CSB #7: SFpark

SFpark app on an iPhone
http://www.parking-net.com/Upload/News/37565/SFPark-iPhone-App-small.jpg

Have you ever been in a situation where you have driven around in a parking lot for minutes, still no spot to be found? Numerous drivers in the busy city of San Francisco often feel this frustration every day when they drive about, competing with other drivers to search for open spots or wait for someone to drive away, leaving a new vacancy. 


One woman, Monique Soltami, said she drove around for nearly 25 minutes "praying to the parking god" to help them park.


According to the New York Times, 30 percent of all traffic congestion was due to the search for parking spots. A new, revolutionary phone application aptly named "SFpark" was created solely to clear up the traffic by addressing this daily problem. Last month, this app was introduced to the market in an effort to help drivers find an empty parking spot.


But how does it work? The real-time parking information the app receives is retrieved from wireless sensors that are able to tell whether or not a given spot is available or taken. These sensors can be implanted in parking lots, garages, and streets. This new technology can report changes in each individual space in seconds.


Although this recently published driver's aid undoubtedly has great potential, it also has one notable drawback: it distracts drivers. People using this app to find parking spaces shift their focus from the road to the phone. Potentially it could lead to more deaths, but nevertheless, this is a very useful app. Hopefully they will be able to create a similar system in the East Coast (of the United States of America) as it is excruciatingly difficult to find a cheap parking spot.




Sources:
Original Article:
Richtel, Matt. "Now, to Find a Parking Spot, Drivers Look on Their Phones." The New York Times. The New York Times Company.
     , 8 May. 2011. Web. 7 May. 2011. <http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/08/technology/08parking.html?scp=1&sq=sfpark&st=Search>.
Image:
http://www.parking-net.com/Upload/News/37565/SFPark-iPhone-App-small.jpg