Where are their cars?

Loes posted a good question recently. Where do they park all those cars?
Major part of the sollution: they don't exist. Sorry...? Yes, truely they are not there. In Tokyo over 85% of people go to work by public transport. And that really makes a difference.
The cars that do drive around here are mainly taxis and those park as little as possible as turnover is in driving, not parking.


But let's be honest, there is just no room to park. Streets are too narrow. Therefore parking is stricly prohibited throughout Tokyo. "Park on you own property if you want to" is the apparent message. Are you buying a car? Then it is up to you to create a parking space. Public space is not available for private things.


And when somebody is naughty: things clodge immediately.


It is a marvel: a city freed of parked can.


Throughout Tokyo a parking ban is enforced. Strictly. The smaller fines do € 200,-.


The streets are not always very wide and most buildings are only half a meter away from the lot's edge. Little space promotes creative sollutions.




Cars are squeezed away.




Stacking does help.


As real estate is expensive, it pays off to build ingenious structures. This picture shows a system to park your car over the manouvring space of the other car's bays. Thus the number of parked cars is increased by 100%. If you want your car from the rack, it is lowered down for you.




These apparant ordinary parking bays are in double use. The second car is underground. If that is your car, simply push the button and the whole bay will rise up with the second car on top untill your car is on street level.


In large buildings you often find an entrance like this. Behind the grey door is a fair like machine in which you park your car. A 'paternoster'. The machine has many bays in a closed chain, hoisting the cars like a ferris wheel. Maybe you have seen filing cabinets with the same system. The round turn table in the floor serves to turn retrieved cars around for the customer, no need to drive backwards into the street.


In Kyoto I saw such a machine in the wild.