Assume that there are only 40 million cars in Germany. Although it is actually somewhat higher, one has experienced a decline of almost 10 percent in 2008, for example. If all cars were parked on the public streets of cities and towns without space in between, half of all streets available there would be occupied by a car, not counting transport and two-wheeled vehicles.

Incidentally, if all of these vehicles were to be driven in both directions at the same time on the roads in Germany outside of built-up areas, only a distance of three times the vehicle length would be possible, with space perhaps for motorcycles, but certainly no longer for commercial traffic such as trucks.

You can see how important stationary traffic is in addition to moving traffic and why the rate of return on operating parking garages in appropriate locations has risen significantly more than that for residential buildings. Unfortunately, it is lower where the car is parked underground, therefore it is higher in above-ground parking garages.

There were countries (such as Japan) where you had to prove that you had enough parking space to register a vehicle. In some residential buildings, the cars reside on the ground floor, possibly with access to the meadow green behind the house. There you have to envy countries like the USA or Canada with their (at least in the countryside) generously sized plots of land.

The situation of accommodating the beloved vehicle will at least rather more and more difficult in Germany. While the population decline is sure to come, rules are changing at the same time that will increase probably the number of vehicles.

So one license plate is allowed for two cars, for example. If you look at the oldtimer scene, then there is lovingly restored, what used to inevitably end up in the scrap heap. The proportion of expensive cars is increasing and with it the amount of cars worth preserving.

In addition, the access age for the driver's license is reduced. Well, as long as one parent has to sit in the front passenger seat, this will not result in a car purchase. But how many cars does a family with two licensed children really 'need'?

Four cars need about 32 m² of pure space to stay. But take a look at a parking garage. There, the area on which vehicles are effectively parked is significantly smaller than the traffic and administrative space. A car like this needs almost twice as much to maneuver as its footprint accounts for.

And then you can't assume a standard car. After all, e.g. in a parking garage, the height is clearly limited, which excludes some. But the floor space must of course also offer enough space for the upper middle class sedan. And their passengers also want to get off reasonably comfortably.

Disabled parking spaces are calculated of course even more spacious. And if women's parking spaces are not consistently used by them, they usually remain unused, which again means a certain amount of waste.

Unfortunately, systems in which the car is handed in at the gateway and parked particularly economically have not become established. Perhaps something like this can soon be regulated via the price.

The risk of theft increases with the value of our cars. Of course, the vehicle is insured, but sometimes with a deductible. And who likes to head towards an insured event. If the car is then found again, possibly partially dismantled, one then feels much less comfortable in it, even if the damage has been repaired.

Car insurance companies have learned to appreciate the value of a garage at home and are offering cheaper rates in this case. Of course, it takes up a lot of space together with the driveway (see above), or requires a larger property. But at least in Germany you can put a garage on the property boundary. Bicycles and equipment are also well accommodated in it.

After all, there are still a lot of people who do something on their vehicle themselves, which may even go beyond changing tires, their accommodation costs are then also saved. However, especially if the garage contains additional values, you should protect them from attempted break-ins and fire.

It's also exciting to make a repair shop, no matter how wild, look particularly aesthetic from the outside according to the motto: if you press the button, the garage door closes and all inconvenience is gone for the time being. If this also includes a window, it is even possible to work with the garage door closed and in winter. Modern gates are thermally insulated.

Stationary traffic is also given special importance by the requirements of the environment. For example, all vehicles with batteries will place increased demands on the design of a parking space, even if the car is only there for an hour. So it seems that investments in stationary traffic (actually a nonsensical term) will be even more worthwhile in the future.