Parking System

Parking management system providing space where people can safely leave their form
of transport (and link to other transportation) while they go about the business of working,
shopping, and residinghas been a need of the common citizen for centuries. As the number of
automobiles increases exponentially around the world, the need to house them in close proximity
to destinations creates a challenging design problem. The parking facility or lot must foremost
deal with the functional/operational requirement . It is in providing for safe and efficient passage
of the automobile and driver. This is a very complex challenge, thus, automotive, engineering
and traffic issues relative to site locations must be integrated to create the appropriate solution.
Therefore designing the parking facility requires an integrated design approach of many
professionals. (McDonald, 2015)
Importance of a Good Parking System
1. Increases Business Activity
The behavior of human nature is to park as close to the place of interest as possible. By
creating

a turnover of parking bays, motorists will readily find parking

availability close to their places of interest in the city. A good parking
management system will ensure that parking bays are available to be
used several times per day which in turn will encourage more people to

come into the city for business purposes.

2. Forms a Foundation for Redevelopment
Once implemented, a good parking system will change the usage of the city
allowing investors to see a clear path for the future of the city. Over time
this

will attract material investment into the CBD further securing benefits
for all the stakeholders and community at large.

3.Reduces Crime

Historically, introducing a formalised parking marshal system has reduced

criminal activity on-street. Parking marshals, equipped with radios, are
able to report any suspected criminal behaviour to the parking operators
office. Over time criminals become aware of this connection, between the
parking operator and local law enforcement, which reduces on-street petty crime to almost zero.
Moreover, the presence of CCTV cameras is a great help.
4. Provides the City an Income
A well-managed

parking system with the correct tariffs and a fair share for the city will

allow

the parking operation to be financial viable. This will allow the

operator to pay all the costs and salaries of the operation, make a
reasonable profit for the efforts and investment and will provide the

City with an additional source of income each month. (Parking System, 2016)

Works Cited
McDonald, S. S. (2015, February 16). Parking Facilities. Retrieved August 4, 2016,
from Whole building Design guide: https://www.wbdg.org/design/parking.php
Parking System. (2016). Retrieved August 4, 2016, from Numque:
http://www.streetparking.co.za/index.php

Designing a Parking System

Planning for parking facilities is a complex activity that requires the collaboration of
many professionals for a successful outcome. Planning for the integration of parking in the urban
environment must first start with the consideration of site. Parking structure planning involves
consideration of a number of factors that affect the overall design of a parking facility:
1. Flexibility.

Most new parking facilities are designed to last fifty to sixty years before major repairs
and renovations are required. With that fact, new parking structures should be designed to
accommodate changing vehicle sizes, new methods of revenue control, and new methods of
directing parkers to available parking spaces.
2 Functional design and Parking Geometries.
A primary creative challenge in parking facility design is the layout of circulation routes
and parking spaces. Traffic flow can either be one-way with angle parking or two-way with
90-degree or perpendicular parking. The choice of angle or perpendicular parking is affected
by a number of factors, including the building or land use generating the parking, the parking
turnover (the number of parkers using a parking space in a day), the number of bays or
modules that can be developed, and site dimensions.
Design of On-Street Parking Facilities
On-street parking facilities may be designed with parking bays parallel or inclined to the
curb. The number of parking bays that can be fitted along a given length of curb increases as
the angle of inclination increases from parallel (0 degrees) to perpendicular (90 degrees.) As
the inclination angle increases, encroachment of the parking bays on the traveling pavement
of the highway becomes more pronounced. Parking bays that are inclined at angles to the
curb interfere with the movement of traffic, with the result that crash rates tend to be higher
on sections of roads with angle parking than with parallel parking. When parking bays are to
be provided for trucks and other types of vehicles, the dimensions should be based on
characteristics of the design vehicle.

Figure 1: Street Space Used for Various Parking Configurations

Design of Off-Street Parking FacilitiesSurface Car Parks

The primary aim in designing off-street parking facilities is to obtain as many spaces
as possible within the area provided. The most important consideration is the layout should
be such that parking a vehicle involves only one distinct maneuver, without the necessity to
reverse. The layouts shown indicate that parking spaces are efficiently used when the parking
bays are inclined at 90 degrees to the direction of traffic flow.

Figure 2: Parking Stall Layout

Design of Off-Street Parking FacilitiesGarages
Parking garages consist of several platforms, supported by columns are placed in
such a way as to facilitate an efficient arrangement of parking bays and aisles. Access ramps
connect each level with the one above. The gradient of these ramps is usually not greater than
1:10 on straight ramps and 1:12 on the centerline of curved ramps. The radius of curved
ramps measured to the end of the outer curve should not be less than 70 ft, and the maximum

superelevation should be 0.15 ft /ft. The lane width should not be less than 16 ft for curved
ramps and 9 ft for straight ramps. Ramps can be one-way or two-way, with one-way ramps
preferred. When two-way ramps are used, the lanes must be clearly marked and where
possible physically divided at curves and turning points to avoid head-on collisions, as
drivers may cut corners or swing wide at bends.
Platforms may be connected by elevators into which cars are driven or placed
mechanically. Elevators then lift the car to the appropriate level for parking. The vehicle is
then either removed by an attendant who parks it or is mechanically removed and then
parked by that attendant. The size of the receiving area is an important factor in garage
design and depends on whether the cars are owner-parked (self-parking) or attendant-parked.
When cars are self-parked, very little or no reservoir space is required, since drivers need
pause only for a short time to pick up a ticket from either a machine or an attendant. When
cars are parked by attendants, the driver must stop and leave the vehicle. The attendant then
enters and drives the vehicle to the parking bay. Thus, a reservoir space must be provided that
will accommodate temporary storage for entering vehicles. The size of reservoir space
depends on the ratio of the rate of storage of vehicles to their rate of arrival. The rate of
storage must consider the time required to transfer the vehicle from its driver to the attendant.
(Garber, 2009)