Micro car parks with only a few car spaces are popping up over Tokyo as fast as old buildings are demolished. I’ve noticed a few blocks of land near my office where it seems that there’s a building one day, and a two-space car park the next.
These mini commercial car parks are fully automated, with a vending machine for payment, and a device that physically prevents cars being driven away until payment is made. The cost depends on the location, but often seems to be around several hundred yen per half hour, 24 hours per day.
With the economy in bad shape, and land precious, I guess that it’s better to put even small blocks of land to use with some parking revenue, rather than leaving them to fallow before the next building is constructed. It also shows that land is more valuable than the buildings upon it, as old buildings are commonly torn down rather than renovated or preserved.
Instead of more car parking, I’d rather see more bicycle parking installed to discourage driving places, but I guess it might be harder to make money from that when people can just park their bike anyway on the footpath.
I’ve noticed this too, especially around my office. Here’s taking it to new heights to squeeze parking for four trucks into what is essentially the space between two buildings… http://trunc.it/1v2qb