Whether you’re building a parking management business from scratch or reoptimizing your current business, it’s helpful to understand the basics of parking garage management. Understanding more about parking management can help you promote a safe and efficient facility that keeps traffic flowing smoothly. Keep reading to learn everything you need to know about parking garage management, including some tips to help you structure and upgrade your facilities.
What Is Parking Management?
Parking management is a collection of strategies and plans that aim to improve the quality of your parking facility and its services. The main goal of parking management is to organize your facilities and their functions to promote the availability of parking spaces to those who need them. Parking management helps reduce overcrowding and creates a more efficient and safe facility. Managers use facility design and renovation techniques, maintenance, and develop new parking policies and regulations to promote a better customer experience and practice parking management.
Benefits of Parking Management
There are several benefits of parking management and many reasons to invest in parking management strategies. First, parking management techniques encourage a better facility layout and improved traffic flow. Better management of your parking facility also helps improve access to your services and destinations around your facility. The more parking spaces you provide, the more parking access you offer to consumers and visitors to your area.
Promoting traffic flow and creating accessible spaces also helps increase safety in your facility. Parking management helps reduce traffic-related accidents, whether they involve vehicles or pedestrians. Finally, better facility management also increases your business’s financial gains. The more parking spaces you provide, the more customers you can support each day. Keeping traffic cycling and moving also promotes more customers throughout the day.
Different Types of Parking Management
There are many different types of parking management systems you should know about. Each offers unique benefits for your facility and to your parking management plans. Learn more about the most common types of parking management systems below.
On-Street vs. Off-Street Parking Management
First, you’ll need to determine whether your parking facility uses on-street parking, off-street parking, or both. When it comes to parking lots, facilities, and garages, most utilize off-street parking, though some may include spots on the street outside the lot or facility. The chance to take advantage of different parking types usually depends on your location, as commercial parking lots and garages are more common in densely populated areas and cities.
Robotic Parking Systems
Robotic parking systems utilize fully and semi-automated technology to make the vehicle storage process easier. Instead of customers driving in circles to find an available parking space, these facilities use lift technology to hoist and store vehicles in vertical stations. Some robotic parking facilities also use underground storage to minimize their land use and impact on the environment. Automated car parking systems also help expand the amount of parking space in your facility because they create spaces out of unused vertical space.
RFID Parking
Radio frequency identification (RFID) is another type of parking management technology rising in popularity. RFID systems use sensors and detection mechanisms to detect occupied and open parking spaces to make managing parking availability easier. These systems can help you determine how many spaces your parking facility still has available so that you can provide incoming guests with an accurate count. You’ll also know when your facility is full so that you can redirect new customers. Your management efforts help prevent vehicle traffic and customer frustration when they can’t find parking.
Smart Parking Systems
Finally, smart parking systems provide a way for you to synchronize all this technology and bring it together. Smart parking systems use RFID sensor technology, automated car parking systems, and other state-of-the-art technology to make parking easier and more convenient. You can even use smartphone applications to sync your parking technology, send customers notifications, and request payments.
Best Strategies for Parking Garage Management
Once you choose how you want to structure your facility, it’s time to start implementing your parking system. Use these strategies as a facility manager to promote an efficient parking system and help staff and customers alike stick to your policies.
Develop a Parking Management Plan
Remember how parking management involves developing new parking policies and regulations? One of the first steps to managing your parking facility is to create a list of policies and standards that you will enforce. Be sure to make these policies clear to your customers through signage and online resources. For example, if your facility requires payment or if it has strict parking time limits, make sure to spell these policies out for your customers at the entrance.
Monitor and Regulate Your Parking Policies
Simply creating your parking policies won’t be enough to change your facility for the better overnight. You’ll need to enforce these changes by using security and monitoring systems. This technology can help promote safety and security in your parking garage. If customers don’t comply with your rules, you may need to subject them to fines. Demonstrating follow-through helps customers understand the importance of following your facility’s rules and policies.
Utilize Parking Technology
As mentioned above, parking technology advances by the day. Many modern types of parking management strategies utilize technology such as RFID and automated parking systems. Technology such as smartphone apps and automated car parking systems make it easier than ever to promote efficiency in your facility. Don’t hesitate to embrace these technological advancements that can make your management processes easier and help you run a successful facility.
For example, if you’re interested in learning more about automated and robotic parking systems, you can find more information at Harding Steel. We provide state-of-the-art car parking systems for commercial garages, storage facilities, and more. Browse our website to learn more or to find the best system for your business.
Now that you know more about parking garage management, use these elements and features to organize your own parking facility. Consider how you can update your systems and policies to promote more efficient parking and use of spaces. And if you’re looking for parking technology to help upgrade your facilities, contact our experts at Harding Steel today.
