Last but not least: Say goodbye to the search for parking
Now that's finally a useful app: the parking app. Thanks to a network of wireless sensors in the streets and parking garages, it allows drivers to check the availability of parking spaces in real time.
The app ultimately displays a city map where available parking spaces are marked in blue and occupied spaces in red. It sounds too good to be true. But there’s a small catch: it’s limited to the city of San Francisco. There, 7,000 on-street parking spaces and another 12,250 in parking garages are currently monitored by sensors. But of course, the system—which, by the way, cost $20 million to develop—also has critics and opponents: They say it could become a major distraction. The authorities are urging users to pull over to the side of the road while using the app…a rather unrealistic request—it’s highly questionable whether anyone will actually follow it. After all, despite the technical assistance, the goal is to reach the newly available parking spots as quickly as possible. After all, information about the available spot is also available to all other users of the app… Still, let’s hope the system makes its way over to us soon.
(Source: Press release)
