Do you dread having to go to Hollywood because of the abject misery endured in finding a parking spot?
Yeah, us too.
Fortunately, there’s a new iPhone app called Parker that’s here to help. It’s a joint effort between San Francisco-based startup Streetline and the LA Department of Transportation. What they’ve done is installed little sensors all over the streets, light posts, and even trees to create a network that can report when cars come and go from parking spots.
The $1.99 app puts colored dots on a map showing how many spots are open on a given street blocks. You can even see what hours the parking meter is in operation, time limits, and even if it takes credit cards or not. It sounds very ambitious, but if it works as advertised, could be a lifesaver for those times where your friends have to go to Euro Disco Night at the Avalon. Unfortunately, the only parking data currently available is a grid in the heart of Hollywood bordered by La Brea and Vine and the Hollywood Bowl and Fountain.
Last Thursday, our honorable Mayor Villaraigosa held a press conference announcing the app and promising to “…help people get where they are going faster and reduce pollution and traffic congestion caused by drivers circling in hopes of finding an open spot.”
Seriously? A press conference the day before Christmas Eve? That’s a great day to launch a product if you want the least amount of people possible to attend. It reminded me of Eli Manning’s very pathetic press conference last week after their devastating loss to the Eagles. Couldn’t they pick a better day to launch the app? It’s a great idea and I’m sure a lot of Angelenos would be interested in it.
The other thing that garnered a raised eyebrow from us is the $1.99 asking price. It’s a very reasonable price for an app… except for the fact that it only works in a very small section of the city currently. Granted, it’s a great section of town for the app to work in, but if you’re like us and only travel there occasionally, it’s expensive enough to give us second thoughts about impulse buying it. How about giving us a free taste now and then gradually working your way up to charging for things once you have more substantial data? Hell, you could even use that fancy In-App purchasing model to sell people data on the city sections that they frequent the most.
That being said, we’ll try to post an update soon with hands-on experience using the app the next time we’re in Hollywood. If you live in the area or have taken the plunge on the app, let us know in the comments or on Twitter how well it works!
NBC LA has a little video piece on the app, including footage from the Mayor’s press conference:
