As is typical with the Eurocentric establishment in the US, National Public Radio is promoting a new invention in Toulouse, France. Read about it here. Let's see how this magic works:
They place sensors in each on street parking space. Then the sensors "sense" cars that are in the spaces and voila, they send data through a real time network to your smart phone and let you know what spaces are available. Does this sound vaguely familiar?
We have been reporting on iphone and droid apps that do just that. In Los Angeles, a project for over 700 spaces in Hollywood was started last month and will be expanded to most of LA in the near future. San Francisco's "SF Park" system that has been rolling out since last summer works exactly the way that the French system works. Thousands of sensors have been installed in the city.
Our resident reporter in France, Scarlett Ambroziak, sent information about the Toulouse project last year and I was in contact with the owner of Lyberta, the company that is doing the Toulouse installation. He described the project to me and I indicated that I would be happy to report on it when the testing was underway.
I wish the French all the luck in the world. This is not an easy task. Streetline in Los Angeles has been testing for years both in LA and SF. Pilot projects with street sensors have been running in a number of Northern California cities, in Ft. Worth Texas, and in a couple of cities in the seaboard area of New Jersey. The primary goal of the sensors arrays is to collect data for the city parking departments enabling them to better determine pricing and parking allocation.
The use of real time data that can be used to direct smart phone users to on street spaces is a spinoff of these data collection efforts.
There is nothing wrong with telling people where on street spaces exist so they can drive directly to them, however there are issues, one being the need to use the phone while driving. Checking for open parking space is not much different from texting, a no no. Another issue remains the concept of just how "real time" it is. Assuming a large number of people have the same information, what will happen if car A gets to the spot before car B. If this happens a couple of times, people will soon begin to believe, true or not, that the data is imperfect and stop using the app.
It seems to me that market based pricing of on street parking is a much better way to make parking available and stop cruising for spaces. If the on street price is high enough, people will quickly decide to use cheaper off street spaces and go directly to structures or lots. Those willing to pay for more convenient on street parking will have the space available and will use it.
In the NPR article, a Toulouse resident was quite open about the fact that she simply drove around and around looking for a free on street space. Would she not have simply parked her car in a structure or lot and walked to her destination if she knew it was considerably less expensive to do so?
The use of these sensor arrays is extremely important to enable real time setting of pricing of on street parking costs. It also assists in the directing and staffing of enforcement personnel. (They know when you have overstayed your welcome.) However I wonder at the efficacy of using all this high tech firepower to 'direct' parkers to spaces.
I think it's one thing to tell someone that there are 100 spaces available in a garage or lot at the corner of Hollywood and Highland, and something very different to direct a person to a specific space 50 west of Hollywood and Vine. In one case, I have a good chance of finding a space, in the other, probably not.
JVH
Those willing to pay for more convenient on street parking will have the space available and will use it.
Posted by: iPhone 5 insurance | 28 September 2012 at 06:35 AM
I'd actually love to review these boxes on my shopping/lifestyle blog. i wonder if they'd send me a sample box to talk about?
Posted by: Timberland Outlet | 27 November 2011 at 05:19 AM
This is a fabulous thing to install in your car, with this app one can easily find the place to park wherever they go, so no more issues to find a parking place.
Posted by: iPhone Car Kit | 24 October 2011 at 03:00 AM
The megazord scenes... eh, this might be the only place where I have issues. They don't use the original footage for the rangers inside the megazord. Instead, each ranger gains this weird armor before entering the zord. Doesn't make a heck of a lot of sense, in my opinion. Why didn't Saban and the direction/production team use the original footage? The armor looks really weird.
Aside from that, this feels
Posted by: christian louboutin pumps | 05 May 2011 at 01:39 AM
Impressive review regarding the parking sensor well the good things about these is that you get an early idea where exactly you have park out your car in advance..
Posted by: apple wholesale | 02 March 2011 at 10:04 AM
Could u please guide how iphone is related to a parking sensor. I recently purchased a parking sensor and wanted to know the role of iphone from where i purchased
http://www.backup-sensor.com
Posted by: madison roberts | 26 February 2011 at 05:20 AM
Could u please guide how iphone is related to a parking sensor. I recently purchased a parking sensor and wanted to know the role of iphone from where i purchased
http://www.backup-sensor.com
Posted by: madison roberts | 26 February 2011 at 05:20 AM