FAIL: Multi-level Parking in NYC
by John Neff on Apr 10th 2009 at 7:29PM 
Click above for high-res image gallery
We saw plenty of these multi-level parking structures during our trip to NYC this past week, and even commented on how their space efficiency would work well in our own cities where giant parking garages dominate the landscape. Perhaps we spoke too soon.
Autoblog reader Mel spotted this scene just around the corner from the Jacob Javits Center where the 2009 New York Auto Show is being held. The multi-level steel parking structure evidently failed, sending a Lexus GS sliding down on top of a Land Rover and the front end of an also-raised Honda Accord. The kicker? A 1998 Chrysler Town and Country and older Camry sit just outside the frame unscathed. The Ford Edge that just happened to be parked on the right (both figuratively and literally) side of the structure was reportedly inaccessible by its owner despite not playing a part in this mess. Whoever was in charge apparently felt the whole thing might go at any minute. You know what, New York? Us smaller cities will keep our concrete parking garages, thank you very much. Thanks for the tip, Mel!
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Quantumphysics 7:37PM (4/10/2009)
i learned the hard way not to drive into Manhattan. I live in Queens and its easier to tke the LIRR into the city and then use local subways. If you drive into the city, parking is so ridiculously restricted you will most likely end up with a ticket during weekdays 6 - 8pm.
As for this failure of multi tier parking... They love to cheat you by claiming your vehicle is "oversized". They threatened to make me pay SUV pricing for a Chrysler 300. To this, I reply, if you are charging SUV pricing on full sized cars... you guys suck.
I never trusted these things.
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Rick C. 12:04AM (4/11/2009)
@Quant
Just curious, is your background in physics? I'm applied physics myself with an emphasis in optics. Went and became a laser engineer.
guerro 1:09AM (4/11/2009)
"You know what, New York? Us smaller cities will keep our concrete parking garages, thank you very much."
WE smaller cities. Easy way to remember the correct word is to remove "smaller cities" and see if it sounds right. You wouldn't say "Us will keep our concrete parking..." You would say "We will keep out concrete parking..." Okay, grammar lesson is over. As you were soldier.
Richard 8:06AM (4/11/2009)
@guerro,
Cool! Very cool!
PiCASSO 2:55PM (4/11/2009)
Here's where the incident happened... courtesy of Google Maps:
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=460+11th+Ave,+New+York+City&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&ie=UTF8&split=0&gl=us&ei=yebgScDNCpPunQfaxICwCQ&ll=40.757514,-74.000173&spn=0.012044,0.027895&z=16&iwloc=A&layer=c&cbll=40.757563,-74.000285&panoid=81QP0f9_znUFNbq5hUEmgA&cbp=12,35.92188402941908,,0,10.192307692307695
Carmine 8:04PM (4/11/2009)
@guerro
since you want to be a grammar cop, you should know that there should have been a comma in "As you were, soldier."
Polly Prissy Pants 3:19PM (4/12/2009)
"WE smaller cities. Easy way to remember the correct word is to remove "smaller cities" and see if it sounds right."
The same rule works for people to.
"Me and Cletus went to the rodeo."
Would you say "Me went to the rodeo?"
Cletus would.
danat86 7:37PM (4/10/2009)
lol @ the insurance office in the background. I bet they did that.
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paul.ml.n.ho 8:00PM (4/10/2009)
Totally the first thing I noticed that was wrong with the picture... scam?
Fernando 8:13AM (4/13/2009)
There is also a body shop in that picture. So, they eff it up, get the insurance money, and then fix it in their own body shop.
Nice scam they must have going there, LOL.
BTW, It's "Cletus and I went to the rodeo"
Marc-O 7:46PM (4/10/2009)
That's quite the dainty little structure right there... Whoever engineered it could have used a little more... Well... Engineering. Yikes !
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Sektor 4:07PM (4/11/2009)
I was in NYC the other day and saw exactly this thing and I thought "Nothing good can ever come out of this".
Max 7:55PM (4/10/2009)
Yeah the metal structure looks thin and fragile considering it holds the weight of 3 cars!
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Sergey 2:18AM (4/11/2009)
Actually it holds just 2.
neutralgear 6:31AM (4/11/2009)
They are about the same type of structure as the car carriers being hauled by semitrucks on the freeway. The problem with this situation is that the owner didn't keep up with maintenance or inspect things like rust.
Conundrum 9:55AM (4/11/2009)
That column structure looks capable of handling several times more than the weight of automobiles. Notice that the structure is interconnected at the top. The failure happened on a column that only supported a portion of two cars rather than the four that put weight on the center columns. Nuetralgear nailed it. The structure likely failed because of one of the following:
Constructed incorrectly
Maintained incorrectly
Inspected incorrectly
Operated incorrectly
Just like your car, the components of these movable structures require maintenance. You cannot simply build it and forget it. Either way the drivers should all get cars "on the house." Any Civil engineer worth his salt should be able to give you a cause of failure within a few minutes of inspecting the structure.
Geeky1 7:59PM (4/10/2009)
Well that's inconvenient. At least in the case of the Lexus it could hardly have happened to a more deserving vehicle.
Reply
dwightB 8:53PM (4/10/2009)
And the Lexus deserved it because...?
dantronic 11:11PM (4/10/2009)
Because it's overpriced, ugly and pretentious; being smashed on it's lid doesn't hurt it's looks at all.
Mike 12:15AM (4/11/2009)
Worst part,
The bozo's gonna get the insurance check and go buy another Lexus.