Has spring arrived for the Shaoxing multi‑storey parking garage market?
Release Date:
2015-04-07 18:58
The Didiang multi‑storey car park has already entered trial operation, while the “Guojin Shopping Center” on East Street plans to be equipped with a multi‑storey parking facility. Meanwhile, the Xieqiao multi‑storey car park in Keqiao is also fully prepared and ready to go.
Key highlights: Recently, residents were delighted to discover that the multi‑storey parking garage next to the Shaoxing Marriott Executive Apartments Hotel in Diding, downtown, has begun trial operations. Not long ago, media reports also indicated that construction at the “Guojin Shopping Center” site—located in the heart of the Jiefang Road commercial district—is about to enter full‑scale phase. The project’s two underground levels will serve as a parking facility; to make optimal use of space and increase parking capacity, it will feature a multi‑storey parking structure with 800 spaces.
And just recently, with successive reports of large-scale automated parking garages either already in operation or slated for construction, one can’t help but wonder: has spring arrived for Shaoxing’s automated parking‑garage market?
To this end, reporters from the “News Deep Breath” program also interviewed relevant authorities and experts from automated parking‑garage manufacturers to gain an understanding of the current state of automated parking‑garage development in Shaoxing.
□ Reporter Yan Zhuping, text; Wang Lihong, photos
News Investigation
During the trial run, the automated parking garage was constantly at full capacity.
Last Monday, the reporter arrived at the site next to the Shaoxing Shimao Crowne Plaza Hotel and spotted a two‑story, four‑level automated parking structure on one side of the hotel; however, the facility was not yet in operation.
A reporter contacted the Construction Division of the Shaoxing High-tech Zone Construction Administration. An official there told the reporter that the multi‑storey parking garage, with 148 parking spaces, has been completed and was indeed undergoing trial operations recently. “This automated parking facility still requires operation by trained professionals; accordingly, its staff will need to undergo specialized training and obtain the requisite certification before they can begin operating it.”
To gain a clearer understanding of the details of this automated parking system, the reporter subsequently visited Zhejiang Yuegong Machinery Co., Ltd., the company that designed and built it.
“At present, the equipment has been certified and is undergoing the application‑approval process,” said Ai Shenghui, General Manager of Zhejiang Yuegong Machinery Co., Ltd. He added that the construction of this automated parking system began in the second half of 2013, with on-site surveys and preliminary planning underway.
Multi‑storey car parks can help alleviate parking shortages, but they cannot be built just anywhere. “First, there has to be a demand; second, there must be a suitable site; and third, the conditions for commercial operation need to be met,” said Ai Shenghui. She added that the decision to locate the multi‑storey car park on Meilong Road in Diding was also based on the fact that the surrounding area is dominated by Diding’s tallest buildings and that a park lies nearby. “After a series of budget assessments, investment analyses, and other evaluations, we settled on this site, which, from a long-term perspective, is well suited.”
Following the completion of preliminary surveys and planning, installation of the automated parking garage began last summer. Just recently, the facility underwent a trial run. “The actual construction took only three to four months,” said Ai Shenghui. “The results have been very positive—during the trial period, the garage was consistently at full capacity. Over this time, many people have also been inquiring about the official launch date.”
Ai Shenghui told reporters that this automated parking system employs the most widely used model in today’s automated parking equipment; 87% of such facilities nationwide rely on this design, making it a highly mature and proven solution.
Meanwhile, in Keqiao District, the Xieqiao Multi‑Story Car Park at the intersection of National Highway 104 and Hubin Road in Keqiao is also fully prepared and ready to go.
The multi‑storey parking facility has completed off‑site landscaping and interior fit‑out and is now preparing to install an intelligent traffic‑management system. It is expected to open in June or July this year. With a total floor area of over 20,000 square meters, the structure comprises five levels and provides more than 800 parking spaces.
Reporter’s Experience
When parking in a multi‑level parking garage for the first time, there are quite a few things to keep in mind.
Accompanied by professionals from Yuegong Machinery Co., Ltd., the reporter also had a firsthand experience with the automated parking system. The vehicle used for this demonstration was a Škoda Superb, a midsize car.
Experts recommend parking in reverse, as the design is based on the principles of gravity when reversing. Additionally, when backing into a space, try to straighten the car before beginning to reverse; otherwise, for “new drivers” like the reporter who are using a multi‑level parking garage for the first time, it can feel a bit daunting, with the constant worry of not being able to get in. Engineers have already explained that the clearance between the two garages is six meters, providing ample room for most standard family sedans to back in directly after straightening the wheels.
In addition, there is a yellow protrusion at the rear-right corner of the parking space. This is called a “retreat‑prevention plate.” One of the tires must pass over this plate and become wedged between it and the rear “vehicle‑stop plate,” which helps prevent the vehicle from rolling backward.
