Underground Parking Lots

Underground Parking Lots
The entrance into Hell?

I came upon an underground parking lot in Valencia with which I have no complaints at all. The drive in is wide and comfortable to manoeuvre; the bays are wide enough to park even a large car with room enough to open the doors; and getting out again can be done without leaving your paintwork along the sides of the walls. This is a new site and truly an exception in an otherwise hellish experience offered to drivers.

To begin with such places are usually under lit, giving the impression that you have ventured down into the depths of hell. Often just paying for your stay can be frustrating. I have been into a few that make it a challenge to get a Volvo five-seater car into without scratching or denting the vehicle. The smog bastards who run these places simply say it’s not their fault if you damage your car. It certainly is their fault!

I recently was leaving a department store and I could not find where to pay for my ticket. There are several exits from the store into the parking garage, but only one in which the machines are located. There is not one sign that directs drivers to that place, consequently so much time is wasted (and paid for) while trying to pay. Then, the exits involve very tight turns so that unless you are driving anything other than a Smart Car you will have to be very careful indeed. There is ample evidence of people who were not careful enough.

As if all that were not enough to bring on Parking Garage rage, there’s the cost involved. This seems to be one recession-proof industry as costs continue on an upward spiral.

That’s why you need to know that the Agua Shopping Mall in Valencia that is located alongside the Arts and Science Museum offers shoppers three hours free parking; and the Mercado Fuencarril, located along the old river bed at the base of Avda Campoamour offers two hours free in garages that are fairly well appointed and well lit.

Better still, leave the car on the outskirts of the city and travel in on public transport.

Copyright © 2009 Eugene Carmichael