ParkSmart – Robotic Parking Systems’ Newsletter Issue 30 Online

Issue 30 of ParkSmart – Robotic Parking Systems’ newsletter is now available online. In this issue we cover:

WORLD’S LARGEST AUTOMATED PARKING – It’s official. Guinness World Records names the largest automated parking facility in the world. And the record holder is …

RELIABILITY AND FAIL-SAFES – Key factors to ensure that no single failure will ever result in the system being inoperable. Find out more.

FLAWLESS OPERATIONS – Property managers provide an assessment of 3 years of service and operations of automated parking. Learn more.

GREEN PARKING SOLUTIONS – These systems conserve fuel as well as reduce pollution, carbon footprint, greenhouse gases and toxic tire and brake dust. Learn how.

ON THE WEB – Access to product and technical information, photos, videos, brochures and more.

PARKING FACTS – Little known facts about transportation and the parking industry.

View your copy of ParkSmart.

Contact us to learn more or to see how a custom designed automated parking facility can benefit your project.

Let us know what you think. Any suggestions for information or articles you would like to see are welcome.

Editor, ParkSmart

Small fires set in parking garage

The Idaho State Journal reports that officials in Boise are investigating a recent series of small fires set in stairwells at the Lincoln Parking Garage at Boise State University.

Firefighters found eight fires, six in stairwells and two in plastic garbage cans that melted.

Similar fires were set in October 2012.

This type of crime is very dangerous for individuals, particularly through impeding stairwells.

Such incidents can’t happen in a Robotic Parking System. In our automated parking system, the public is only allowed access to the ground level entry / exit bays and lobby – public are not allowed inside the actual parking facility where cars are stored. This protects individuals and property from crime and vandalism.

One Thing I Don’t Want to Find in a Parking Lot – A Boa Constrictor

I have to admit up front that I’m not fond of snakes and would have been a little freaked out if this has happened to me.

A shuttle driver parked at Tampa International Airport saw a 5-foot-long snake slide over the top of his front tire and go into the engine of his van. He tried everything to get it out – pulling on the tail, turning off the van, driving around. The snake did not move.

TIA police officers responded to the scene as well as Lt. Natalie Brown with Tampa Fire Rescue.

Brown identified the snake as a boa constrictor that was likely someone’s pet. “So, I bent over, picked up the snake, put it in the pillowcase, tied it up, and that was the end of the day,” she said. “It’s a very healthy looking snake.”

A witness reported that the snake came out of another vehicle parked at the cell phone waiting lot before heading towards the shuttle van.

Florida has a big problem with non-native species, and the Fish and Wildlife Commission is concerned anytime someone’s pet snake gets loose

Source: BayNews9, Tampa, FL

$1.4 Million in Parking Fees Stolen

Abeselom Hailemariam has pleaded guilty for his participation in a conspiracy to steal approximately $1.4 million of visitor parking fees at the Smithsonian Institution’s Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia.

Hailemariam was the location manager for Parking Management Inc., (PMI), the company contracted to manage the 2,000-vehicle parking lot at the Udvar-Hazy Center. Hailemariam supervised the PMI booth attendants at the location, accounted for revenues from visitor vehicles that entered the parking lot, and submitted operations reports to PMI and the Smithsonian.

Over a period of three years, Hailemariam and several booth attendants stole approximately $1.4 million in museum parking fees paid for at least 92,213 visitor vehicles.

Booth attendants withheld parking ticket stubs from paying customers and unplugged electronic vehicle counters in the entrance booths. At the end of each shift, these attendants would submit a false shift summary report to Hailemariam that under-reported the number of vehicles which had entered the parking lot. Hailemariam then compiled the fraudulent data and submitted falsified reports to PMI, which were provided to the Smithsonian.

Attendants paid Hailemariam a share of the stolen revenues at the end of the day by bundling unreported cash with the shift summary reports.

Two other former PMI employees were also convicted and have been sentenced for their roles in the thefts.

The investigation was initiated by the Smithsonian Office of the Inspector General and jointly investigated with the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Parking Today magazine had a very good point – where was PMI when all of this was going on? Apparently a simple audit by the Smithsonian conducted by counting the cars that pulled in and reconciling that to the cash totals for the day was enough to highlight the problem.

The loss of parking fees is not an isolated incident and occurs in facilities throughout the world.

Robotic Parking Systems Inc ensures that 100 % of parking revenues go directly to the owner’s bank account without loss due to theft of cash. We offer multiple options for cash-less payment and parking garage access. We work directly with developers and owners to design the most workable system for their project.

Sources: FBI / Parking Today

Parking Facts – How much time do cars spend parked?

Have you ever wondered how much time you actually drive your car compared to how much time it’s actually parked?

A 2012 study from the Royal Automobile Club in the UK reports that on average a car is only moving about 3-4 % of the time. 80% of the time a car is usually parked at home, and the other 16% of the time it’s parked elsewhere.

Parking Lots and Facilities Reported Close to Recession-Proof

More than ever, investors are looking for good business opportunities and ways to protect their investments from recession. Parking may offer that solution.

Economists, research firms and other organizations are consistently reporting that parking lots and facilities are good investment opportunities in the commercial real estate sector.

When asked why institutional capital is attracted to the parking industry, Emanuel Eads, CEO of Central Parking (USA), stated: “Well, it’s three simple words: earnings, cash, growth.” Those three items make the parking industry ripe for the picking as investors look to diversify away from volatile stocks and vulnerable bonds, according to a 2008 Parking Today article.

“Demand for parking seems to be more recession-proof, and this affords space owners and operators the opportunity to hold prices close to year-ago levels. Moreover, when the economy rebounds, the markedly rising parking rates of years past are expected to return, according to Colliers International in 2009.

A 2010 National Parking Association study reported that the only operations sheltered from recession were Central Business District (CBD) municipal operators, colleges and universities, and hospitals.

A CNBC article Parking Lots Offer Safe Haven for Real-Estate Investors (December 2011) stated: “A surface parking lot offers a good rate of return and its rewards are as close to being recession-proof as you’re going to get,” says Ross Moore, chief economist for Boston commercial real estate firm, Colliers International.

The Alternative Asset Alliance newsletter says, “Investors are beginning to realize that a well-located urban parking facility offers stable, long-term revenue growth and that this asset class is becoming an important part of any diversified real estate portfolio.”

There seems to be a consensus that investing in well-located, high-density parking facility is an excellent option for diversifying a portfolio as well as a hedge against recession.

Of course, the numbers overwhelmingly favor the US parking industry, which grosses some $25–30 billion annually, according to the International Parking Institute.

Integrated, Automated Car Wash Available for Robotic Parking Systems

Would you like the convenience of an integrated, automatic car wash while your car is parked? This is an option that some owners and developers have chosen to add to their automated parking garage.

Robotic Parking Systems use leading brush-less car wash manufacturers for integration into our fully automated parking system. One such product is the MARK VII brush-less portal with auto drying system.

The car wash is integrated into the automated parking system and performs the wash procedure through software embedded commands. To achieve full LEED certification, Robotic Parking Systems recommends implementing the car wash together with a full water recycling system that only uses five liters of fresh water per one car wash. The remaining water needed will be used from fully recycled water that is stored in nearby tanks.

Robotic Parking Systems offer premier valet parking plus the added convenience of a car wash!