In manufacturing these days the phrase "high mix, low volume" is being bantered about pretty freely. The question is how to stay competitive and increased application of technology is frequently part of the answer. This is an answer the Japanese have not hesitated to apply in many areas, including the administration of parking lots.
As an aside, I was surprised by the amount of motor vehicle traffic in Japan. Maybe last time (10 years ago) I didn't get out on the highway system. But this time we were bused from place to place and there was always traffic, and of course, that means a need for parking, too.
These photos show a four-space off-street lot in Tokyo with a pretty high-tech access control system. The control box into which the driver inserts a credit card (middle photo) is connected to a pivoting plate in each space (bottom photo) that keeps the car in place until appropriate payment is made.
Not quite as brutal as the one-way, check-valve-like tire-puncturing devices one sees at the entrances to U.S. auto rental lots, but still serious about restraining vehicle movement. Trust me, when that plate is in the up position, the car isn't going anywhere. And remember - all this elaborate setup is for four spaces. I shudder to think was the rates must be.
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