This page contains a Flash digital edition of a book.
Newsdesk: 01223 273526 editor@britishparking.co.uk


NEWS GENERAL NEWS


Keeping the streets of San Francisco moving


Following a world-wide survey into parking habits in heavily- populated urban areas, international computer giant IBM has launched a parking system aiming to solve some congestion problems. Te service is


being launched in San Francisco and is designed to help ease the city’s parking congestion, collect more parking fees and help motorists find parking spaces more easily. ‘Te existing parking


systems are pretty inefficient [in terms] of how cities manage


them,’ said Vinodh Swaminathan, IBM’s director of intelligent transportation systems. ‘Tink of a parking spot as a revenue-producing asset. With the ability to instrument these assets, we can manage them far more efficiently,’ he said. IBM is offering this


system in conjunction with San Francisco- based startup Streetline, which offers remote sensors that can determine if a parking space is taken by a car. IBM provides the analytical software, by way of a cloud service, that aggregates data


from these sensors so it can be used to better understand how a city’s parking spaces are used. For this offering,


called the Smarter Parking Starter Kit, Streetline will provide two sensors for each parking space. One will determine if a car is parked at the space, and the second sensor can read the parking meter, to determine if the customers had paid and how much time is left on the meter. Te collected data is communicated through a wireless mesh network back to an internet


gateway, which sends results to the operator. Motorists looking


for parking can take advantage of this data through the Streetline free mobile phone application. Called Parker, this app can alert users of nearby parking spaces. IBM’s research


involved interviewing communters in 20 cities. Tey found


a cross-cultural frustration with the inability to find parking in urban areas. In the past year,


nearly six out of every 10 drivers have abandoned a search for a parking space, forgoing their plans, and more than a quarter have been involved in an argument with another motorist over a parking spot.


Heavy parking congestion causes problems on the streets of San Francisco


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52