Which Parking and Mobility Trends Will Have the Most Impact Over the Next Five Years?
By Al Carroll
While it’s difficult to identify/rank one specific trend that will have the most impact to our industry over the next five years, the majority of trends we’re currently seeing and expecting to continue over the next five years include those that focus on sustainability/green building technology and best practices that make parking facilities more eco-friendly plus trends that focus on improving the end user’s convenience. These trends include but are not limited to the following:
- Vehicles powered by renewable energy sources.
- Increases in code required EV charging stations.
- Parking guidance systems and mobile/smart phone apps that inform users about pricing and parking availability which reduces wayfinding/travel time spent searching for parking spaces. This trend will also reduce carbon emissions and increase user convenience.
- Accessibility to public mass transit (i.e. “Park n’ Ride”) parking facilities.
- Future-proofing in anticipation of repurposing a structured parking facility in the future due to a reduction in private vehicle usage resulting from increases in mass transit, ride sharing via Uber, Lyft, etc. and a greater proportion of the population/work force working from home.
- Energy efficient lighting systems.
- Increases in bike/motorcycle/golf cart storage areas that encourage alternative means of travel.
- Automated entry/exit gates.
- Car Lift systems/”Stackers” that reduce the area of building footprints thereby increasing the availability of land for other uses.
- Use of recycled or more sustainable building materials in permanent construction that leave a smaller carbon footprint.
- Increase in electronic (cashless) payment systems such as PayPal and license plate recognition technology that will increase user convenience
Al Carroll is Executive Vice President for McCarthy Building Companies.