Curbside Parking? No Longer a Problem

Curbside parking has always been a complicated issue in urban areas. Drivers often spend lots of time driving around to look for a free curbside parking site as they are quite scarce nowadays. Searching for curbside parking not only creates congestion and exacerbates the pressure of road network, but also wastes drivers’ time. Drivers often have a hard time finding an appropriate parking lot as well, since there are numerous signs and each has a different regulation printed on it. A company called Coord from San Francisco produced a curbside parking map by sending out its team to collect data for every street and every parking regulation sign. By digitizing the numerous curbside parking rules, it is now easier for drivers to understand and plan better routes.

The reason the curbside parking issue needs to be drawn attention is that this particular issue causes drivers a large amount of time annually. The temporary congestion and blocked roads slow down other vehicles such as buses as well, which makes the buses even less favorable.

Digitizing the curbside parking rules can be viewed as one approach to battle congestion and ease the pressure of drivers. It is also very helpful for government agencies that they now have digitized data of the curbs and are able to better manage curbs. However, this approach may also introduce the ‘induced demand.’ Drivers now know where to park, and more people would drive instead of taking public transportation. Technology definitely plays a role here but it is also a double-edged sword.