San Francisco pioneers real time parking app
Fed up motorists fruitlessly searching for a parking spot in San Francisco now have a solution to their quandary, a parking app which alerts users to available empty spaces.
The local transportation department have embedded nearly 20,000 wireless sensors in pavements and garages around the city, each of which transmits real time data on availability direct to people’s phones.
These show up on an inbuilt map with blocks harbouring available spaces appearing as blue whilst traffic clogged districts appear red.
City officials reckon that up to 30% of all city centre congestion can be attributed to drivers prowling for parking spaces and believe the new technology will serve to significantly reduce emissions, as well as frustrations.
Others however are concerned that the new technology could be both distracting and dangerous as drivers switch from scanning for spaces through their windshield to through their iPhone.