The AIT, FIA and EPA Task Force has launched the European Parking quality Standard (EPQS). The EPQS is considered to be useful both for designing new car parks and inspecting existing ones.
Car parks are becoming an increasingly important facility for motorists. In cities in particular, spatial restrictions reinforce the need for multi-storey car parks. These garages are mostly managed by private organisations, which may or may not have a government body as their principal. Although car parks must satisfy certain construction and environmental standards in most countries, these are only minimum requirements that rarely if at all address user safety and comfort.
The motoring clubs and the car park owners strive to improve the quality of car parks with regard to safety and comfort. For AIT and FIA, representing the users, there is an obvious potential for entering into agreements with car park owners represented by EPA. These requirements should preferably be the saure in all European countries.
The European Parking Quality Standard (EPOS) includes all aspects of car park safety and comfort.
We hope that the use of the EPOS will lead in practice to a process of upgrading the quality of car parks in the different countries and to the international harmonisation of high-quality car parks.
The AIT FIA and EPA Task Force welcomes any comments or practical experience with regard to the content of the EPOS. It has already been proposed to evaluate the application of the EPOS in practice and publish an amended version in the next edition of the EPOS inspection forms and manual.
