Re:App parking system shuts down in San Francisco
by boucher on Sunday July 13, 2014 @07:53PM
(#8028968)
San Francisco had real time information about a large percentage of it's parking spots and it was available as an API. Apparently, though, this is no longer the case:
http://sfpark.org/how-it-works/open-data-page/
"As of December 30, 2013, the parking sensors in the street will be turned off and their data feed will no longer be available as parking sensor batteries have reached the end of their useful lives. This means that the real-time information on parking space occupancy will not be available for mobile apps and similar uses. The SFpark data feed and app will continue to show meter parking rates, as well as real-time space availability and rates at parking garages."
Re:App parking system shuts down in San Francisco
by gesman on Sunday July 13, 2014 @09:44PM
(#8029214)
Yes, Montreal.
Every single possible parking spot at a busy Old Montreal city has a numbered spot and it has either parking pay machine nearby or iPhone/Android app payment methods.
It is a really great solution.
Re:App parking system shuts down in San Francisco
by wavefunction on Sunday July 13, 2014 @07:44PM
(#8028936)
Seems like it should be a FIFO queue weighted on verified proximity/travel-distance to the locale you are trying to park in, if such a system were to be put in place.
For cities that haven't switched to shared muni-meters, the existing parking meters seem like the natural place to add hardware that checks for availability. If the meters are network connected then at the very least they could report back whether or not they are in use or "expired". A lot of the newer meters allow for credit card payments so I'm assuming they have some kind of network connectivity.
It'd be awesome if a city provided this data to the public. Then anybody could just make an app/website[3] that shows the closest place you can park. Forget trying to make a buck off of reselling your existing spot, the savings on traffic, pollution, and frustration would justify it (less needless circling).
[1]: All spots would be even better but I'm assuming a spot that doesn't have a meter isn't going to have any hardware there that could tell whether a car is present.
[2]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muni_Meter
[3]: Or even better integration with your smart phone's existing maps/nav app.