Page 33 - TrafficInfraTech Magazine | Linking People Places & Progress

FOCUS
PARKINGARKING MANAGEMENT
P

he demand for parking
spaces is high worldwide
with an estimate of more
than a billion spaces.
THowever, due to increased
economic activities and diminished land
availability in many large cities, multi-
storied parking structures started to
emerge.
Multi-storied parking structures
started about 60 years ago and are
generally classified under two categories
– conventional and automated.
Automated parking structures are
quite popular in Japan, South Korea,
and Europe. There are nearly two
million automated parking spaces
available worldwide, however mostly
are small, with only 30 structures
having 300 spaces or more.
More than 95% of parking structures
in GCC countries are conventional.
They are owned and operated by
various types of owners – government,
semi government and private. A clear
majority of conventional structures
are made of reinforced or prestressed
concrete. The design and construction
of these structures are regulated
by stringent local codes and design
specifications. Majority of structure
owners and users are familiar with the
system and are comfortable with it.
However, in GCC countries, less than
5% of total multi-story parking structures
are automated. Parking capacity ranges
from 80 spaces to 1200 spaces per

Conventional Parking Automated Parking

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