How many times have you been traveling to a city and had had to go through the bothersome process of finding an open parking spot? Previously, the only remedy was to circle the block continuously until you were lucky enough to see someone pull out. Then, when you finally do find that elusive spot, you have to make sure that you have enough change to cover the meter for the time you intend to remain there. Also, you may not be able to go far because you have to go feed the meter to avoid getting ticketed.
This is a problem that many have experienced. However, a recent article in The Wall Street Journal has illuminated San Francisco’s new plan to avoid these annoyances. “New Meters Aim to Cure Parking Headaches” explains that a new technology, called Streetline, will be put into effect allowing one to check where available parking spots are through social media and smartphones. IBM impressively labeled Streetline of San Francisco to be the “world’s smartest startup” last year” (Oran). It manages parking with sensors on the ground that will report when a spot is unoccupied and will save you the time of circling a block where there is no available parking. Further, one will no longer have to worry about staying close by to the car when then time expires, because one can add time to a meter through a smartphone app payment system. Originally, this service was “pitched as a sustainability play—as a way to reduce traffic congestion, gasoline use and carbon emissions” (Gunther). Actually, about “30 percent of traffic congestion in cities is caused by drivers circling the block looking for a parking space” (Lamba). However, it is obvious that it would make life easier when driving in a city overall.
I think that this could be a fantastic potential plan in large cities. This program is being used in Sausalito, California and, for the most part, glitches have already been recognized and then smoothed out (Worthen). Also, besides being extremely convenient, it could also be profitable for the city that utilizes it. In San Francisco, it could generate about $1.6 million in additional annual revenue for the city (Reisman). It would make the jobs for parking enforcement officers easier by telling them where expired meters are, rather than forcing them to periodically check every meter in the city. Also, in the future, they are thinking of adding a service to Streetline that would tell these officials if a car is parked by a fire hydrant and show meters that may need to be emptied or repaired (Lamba).
Eventually, the city would be able to track the peak times for parking, and adjust rates accordingly. This would be beneficial because people would be able to pay less at off-times and in less crowded neighborhoods. This way, people have the opportunity to adjust their schedules and arrange their travel plans in a way that they could pay the least amount of money possible and save time by parking when spaces are readily available.
This program could help those who live in the city find the closest available space to park in off hours. If someone was traveling back to their apartment in the city they might not want to risk parking far away because of walking distance and safety factors. For instance, a driver would feel more at ease using this application at 3:00AM when returning home alone.
“IBM chose to partner with Streetline because of its focus on efficient use of energy and resources, said Mike Riegel, IBM's vice president for independent software vendors, start-ups, developers and academic programs. The company is interested in working with firms linked to IBM's Smarter Planet initiative, which promotes improving environmental protection, healthcare, energy consumption and education.” (Oran) I think that this program is going to work well in San Francisco and will hopefully make its way east to other cities, such as Baltimore, New York, Chicago, and Boston. This would make parking more convenient for all people, and would make the parking system more efficient overall.
Works Cited
Gunther, Marc. "The Internet of Parking Spaces." Marc Gunther – A Blog about Business and Sustainability. 14 Nov. 2010. Web. 21 Feb. 2011.
Lamba, Naveen. "Social Media Tackles Traffic | Autopia | Wired.com." Wired.com. 2 Dec. 2010. Web. 21 Feb. 2011.
Oran, Olivia. "5 Hot Start-Ups Big Tech Is Betting On - TheStreet." Stock Market Today - Financial News, Quotes and Analysis - TheStreet. 03 Feb. 2011. Web. 21 Feb. 2011.
Reisman, Will. "Parking Meter Changes May Be Coming to San Francisco." San Francisco Examiner | Breaking News & Bay Area News. 29 Mar. 2010. Web. 21 Feb. 2011.
Worthen, Ben. "New Meters Aim to Cure San Francisco's Parking Headaches - WSJ.com." Business News & Financial News - The Wall Street Journal - Wsj.com. 27 Jan. 2011. Web. 21 Feb. 2011.
This new technology seems to be a very beneficial thing for cities, and I would love it if it would be applied everywhere. The benefits definitely outweigh the consequences when it comes to revenue, convenience, and enforcement. It will create more revenue for cities, it will remove the hassle for patrons, and it will aid officers in enforcing parking laws. I would like to see technology continue to improve and update systems, the way it is for parking. Imagine if somehow technology could alleviate the horrific traffic problems of the city as well. As long as technology is developing, anything could happen.
