some of the automated garage manufacturing companies have automated equipment installed around the world.  So these automated garages are simply an extension of known technology to a new use.  The biggest improvement, though, will occur naturally through the use of the garages and natural spread of information from users to other potential owners.

Individuals and potential owners are very curious about the operating costs of these facilities.  Having a number of them in the US will allow us to track the costs of operations more distinctly, as opposed to getting less precise figures from European garages.  We will be very glad to be able to answer all of the questions that appear with regard to operating costs, and this will improve the perceptions as well.

Any other points you would like to add?

A major advantage of these garages for some owners can be the convenience for the patrons.  We work with medical centers that are now considering automated parking, since it is easier for patients (as well as employees) to leave a vehicle at grade, rather than circulating through a ramped garage – particularly if they are not accustomed to parking in garages.

Another important aspect of the automated garages is the “green” or environmental opportunities that can be achieved.  A major source of pollutants is the slow driving through a ramped garage searching for a space or idling in the queue to enter or exit.  Virtually all vehicle emissions are eliminated through the use of automated garages.  In addition, there is no light spill-over, evidence that utility use is lower, fewer construction materials used (e.g., less depth in slabs supporting vehicles and less height needed floor to floor), minimal housekeeping needed, and less land required.  Another plus is that public amenities including elevators, wayfinding, adequate lighting, trash receptacles, fire alarms, strobes and extinguishers are only needed on the ground floor where people are present.

Finally, automated garages are more secure for persons and vehicles.  There is no need for patrons to wander through garage floors to find their vehicles, since the vehicles come to them at the exit area, which is well lit and secure with CCTV cameras and/or personnel.  Vehicles are more secure because they cannot be “dinged” by other drivers opening doors or backing into another vehicle, there is no opportunity for vandalism, and no one has access to the vehicles while they are parked.  These are very important issues for some owners and patrons.

We strongly believe in this parking option for many owners and development circumstances, and we think it has a bright future here in the US and in other countries that are just now discovering it.  And we are indebted to the visionaries who have adapted this great technology to the world of parking.

Thank you Barbara for your comprehensive responses.

We also hope that this kind of automation will take hold in Australian cities particularly where access is tight, where the site has such a small foot print as to make the provision of traditional ramps unworkable or where excavation and construction costs are prohibitive.

We are also of the opinion that the environmental benefits and savings in operating costs have not yet been fully appreciated. Most negative reaction seems to be still centered around a perceived lack of reliability for the systems which may not be totally justified.

We would love to hear from any of our readers who have had any experiences with automated car parks! Let us know by email at cristina.lynn@parkingconsultants.com