Climate change continues to be a hot topic
(bad puns intentional throughout). The billion-plus cars on the world’s
roadways are a substantial target of often heated debates because of the
greenhouse gases they produce. What few people realize is that, parking cars
and parked cars, have an effect on the environment and thus climate change.
Now, we don’t take sides in the whirlwind
of climate change issues. Rather, we simply consider the most basic fact: Disturbing
the environment too much is a bad idea. Of course, all of the climate
change and other environmental concerns revolve around the question, “What’s
too much?” We don’t know the answer, but we have some observations.
All cars must be parked, at some time. The
typical car requires at least 1.3 parking spaces with the excess spaces accounting for
inefficiencies in the distribution of spaces as well as the sharing of parking spaces. Nonetheless,
the result is an astronomical number of parking spaces needed.
When you consider all car parking
facilities worldwide such as parking garages, car parks and parking lots, it becomes
easier to grasp how they can affect climate change and the environment.
Cars driving into, out of and circling
around looking for parking spaces in large parking facilities generate greenhouse gases…lots of them. A kilometer
driven inside a parking facility is much more fuel inefficient and produces
more greenhouse gas than driving a kilometer at regular, roadway speeds.
Consider how many kilometers a billion cars might drive in parking facilities
each day. But - there are alternatives.
Even if cars didn’t generate greenhouse
gases, most parking facilities require sizeable amounts of electricity. To a
more or lesser extent, electric power generation comes into question relative
to climate change. Basic outdoor parking lots require a minimum of outdoor
lighting. Conventional car parks need even more lighting and may also
require elevators and/or large fans for ventilation. Therefore, simply
providing parking spaces for a billion cars is a potential issue of climate
change. But – there are alternatives.
Large, impermeable areas such as
conventional parking garages and parking lots contribute to stormwater runoff
problems by preventing the natural absorption of water into the ground. This
may increase the deposition of pollutants and sediment into sensitive streams,
rivers and bays. On a worldwide scale, all water plays some role in the climate
change question. But – there are alternatives.
Yes - there are alternatives to
conventional car parking facilities that have far fewer negative effects on climate
change. They eliminate the unnecessary driving inside parking facilities and can use
less electricity than other indoor parking facilities in many situations. They are much smaller
and easier to put underground to minimize or eliminate excessive stormwater
runoff.
The alternatives to conventional car parking are Automated Parking Systems or APS.
When you think about climate change solutions...consider the more friendly car parking alternatives.
The alternatives to conventional car parking are Automated Parking Systems or APS.
When you think about climate change solutions...consider the more friendly car parking alternatives.
Contact us to talk about automated car parking
and climate change.
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