Los Angeles Mayor Villaraigosa, City Council President Eric Garcetti, and Streetline CEO Zia Yusuf
announced the Parker for iPhone App - the first app that gives
drivers real-time parking information and a way to find
open metered parking spaces and nearby garages.
Comment from Wireless and Mobile News: There may be a problem. Isn't it illegal to use your cell phone while driving? You have to pull over to use your iPhone, but you may not find a spot..."Whoops, I ran into the truck because I was looking for a parking space on my iPhone!" We wondering if you were arrested for using the Parker app, would you wind up in the notorious LAPD Parker Center in downtown Los Angeles?
The Parker for
iPhone App features a simple interface that gives users an instant,
location-based map pinpointing the city blocks with the most available
parking spaces. Users can see which blocks have: more than four, more
than two or less than two spots; as well as blocks with "rock star" parking -
the areas closest with the most open spaces. The app also delivers
information about parking space time limits, pricing, and whether meters
take credit cards or coins. It also will direct drivers to the nearest
City parking garages as an alternative to street parking.
Sensors to detect vacant spaces have been installed
in about 3,000 spaces in Los Angeles city blocks that are located in Hollywood,
Studio City and parts of Chinatown.
The app is
based on Streetline's patented smart parking platform that detects the
presence of a car through a network of ultra-low power wireless sensors
located in each parking space. This information is then transmitted back
to mobile smart phones and web applications that give drivers a live,
accurate picture of open parking spaces across a city. The entire system
helps cities, airports, universities and private organizations reduce
costs, increase efficiencies, and alleviate the environmental impact of
traffic caused by parking.
Studies
estimate that more than 30 percent of city traffic is caused by drivers
looking for parking, and Parker for iPhone dovetails Los Angeles'
and Streetline's efforts to implement smart city technologies that make
urban areas more livable, cleaner, and more efficient. Streetline smart
parking solutions have been deployed in California and New York, and several U.S. cities will deploy its smart parking technology in 2011.
"We are excited that Los Angeles
is the first city in the country to offer this unique app to residents
and visitors," said Mayor Villaraigosa. "By making parking easier, we
can help people get where they are going faster, and reduce pollution
and traffic congestion caused by drivers circling in hopes of finding an
open spot."
"Sometimes it feels like more movie stars have been discovered in Hollywood than parking spaces. This app will help drivers save time, reduce traffic and air pollution, and make visiting Hollywood even more enjoyable than it already is," said Council President Eric Garcetti.
"LADOT has been working hard to utilize new technologies like Streetline's to help connect the residents and visitors of Los Angeles with valuable information to make their lives easier," said Amir Sedadi, Interim General
Manager of the City Los Angeles Department of Transportation. "This new
system will transform the parking and driving experience in Hollywood, and we look forward to rolling out this service to other parts of Los Angeles."
"We are excited to partner with the City of Los Angeles to launch this innovative service for locals and visitors in Hollywood," said Zia Yusuf, CEO of Streetline. "We applaud Los Angeles
for exploring and implementing smart parking solutions that can not
only transform how people park, but also address the critical need to
reduce traffic and pollution."