6/25/2013

Advanced Parking Garage Security Measures


Following are some outside-the-box thoughts about advanced parking garage security measures. The boss insists we don’t wander too far outside so we have to stick to identifiable technologies and science, to keep things practical. We would rather discuss the effect “shrink rays”, shapeshifting and perpetual motion could have on car parking garage design, but the boss signs the paychecks…so we play by her rules…

Advanced Security Measures for Car Parking
We start our thinking with the ways cars, parking and security intersect.
First, we make the assumption that the term “cars” also includes drivers, passengers and car contents, where appropriate. We then suggest that cars require protection from events that occur outside a parking garage (weather, fire, attack, etc.) as well as events inside a parking garage (accidental damage, fire, sabotage, theft, etc.). Conversely, we suggest that security measures also include keeping people and property nearby a car parking garage protected from the cars and their contents (e.g. terrorists or explosives within cars).

Thinking Out Loud
It’s easy to understand that the biggest advancement in parking garage security measures starts by putting parking underground…but, not directly under a building. Tons of earth acts like as containment or a barrier addressing many of our internal-external protection issues. It also eliminates any uncertainties about entry and exit points to the parking area.

The next largest step is to remove people from the parking area…this not only keeps them safe but eliminates the opportunity for them to do damage to cars or the garage or to do damage outside the garage. Now, let’s get the brain cells working and focus on the possibilities of an underground automated parking system (garage).

Because drivers and passengers are removed from vehicles before they are parked, there’s an opportunity for cars to be thoroughly scanned, inspected and tested prior to being transported to a parking space. That might include:

  • ·         x-ray or air/chemical-sniffing
  • ·         electronic scanning and testing
  • ·         thermal imaging or acoustical testing
  • ·         remote visual inspection, and
  • ·         any other measure to ensure a car contains no dangerous devices or hidden people.


Underground, it’s easier to isolate parked cars from electromagnetic radiation. That could include interrupting radio and cell phone waves that might trigger or activate devices. It might also include special shielding from electromagnetic pulses designed to damage sensitive electronics.

Imagine also protecting backup electrical services and generators within the automated parking system so that it remains usable after an external disturbance that disrupts the electrical supply.

While we’re at it, we could suggest remote monitoring and authority for operation of the parking system. Operators have the chance to see and interrogate drivers and passengers before allowing them to exit the parking facility and before allowing cars to enter the parking area…a significant deterrent to any type of mischief or attack.
This might well be the parking garage with the most advanced security arrangements.

Why not contact your Skyline Parkingrepresentative to discuss your parking security challenges.

6/11/2013

Automated Car Parking History


Anyone who thinks that automated car parking systems are new needs a history lesson.

So, following is a brief history of the automated car parking system.

Early Automated Parking Systems

According to The Mechanical Parking Guide 2011 by Leon Hamelink, the earliest reference something akin to an automated parking system was the Garage Rue de Ponthieu constructed in 1905. The systems consisted of a lift in the center of the structure to move cars up one or two floors where attendants on the floors would park the cars. While this would technically be considered a semi-automatic system, the Garage Rue de Ponthieu contained many elements found in modern automated car parking systems.

It’s hard to imagine that car parking was such a problem anywhere in 1905 that anything resembling an automated parking system would be required. However, by 1900, mass production of cars was underway in France and the United States and what could be considered national automotive industries existed in countries, including Belgium, Switzerland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Italy and Australia.

Rather than being disturbed by their rapidly increasing numbers, urban residents in the early 1900s viewed cars as a welcome development that would make cities better places to live (try saying such a thing today). Cars of this era were even considered to be environmentally friendly and desirable. What drove this logic was alternative mode of transport available at the time…horses. Horses, their food and particularly their by-products, contributed to an unhealthy environment in the crowded confines of growing cities. Cars made cities clean by eliminating the multitude of biological and logistical problems associated with horses.

Ups & Downs of Automated Parking Systems

A variety of types and styles of automated parking systems enjoyed wide popularity in the U.S. from the 1920s through the 1960s…but, very few automated parking systems were constructed over the next 40 years.

While interest in automated parking systems waned in the U.S., more advanced systems were being developed in Europe, Asia and South America starting in the 1970s. Perhaps no country more enthusiastically embraced the automated parking system than Japan…producing more than 100,000 automated parking spaces per year in the late 1990s to accommodate a rapid increase in motorization driven by a rising economy.

Automated Parking Systems Come Full Circle

Automated car parking systems are in increasing demand worldwide these days. Ironically, part of the reason is their positive environmental benefits…but not for keeping horses out of cities. The substantial volume reduction provided by automated parking systems offers numerous environmental advantages compared to multi-story parking garages. The automated car parking system has come full circle.

Talk to your Skyline Parking representative about all of the advantages of the Skyline product line.