DFW Airport Parking lights. This is a very cool idea.

[davidmash]

I had to go tot DFW to pick up my dad for Thanksgiving. He is 90 so we got there early to find parking so he would not have to wait. When we got there we discover this new lighting system.

There is a light over each parking spot. The lights are all color coded. Blue is short term (1 hour pick up) parking, Green is for long term parking and red means its occupied. If is is flashing a purplish color it means your 1 hour is up and you need to get the heck out.

Parking was breeze. Drive by the rows, look for a green or Blue light, zip down and park. No trolling for spots and hoping you find one. The lights change color immediately (I guess they all have individual sensors).

Very very cool. Never thought I'd be impressed by a parking structure.





A parking garage can be cool? Photo tour of DFW's new high tech Terminal A parking! - AAdvantageGeek - AAdvantageGeek

[Idle]

I don't know anyone with DFW now, but I did. The folks that ran the place were committed to being the first to try new tech if it looked like it had even a slight chance of working.

They saw DFW as the first impression a person gets of Dallas/Fort Worth and they wanted it to be a good one.

It's nice to see there is still some of that thinking going on.

[sloride]

Originally Posted by davidmash

I had to go tot DFW to pick up my dad for Thanksgiving. He is 90 so we got there early to find parking so he would not have to wait. When we got there we discover this new lighting system.

There is a light over each parking spot. The lights are all color coded. Blue is short term (1 hour pick up) parking, Green is for long term parking and red means its occupied. If is is flashing a purplish color it means your 1 hour is up and you need to get the heck out.

Parking was breeze. Drive by the rows, look for a green or Blue light, zip down and park. No trolling for spots and hoping you find one. The lights change color immediately (I guess they all have individual sensors).

Very very cool. Never thought I'd be impressed by a parking structure.





A parking garage can be cool? Photo tour of DFW's new high tech Terminal A parking! - AAdvantageGeek - AAdvantageGeek

I am very old, as a red light on used to mean that it was unoccupied.

[HuskyMan]

Fly DF/W if you enjoy microburst landings (wind shear), hotels and water towers built barely outside of the landing approach path. That water tower still bears the scars of the wing it tore off from the last crash and burn. I figure its just a matter of time before it happens again. In an aircraft wing versus water tower war, the water tower is going to win EVERY TIME.

Thank you, but no thank you.

[mybenz123]

Originally Posted by davidmash

I had to go tot DFW to pick up my dad for Thanksgiving. He is 90 so we got there early to find parking so he would not have to wait. When we got there we discover this new lighting system.

There is a light over each parking spot. The lights are all color coded. Blue is short term (1 hour pick up) parking, Green is for long term parking and red means its occupied. If is is flashing a purplish color it means your 1 hour is up and you need to get the heck out.

Parking was breeze. Drive by the rows, look for a green or Blue light, zip down and park. No trolling for spots and hoping you find one. The lights change color immediately (I guess they all have individual sensors).

Very very cool. Never thought I'd be impressed by a parking structure.





A parking garage can be cool? Photo tour of DFW's new high tech Terminal A parking! - AAdvantageGeek - AAdvantageGeek

They've had this system in the Philippines for the atleast 2 years now.
The mall parking lots was where I first saw them.
However, there the blue one means its for the disabled.
Pretty neat and as you said.
No going around and around trying to find a spot.


Louis.

[davidmash]

Originally Posted by mybenz123

They've had this system in the Philippines for the atleast 2 years now.
The mall parking lots was where I first saw them.
However, there the blue one means its for the disabled.
Pretty neat and as you said.
No going around and around trying to find a spot.


Louis.

One of the comments I read on a site mentioned the same thing. They said that the US is way behind the times. Seems to be true.

[jcyuhn]

Not only is each individual spot marked as occupied or open, all the data is used to drive signs which show exactly how many open spots are available on each floor and section of the parking garage.

Plus, it looks really cool. When it was first being installed, I initially thought it was an art installation of some kind.

[Skid Row Joe]

Originally Posted by jcyuhn

Not only is each individual spot marked as occupied or open, all the data is used to drive signs which show exactly how many open spots are available on each floor and section of the parking garage.

Plus, it looks really cool. When it was first being installed, I initially thought it was an art installation of some kind.

I wonder if Dallas Love Field has this system in their new parking garages?

Jim, if you've had a chance to walk the new Love Field, there's some really cool art features here and there built in the building construction. One in particular in the terrazzo flooring of the hallway flooring that leads to the furthest parking garage. All the cities and towns of Texas are displayed in the flooring installation. The main floor leading to security checkpoint still has the world map in the flooring from as far back as the '70s, which was a neat touch to leave unmolested during the extensive terminal remodeling.

[jcyuhn]

I haven't been through Love field for a couple of years. I travel about every other week, but Southwest just doesn't go where I need to be these days.

[DieselPaul]

Girlfriend who is in planning, and friend who is in wayfinding pointed out the reason a lot of places do not do this is it causes people to drive MUCH faster when they see a light, and they stop looking at the cars in the spots because they are focused on getting to the green light, and they often hit cars backing out.

Its an interesting system that I personally have not seen myself, but I think its worth considering the side effects before we decide every other parking structure developer is "stupid" for not using this system.