Chapel Hill Technology Advisory Committee

[tbuckner AT ibiblio.org]

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/breaking_news/14051679.htm

Using smarts to find parking
TECHNOLOGY CAN MAKE PARKING MORE EFFICIENT

It's easy to plan a trip around the world from your chair, thanks to the
Internet, but it's impossible to know if you'll find a parking spot when
driving to any congested downtown - whether it's San Jose, Palo Alto, San
Francisco or beyond.

Urban planners estimate as much as 80 percent of traffic on some city
streets comes from frustrated motorists cruising around in search of a place
to park.

This is where technology can help, at least in the eyes of more than a
hundred experts who gathered Wednesday for a conference on ``smart parking''
organized by the Silicon Valley Leadership Group and held at the offices of
Cadence Design Systems in San Jose.  Within a few years, it will be common
to reserve a parking space online before leaving home.

If you haven't booked in advance, the navigation screen in your car's
dashboard will display the nearest available street or garage parking.

When you find an open space at a meter, you won't have to fumble for coins.
Instead, you'll punch the meter's ID number into your cell phone. A sensor
in the pavement will detect when you leave, and your credit card will be
charged for exactly the number of minutes your car was parked . . .