Everywhere in the districts near the centres of our big cities the situation is similar to that of München-Neuhausen: narrow space, old building stock from the pre- and post-war period and heavy transit traffic mean for the residents an acute shortage of parking space. After years of trying to find a concept, the building authorities have decided on an innovative and attractive solution: Parking under the street. In the end it was the better price per parking space that caused the decision in favour of the automatic
parking solution: Less building volume per parking space, lower costs for building technique due to reduced ventilation and lighting as well as savings on lifts, stairs, ramps etc. 2 x 2 Wöhr Multiparker 740 provide parking space for 284 vehicles.
The location requires special building operations:
• Street closure,
• Re-routing of services,
• Re-routing of power cables
• Construction of the basement exterior walls,
• Followed by a concrete slap and top-down construction a.s.o.
Four attractively designed glass boxes located above ground are the only street-level signs of the garage for local residents and users.
The user with parking permission drives to the one of the two systems he has been allocated to. Then he selects one of the two transfer areas, which indicate free access by large displays. In front of the transfer area a post operating device can easily be reached by the driver from his carwindow. The user opens the entry door by holding his transponder chip to the operating device. Driving in he is guided via text displays. As soon as he has reached the correct parking position, he stops, gets out, locks his car and leaves the transfer area. The correct parking position and vehicle dimensions are checked via laser scanner and light barrier. He confirms the parking process at the operating device, the door closes and the car is stored.
For retrieval the user also returns to one of the two transfer areas of his system, in order to shorten his waiting time, preferably to the one where he has parked his car. Via transponder chip he selects his car, which is automatically retrieved to the transfer area where the request has been made. As soon as the parking system has transported the parking pallet with the car into the transfer area, both doors open – the entry door for the driver to walk in, the exit door for immediately exiting with his car in driving direction. After this both doors close automatically. A new parking process can be started.
This solution will relieve the parking problem when 284 cars are no longer parked on the street. The street will be returned to its original purpose – for
walking and driving. The noise level in the street will be reduced because all procedures like the slamming of car doors, parking manoeuvres as well as driving off will take place in the transfer areas. The cycle paths and sidewalks that had mostly been used as car parking areas are freed for cyclists and pedestrians, and there will be less danger for pedestrians
from parking and moving cars. Overall the area in front of the buildings can be landscaped in a more resident-friendly manner with trees, greenery or play areas. The reduction of traffic noise together with good parking provision under the street will turn an inner-city district back into an attractive place to live and work.