Changping parking
For several weeks, there has been this flatbed truck parked under our building every day, receiving a load of scrapped steel. From early morning until the truck is full by lunchtime, we hear the crashing sound of metal being stacked onto the truck.
I was surprised see so much steel leaving the apartment complex that first day. Steel scrap had been (I understand) a fairly sluggish market recently, so I wasn't sure what the motivation to recycle this steel now. I had assumed that it had been stored in the basement. That is, until Randy came home from work and told us that the underground garage was being remodeled.
More after the jump
When we moved to Beijing, six years ago, we spent the first nine months living in the same complex where we live now. Randy could not get a parking place in the garage under our building at that time, but he could park in one of the few surface spaces that were available in the evening. One of the major selling points, then, when we moved back to this complex in 2013 was that the landlord had a spot in the garage available for us to lease in addition to the apartment.
Parking has grown into a monstrous problem in Beijing since car ownership has accelerated far beyond most planners' calculations. In some residential developments in other parts of Beijing, the parking spot can cost more than a car.
It seemed, though, that the builders of our apartment garden had anticipated heavy car ownership among their residents. Many of the parking spots were built with a second spot on a lift above it, though ours was not.
We have never seen the upper levels used, though.
The two-tier parking was probably a great idea when Changpingers were buying smaller, lighter cars. However, now our neighbours are not as limited either by availability or budget as they were a decade ago. Sometimes we see vehicles of a make and size that would draw stares even in the US.
Like this drool-worthy (if you are into trucks, that is) F-150 Raptor.
At times, too, our surface lot looks like a Jeep dealership.
For the last month the parking garage has been a bit of a mess, while they tear out all the old platforms and motors and chains.
The overhaul is nearly done, now with all the elevator parking removed and lines now being repainted. While I am impressed the property developers did make allowance for parking capacity that was probably unimaginable at the time of construction, it is too bad the calculations didn't also anticipate the growth in the size of cars.
I was surprised see so much steel leaving the apartment complex that first day. Steel scrap had been (I understand) a fairly sluggish market recently, so I wasn't sure what the motivation to recycle this steel now. I had assumed that it had been stored in the basement. That is, until Randy came home from work and told us that the underground garage was being remodeled.
More after the jump
When we moved to Beijing, six years ago, we spent the first nine months living in the same complex where we live now. Randy could not get a parking place in the garage under our building at that time, but he could park in one of the few surface spaces that were available in the evening. One of the major selling points, then, when we moved back to this complex in 2013 was that the landlord had a spot in the garage available for us to lease in addition to the apartment.
Parking has grown into a monstrous problem in Beijing since car ownership has accelerated far beyond most planners' calculations. In some residential developments in other parts of Beijing, the parking spot can cost more than a car.
It seemed, though, that the builders of our apartment garden had anticipated heavy car ownership among their residents. Many of the parking spots were built with a second spot on a lift above it, though ours was not.
We have never seen the upper levels used, though.
The two-tier parking was probably a great idea when Changpingers were buying smaller, lighter cars. However, now our neighbours are not as limited either by availability or budget as they were a decade ago. Sometimes we see vehicles of a make and size that would draw stares even in the US.
Like this drool-worthy (if you are into trucks, that is) F-150 Raptor.
At times, too, our surface lot looks like a Jeep dealership.
For the last month the parking garage has been a bit of a mess, while they tear out all the old platforms and motors and chains.
The overhaul is nearly done, now with all the elevator parking removed and lines now being repainted. While I am impressed the property developers did make allowance for parking capacity that was probably unimaginable at the time of construction, it is too bad the calculations didn't also anticipate the growth in the size of cars.
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