As for parking, the driver can simply press the corresponding number to select their desired spot. According to the reporter’s timing, it takes 28 seconds to move a car from the second level down to the first, another 26 seconds to go up one level, and 18 seconds for lateral movement. If the vehicle is parked on the topmost fourth level, the entire process can take up to about 100 seconds.
According to Shi Yifeng, an electrical engineer at the company, each parking space is 2.55 meters wide, “which is suitable for most standard family sedans.”
News Extension
Hangzhou added nearly 30,000 multi-story parking spaces last year.
According to reports, by 2014, more than 260 cities nationwide had constructed multi‑storey parking structures, and in 2014 alone, over 30 new facilities were added in third-tier cities.
“Especially in the city centers of many cities like Shaoxing, every inch of land is worth its weight in gold. How can we address the pressing issue of parking shortages? The only solution is to tap into vertical and underground space by building multi‑level parking structures, a choice that is increasingly drawing attention,” said Ai Shenghui. Last year, more than 200 companies attended the annual conference on multi‑level parking garages; this year, that number has grown to over 300.
Ai Shenghui is an expert on the Parking Equipment Working Committee of the China Heavy Machinery Association. Last week, he returned to Shaoxing after attending the National Annual Conference of Three-Dimensional Garage Enterprises in Nanning, Guangxi.
At this year’s conference, numerous statistics on the construction of automated parking structures were also disclosed. Ten years ago, the country had 78,000 automated parking spaces; since then, the annual increase has averaged 25%, with over 580,000 new spaces added in 2014 alone. Meanwhile, Hangzhou, which is close to Shaoxing, added more than 27,000 automated parking spaces last year.
Compared with cities of the same tier, Shaoxing is still quite ahead.
In recent years, the number of private cars in our city has been increasing at an average annual rate of tens of thousands, and “difficulty finding parking” has become one of the most vexing challenges in the daily lives of car owners. Particularly in bustling downtown areas or clusters of office buildings, securing a parking space can be a real ordeal.
Industry insiders believe that increasing the supply of parking spaces is a key strategy for alleviating the parking shortage, and in prime urban areas where land is at a premium, constructing multi‑level parking structures that occupy minimal space yet offer substantial capacity has become an inevitable trend.
So, what is the current situation with automated parking garages in Shaoxing? In fact, over the past two years, Shaoxing has made significant strides in developing such facilities. As I recall, starting with the construction of the first automated garage at Senhai Haoting in 2004, there are now roughly 20 across the city—growing from just a handful of parking spaces to well over a hundred today.
Over the past few years since officially entering this industry, Yuegong Machinery Co., Ltd. has manufactured nine automated parking structures for Shaoxing, six of which are located in the urban area, with four already in operation.
In Aisheng Hui’s view, compared with other third-tier cities, Shaoxing is relatively advanced in the field of automated parking garages. “For instance, many large buildings in the city center have already factored this into their designs. Building automated parking spaces in underground garages, for example, requires a minimum ceiling height of 3.6 meters, and I’ve learned that quite a few projects have already reserved space to accommodate additional automated parking levels in the future.”
As for the future market of multi‑storey parking garages in Shaoxing, many manufacturers generally maintain an optimistic outlook: “After all, the enormous demand for parking is right there.”
■The “Deep Breath” Perspective
How much more “three-dimensional” is there to look forward to?
Faced with the reality of parking shortages, it has become imperative to maximize vertical space. This approach aligns with the principles of intensive development and offers a solution that harmoniously integrates urban planning with the needs of the public.
Last week, a “three-dimensional flower wall” at the intersection of Jiefang Road and Xinhe Lane drew the attention of many residents. Our cities are three-dimensional, our parks are three-dimensional, and greenery must inevitably be multi‑layered as well. As an important component that aligns with urban development trends, three-dimensional greening occupies space above ground rather than on the ground, making efficient use of existing areas, increasing green coverage, and boosting the proportion of green spaces visible to the eye—yielding significant ecological, environmental, and social benefits. Naturally, this eco‑friendly, low‑carbon, energy‑saving, and cost‑effective “three-dimensional flower wall” has earned widespread praise from citizens.
Also a “three-dimensional” solution, although compared with three-dimensional flower walls, the development of multi‑storey car parks in Shaoxing has only just begun, they nonetheless represent an effective approach to addressing parking shortages and point to the future direction of parking‑lot construction.
Compared with surface parking lots, although it requires a larger upfront investment and ongoing maintenance and management, it enhances land-use efficiency, saving space while reducing the strain on road‑surface resources. At the same time, Shaoxing’s steel‑structure industry can seize new development opportunities by shifting toward multi‑storey parking facilities, and the management and operation of such facilities also provide a fresh platform for the growth of the modern service sector.
When cities become three-dimensional, our lives gain even more “depth” to look forward to.
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