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the building could support? In a recent project in which
your author was involved, the design criteria for HC was
set at 15% by the U.S.-based client, which translated to
about 1,000 people every 5 minutes. With the access
mode being totally dependent on roads (not expressways
or freeways), a look at the number of vehicles indicated
that not more than 700 people could ever reach the building
in 5 minutes. The parking facilities and security measures
were such that a further delay appeared to have been
built into the system. While a discussion on establishing the
required HC is a topic for a paper on its own, this article will
try to give a glimpse of the event.
The Middle East Parking Symposium (MEPS) was held
on October 10-12 at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition
Centre in Abu Dhabi. MEPS is organised by Dubai-based
Island Media Consultancy, which is headed by Managing
Director Davyd Farrell, who has 12 years of experience in
the exhibition industry and eight years experience in the
transportation sector. Previously event director for the
Gulf Traffic event, held every two years in Dubai, Farrell
saw the requirement for a parking show in the industry
and, thus, MEPS was born.
This third MEPS was triple the size of the inaugural
show, with 43 exhibitors filling Hall 5 of the facility. The
conference was held in association with the International
Parking Institute (IPI) of North America and attracted some
170 delegates from across the globe, including Europe,
America, the Middle East and India. The conference ran
three parallel streams: the IPI Main Technical Stream, the
Technology Stream and Middle East Focus Stream.
The IPI Stream focused on design and planning, finance
and investment, equipment and technology, and enforcement
and operations. The Technology Stream focused on
payment systems, off-street parking equipment and operations,
simulation modeling, ITS in parking, and automated
parking. The Middle East Focus Stream looked at the
aspects of parking projects in the Middle East with city
updates and an Abu Dhabi focus.
At the forefront of the event was the chief event sponsor,
the Department of Transport, Abu Dhabi, which celebrated
the first anniversary of the launch of its Mawaqif (Arabic
for “parking”) project. The symposium was inaugurated
by His Excellency Abdullah Rashid Al Otaiba, chairman,
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Middle East
Parking Symposium
ELEVATOR WORLD India • 4th Quarter 2010 •
Department of Transport, Abu Dhabi, amidst a crowd of
exhibitors, delegates and media. His Excellency then took
a tour of the exhibition hall, stopping at each stand to
learn about the latest initiatives, products and services in
the parking industry.
Of particular note were the numerous automated parking
systems on display at MEPS. The event had the largest
gathering of APS providers in the world, including industry
leaders Midein Electromechanical, Robotic Parking Systems,
Boomerang Systems and India’s own Pari-Robotics.
The IPI Main Technical Stream: Day One
With three parallel streams in progress, your author chose
to attend the IPI Main Technical Stream. The first paper
for the day was by Denis Molner of Langan Engineering
and Environmental Services. Molner stressed that in parking,
“one size doesn’t fit all.” He took the audience through
various car dimensions and recommended that the
design of parking spaces should be made with the largest
vehicle in mind. He also pointed out that the approach to
queue has to be such that cars are removed from the
street as soon as possible.
The second paper was by Timothy Haahs, who started
by quoting William Whyte: “The street is the river of life
of the city.” He stressed that parking and traffic consultants
also have a responsibility to reduce the requirement
for parking. He applauded Abu Dhabi City Vision 2030,
which had reducing reliance on motorized vehicles as a
key objective. The vision had laid out pedestrians as the
first priority, followed by transit users and cyclists and,
lastly, motor vehicles. Haahs emphasized the need for
planners and parking experts to work closely with the
leaders of any city. The subsequent discussions also
brought up a fact that cultural adaptation is key for the
success of any plan.
Armen Megerdoomian of International Parking Design
addressed the complexities related to the parking for
the retail customer. He pointed out that the parking experience
is the first and the last impression for the retail
customer. Megerdoomian recommended that with the
wide choices available, extra effort should be taken to
make the experience pleasant and hassle free. He
stressed that wider parking spaces and aisles should be
provided to facilitate maneuverability.