Notes on Hoboken's automated garage

Recent observations highlight 916 Garden's upside and downside.

Downside: A recent note taped to the garage (communications on the site are definitely low-tech) says that snow must be cleared off cars before bringing them in, as melting snow could cause electrical problems. This again points to the user-unfriendliness of the system. How could dripping wet cars not have been anticipated in the planning and design of this facility?

Clearing snow off cars will mean delays in parking, and such delays mean lines out on the street. As we have said in previous posts on this subject, modern technology anticipates and serves the needs of users. Tech of 20 years ago required users to do the adapting.

Upside: An article in a recent Jersey Journal covered a teen who was sexually assaulted in the Newport Mall's garage. Traditional concrete-ramp garages typically have poorly-lit, lonely areas where crime festers. Many assaults are reported in such garages each year. The automated garage does not allow users to enter the facility, thereby heading off such incidents.

And since no one can get inside, no one can 'key' or otherwise vandalize, ding, or steal your car. We'd be more likely to hear praises of these considerable virtues if we weren't being treated to the sight of a car dropped from a height of several stories periodically. The best marketing originates with the best products.

Categories: 916+Garden+automated+garage, Hoboken, Robotic+Parking