Park safely and with peace of mind
Public parking garages fulfill a similar role in private transport as large train stations. Both are the starting point and destination for many people who change to other means of transport from here or walk the last few meters. In both cases, road users are also keen to be able to drive as close as possible to their actual destination. In terms of private automobile traffic, this means that parking on the roadside tends to be preferred to parking garages, and not just because of the lower costs and shorter walking distance. The feeling of safety also plays a not insignificant role.
The feeling of security is made up of objective and subjective factors
The utilization of parking garages depends not only on their location and accessibility. Of course, parking fees cannot be ignored. It is true that someone who only uses their parking space for a short time will not make a cost comparison between the different parking garages. However, if you park for several hours, the charges do play a noticeable role.
In practice, it has been shown that the feeling of security also contributes to the acceptance of parking fees. The operation of a parking garage can therefore not be reduced to the provision of an illuminated parking area. Parking garage operators are the owners of the parking area or take over the management as a service provider for others. The associated maintenance and cleaning work not only ensures the smooth entry and exit of vehicles, but also has a positive effect on parking customers' sense of security. If litter lying around is removed in the shortest possible time and the partial defect in the lighting is also rectified, this goes hand in hand with a better feeling among drivers. Cleanliness and safety are therefore two sides of the same coin.
Even the Hamburg police point this out: in open-air parking areas located in residential or business districts, there is a high level of social control by residents and passers-by. The risk of a crime being discovered in daylight is therefore comparatively high, although this cannot be said of every underground garage and parking garage. Without the use of security measures, parking garages would become a real playground for shady characters. Illegal graffiti is soon followed by the aforementioned littering, which goes hand in hand with vandalism and even includes assaults on parking lot customers.
How to make parking garages a safe environment
As part of a well thought-out parking lot concept, factors such as people, technology, property and organization must be taken into account and combined with each other in the best possible way. Of these factors, human behavior is the most difficult to calculate. But it is no secret which circumstances can trigger feelings of anxiety: Dark corners, cluttered areas and threatening acoustics are the most frequently cited examples - which, incidentally, are directly related to the care and maintenance already mentioned. People like to park where it is bright and clean. At the same time, generously dimensioned lanes and parking spaces are perceived favorably - and not just because they are easier to handle.
In a dark, musty and unclean environment, on the other hand, a parking lot is perceived as an emergency solution at best.
More security through video surveillance
Even a brightly lit parking garage increases security, as criminals are still drawn to the dark. In combination with high-quality camera surveillance, not only is the perceived security increased: in fact, fewer crimes are recorded with such a combination. This is true even if the camera recordings are not permanently monitored, but only evaluated later. Modern cameras not only show the offender in detail, but also make it possible to create a movement profile within the parking garage. All of this makes it easier to solve the crime at a later date.
Depending on the size and location of the parking garage, additional patrolling by a security service may be advisable. Uniformed guards who always keep an eye on everything that is happening inside the parking garage not only give parking garage customers a good feeling. They also act as a deterrent to potential criminals and are therefore an effective preventative measure.
Access control keeps unauthorized persons out
Parking garage customers are authorized to move within the public parking area with or without a car from the moment they enter. The parking ticket, the license plate number or a door code make it possible to re-enter the parking garage on foot later. Only then does the door open and then close again for unauthorized persons.
To ensure that women, families and people with disabilities in particular do not have to move too far in the parking garage, parking spaces have been designated for these user groups near the entrance.
By the way...
A clear, easy-to-understand layout of the parking spaces and a transparent tariff system such as PRM's significantly reduce the fear of parking in parking garages. Mainly for those people who, for all the reasons mentioned here, do not actually like driving there.
