In urban areas, acquiring a parking space within the Central Business District (CBD) proves to be quite a tall order for motorists.
In the case of businesses, it is no different since owners have to weigh in on the transport and logistics factors to enable a smooth flow of operations.
Taidy's Hotel, located in Nakuru County, however, sought to revolutionise the concept of the linear parking system by incorporating state-of-the-art technology.
Located along Oginga Odinga Street, the hotel's parking system elicited debate over its functionality and whether county governments should implement it to solve parking woes.
How it Works
As motorists enter the parking area, they are directed to a halting area. A screen, filled with instructions, informs the driver to either move the vehicle backwards or forward and the time to apply the hand brake.
The instructions will also indicate if the vehicle's height is too much. When the system alerts the driver with the 'Ok Handbrake' sign, it indicates that the car is ready to be parked.
Depending on the size and type (i.e. if it's a station wagon or a Sports Utility Vehicle), the system suggests different parking slots to the instructor, who will choose a particular number.
The vehicle is then lifted to its allocated parking slot. Once a driver is ready to leave, the instructor presses and selects the car brought down and spans around to face the exit point.
The parking system, which consists of 24 slots, has a backup power system in case of power failure.
Debate
A section of Kenyans online hailed the hotel for adopting the unique technology, after the story wa featured by Nakuru creative, Moseax. Others, however, questioned whether the system would work nationally.
"Nakuru is truly a city! The investor's confidence should be on another level," John Ngugi posted.
"They obviously have power backup. You cannot invest in all that and miss on such a crucial part," Percy Waweru pointed out.
"Other governors should do benchmarking in Nakuru or consult the former governor Lee Kinyanjui," read some online comments.
In a past media interview, the hotel's manager affirmed that the team had to be innovative with the limited amount of space given and, in turn, adopted the system.
