The 916 Garden Street garage was our first commercial fully automated parking system. Delivered for operation in the summer of 2002, it was also the first automated parking system in the United States as reported by the New York Times. We have to admit that we learned a lot.
In the socio-political environment of Hoboken, it was a “challenge” (to say the least) to not only set-up but also to operate the system. And, naturally we learned a lot in both technical and “environmental” aspects.
Two years after commercial operations began, Parking, the National Parking Association magazine, published the report Automated Parking: Two-Year Report Card. Click here to read the report. Computer logs of close to 700,000 transactions in the automated parking garage show an “up time” over four years of continuous 24/7 operation of 99.99%. Occupancy of the 314 space Hoboken facility was above 300 cars.
| Number of Spaces | 314 |
| Footprint | 100 ft x 100 ft |
| Height | 56 ft |
| Levels | 7 |
| Years in Operation | 17 |
| Schedule of Operation | 24 / 7 |
| Number of Transactions | 705,000 |
| Average Repsonse Time (Exit) | 145 seconds |
| Peak Traffic Capacity | 122 cars / hr |
| Average Occupancy | 99.5% |
| Up Time | 99.99% |
During such intensive operational conditions, we were able to learn exactly what elements could be improved and then incorporated those improvements into our next generation installations.
However, even without these upgrades, early users of the Hoboken facility regularly filled out written survey forms with comments such as:
“I’d give up food before I’d give up this garage.” –E.H. statement in front of running CNN camera with Jeanne Moos
“… it has been easy and trouble free – very pleasant – and the closest we will come to a driveway in Hoboken.” –L.V.
“… It’s such a pleasure to park and walk across the street to my apartment. I’ve been timing how long it takes to retrieve my car, and it’s been about 1 1/2 minutes (not bad at all – ‘smiley face’) … This garage … is (a) great addition to the neighborhood.” –R.C.
“It is the wave of the future … Does it work? Yes … I watched while Robotic Parking’s staff ran some of the many thousands of storage and retrieval cycles with and without vehicles.” –J.F.
“… it has been very good … Today there were 3 of us in a row retrieving cars, and everything ran smoothly …” –H.W.
And, for those readers who want to know more about the real story, click here to find the true history.
The Garden Street automated parking facility fit very well within the City of Hoboken’s master plan at the time of its construction. It enabled the city to provide parking for the residents of Hoboken very close to their homes, and in a relatively small structure rather than a large parking structure on the edge of a residential area. In the beginning, the garage operated at near capacity and served the residents of the community well. Once it was taken over by another company, it no longer operated at the same high level.
Robotic Parking Systems and Hoboken – The History
Since the construction of the original 916 Garden Street fully automated parking garage, our system has gone through several different iterations and upgrades, all innovated at our research and discovery facility in Clearwater, FL. In fact, Robotic Parking Systems was recently recognized with the prestigious Leading Technology Innovator Award for advancements in the industry.
Today, our system is fully integrated with emerging technologies such as electric vehicles. In fact, one of the huge advantages of our system as the use of EVs increases, is that it is equipped with level 2 electric car chargers. AI in the system moves cars into and out of charging spaces as needed, without the need for the owner of the vehicle to return to move it once charging has completed. And, with our partnership with Bosch, our system is equipped to accommodate driverless vehicles.
The system has the added feature of pallet cleaning between every use, essential for winter climates where snow and ice is an issue. Robotic Parking Systems also has a new fire safety feature which quickly contains any car fire that may start, preventing it from spreading to the rest of the vehicles in the garage.
