Before driverless cars rule the roads, more efficient, effortless curb management and parking can make space on our streets The valet industry was once such a goldmine for parking attendants that rival companies would bid for the right to operate at exclusive nightclubs and restaurants. For today?s valet parkers, much of the glamour is fading fast, thanks in large part to technological change.
Due to the growth of Uber and Lyft, businesses have become less dependent on the service. Industry expert Casey Wagner sees app-based mobility services taking a ?big bite? out of valet services, while a San Diego Union-Tribune report found that Ace Parking, a giant in the local parking industry, has seen a drop of 50 percent and 25 percent for valet traffic to nightclubs and restaurants, respectively. And this is before automated vehicles and the driverless revolution arrive?which will, many predict, curtail or even eliminate the need for parking spots at all. Valet, it seems, might as well just toss the keys over to Silicon Valley and head inside for a drink.
A quick statistical rundown of the country?s parking capacity demonstrates one of the greatest inefficiencies in our transportation system?500 million parking spaces for 326 million citizens spread across 3.5 million square miles of parking infrastructure, an area the size of Delaware and Rhode Island combined. Currently, an estimated 30 percent of traffic congestion every year comes from drivers simply searching for ...