ReplyDeleteThe article seems to spend most of its time talking about the benefits of this new technology, which are very clear. I would not be opposed to using Streetline here on Loyola's campus, where parking is very limited. Convenience, increased revenues, and reduced pollution are all obviously desirable. However, when it comes to law enforcement Streetline can also be viewed as a drawback. The government often implement new technologies, like the new cameras in stop lights that take pictures of cars in the intersection when the light turns red. If more and more of their job is being done by technology, is there as much of a need of actual policemen? We have seen this cause and effect in so many industries, where machines have taken over for humans; this seems very dangerous in the field of law enforcement. People will not be able to make mistakes or push the boundary of the law without getting caught for sure. Also, if Streetline is using social media and text messaging to implement its plan, it is creating a dangerous situation. People will be using their phones while driving to search for spots, which has led to many accidents and is something law enforcement is trying to stop. If someone checked the information from their home computer, the spot might be taken by the time they arrive. Streetline may want to think about modifying their technology and only using it to give information about cars that are already parked, like meter balances.
ReplyDeleteStreetline is essentially a great example of the development of new technologies and how they can be used to better our society. This new technology has vast potential to actually improve parking situations, traffic control, and even the environment and is certainly the right step in making a smarter, more efficient city. Like most technology, the west coast or specifically speaking California is most often the starting grounds for new technology such as this and once this new tech. establishes itself as being effective it makes its way throughout the United States and to all other major areas. With that said, I believe that this "Streetline" technology will be implemented in more areas in the US than just California in the coming years, possibly even sooner. Aside from the numerous benefits previously mentioned, in the above comment Wade presents a strong point that highlights the potential "darker" side of this new technology and although many people do not enjoy recognizing it it is still just as important. In response to the problem a possible solution could be that instead of using just smartphones or social media, the Streetline technology should somehow be interfaced with say a GPS system or bluetooth system already in the car. This concept would then allow for drivers to access this Streetline technology without using their phone and instead access it like they would already with their GPS or bluetooth. Overall the technology definitely seems advanced and I would certainly be interested in it coming to the east coast.
ReplyDeleteThe Streetline technology seems long over due. With all the technological advancements taking place, it is about time that a system was developed to alleviate parking problems. The fact of the matter is that parking is an issue everywhere—in both major cities and in smaller towns. I work at a local boutique in my hometown and we are constantly hearing complaints about parking from out of town customers. Finding a parking spot is stressful and frustrating, it can be very detrimental to the businesses within the respective towns and cities. The Streetline technology seems to help assuage the stress of parking as it finds spots for you. More so, it allows you to check your meter from your phone. These features are very attractive for users because it makes the task of parking and keeping up with your meter very easy, allowing patrons to focus on what they are actually doing. It even is beneficial to the parking enforcement officers—instead of wasting time checking every meter, they can track which meters are expired. The Streetline technology saves users time and eliminates the stress of parking all while generating the cities money. Although it seems to me like Streetline is an obvious investment, it will be interesting to see if Streetline spreads across the country.
ReplyDeleteFrom the perspective of a city official this new technology has numerous benefits. Not only can it help a city "go green", but it also allows for extra revenues from parking tickets. The fact that they will be able to determine the peak hours of parking in an attempt to raise rates will also help a city gain more money. It seems like a good plan until the people are considered. Sometimes someone will get back to their car five minutes after their meter runs out, and avoid a ticket. However, with the new technology, missing your alloted time by even one minute will lead to a parking ticket. It is helpful that payments can be made through smart phones, but many people still have generic phones without such enhanced technology. On the other hand, the people with smart phones will definitely enjoy the benefits of being able to locate empty spots through this new method. The new meter system seems to have many benefits, the only major downside is for the drivers who will face many more tickets.
ReplyDeleteThis technology seems to be very useful and the next step in solving traffic issues. The amount of gas and time it will save drivers is invaluable, not to mention the positive effect it will have on the environment. This also saves many police hours and makes things much more simple for them. However, I cannot ignore the fact that this is just another way for the government to maximize the amount of money they get from citizens. Like red light cameras, I would imagine that if you do not feed the meter in the allotted time, you will be ticketed immediately with no way to fight it. They also commented that in the future they will use the system to plan peak and off-peak hours for a better idea of how and when to charge people for parking. My thoughts are that they will just make the peak hours more expensive and take advantage of the fact that more people park during certain hours, which is unavoidable for the drivers. It seems as though this system will essentially trap drivers into doing exactly what the government wants. Yes, there are laws in place, and yes perhaps some people have taken advantage of the meter system, but the bottom line is that this looks like just another government ploy to make money. I question the reasoning behind a systems like this (like red light cameras) because its not a question of legality, it's a question of morality, as in, for what reason is the government putting a system like this in place?
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