About Public Parking Facilities

The purpose of an automobile, whether in reference to a car, truck, van or motorcycle, is to deliver passengers to a destination. Upon arrival at the destination, a parking facility is required to park the vehicle until the passengers depart. Public parking facilities are parking spaces that are open to the general public compared to a private parking facility that is designated for a particular group of individuals. 

Types of Public Parking Facilities

Smaller towns often have on-the-street parking with meters located on the sidewalk in front of the parking space. A meter person will ticket a vehicle if the money runs out of the meter before the car is moved. Some areas offer free on-the-street parking for a particular amount of time. A patrol person may mark the tire with chalk and come back after the amount of time expires and ticket the vehicle if it has not been moved.  

Street level parking lots consist of tightly compacted marked spaces. Sometimes municipalities own the parking lot and do not charge a fee; however, often a person stationed at a booth collects a fee. Parking garages are several stories tall and the paved drive spirals up as a car enters the parking garage and spirals down to exit. A fee is calculated based on the amount of time the car is parked in the garage or a flat rate fee is assessed.

Security in Public Parking Facilities

Security in public parking facilities generally consists of the person collecting the parking fee at the entrance. Parking garages sometimes hire paid security guards to patrol the decks, especially at Christmas, if located in a shopping district. Security cameras may be set-up with a guard posted to monitor the cameras in parking garages or lots. Department stores often position cameras pointed on the parking lot with the same guard or guards monitoring the store and the lot.

Demand for Public Parking Facilities

The demand for public parking facilities continues to rise. In large municipalities, space is at a premium and the demand for public parking is high. More revenue is brought in from high-rise office complexes or malls compared to the amount charged for a parking garage. Although public transportation is good in a lot of cities, people continue to buy automobiles and require parking spaces near apartment buildings, offices, shopping and restaurants.