Finding A Parking Space In SF App

When you are in a large city, finding a parking place can be a real problem for many. You get to drive around looking for an open parking space, wasting time and gas in the process. There are a number of apps being developed to meet the needs to find an open parking space and one is being offered in San Francisco by the City of San Francisco.

This is being provided by SF Park which is part of the SF Municipal Transportation Agency. They have spent the past year embedding detectors in parking spaces which they can then monitor and report a space as being available to those with their app. On street parking for over 8200 spaces has been done thus far along with parking garages to better handle the parking needs. Of course they can also use this to adjust pricing based on demand.

The app can be downloaded from either the iTunes Store for iOS devices or the Google Play store for Android devices. The app is free to all and has benefit to those who download it and to the city. By being able to monitor parking usage throughout the city, they can better plan for rates and where to build future parking structures to meet the demand. For you, it can help you find a parking space, which is what it is all about.

There are 2 drawbacks to this type of application. The first is that you have to be looking at your phone to see where there are available parking spaces. If you are alone in the car, you are taking your eyes off the road. Probably not a good thing. The other is that you may find a parking space, but by the time you get there, it could be gone. This is especially true in residential neighborhoods. But, if you are looking for a parking garage that has lots of spaces, this is the way to go.

There are other similar apps being offered and will be a growing area to meet the needs of those searching for parking in large cities. This is especially true if you are traveling to a large city and do not know your way around.